OIO clarification inline with Federated Farmers - Read more »

Federated Farmers seeks to improve the Banking Code - Read more »

Time for broadband to hit the trenches and the airwaves - Read more »

Dairy matters - Read more »

Northland goes from drought to drought - Read more »

OCR hold ‘only logical response' - Read more »

Tb free advances will flow from Government commitment - Read more »

Will summer 2011, be a re-run of 1989 for farmers? - Read more »

To view the full list of media releases or to view any other publications, click here.

Sharemilkers and Fonterra's capital structure - Federated Farmers is holding a series of free meetings for all sharemilkers, farm owners, rural professionals and both members and non-members of Federated Farmers to discuss how Fonterra's capital restructure affects the sharemilking industry. Since the last meetings, held this time last year, a number of issues have been raised by farmers after they've sat down and talked with their sharemilkers. One of the issues is that if shareholding is based on rolling three year production and the sharemilker is increasing production, will the sharemilker be paid out on extra production for the extra effort put in? The meeting will include a presentation from Federated Farmers Sharemilkers' Section and the Sharemilker Employers' Section, followed by a presentation from the Fonterra Share Registry and Payments team, who will cover the options available and matters that need to be considered when making agreements on payment to sharemilkers for milk. This will cover the options available (milk price only and milk price plus any dividend related payment adjustment) and the options contained within the milk price plus Dividend Related Payment Adjustment (DRPA) option. To download to the schedule of meetings, please click here.

Herd Owning Agreements - Federated Farmers is delighted to announce that changes regarding Clauses 1 (Opening Capital) and 2 (Agreed Shares), within the Herd Owning Sharemilking Agreement have been finally completed. These changes were necessary due to the way Fonterra now pays its suppliers and we are confident that the changes made to the Agreement will be useful for suppliers of any company, not just those who supply Fonterra. The updated 2010 Herd Owning Agreement will be available from Federated Farmers via 0800 327 646 from Monday, 13 December. The relevant clauses have been sent out to all those who have bought the Agreement over the past year. For more information, please contact Dairy Policy Advisor, Ann Thompson, on 0800 327 646.

Certainty sought for water consent holders - A group of farmers, led by Bay of Plenty Provincial President, John Scrimgeour, met with the CEO and Chairman of the Bay of Plenty Regional Council to discuss the controversial issue of massive hikes in water consent charges. Farmers with consents for surface and groundwater takes have faced fee increases in excess of 400 percent for 2010. The increased cost arises from the regional impact monitoring component of the charges. John urged the Regional Council to dramatically improve its communication with consent holders, while pointing out the considerable uncertainty arising from the sudden increase that was effectively unannounced. As a result of the meeting, Regional Council has committed to host a series of meetings specifically for consent holders to explain their actions and what they intend to do with the increased revenue from the charges. Federated Farmers will be promoting the meetings and will continue to strongly advocate for reduction of the charges. For more information, please contact Senior Policy Advisor, Nigel Billings, on 0800 327 646.

OCR on hold - As expected, the Reserve Bank has kept its official cash rate on hold at 3.0 percent. In his assessment, Reserve Bank Governor, Dr Alan Bollard, was more downbeat about immediate economic prospects, although he still expects a stronger recovery later in 2011. Dr Bollard referred to the strength of the New Zealand Dollar inhibiting the rebalancing of the economy and he noted that ‘accelerated elimination' of the fiscal deficit would help ease pressure on the exchange rate. Federated Farmers agrees and urges Government to do more to rein in the growth in its spending.

Beef + Lamb New Zealand director elections - Nominations for two farmer-elected director positions (for the eastern North Island and the southern South Island electorates) on the Board of Beef + Lamb New Zealand will close on Thursday, 27 January 2011. Nominations must be submitted on the official form, which can be obtained from the Returning Officer, Warwick Lampp, via the Election Hotline - 0508 666 336. Voters in the two electorates are encouraged to check that they are on the electoral roll and this also can be done by calling the Election Hotline. Farmers who are not registered will need to fill out a voter registration form by Thursday, 17 February 2011. To be eligible to vote, a livestock farmer must have owned at least 250 sheep, 50 beef cattle or 100 dairy cattle as of 30 June 2010. Election day is Thursday, 17 March 2011 and elections will be conducted by postal and internet voting and forms will be posted out throughout February 2011.

