The Dairy Women's Network will develop the country's first leadership programme specifically for women working in the dairy industry using a $180,000 grant from the Ministry of Primary Industries' Sustainable Farming Fund.

The first Beef + Lamb New Zealand environmental leadership forum has been hailed as a success. Twenty five sheep and beef farming leaders attended the B+LNZ -funded event, held in Wellington from April 16 to April 18.

FONTERRA CHAIRMAN John Wilson says a decision to defer capacity adjustment charges will help drought-stricken farmers.

DROUGHT RAVAGED farmers are turning to ANZ for financial relief and assistance.

BETTER CONTROL of livestock is the promised payback from work by a Massey University industrial designer and Gallagher Animal Management to produce gear to enable farm workers to discover potential faults in their electric fencing.

RECORD ENTRIES in this year’s Dairy Industry Awards, which wrapped up late last week with the West Coast/Top of the South region, were achieved despite a record low in Otago.

CAN CANTERBURY repeat its clean sweep of the Dairy Industry Awards come the national event in Wellington in May? That question was posed at last week’s Canterbury / North Otago regional final awards night in Ashburton, prompted by the region’s representatives having taken all three titles last year.

NEWS THAT Miraka has signed a multimillion-dollar, joint-venture deal with Shanghai Pengxin to produce UHT milk shows how smart our small, entrepreneurial companies can be. 

MOST DAIRY farms are only slowly emerging from the drought that has been a sharp shock to farm management plans this summer. For most farms the production season has ended abruptly, and prospects for autumn and winter have been affected dramatically. 

THE GOALS of the 2013 Southland Sharemilker/Equity Farmers of the Year, Don and Jess Moore, are to optimise production and maximise profit to reach farm ownership and enjoy a balanced lifestyle.