New Zealand's 2010 Agri Business and Agri Personality named - Read more »

Farmers willing to take Prime Minister's challenge - Read more »

Minister of Agriculture to supply ETS costing analysis - Read more »

Big game in little New Zealand - Read more »

Which future for Meat & Fibre? - Read more »

Pastoral agriculture is New Zealand's real point of difference - Read more »

The crème of agriculture to be honoured in Invercargill - Read more »

Federated Farmers pleased to see Crown responsibilities for pest management - Read more »

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

Road rating system launched - The New Zealand Road Assessment Programme (KiwiRAP) was launched this week. KiwiRAP uses star ratings to rank the safety of the nation's state highways. Currently it covers nearly 90 percent of the state highway system. A key objective of KiwiRAP is to raise motorists' awareness of roads that pose a greater risk. The Programme will also assist Government in targeting funding to problem areas. To find out how roads near you are rated go to www.kiwirap.org.nz.

Government ETS meetings - Government is holding a series of public meetings across the country on the ETS in June and July. Federated Farmers is opposed to the ETS and has consistently argued that Government should repeal the legislation in its entirety. The current ETS suffers fundamental flaws and would result in great harm to New Zealand's primary sector, with severe repercussions for the New Zealand economy as a whole. These meetings may be a good chance to let Government know what you think about the ETS. For meeting dates and venues please click here.

Rates report card - Farmers, remember to complete and return the rates report card which was inside your copy of the Autumn National Farming Review. Responses are flooding in, but we want as many as possible so please take a few minutes over your morning coffee to fill it out and drop it into the mail - free post. Many thanks to the hundreds of people who have already returned their report cards!

More tax changes coming - Government is now consulting on proposals to make the tax system less complex, faster and more certain. The proposals seek to reduce business compliance costs and are part of a plan to encourage the vast majority of taxpayers to interact with the IRD electronically rather than by paper. For businesses and employers, for example, new payroll software would manage a range of PAYE tasks, including the employer monthly schedule. People interested in viewing the proposals or commenting on them can click here for ore information. We would also be interested in your views, including on the pros and cons of electronic interaction, so we can make a submission click here.

Staying Tb vigilant on the East Coast - With farms on the East Coast having more grass than most in the North Island, Gisborne and Hawke's Bay in particular, large numbers of dairy winter grazers have been moved into these areas in recent weeks. It is important that farmers in these areas carefully check the documentation arriving with the cattle to ensure all Tb testing requirements have been met. If you are in any doubt about the requirements, call the Animal Health Board on 0800 4 824 636 for more information.

Developing and informing leaders in Otago - Current and future leaders of Federated Farmers Otago led by Provincial President, Mike Lord, spent Tuesday discussing leadership styles, what a good leader or manager should be, how to motivate staff and how to deal with conflict to achieve the best outcome for all concerned. The open discussion allowed farmers to look at how they could do things better on the farm and on behalf of the province, but also to discuss the things they were already doing well. The course was organised through the Otago Chamber of Commerce and was free of charge for those attending.

Economy grows - Economic activity was up 0.6 percent in the March 2010 quarter, according to Statistics New Zealand's Gross Domestic Product statistics. This increase follows a 0.9 percent increase in the December 2009 quarter. Agricultural activity increased 0.8 percent in the March 2010 quarter as a result of increased milk production, partly offset by a decline in livestock production. Dairy production was up, despite the impact of drought conditions in some regions - the impacts of the drought are more likely to be felt in the current June quarter. Mining and forestry/logging did particularly well in the March quarter, up 4.5 percent and 5.3 percent respectively.

Deficit falls - Rising exports and a fall in the investment income deficit helped reduce New Zealand's seasonally adjusted current account deficit to just $1.3 billion in the March 2010 quarter, according to Statistics New Zealand's Balance of Payments statistics. The increase in exports of goods was mainly due to higher export prices, especially for dairy products. Unadjusted for seasonal effects, the current account balance shows a surplus of $0.2 billion, the first March quarter since 2003 that New Zealand has earned more from overseas than it has spent abroad. The current account deficit for the year ended March 2010 was $4.5 billion (2.4 percent of GDP), down from $14.6 billion (7.9 percent of GDP) a year ago. Most economists expect the current account deficit to start rising again as the economy improves.

So too does overseas debt - The same statistics showed that as at 31 March 2010, New Zealand's net international debtor position was $166.7 billion, or 88.9 percent of GDP. This compares to a net debtor position of 90.6 percent of GDP as at 31 December 2009 and nearly 95 percent of GDP a year ago. Also notable has been a fall in the percentage of overseas debt held on short terms to 40.4 percent, the lowest since the series began in 2000. This drop has been driven by the Reserve Bank's revised prudential liquidity policies, which requires banks to hold longer term funding.

Smoothing the path for GST rise - The Government has appointed a GST Advisory Panel to help ensure that a business sector that has not faced GST change in a generation has a smooth transition to the 15 percent rate on 1 October. People with any concerns or questions can contact the Panel through the website, www.gstadvisory.govt.nz, and via 0800 387 783. The Panel is independent of both Government and Inland Revenue, but will work with both to communicate business needs and issues ahead of 1 October, and will monitor how businesses are dealing with the change so Government is aware of issues they may face in recording and charging GST at the new rate by the due date. It is crucial that Government hears about any issues promptly so they can be addressed, so we invite farmers to use the website or 0800 number to let the Panel know of any transitional issues that might effect farming operations. Also feel free to let Federated Farmers know if you have any concerns that we should take to the Panel, you can contact Nick Clark by clicking here.

Federated Farmers feed list - The Federated Farmers feed lists, which include both feed wanted and feed available, can be accessed via the 0800 DROUGHT line (0800 376 844) or by clicking here. The drought line and feed lists are available to both members and non-members of Federated Farmers.

Need help doing the books? - Open Polytechnic's accounting courses could be jus the thing you need. For more information, click here or call 0508 650 200. Remember, Federated Farmers members get a 20 percent discount. Click here to download an enrolment form.

Protect your head - Until 31 July 2010, FarmSafe is offering members Pacific Quadsafe ATV Helmets for $99.95 - regular retail price $146.25. For more information, click here or call 0800 545 747. Please quote client code 8456 .

Fancy a free Solahart panel? - Yes, when buying a GreenGlo Saver mains pressure tank you get a free Solahart panel and a free solar controller. This is an amazing offer, why wouldn't you go solar when you can go for free. For more information, please click here or call 0800 769 377.

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.

Need staff? - If you need staff or are looking for a job, visit www.ruraljobs.co.nz

Need a contract? - If you need a contract or free legal or employment advice, simply call 0800 327 646.

Contracts, agreements and leases - These include land, stock, contractor, sales and purchase, agreement to grow, log books, access pads, Over Dimension Certificates and employment. Remember, it's a legal requirement to have an employment contract for EVERY employee so if you don't have a current employment agreement, then order one now. Contracts, agreements and leases are available in both electronic and hard copy formats for your convenience. To purchase, call 0800 FARMING or click here.

Quote of the week - "What a great day for red heads". New Australian Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, sums up her first day in office.