Beef + Lamb New Zealand AGM remits - The 2011 Beef + Lamb New Zealand AGM will be held on Thursday, 31 March 2011 in Christchurch. Livestock farmers who want to propose remits are invited to submit them by Thursday, 27 January 2011. Remits must be submitted on the official form that can be obtained from Beef + Lamb New Zealand General Counsel, Mark Dunlop, by calling 0800 BEEFLAMB (233 352). Remits require ten levy payer signatures and all those farmers must be registered on the Beef + Lamb New Zealand electoral roll. Remits will be included with voting documents and sent to farmers throughout February 2011.

Nomination for Federated Farmers Goats board - Nominations are being called for the position of a South Island based, grower-representative on the Federated Farmers Goats board. Long serving member, Bruce Wilson, has indicated he will not be seeking re-election. Nominations close on Friday, 21 January and nomination forms can be downloaded by clicking here. 

Notices of motion for Federated Farmers Goats 2011 conference - Notices of motion are also invited and the closing date again is Friday, 21 January 2011. Forms can be found by clicking here.

Wool Partner's Cooperative share offer extended - Wool Partners Cooperative (WPC) has extended the closing date for subscriptions until 5pm Friday, 17 December 2010. Further information about the offer can be found by clicking here.

2011 Federated Farmers Goats conference - The Federated Farmers Goats conference is heading to Central Otago in 2011. Preliminary information can be found by clicking here and registration forms can be downloaded by clicking here. An additional, optional, day has been added to the normal Federated Farmers Goats conference format, so that visitors to the area can enjoy some of the sights and tastes of Central Otago. This extra day will be on Monday, 21 February while the conference itself will be held on Tuesday, 22 and Wednesday, 23 February, finishing at lunchtime. Gold panning, curling and vineyard visits are also being planned, in addition to farm visits and the normal business of conference. The venue for next year's conference is the Centennial Court Motor Inn, Alexandra. 

Grow your farm business and advance your career - For those in, or aiming for, a position in agribusiness management or ownership, Agriculture ITO's National Diploma in Agribusiness Management (Level 5) recognises the skills and knowledge required to effectively manage agribusiness resources, develop business and financial plans and analyse performance and investment opportunities. Diploma holders will also be able to report on the performance and opportunities of an agribusiness. To find out more about this course and many more, contact an Agriculture ITO training advisor on 0800 691 111 or visit www.agricultureito.ac.nz.

Have yourself a bubbly little Christmas - Winesonline.co.nz has the very best selection of Christmas champagnes and something for everyone's pallet and wallet. Check out the entire selection, at www.winesonline.co.nz.

Are you prepared for the silly season? - At this time of year we all enjoy celebrating the festive season, but related incidents of this nature can seriously impact safety and business productivity. It's a great idea to be fully up-to-date on the current workplace drug and alcohol protocols, so you can be equipped to deal with anything that might come your way. Purchase the new Workplace Drug and Alcohol Policy and get employment, legal or any advice you may need on issues of concern by calling our fabulous customer services team on 0800 327 646.

Out there South: A 4WD adventure in New Zealand's South Island - This book, Out there South: A 4WD adventure in New Zealand's South Island is a fantastic gift choice for any 4WD owner and an extraordinary record of a 4WD adventure through some of the most spectacular country to be found in the South Island, undertaken by leading photographers Chris Morton and Tony Bridge. Federated Farmers members can purchase this beautiful book at the great price of $39.99 (RRP $49.99), as well as free postage. To purchase your copy, contact Pauline at Craig Publishing on 03 548 9009 or at pauline@cpp.co.nz.

Public holidays - to pay or not to pay? - Leading up to the Christmas period it can often be confusing for employers in regards to what they should pay their staff and when. If you need information about statutory holiday payments, please ring 0800 327 646 and talk to a Federated Farmers customer service representative.

More member benefits and offers - To view special discounts exclusive to Federated Farmers members, please call 0800 327 646 or click here to log onto our members only area.

Quote of the week - "I always give 100 percent at work: 13 percent Monday, 22 percent Tuesday, 26 percent Wednesday, 35 percent Thursday, 4 percent Friday". Author Unknown