While 2015 is barely underway it seems already that the New Year promises to be another important one for the industry.

Strong buying interest for quick shipment underpinned this week's wool market for the 13,789 bales on offer from both Islands, New Zealand Wool Services International Ltd's general manager, Mr John Dawson reports.

Lincoln University hosted senior management from both Inner Mongolia Yili Industrial Group and its subsidiary Oceania Dairy last week.

Dairy farmers are still wary despite three successive lifts in global dairy auction prices.

Talk about opposite ends of the spectrum. One is a Kiwi, born and bred on a sheep and beef farm and has gone back to the farm after 20 years. The other is a Chinese woman who had never been near a farm before a New Zealand visit and thinks cows and calves are “so cute”.

Zespri has no financial exposure to Dalian Yidu, the north-east Chinese importer who reportedly has had nine staff arrested by Chinese customs.

Plummeting oil prices haven’t translated into much cheaper fertiliser yet and it’s unlikely they will any time soon, says Ravensdown.

Dairy prices have bottomed out and are on a tentative and slow recovery path. That’s the consensus of four agri economists spoken to by Dairy News after last week’s Global Dairy Trade auction saw a 1% lift overall and notably a 3.8% lift in whole milk powder.

Fonterra is a step closer to buying a cornerstone stake in leading Chinese infant food manufacturer, Beingmate.

European dairy co-op Arla Foods is integrating its markets in China and South East Asia.