COMPANIES AND products certified to Fertmark standards are at an all-time high, but a standard for product spread quality remains elusive, says Fertiliser Quality Council chairman, Neil Barton.

THE WANGANUI Dog Trial Centre has started fundraising to enable it to hold the New Zealand championships at Mowhanga, near Taihape, in 2015. 

The controversial issue of interest rate swaps should be examined by select committee, says Labour's Primary Industry spokesperson Damien O'Connor.

Rural insurer, FMG, has announced the prize draw winners of their milk quality awareness campaign.

Any increase in farmer confidence comes from the dairy sector and even that is off a low base. That is one of Federated Farmers' conclusions from its 2012/13 Mid-Season Farm Confidence Survey.

Waterways in some parts of the Waikato have now dropped to flows which trigger restrictions on water takes, and the threat of this happening in other parts of the region is increasing, the Waikato Regional Council says.

A Morrinsville farmer has been fined more than $33,000 for illegally discharging dairy effluent into the environment. The volume of effluent was such that cows' udders were dragging in it.

Three upcoming Waikato SMASH (Smaller Milk and Supply Herds) events will tackle three thought-provoking topics – energy use, pasture persistence and robotic milking.

Westland Milk Products customers are being assured food safety and human health has not been put at risk by the discovery of traces of DCD in some of its own samples this week.

Judging gets underway this week in the 2013 New Zealand Dairy Industry Awards.