FEBRUARY 25, 2025
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Higher product prices have transformed farmer confidence which a Federated Farmers survey says has reached a 10-year high. The federation’s January Confidence Survey showed farmer confidence in economic conditions surging from negative 66% in July 2024 to a net positive score of 2%. A net 23% of farmers expect economic conditions to improve in the next year, the highest level since January 2014, and 54% expect to make a profit, double the number of the last survey six months ago.
What’s leading theonconversation the front page of WeeklyFarmers this
“I’ve been a long-time subscriber to the Waikato Times, now with very little local news and plastered with pages of Harvey Norman advertising. My other local paper, the Te Awamutu Courier, has after 70 years found it too difficult to print due to financial pressure along with many others around the country.
I appeal to readers of the Farmers Weekly, which has excellent reporters like Barber, Piddock and Emerson just to name a few, to stump up and pay the voluntary subscription.
I found it extremely disappointing to find only 128 people at the time of the February 3 paper had put their hand in their pocket. Come on people, we don’t want to lose this informative magazine as well.”
Murray Jess – Waikato Ex dairy, drystock farmer and livestock buyer
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What our audience are telling us this week
This week’s most-read story online is an opinion piece by longstanding Farmers Weekly columnist and meat industry commentator Allan Barber.
In the piece Allan boldly states that the chances of the sheep and beef sector staging a permanent reversal in fortunes are nil.
Falling livestock numbers will eventually lead to sheep and beef farming losing its status as one of the country’s main wealth generators.
Strong emotions are typically triggered when farming’s future is called into question. So it was pleasing to see this measured response to Allan’s article from South Otago Sheep & Beef farmer Simon Davies on LinkedIn:
There needs to be a lot more discussion within the meat sector on the points Allan highlights here. I believe he has hit the nail on the head with these views. It is past time for the industry to have some frank discussions about what the future holds for sheep farming in particular.
Read Allan Barber’s opinion piece ‘Volatile future awaits sheep and beef’ by clicking on the link below.
Fonterra’s head of sustainability Charlotte Rutherford joins the show to talk about the new incentives the co-op has added to its Cooperative Difference programme that would see farmers rewarded for reducing their emissions. Two of the three incentives are funded by big Fonterra customers Mars and Nestlè.
Also on the Farmers Weekly podcast this week
News Wrap | Farm tech focus at evokeAg
Market Insight | Dry North Island sees lambs go south
Feds Focus | Rising product prices lift farmers’ mood
The Final Word | Bryan’s perspective this week
It’s an evolution, but a big step up in terms of the value of that funding that these customers are choosing to send directly to Fonterra farmer owners to help them on their emissions journey.
– Charlotte Rutherford Fonterra’s head of sustainability. Episode: Fonterra dangles carrot on climate work, 21 February 2025
Three livestock experts walk onto a paddock…
And look right at home.
This week’s top communicator, JEH Grazing & Livestock, stands out on the page because it’s genuine.
There’s nothing flashy about it, just three approachable looking agri professionals in company branding.
People buy from people. And the JEH people look like a bunch that you’d be happy to have on farm.
I’m in town now so I flog Farmers Weekly from my son’s mailbox. My father’s in the rest home, so he reads it as well. These young ones – they can read it online.
Andrew Corrigan Hāwera dairy and sheep farmer, and Taranaki Federated Farmers member
FEBRUARY 28 - MARCH 1, 2025
The world’s premiere shearing and woolhandling event runs from February 28 to March 1 in Masterton. Look out for the winners, records and milestones in Farmers Weekly.
If you’re attending or watching the livestream look out for a new Shears major sponsor. Heiniger has stepped up to support the event, taking over from longstanding sponsor Lister.
FEBRUARY
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What’s hot, and what’s not in rural media here overseasand
In 2019 Dr. Mark Lyons, president and CEO of Alltech, stood on stage at the Alltech Ideas Conference and launched Working Together for a Planet of Plenty. Six years on and that initiative has spawned a feature length film World Without Cows. Written and directed by two award-winning journalists who spent three years visiting academics, scientists, farmers and others in 40 global locations, the film explores the impact of cattle on economies, ecosystems, cultures and human nutrition.
Farmers Weekly journalist Richard Rennie was in full selfie mode at the evokeAG conference in Brisbane this week. Even more impressive than Richard’s reporting and photos were the matching booths that event organisers provided for stallholders. It’s a neat way to give stallholders a framework to add their own flare but to ensure that the event has uniformity.
