A 75-year-old woman was airlifted to hospital after she was injured by a cow earlier today.

Fonterra has moved to shore up its supply base by forming a subsidiary that can take in more milk without suppliers having to buy shares in the co-operative.

The medium to long term outlook for NZ dairy farmers remains sound, despite yesterday's payout cut, says rural lender Rabobank.

Fonterra said it had launched a separate milk sourcing subsidiary - mymilk - to grow its market share in the South Island.

Fonterra plans to cut costs and defer some capital expenditure so that an improved dividend can at least partially offset a likely $6b decline in income for the sector.

The industry group DairyNZ estimates that one quarter of dairy farmers will have difficulty paying their bills if Fonterra's reduced farmgate milk price comes to pass.

Fonterra has this morning cut its forecast farmgate milk price payout to its farmers, with its chairman admitted it'll put pressure on farm budgets.

The contrast in fortunes this week between two parts of New Zealand could not have been starker.

Parts of the country are rapidly drying out but weather experts are not mentioning the "D" word just yet

Wholemilk powder prices continued to decline while other products showed signs of improvement at this morning’s GlobalDairyTrade auction.

Farmers have been increasing their spending on equipment as cash flows were boosted by Fonterra's record payout.

Fonterra says it had started a consultation process to gauge interest in a proposed equity partnership trust for its farmers.

A blood-borne, tick-carried parasite, which causes serious a disease in cattle, has been identified for the first time on the West Coast.

The grass-only dairy farm model has become a thing of the past for New Zealand as farmers increasingly turn to supplementary feeds to increase their production.

A farmer subjected to a "fast and furious" attack by a belligerent bovine says he was lucky to escape serious injury.

Producer prices fell in the September quarter due to decreases in dairy prices, Statistics New Zealand said.

A sheep on an escape bid had a lucky break after it took a wrong turn and headed into the sea at Makorori.

New Zealand tractor sales are expected to match record highs this year, thanks to high milk prices and good growing conditions.

Prime Minister dismisses claims that the dairy industry is not playing its part in reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

The Fonterra Shareholders' Fund should be able to raise its 2015 dividend forecast given it expects to pay farmers less for their milk.

Private dairy ingredient manufacturer Open Country Dairy has told its suppliers to expect a reduced payout in a range of $4.70 to $4.90 per kg of milksolids for 2014/5.

It's a marine ecological gem on the doorstep of our biggest city and it's not the Hauraki Gulf.

International dairy prices showed signs of stabilising at this morning’s GlobalDairyTrade auction.

'Horrific" rates of nearly $50k a year on land still being grazed by livestock prompted the $37.9m sale of one of Auckland's largest land lots.

The head of Fonterra says the growing Ebola epidemic could cost the company $150 million.

Landcorp's decision to take full control of New Zealand's largest red meat genetics business is an example of the state-owned enterprise's push to diversify its operations.

A Marlborough farmer wants Fonterra to stop investment spending and cut staff salaries until milk prices improve.

World dairy prices showed signs of levelling off today with the GlobalDairyTrade price index gaining 1.4 per cent at the fortnightly auction.

Tightening conditions on global commodity markets have come as no surprise to small to medium-sized agribusiness enterprises, according to an MYOB survey.