I’m not sure you noticed, but a large grocery retailer recently announced they will start supplying US butter for $6.99. This is not good news for NZ dairy. In an election year, New Zealanders will be wondering why we can import butter cheaper than we can make it ourselves, and the questions won’t stop there. That $10 Kiwi butter sits on the shelf right alongside news of the dairy industry windfall courtesy of Fonterra’s capital payout. Meanwhile, Kiwis will cast their votes

Thomas Slee after being crowned the 2026 Otago Southland FMG Young Farmer of the Year in Gore on February 7. Supplied Third time lucky for Slee in Otago Southland Young Farmer final Nightcaps dairy farmer Thomas Slee is heading to the FMG Young Farmer of the Year Grand Final after taking out the Otago Southland regional title in Gore on February 7. The 28-year-old accumulated 271 points across five demanding modules at the Gore A&P Showgrounds, finishing ahead of Henry Smith

1.      Most of Renae’s farming life had been spent in the North Island, where she was born and raised. South Otago brought a new climate, new systems and a steep learning curve. Supplied. Renae Flett did not grow up dreaming of becoming a dairy farmer. Her career began almost by accident. “I think it was from a friend who took me to where he was working one day, milking. And from then on I decided cows were fun,” she says. That was around 18 years ago. Since then, Renae has

The Farmers Fast Five: where we ask a farmer five quick questions about farming, and what agriculture means to them. Today we talk to Otaua dairy farmer Delilah Flavell.   1.       What did your journey into farming look like? I grew up in Otaua around dairy farming, so being on a farm has always felt like home. My first jobs as a kid were teat spraying and helping feed the calves and I quickly learned that I loved being outdoors and working with the cows. After finishing col

EcoPond being applied on Cam Henderson’s Oxford farm - a simple system targeting methane at the pond level. Claire Inkson A Canterbury farm hosted a global delegation last week as Synlait and Nestlé showcased EcoPond - a New Zealand-developed system reducing methane emissions from effluent ponds by more than 90 percent. A busload of visitors pulled into Cam Henderson’s Oxford dairy farm on March 18, carrying a mix of Synlait staff and international guests - for many, their f

A fishing representative says Greenpeace's "vandalism" of Rakaia's iconic salmon statue has hurt a rural community just to make a political point. Greenpeace protesters defaced the large statue on February 15, just weeks after a $300,000 ratepayer-funded refurbishment. The activists replaced the salmon's eyes with cartoon-style crosses and added a speech bubble reading ‘Fonterra killed my family’. Greenpeace Aotearoa freshwater campaigner Will Appelbe said the protest aimed t

The Farming Fast Five: where we ask a farmer five quick questions about agriculture, and what farming means to them. Today we chat to Culverden dairy farmer Allie King.   1. What did your journey into farming look like? I was born and raised in Christchurch, having no knowledge or experience of farming let alone the fact that Canterbury Dairy Farming was quite literally on our doorsteps! My family and I lived in the suburbs of Christchurch, with Dad being a banker and mum a L

Each issue we ask a farmer five quick questions about agriculture, and what farming means to them. Today we chat to Sefton farmer and owner of The Good Cow Tammy Acton-Adams.   1.      What did your journey into farming look like? I grew up on a small farm on the other side of Sefton that was very diverse.  Between leaving school and when my secretary course started, I joined a shearing gang for the summer.  Oh, how I wanted to stay doing that!  But was told I had to do the c