The world's tractor market looked healthy in 2017, with 2.1 million sales – up about 13% on the 2016 total of 1.9 million units.

Keytone Dairy, a Christchurch-based manufacturer, packer and exporter of powdered dairy products, has listed on the Australian Stock Exchange (ASX) as it raises capital for a major expansion of its Canterbury manufacturing operation.

Fonterra’s new cream cheese plant in Canterbury is set to manufacture up to 24,000 metric tonnes of cream cheese annually, bound for China. 

The A2 Milk Co more than doubled its profit to $195.7 million in the year to June 30 – over 116% ahead of the previous financial year.

Exactly five years ago Fonterra launched its first Anchor milk product in China, today it is sold in 13,000 stores in 220 Chinese cities.

This time last month, not many people were aware that a new era was dawning on the world’s largest dairy exporter, Fonterra.

Most farmers are now flat-out calving and lambing and are looking forward to another season of forecast good returns. 

Lamb prices are likely to flatten off a little, but stay pretty much towards current levels, says Beef+Lamb chief economist Andrew Burtt.

Fonterra’s interim chief executive Miles Hurrell says the co-op needs to be clear, upfront and honest with farmer shareholders.

The last decade has been littered with unsuccessful joint ventures in China and we’ll probably see more, says Tim Hunt, Rabobank’s general manager food and agribusiness research in New Zealand and Australia.