True Reflection?
A fair question has been raised about how member-funded organisations should conduct themselves when taking a public position on any given issue.
OPINION: Your old mate's editor was contacted by Ashburton-based farmer co-op Ruralco in relation to this old mutt's recent column about the difficulty in signing up to the organisation.
It says its application is, “Not 67 pages long, but in fact 32 pages for a shareholder or 19 pages for a cardholder”.
The co-op points out that, when put into the context of joining a bank or other financial services organisation, “that is entirely within similar realms”.
It also adds the Ruralco’s boss Robert Sharkie would, “love to have the opportunity to speak with the farmer concerned and help alleviate their frustration”, and “this is how much he cares about helping farmers to do business”.
It’s good to see such a proactive attitude from the boss of a rural company. So, any farmers having any similar issues joining Ruralco – give good old Bob a bell.
Signing up to a benchmarking tool is not about competition, but about improving collectively, says Ximena Puig and Alvaro Luzardo who are 50-50 sharemilkers at a 164-hectare (effective) dairy farm in Eketāhuna in the Lower North Island.
A leading British farming politician says he's impressed with the positive attitude of New Zealand farmers that he met during his recent trip here.
OPINION: With 10,500 dairy farms, New Zealand continues to punch above its weight around the world.
The Southern Dairy Hub (SDH), which runs a demonstration farm for South Island farmers, has a new general manager.
Esther Guy-Meakin has been announced as the new chief executive of the New Zealand Meat Board (NZMB).
According to a progress report on the Aotearoa Horticulture Action Plan (AHAP), New Zealand's horticulture sector is making real progress on the big issues facing growers.

A fair question has been raised about how member-funded organisations should conduct themselves when taking a public position on any…
OPINION: It really is getting harder to lampoon government bureaucrats when they do such a good job of it themselves.…