BNZ Launches First Farm Funding Boost Scheme
Bank of New Zealand (BNZ)will expand its First Farm support with a new funding boost designed to help more farmers and growers take their next step into farm ownership.
OPINION: At a recent speaking engagement, Brendan Lindsay, cashed-out founder of Sistema Plastics opined that in his experience “banks are real fair-weather friends”.
Maybe when you’re sitting on a $600 million pile, you can afford to risk upsetting the lending set, but more than a few farmers seem to agree with the sentiment.
In the latest Federated Farmers bank survey they added a new question: ‘Do you think New Zealand banks are presently demonstrating a positive commitment to support farming through difficult periods of high interest rates?’
Feds’ Richard McIntyre says it’s “incredibly disappointing” that only one in five farmers responded with a ‘yes’ to that question.
“At a time when farmers are really struggling, I would have hoped to see our banks stepping up to help, but instead they seem to be tightening the screws.”
OPINION: Farmers are being put on notice by the Green Party.
As dairy farmers lock in plans for the upcoming mating season, a partnership between Fonterra and Silver Fern Farms has been formed with the aim of making it simpler to create additional value from calves not entering the replacement herd.
Farmers can now get a more reliable view of pasture covers across their farm, thanks to a combination of three data sources.
A warning to dairy farmers not to expect the same good conditions that they experienced last season, has been issued by a leading farm consultant.
South Waikato farmer Bas Nelis is always interested in fine-tuning his business to improve results.
On a farm in Tikorangi, North Taranaki, Brent Stevenson is sharemilking 1,400 cows.

OPINION: Central Hawke's Bay farmer Mark Warren recently told the Hawke's Bay Times it's time for a conversation about allowing…
OPINION: A nation that relies as heavily as NZ does on functional global shipping lanes will have to do its…