Farming
Midday Rural News for 3 April 2024
Dairy giant Fonterra claims it has a strong pipeline of suppliers from its competitor Synlait wanting to return to the co-op - amid turbulent financial times for the specialty milk producer.
Monique… Audio
Dairy prices rise for first time since February
The average dairy price rose 2.8 percent in the latest auction overnight.
Silver Fern Farms reports $24m loss
The country's largest meat processor and marketer Silver Fern Farms has reported a $24.4 million loss due to suppressed consumer demand in key markets.
Midday Rural News for 2 April 2024
The country's largest meat processor and marketer, Silver Fern Farms, has just reported a net loss after tax of $24.4 million for the 2023 financial year.
Monique Steele has the rural news. Audio
Person in Texas diagnosed with rare bird flu
This is the second US human case of the virus that has infected herds of dairy cows in recent weeks.
Mycoplasma bovis eradicated from New Zealand - again
The last known farm infected with cattle disease Mycoplasma bovis has been cleared, bringing the country's toll of active confirmed properties to zero.
Ewe won't baah-lieve it - Inside the secret lives of sheep
As animals go, the sheep might be considered by some as the perfect embodiment of docility, but they're not mundane mindless mammals - not in the slightest. Video
From cow to cone - a big scoop from Nelson
Milk from Murray King's farm on the lower Waimea River flats is crafted into award-winning ice cream. "We had to find a way of generating better income than we would by producing whole milk powder… Audio
Finding the flock - searching for stories from Flock House
A search is underway for descendants of hundreds of British boys sent out for farming training in New Zealand a century ago. Flock House, a flagship agricultural school in New Zealand was set up 100… Audio
Raising fowls for families impacted by Cyclone Gabrielle
A hen rescued from floodwaters in Cyclone Gabrielle is helping bring back life to farms one year on. Hawke's Bay farmer Sally Newall hatched the idea to gift chicks to families impacted by the cyclone… Audio
Rural News Wrap
A round-up of the week's agricultural news with RNZ rural news reporter Sally Murphy. Audio
Country Life for 29 March 2024
Appleby Farms, Flock House centenary and Cyclone Chicks Audio
Midday Rural News for 28 March 2024
An over-reliance on supplying logs for China's once booming construction sector is biting, as demand dries up - pulling prices down as forestry exports are forecast to drop 9 percent.
Sally Murphy… Audio
Drought declaration unlocks support for some North Island farmers, growers
Extremely dry conditions affecting North Island farms are not expected to improve in the short-term, the Minister of Agriculture says.
Midday Rural News for 27 March 2024
Farmers spending less is having flow-on effects in the regions, and it's been especially tough in Southland where some businesses have had to close down due to the economic downturn.
Sally Murphy has… Audio
Southland businesses hit as farmers slow spending
The Southland Chamber of Commerce says nearby service industries are doing it tough as farmers spending drops.
How climate change could affect microbes that give wine its specific flavours
The far-reaching consequences of climate change inevitably include the production of foods and beverages, including wine.