However, she said a bit of rain and a strong payout didn’t mean that farmers weren’t under pressure.
“The new break-even average milk price is $8.32 [kg MS] and that’s all very well, but there’s still the deferred maintenance and debt repayments and all those sorts of things that have to be taken into account.
“But, all in all, I think we’re in a much better position than we were this time last year.”
Brown took over as DairyNZ Chair in October last year after Jim van der Poel stepped down.
Mackay asked how she was finding the new role, saying Van der Poel left “big gumboots to fill”.
Brown said she was enjoying herself and had had “a lot going on”.
She also acknowledged the “amazing work” Van der Poel had done for the dairy sector over the years.
“We do miss him.”
Brown also has an impressive CV, having been involved “in and around” the sector for many years.
She has been involved in the Agri-Women’s Development Trust, has been a Nuffield Scholar, was a finalist in the 2017 Westpac Women of Influence Awards and won Sustainable Business Network’s “Sustainability Superstar” award in 2018.
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“I’ve had a range of roles, whether environment-related, or policy-related, or animal welfare,” she said.
“So I’ve worked with a large range of stakeholders and I already have a lot of good relationships right across the sector, including with Beef + Lamb NZ and Federated Farmers.
“That’s made the transition relatively easy.”
DairyNZ’s focus for 2024 was resetting its strategy, and this year, Brown aimed to build on this, working on new ways to engage with farmers.
She said there was also a levy consultation coming up in February, which hadn’t been adjusted for 16 or 17 years,
“Apart from that, it’s really about delivering value to farmers and making sure that they’ve got choices, through the research and the science and the work that we do.”
