Dairy prices ended the 2015/6 season on a firm note with the GlobalDairyTrade price index rising by 2.6 per cent at this morning's auction.

Fonterra's farmer shareholders will vote next month on whether to accept governance changes to trim the board.

Fonterra says part of forecast final dividend will be moved up to ease low-price pain.

Mystery has enveloped the ginseng industry-the biggest customer for a small Canadian county has disappeared.

Workers weren't allowed time off, including a pregnant woman who was told she'd be laid off if she took maternity leave.

The trend towards organic produce means the US is now importing animal feed from Romania.

Fonterra's first draft of suggested changes to its governance structure recommends the board's size be cut from 13 to 11.

COMMENT: Sustainable farming is about doing business while doing good. It is about ensuring decent income and benefits while preserving our environment.

The Institute of Directors has made a case for adding independent directors to the boards of farming company operations.

"Pleasant surprise" at global dairy auction.

Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy gave a group of Waikato farmers a pep talk yesterday.

Fonterra could let farmer shareholders sell shares based on annual milk production to reduce debt, analysts say.

Fitch Ratings said growth in European milk production will further delay a recovery in global milk prices beyond 2016.

Synlait expects premium payments to its farmer suppliers to double, mainly on the back of a boom in infant formula sales.

Farmers can't be left to shoulder all the blame and all the loss in these times of crisis for the dairy industry, writes Damien O'Connor. It's time for the banks to front up.

COMMENT: McGrathNicol business partners Andrew Grenfell and Conor McElhinneyrs talk about the flow-on effects of low dairy prices.

Dairy farm values are tumbling, according to data from the Real Estate Institute of NZ.

However, even the Reserve Bank's best case scenario sees farm prices fall by 20pc, while the worst case scenario would see a fall in land prices of 40pc.

A new strain of virus that could decrease the number of rabbits by 30 per cent is up for government approval.

World dairy prices went against market expectations and fell 2.9 per cent decline at the latest GlobalDairyTrade auction.

The South Island dairy processor will need to consider investing in expansion given the rapid growth of A2, analysts say.

Bank analyst has confidence in the sector's ability to adapt but says that some of those ill-prepared for the downturn will go to the wall.

It was an ominous sign when Prime Minister John Key wandered into his weekly post-Cabinet press conference and announced, "I've got a bit of a head cold."

Late start to the season means apple growers will face a race against time to have fruit picked, raising concerns about the availability of labour.

State-owned Landcorp and China's Shanghai Pengxin Group - the company that bought the distressed Crafar farms in 2012 - are about to part company.

Environment Canterbury is standing by its decision not to fine or prosecute Chief Justice Dame Sian Elias and her businessman husband Hugh Fletcher after photos emerged of their cattle drinking out of a North Canterbury lake.

Dairy farmers are bracing themselves for still more falls in product prices at tomorrow's Global Dairy Trade auction.