Farmers Angst At Abandonment - The new chairman of Federated Farmers Meat & Fibre Section, Bruce Wills says farmers are aghast at the announced disbandment of the Meat Industry Taskforce today. He says meat and fibre producers were keenly awaiting the outcome of the industry strategy assignment the taskforce had initiated. He says members can be assured he will be talking to other industry players so the restructuring, desperately needed by the sector, continues. Read more >>

New Board Elected - Federated Farmers of New Zealand has elected a new board at its annual conference, in Christchurch this week. The new president is Don Nicolson, a sheep farmer from Southland and formerly the Federation's vice-president. Don has taken over the leadership role following the retirement of Charlie Pedersen. The new vice-president is Frank Brenmuhl formerly the chairman of Federated Farmers Dairy Section. Read more >>

RMA Under Attack - On his last day as president of Federated Farmers, Charlie Pedersen told National Council that the Federation backs farming families who face huge losses under the RMA. In his final address at One Event Charlie case studied a Taupo farming family facing financial ruin as a result of changes being made through implementation of the Resource Management Act and warned if things didn't change farmers faced an uncertain future in New Zealand. Read more >>

Star Promoter - A highlight from this week's One Event was a presentation from Massey University's professor Jacqueline Rowarth. Ms Rowarth spoke to the importance of promoting awareness of agricultural science and the significance of research to schools, interest groups and society in general. What Ms Rowarth had to say was warmly received by members with immediate-past-president Charlie Pedersen thanking her for her efforts in promoting New Zealand farming.

New Industry Chairmen - Hawke's Bay sheep and beef farmer Bruce Wills is the new Federated Farmers Meat & Fibre chairman. Lachlan McKenzie, a dairy farmer from Rotorua is the new chairman for Federated Farmers Dairy Section and the new chairman for Federated Farmers Grain & Seeds is Ian Morten, a grain and grass-seed grower from Geraldine. The farmer representatives were voted in at the annual general meetings of the Federated Farmers industry groups in Christchurch this week. Read more >>

Meat Forum Highlight - Federated Farmers Meat & Fibre Section staged a forum on the meat industry at its annual general meeting in Christchurch on Tuesday. The ‘standing-room-only' forum saw four invited speakers; Hayley Moynihan from Rabobank, Keith Woodford from Lincoln University, Simon Gatenby from Taylor Preston Ltd and Mike Petersen from Meat & Wool, present their views on the challenges the industry faces and possible ways forward. Read more >>

Ways With Wool- Meat & Fibre delegates also heard from the owner of Shrek the sheep, John Perriam who is also from Wool Grower Holdings. Mr Perriam spoke about recent wool industry developments. The meeting also covered the Commodities Levy Act and sustainable land management.

Sharemilker Matters- Penny Mudford, a qualified arbitrator and a member of the National Panel of Conciliators for sharemilking, spoke this week at Federated Farmers Dairy Conference in Christchurch. Talking about sharemilking contracts under the Federated Farmers New Zealand Herd Owning Sharemilking Agreement she acknowledged that the increased complexity in milk supply and supply share issues could be problematic. She suggested farm-owners and sharemilkers think through the issues and make provisions for dealing with the likes of unshared supply. The revised agreement seeks to address these issues by prompting the parties to consider and agree how they will deal with them. Read more >>

Broadband Or Bust - Federated Farmers has long advocated the need for an early roll-out of broadband to rural areas. Board spokesman for telecommunications Donald Aubrey told participants of the Annual Telecommunications and ITC Summit that for the agricultural sector to provide the nation with its wealth and everyday New Zealanders with their incomes it must remain competitive and to remain competitive broadband is a necessity. Read more >>

See the latest Agribiz from Westpac click here.

Agricultural Vehicles Guide - The Agricultural Vehicles Guide is now available on the Federation's website. The guide details the requirements for getting various agricultural vehicles including tractors, trailers and harvesters legal for the road. The guide covers topics such as registration and licensing, road user charges, vehicle equipment, driver licensing and logbook requirements. View guide here.

Flexible Hours - The Employment Relations Act as amended by the passing of the Employment Relations (Flexible Working Hours) Amendment Bill in 2007 comes into force on Tuesday 1 July 2008. Eligible employees will have the right to apply for flexible hours (hours of work, days of work and place of work). Employers must consider applications and employers can only refuse on certain grounds. Call 0800 327 646 for more information.

Shearing Guidelines - The Department of Labour has recently published best practice guidelines for employers and employees in the shearing industry. The aim of the document is to help employers to comply with their duties under the Health and Safety in Employment Act. View guidelines here.

Drought Recovery - Farmers are currently facing a number of issues as a result of drought. There will be significant downstream costs from the drought unless the right responses and actions are taken. Farmers will have to make difficult decisions that will influence their ability to manage their current situation and future production. There are a range of management solutions available. Ministry of Agriculture has produced a leaflet that outlines some of the options for farmers planning drought recovery. View leaflet here.

More From Your Mailbox - Your local Rural Post owner-driver can also supply stamps, envelopes, parcel tickets or courier services. Place your order and your driver will deliver it straight to your mail box. To find out more call your local Rural Post owner-driver. For further advice contact 0800 327 646.

Show your Federated Farmers membership card when accessing special offers from Federated Farmers business partners. This week see specials from Canon for cameras and printers and Swanndri for clothes. For more information call 0800 327 646 or Read more >>

Order Federated Farmers contracts and agreements online, or call 0800 327 646.

Presenting On One Plan - Hearings on the One Plan start in early July. Federated Farmers is encouraging members who made a submission to speak in support of their submission. Federated Farmers is holding a workshop to help farmers who made a submission to prepare and present at the hearings. The workshop will cover: dealing with the Officer Report; protocol at the hearing; understanding the role of the hearing committee; how to make best use of the time available; and ways to present evidence. The workshop is at the Rangitikei Club, Bowen Street, Feilding on, Friday 4 July 10am - 3pm, lunch is provided. RSVP by Wednesday 2 July to Sue Wall 06 357 4026 or swall@fedfarm.org.nz

Dairy Jobs Showcase - The dairy industry will feature this Saturday in ‘Just the Job', the television programme that features career options for school-leavers. The dairy section was filmed on member Keith Holmes' Waikato dairy farm, and covers typical tasks for those new-to-farming, and some of the support roles and organisations in the dairy industry. The programme screens this Saturday on TV2 at 9.30am.

Employment Seminars - Sign up for a Federated Farmers Employment Seminars in October and November. Cost is $65 for members and $165 for non-members. Call 0800 327 646 to register.