Government needs to help farmers – Heather du Plessis-Allan:
Here’s a challenge to this government: help farmers.
If this government is serious about doing everything to get us through this economic crisis in the best shape possible, it has to push pause on all the extra rules it is planning for farming. Farmers are the ones who are going to get us through this
Look at Fonterra today. It’s holding its forecast farm-gate milk price of between $7 and $7.60. That is good economic news, and we’re getting precious little of that at the moment.
The world can and will stop buying thing – cruises, steel, logs, computers, any number of things – but it can’t stop eating. . .
Dairy industry profits are a bright spot in an economy heading for recession – Point of Order:
NZ’s dairy industry, under constant fire from critics for its methane emissions, pollution of waterways and intensive farming practices in recent years, almost overnight is shaping up to be one of the country’s saviours as the economy dives into recession.
While other key export sectors — tourism, forestry, education — are jack-knifed by the coronavirus pandemic, the dairy industry’s earnings more than ever before are proving it to be what the critics have scorned: “ the backbone of the economy”. . .
Coronavirus: all shearing competitions cancelled :
The New Zealand Shearing Sports season is over with the cancellation of nine competitions which were scheduled for the next three weeks.
The cancellations include six A and P shows, with confirmation on Wednesday that the Oxford and Mackenzie shows in the South Island weren’t going ahead, following the earlier cancellations of the Methven, Flaxbourne, Warkworth and Auckland Royal Easter shows, the Waimarino and Waitomo shearing competitions, and the New Zealand Shears national shearing and woolhandling championships. . .
Bay company only Kiwi in Top 50 – Richard Rennie:
A Bay of Plenty robotics company is now ranked in the top 50 leading global agri-tech companies.
Robotics Plus, the only Kiwi company on the list, has made the cut in an annual ranking of companies judged by global agri-tech innovation company Thrive, based in Silicon Valley.
The Thrive platform is responsible for investing and accelerating start-up agri-tech companies globally. . .
Electronic forms are more efficient – Annette Scott:
Livestock movements will become more accurate and efficient with the introduction of electronic animal status declaration (eASD) forms.
The forms have been tested and farmers moving stock are now being encouraged to go electronic to record their animal movements.
Use of the forms is voluntarily now. . .
New Zealand grown stock feed available for drought-hit farmers:
Latest forecasts suggest New Zealand’s arable farmers have to date been less affected than other primary industry sectors by COVID-19 and the drought.
“It’s clear there are still locally-grown quality stock feed solutions available to farmers in regions hit by drought,” Federated Farmers Arable Chairperson Karen Williams says.
MPI’s just-released Situation Outlook Primary Industries (SOPI) report forecasts that arable production and export for the year ended June 2020 should see revenue increase by 10 percent to $260 million. . .