Dairy unity
OPINION: A last-minute compromise ensured that the election of the new Federated Farmers national dairy chair wasn't a repeat of the Super 15 rugby final - Canterbury versus Waikato.
OPINION: The proposed RMA reforms took a while to drop but were well signaled after the election.
Did that stop councils like Southland's forging ahead with regional plans that would probably have to be rewritten after the RMA reforms arrived?
Like hell, Feds Southland 'pres' Jason Herrisk and colleagues won a court decision granting a 'stay' on rules in the Southland Water and Land Plan until changes can be made to section 70 of the RMA by central government, but the Hound reckons the fight shouldn't have been necessary in the first place.
The plan, which should have been delayed anyway, would have required Southland farmers to apply for expensive resource consents just to continue farming.
"The activist groups who initially brought this case, like Fish & Game and Forest & Bird, should be hanging their heads in shame," Herrick says.
Questions are being raised about just how good the state of the dairy industry is - especially given that the average farmgate payout for the coming season is set to exceed $10/kgMS.
A leading financial and banking advisor says he doubts if most dairy farmers fully understand the dynamics of banking.
Dairy farmers are shoring up their balance sheets, with almost $1.7 billion of debt repaid in the six months to March 2025.
Virtual fencing company Halter is going global but for founder Craig Piggott, New Zealand farmers will always remain their main partners.
A former Fonterra executive is the new chair of the Dairy Companies Association of New Zealand (DCANZ).
New Federated Farmers national dairy chair Karl Dean is looking forward to tackling the issues facing the sector.
OPINION: Dust ups between rural media and PR types aren't unheard of but also aren't common, given part of the…
OPINION: The Hound hears from his canine pals in Southland that an individual's derogatory remarks on social media have left…