Silver Fern shareholders are seeking to force a special meeting to discuss the benefits of a merger with Alliance Group.

Dairy farm prices eased in the three months to May according to REINZ's latest rural report.

Dairy prices slipped again at this morning's GlobalDairyTrade auction, the GDT price index falling by 1.3 per cent.

Opposition parties have labelled Fonterra chief executive Theo Spierings' $4.18m salary as "absurd".

Farmers have overcome the shell shock of very low milk prices to turn out in force at Fieldays - New Zealand's biggest agricultural event.

Media were told that hundreds of Fonterra jobs were to be axed, hours before staff heard the news.

Bill English says that while the dairy industry was an important one, it was not necessarily as big as many thought.

A national programme to address rural depression will be developed in recognition of challenging times for farmers including volatility in milk prices.

Fonterra says it will lay off hundreds of its 1500 head office staff in a major review following the decline in dairy prices.

AgriHQ forecasts increased milk production and a higher forecast payout to dairy farmers will bolster the economy.

MPI forecasts revenue from primary industries will drop to $35.2 billion in the year to June.

Two Auckland men met about two years ago and in that short time they have discovered they have the same passion - cleaning up waterways.

The sale of Lochinver station to Chinese interests spearheaded by Shanghai Pengxin reignited concerns about farm sales to foreigners during the election campaign.

Two successive years of low milk prices will increase pressure on the asset quality of New Zealand banks, says ratings agency Fitch.

Murray McCully's controversial $10m deal bypassed the normal Govt control channels, writes Fran O'Sullivan. "The deal is now being challenged as an outright bribe."

The next eight months will be lean for dairy farmers but Rabobank NZ chief Ben Russell says he is confident the downturn will be cyclical and one most farmers can cope with.

Trust set-up raises issue of whether farmer shareholder and external investor interests in Fonterra are fully aligned.

ANZ breached the Fair Trading Act for misleadingly representing interest rate swaps to some customers.

Fonterra's cut its payout forecast by 10c to $4.40 a kilo of milk solids and says it expects to pay out $5.25 a kilo for next season.

There's been another fall in world dairy prices, with the GDT index down to its lowest level since August 2009.

Farm prices have continued to rise, despite the near halving of milk prices over the past year, according to Real Estate Institute of New Zealand data.

Farmers don't expect special treatment from this year's Budget, but some recognition of the impact that the drought has had on farm finances would be a welcome move.

Farm prices have continued to rise, despite the near halving of milk prices over the last year, according to REINZ.

Fonterra's strategy has to start delivering or its market share will shrink further, says Federated Farmers Otago dairy chairman Stephen Crawford.

Fonterra farmers have been tipped to go without a "retro" payment in July as the co-operative rebalances.

We continue to strive for higher production in farming to raise more profit per square metre of land, writes Sam Judd. Perhaps there is a way to make a shed which is nice for the animals, with room to move around whilst still productive?

The old joke that there's nothing in New Zealand but sheep may have run its course, as stock numbers hit lows not seen since during the Second World War.