Business

Milk price makes up over 50% of risk in a dairy farm business, and increasingly more farmers are adopting milk hedging options to make their income less risky. Some 20-25% of dairy farmers and manufacturers are using milk hedging tools, but how do farmers find out where to start, and what the risks are?
Hear from experts on some key points to be aware of on various hedging options, and from a farmer who has been fixing his milk price for years: James Atkinson, Derivatives Sales Manager, NZX; David Jensen, Bay of Plenty Farmer; and Brett Wooffindin, Director, Lawson Avery Limited.

Maintaining a fifth-generation farm is no small feat, and the Stewart family farm just out of Palmerston North is a great example of how to keep the family business running into the future. Sheryl talks to both the fourth and fifth generations of Stewarts on the farm, with projects ranging from transitioning to dairy, investing time and money into regenerative native bush, and building a boutique accommodation service.

Investors in major global funds are demanding that their investment is made into the reversal of the depletion of natural capital around the world. How can New Zealand farmers, who have higher levels of soil fertility and soil carbon stocks than other countries, cash in on this trend? By Sarah Perriam-Lampp.

Journalist Anne Hardie, along with Sheryl Haitana and Sarah Perriam-Lampp, talk with Reefton dairy farmer, Tom Oats, Lely Waikato sales manager, Tristan McLean and Rob McBeth of Peak Agricultural Consultants about how composting cow barns (‘mootels’) can make a real difference in high-rainfall climates.

An addition to the family is on the horizon for Finja Philips, with a new generation for the family. Her first baby is due in March, luckily the perfect “time” for a spring calving calendar laughs Finja. By Claire Ashton.

A group of 15 farms across the country are focusing on lower ‘per-unit’ cost of production with a view to helping identify where farmers may minimise impacts of lower payouts, Anne-Marie Wells writes.

The long-held, fundamental tenet of getting the stocking rate and calving date right is confirmed with the data analysis, Anne Lee reports.

Not enough is done to define the sweet spot in dairy farming. While the term is used readily, farmers do not know what it looks like. Chris Lewis writes.

Southern Pastures was created with an ethos of doing what is right, by the environment, by the animals, by the people. That ethos drives the dairy farming group to farm at a higher standard. Sheryl Haitana reports.

Profile: John Perrin was a Lincoln graduate who saw an opportunity to create a consultancy profession to help Rotorua Maori Trusts diversify.