Wholemilk powder prices rallied by 19.1 per cent at this morning's GlobalDairyTrade auction.

I like to see the glass half full, and I have the facts to back that view. If you still want to see the glass half empty - you're the loser, writes Mike Hosking.

Finance Minister Bill English won't rule out state farming company Landcorp having to sell more farms than usual to ensure it is not too loaded with debt.

Fonterra's forecast of a 2 per cent fall in milk production this season is looking more conservative by the day as farmers cull stock.

Fonterra's market share in the South Island has slipped beneath 80 per cent ending pro-competition provisions.

"There's nothing more depressing than knowing when those big tankers come on to your farm you are paying Fonterra to take your milk away."

Support for the drought-affected eastern South Island has been extended, and an extra $100,000 has been granted to help struggling farmers.

In light of the stress the dairy industry is under right now, they really do need to take the longer-term view that they say they are taking, writes Brian Fallow.

Fonterra says it is significantly reducing the amount of product it puts up for sale on the GlobalDairyTrade auction platform over the next 12 months.

Milk powder prices will need to improve substantially before Fonterra's revised farmgate milk price of $3.85 per kg of milk solids can become a reality, say analysts.

Failed Crafar farms bidder and fraud case defendant May Wang has failed to bar Hong Kong prosecutors from accessing seized documents.

$4.55 swing in forecast milk price paid to farmers over two seasons shows there's something wrong with NZ's dairy model, says Landcorp Farming CEO Steve Carden.

The country's biggest exporter has lowered its price from a previous forecast of $5.25 following sharp falls in whole milk powder prices.

Paparimu dairy farmer Craig Maxwell says farmers are worried about the survival of their farms.

A drop in the price of milk on supermarket shelves could be in store for New Zealanders - but not anytime soon, says supermarket chain Countdown.

Fonterra is expected to announce a sharp reduction in its farmgate milk price today.

Dairy farm prices are likely to fall this spring as the sector faces the prospect of two successive years of sub-par payouts, says the ANZ Bank

Whole milk powder prices - key to determining Fonterra's farmgate mik price, dropped by 10.3 per cent overnight.

The ANZ Commodity Price Index for July fell 11.2 per cent to the lowest level since October 2009.

Cow effluent charges against two Marlborough farmers have been proven.

Fonterra's board will meet on Friday to review the farmgate milk price.

Farmers are being urged to brace for some extreme weather this summer, with forecasters warning an unwelcome El Nino system will still be messing with our climate in January.

As milk prices fall, farmers keep waiting for the cycle to turn. But what if Fonterra's problems are longer term, asks Jamie Gray.

Is Fonterra on the right track? Or is it time for Plan B? Plan B would result in the company being split into a basic commodity player focused on growing the milk price.

The story of Harry Meijer and his flying fox has been viewed more than 164,000 times on the New Zealand Herald's Facebook page.

International investors from Europe, the United States and Australia are likely to consider buying more New Zealand dairy farms, says an expert.

Watch the exclusive video of Canterbury dairy farmer Harry Meijer who's come up with an innovative way to get to work each morning.

As Fonterra's NZX-listed units languish near an all-time low, analysts say the market will remain cool on the dairy giant.

Concentrating on marketing its cuts rather than processing them is paying dividends for a niche meat exporter.