Rural News Group Limited

After 20 years of milking cows, Northland farmer Greg Collins is ready to step into the governance side of dairy. The Fonterra Co-operative Council member and Northland Dairy Development Trust trustee joins the DairyNZ board as associate director from June 1.

Matthew Fox, a 2024 graduate of Lincoln High School, was eager to find his next opportunity when he discovered the NextGen Dairy Farmers pilot programme. The NextGen Dairy Farmers pilot programme, launched last year by Dairy Training, a subsidiary of DairyNZ, includes a three-week pre-employment training, followed by six months of on-farm employment with weekly training sessions and ongoing pastoral care and support for budding dairy farmers.

DairyNZ chair Tracy Brown says the industry good body's new rate strikes a balance between “abroad spectrum of farmer views”. Brown notes the board has also given farmers some certainty by aiming to hold the levy "at no more than this rate for a minimum of three years". 

The 'atmospheric river' of rain that swept New Zealand recently almost completely avoided coastal Taranaki, one of the worst drought-affected regions. Federated Farmers dairy chair for Taranaki, Sam Ebbett says that while it was reported that over 400mm of rain fell in the province, most came down in areas around and inland from Mt Taranaki. He farms around the township of Inglewood and got about 150mm of rain.

Dargaville farmer Baden Bickers says the drought in Northland is over following significant rainfall earlier this month. The rain also means Bickers can continue milking rather than drying off the cows a month earlier.

Despite global market turmoil, Fonterra is continuing with a dual-track process to divest its multi-billion dollar consumer businesses. The co-operative is considering both a trade sale and an initial public offering (IPO) for the businesses, which include household name brands such as Anchor and Mainland as well as the Fonterra Oceania and Fonterra Sri Lanka operations. If the for-sale assets are to be listed on the stock exchange, it will be under the name of Mainland Group.

Shareholders have approved a proposed deal that will see Buhler Industries fully absorbed by Asko, its Turkish majority shareholder. Although there will be no change to the brands or the dealer networks, the Buhler name is to be dropped. 

The top accolade at the Ford New Zealand Rural Sports Awards went to 29-year-old, Feilding expat Steph Dryfhout. Steph has solidified her position as one of the world’s top tree climbers, with a victory in the 2024 ISA International Tree Climbing Championship, after double qualifying by triumphing in both the 2024 ISA Asia-Pacific Tree Climbing Championship and the 2023 New Zealand Tree Climbing Championship.

Penta mixer wagons are set to find favour with users who are looking for high specifications and competitive pricing. Established in 1970 in southwest Ontario, Penta mixer wagons were first introduced in 2001 and over the last two decades the company has gone on to expand its range with cultivators, dump box trailers and truck-mounted mixers.

The Foundation for Arable Research (FAR) has appointed Dr Scott Champion as its new chief executive. FAR board chair, Steven Bierema, says Champion’s skills are well matched to the developing needs of New Zealand’s arable industry and its growers.