Bank's desire to be part of the solution
ASB says the decision to sign on to the AgriZeroNZ joint venture came out of a wish to be a part of the solution.
While the uncertainty caused by COVID-19 continues, ran has brought some drought relief over the past week, says ASB senior rural economist Nathan Penny.
In his weekly commodities report, Penny says more rain is forecast.
“Over the past week, rain has brought drought relief to some drought-hit regions. Notably, drought conditions have eased in the Waikato and Northland,” he says.
“The lower North Island and the Coromandel appear to have missed out, but further rain is forecast around much of the country over the next seven days.
“While the rain is welcome, in some locations, the timing of the rain has meant that it is contributing more to setting up for next season than “saving” this season.” February dairy production was down 1.8% on February 2019, while meat processing capacity remains stretched in many regions. Penny notes that outside of the drought-hit regions, some parts of the South Island have had strong growing seasons.
“Anecdotally, crop yields and dairy production have been strong in parts of Canterbury,” he says.
Meanwhile, a hot summer hasn’t hampered kiwifruit production. The industry expects a 5% lift in this season’s harvest compared to last season, although some of the lift will be due to new plantings.
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A vet is calling for all animals to be vaccinated against a new strain of leptospirosis (lepto) discovered on New Zealand dairy farms in recent years.
Two major red meat sector projects are getting up to a combined $1.7 million in funding from the New Zealand Meat Board (NZMB).
Angus Barr and Tara Dwyer of The Wandle, Lone Star Farms in Strath Taieri have been named the Regional Supreme Winners at the Otago Ballance Farm Environment Awards in Dunedin.
OPINION: The distress that the politicians and bureaucrats are causing to the people of Wairoa and the wider Tairāwhiti is unforgivable.
Dairy
Rural banker Rabobank is partnering with Food Rescue Kitchen on a new TV series which airs this weekend that aims to shine a light on the real and growing issues of food waste, food poverty and social isolation in New Zealand.