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.

Murray McCully's secret Saudi deal is attracting far too much adverse comment on the international stage to be easily swept under the carpet, writes Fran O'Sullivan.

Claims of corruption, bribery and lies are being made about the Government’s unorthodox scheme of flying sheep to Saudi Arabia, writes Bryce Edwards.

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.

A threat of legal action being used to partly justify nearly $12 million spent on a Saudi businessman's farm was clearly hollow, Labour says.

One farmer is using humour to help get him through the tough conditions brought on by drought in North Canterbury.

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.

Fonterra will late this month release its milk price forecast for 2015/16 and indications are that it will be towards the lower end of market expectations.

Saskatchewan, Canada's biggest agricultural province, imposed a temporary ban last month on certain investors acquiring farmland, reports Bloomberg.

ANZ Bank New Zealand, the country's biggest lender, was the most aggressive in pitching interest rate swaps to farmers, the Commerce Commission says.

International dairy prices fell for the fourth time in a row at this morning's GlobalDairyTrade auction.

ANZ New Zealand boss David Hisco says the country's biggest bank is working closely with rural customers as falling dairy prices begin to bite, but farmers are better placed to deal with the....

New Zealand commodity prices had their biggest decline since the height of the global financial crisis in 2008, led by falling dairy product prices.

A New Zealand farming couple have smashed a 25 year-old world record for the world's largest crop of barley. Their supporters say the achievement could help solve world hunger.

A man has been banned from owning livestock for 20 years after failing to provide six calves with sufficient food.

Drought conditions are biting into California's dairy production, which could end up being supportive for international dairy prices, say analysts.

Calfsmart is the brainchild of Ben Neal, a 35-year-old mechanical engineer who grew up on a dairy farm in Dannevirke.

The reduced dairy payout and the high Kiwi dollar are being carefully assessed by potential farm buyers, says the Real Estate Institute of New Zealand.