NZ farmers more optimistic as agricultural confidence rises
According to the most recent Rabobank Rural Confidence Survey, farmer confidence has inched higher, reaching its second highest reading in the last decade.
OPINION: Your old mate hears some of the recent uptick in farmer confidence has slipped since the political polls started leading a bit to the left, away from the current coalition of National, Act and NZ First.
It's way too early to panic and polls this far our are usually a 'protest' of sorts, with punters showing frustration rather than actual voting intent.
However, there are three good reasons to worry if the trend sets in: Labour, Greens and Te Pati Māori.
For instance, the policy lunacy the Greens are touting - to triple the government debt threshold to 60% of GDP, described by them as "carefully calibrated radicalism" - makes the Grant Robertson and Jacinda Ardern six-year lolly scramble seem fiscally conservative by comparison.
The Greens go as far as to describe fiscal restraint as "outdated 'orthodoxy' rooted in the 1980s".
The climate of uncertainty and market fragmentation that currently characterises the global economy suggests that many of the European agricultural machinery manufacturers will be looking for new markets.
Dignitaries from all walks of life – the governor general, politicians past and present, Maoridom- including the Maori Queen, church leaders, the primary sector and family and friends packed Our Lady of Kapiti’s Catholic church in Paraparaumu on Thursday October 23 to pay tribute to former prime Minister, Jim Bolger who died last week.
Agriculture and Forestry Minister, Todd McClay is encouraging farmers, growers, and foresters not to take unnecessary risks, asking that they heed weather warnings today.
With nearly two million underutilised dairy calves born annually and the beef price outlook strong, New Zealand’s opportunity to build a scalable dairy-beef system is now.
Graduates of a newly-updated Agri-Women’s Development Trust (AWDT) course are taking more value than ever from the programme, with some even walking away calling themselves the “farm CFO”.
Meet the Need, a farmer-led charity, says food insecurity in New Zealand is dire, with one in four children now living in a household experiencing food insecurity, according to Ministry of Health data.
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