Global Dairy Trade Recovery Puts $9.50 Milk Price Within Reach
A solid recovery of global dairy prices this year makes a $9.50/kgMS milk price almost a shoo-in for this season.
The US currency will determine how the milk payout plays out, says BNZ senior economist Doug Steel.
He told Rural News that, in some ways, the recent GDT price strength looks like catch up due to the recent declines in the US dollar.
A lower US dollar tends to lift product prices that are denominated in that currency.
“Of course, the flipside of a lower US dollar is a higher NZ dollar, while a higher NZ dollar – in itself – tends to put downward pressure on milk price, it very much needs to be seen in the context of product price movements in offshore markets.
“These things do not move in isolation. It is the balance that matters.”
Steel points out that it was no coincidence that the 2013-14 record $8.40 milk price was paid when the NZD/USD was above 0.80.
“That said, a higher NZD/USD will limit the upside to domestic milk prices, but likely more so for next season than the current one.”
Global trade has been thrown into another bout of uncertainty following the overnight ruling by US Supreme Court, striking down President Donald Trump's decision to impose additional tariffs on trading partners.
Controls on the movement of fruit and vegetables in the Auckland suburb of Mt Roskill have been lifted.
Fonterra farmer shareholders and unit holders are in line for another payment in April.
Farmers are being encouraged to take a closer look at the refrigerants running inside their on-farm systems, as international and domestic pressure continues to build on high global warming potential (GWP) 400-series refrigerants.
As expected, Fonterra has lifted its 2025-26 forecast farmgate milk price mid-point to $9.50/kgMS.
Bovonic says a return on investment study has found its automated mastitis detection technology, QuadSense, is delivering financial, labour, and animal-health benefits on New Zealand dairy farms worth an estimated $29,547 per season.

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