Some farmers are taking on additional work off farm to keep up with rising interest costs, says Federated Farmers dairy chair Richard McIntyre.

Dairy

There has been much commentary about China with concerns about how Covid lockdowns there have dented consumer confidence, driving down consumer spending.

Don't get hoodwinked by political 'wannabes'.

No Federated Farmers conference would be complete without the injection of a little politics.

OPINION: It was Federated Farmers' turn last week to play host to another round in the battle for rural votes in the upcoming October elections.

Dairy prices have fallen to three-year lows thanks to strong supply and weak demand, mainly for whole milk powder (WMP) from China.

Federated Farmers president, Wayne Langford says it was good to hear from the politicians and to learn more about international trade and consumer trends from other keynote speakers at last week's NZ Primary Industries Summit.

The leaders of Labour and National took up the challenge to win rural voters in a head-to-head clash at last week's Federated Farmers annual conference in Wellington.

The medium term prospects for the meat and wool sector are gloomy based on the numbers in the latest MPI Situation and Outlook for Primary Industries (SOPI) report.