A South Island offering of 8400 bales saw a generally firmer market this week and an 89% clearance rate, says New Zealand Wool Services International Ltd's marketing executive, Malcolm Ching.

Nine billion more litres of milk will flow on to the world markets annually when Europe lifts quotas in April 2015, says Rabobank's senior global analyst dairy, Kevin Bellamy.

Synlait milk plans to market a powder made with cows' production during the hours of darkness, and promises to pay suppliers a premium for the raw material.

Simon Walker was keen to ride the milk wave, but he wasn't willing to convert his sheep and beef farm at Mokomoko near the town of Pahiatua in the Tararua District.

ANGER AT Zespri marketing mistakes and Government responses to the Psa-V crisis reached boiling point last week with a grower-organised meeting at the Te Puke hall on Friday.

THE VALUE of Australian lamb exports rose 12% last year to top A$1 billion for the first time.

GOAT MILK sales growth of 50% in two years is prompting the Dairy Goat Cooperative (Hamilton) to look for suppliers in Northland and Taranaki.

APPROVAL OF the Crafar farms sale to Chinese buyers by the Overseas Investment Office (OIO) has prompted many claims made in the battle to win the New Zealand public's hearts and minds.

The once proud and powerful Wool Board, now little more than a shameful memory, has been well picked over.

There are three aspects of any vintage that are of compelling interest to the industry –quality, size and the price of grapes. The recent PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) Strategic Review re-emphasised the importance of the focus of the industry on quality wine production. To the extent quality is weather dependent, let's hope that the next 6-16 weeks delivers a typical NZ summer and autumn.