In the battle to fight the growing scourge of food miles campaigns, Kiwifruit exporter, Zespri International, may be pointing the way to the future for other primary sector exporters looking to prove they are doing their best to cut emissions. The company is looking at cutting emissions from the ships it uses to transport kiwifruit […]
Rural Women, says the economic downturn is starting to hurt overseas farm workers who were brought in to fill labour shortages on farms. Social issues spokeswoman, Kerry Maw, says some migrant farm workers are losing their jobs or not being able to get their work visas renewed. She is urging rural communities with migrant staff […]
Fonterra will return to where it started by consolidating its diverse core operations into a single business unit, having separated them out shortly after the dairy giant was created. The new tighter focus comes with a shake-up of senior executives and the ascendancy of two - Gary Romano, who will head the new unit, and […]
Milk production from cows can be boosted by up to 18% by rearing them on the Queen of Calves programme. This is the finding of a new study undertaken by Catalyst R and D and Auckland University Professor, Chris Triggs, which looked at the milk solids production of two and three-year-old heifers raised on the […]
Eight councils predominantly in rural areas including Environment Canterbury, have been warned an administrator could be sent in to run them if they do not improve their resource consent times. Environment Minister, Nick Smith, says while he is “reluctant” to use his powers under the Resource Management Act (RMA), he will do so if the […]
Agriculture’s inclusion in an Emissions Trading Scheme from 2013 is in doubt following advice to the Parliamentary Select Committee reviewing the scheme the cost of measurement may outweigh the benefits, at least in the short term. The joint NZIER/Infometrics report recommends an ETS as the best long term way to reduce NZ’s carbon emissions, […]
Fed Farmers is welcoming consultation by NZX to create a NZ futures market but says it cannot co-exist with the on line whole milk powder auction. Dairy chairman, Lachlan McKenzie, says “while most countries have a stock exchange, there are only about 23 major commodities exchanges with a specific agricultural focus. Many will have heard […]
Sheep and beef on-farm inflation hit 7.6 % in the year to March 2009. Meat & Wool NZ’s Economic Service, Executive Director, Rob Davison says this is the second largest increase since 1986-87. Excluding interest costs, which decreased the underlying rate of on-farm inflation was 10.7% , the highest since 1985-86.
Fertiliser, shearing expenses, and […]
The Govt aims to bring all interested parties inside the tent on water management this year. The Land and Water Forum, representing agriculture, industry, power generation, environmental and recreational groups will develop a set of options for fresh water. The process reflects what Environment Minister Nick Smith calls “a new style of collaborative environmental governance.” […]
With La Niña over, NIWA is predicting a near-normal winter through to the end of July, meaning there should be few surprises in store for farmers aside from the usual cold snaps which occur at this time of the year.
The latest outlook states over the three months to the end of July, average or above […]
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