Dirty Pool!
OPINION: President Trump's tariff wars have torpedoed the US grain belt's biggest market, China, sending many US family farms to the wall.
One of the most galling aspects of the tariffs whacked on our farm exports to the US is the fact that, now more than ever, US farmers are being propped up by government welfare – a direct result of Trump’s hardline on its trading partners.
Particularly China. For decades, Chinese demand underpinned the US Midwest economy, taking roughly a third of US grain production.
Then came the Trump trade wars.
The response by the US government will be to release billions of dollars in aid for the losses created by its own policies. China has pivoted fast, locking in long-term supply deals with Brazil and expanding its crushing and logistics capacity.
The result is a trade shift that will possibly be permanent.
American farmers voted overwhelmingly for Trump and its cold comfort to the Hound that they are now finding it’s hitting their bottom.
Waikato agribusiness leader Geoff Maber has been appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit (ONZM) in the 2026 King's Birthday Honours.
Potatoes New Zealand and Garden to Table have partnered together to celebrate a versatile vegetable and the people behind it.
Mainland Poultry has confirmed new ownership of its vertically integrated agribusiness with Pacific Equity Partners Gateway (PEP Gateway) now joining current shareholders Navis.
The recently published State of the Industry -Tractors and Machinery 2025 from the Australian Tractor and Machinery Association (TMA), the equivalent of New Zealand’s TAMA, gives an interesting perspective of the industry.
Strong competition and tightening supply have seen wool reach its highest prices paid at auction since 2011.
The Government is funding a feasibility study to investigate what would be required for a successful farmer-led purchase of the McCain Foods' vegetable processing site in Hastings.

OPINION: The old saying 'a new broom sweeps clean' doesn't always hold up, if you ask the Hound.
OPINION: This old mutt went to school to eat his lunch, but still knows the future of the country, and…