The first whole milk powder has rolled off the processing line at Fonterra's new $200 million manufacturing site near Darfield in Canterbury and are bound for South East Asia, China and the Middle East.

The combined North and South Island wool auction saw a 79% clearance, the highest this season, with prices generally increasing across the board.

The limited offering of 4200 bales from the South Island on offer this week saw a 58% clearance and a generally firmer market, New Zealand Wool Services International Ltd's general manager, John Dawson reports.

A programme of improvements on the Crafar farms will begin as soon Chinese company Shanghai Pengxin can settle on the properties.

Social media is helping our beef and lamb exporters win new fans.

The iFarm lamb procurement indicator measures the current lamb farmgate price as a percentage of the UK leg price when brought back into NZ dollars.

Renewed interest from China saw the finer types well supported in the combined North and South Island wool sales comprising 15,200 bales, NZ Wool Services International Ltd's, general manager, John Dawson reports.

FONTERRA IS the fourth-largest dairy company globally in Rabobank’s rankings released last week but the bank expects vigorous competition in the coming year as companies ‘jostle’ to position themselves for changing markets.

A NEW infant formula, made from New Zealand milk, has been launched in China.

With the official cash rate due out on Thursday, farmer confidence at the beginning of the 2012-13 season has plummeted in Federated Farmers latest farm confidence survey.