The Notice of Meeting and Independent Report for the acquisition of 50 per cent of Silver Fern Farms by Shanghai Maling are revealing.

Donald McKenzie Harcourt appeared for sentence in Greymouth District Court on animal welfare charges, dating back to 2012, relating to his Crooked River farm.

Fonterra executives will have their work cut out convincing farmers to reduce their use of what has been a key feed supplement over the past 10 years - palm kernel.

Waikato dairy co-op Tatua says earnings before tax fell by 11.1pc to $121.2m, reflecting falling commodities prices.

Alliance chairman Murray Taggart says any Silver Fern merger Farms risks making a "big beached whale" of the meat industry.

Beef exports have hit $3 billion - a record high, driven by international shortages, rising local production, and a falling New Zealand dollar, Statistics NZ said.

Steven Joyce doesn't want the Lochinver decision to cast a shadow over our relationship with China.

Chinese billlionaire's company brings in the lawyers over New Zealand's decision to veto an $88 million bid to buy Lochinver station.

Maling's proposal to acquire 50% of Silver Fern Farms reaffirms that Chinese investors are interested in New Zealand's rural and food-based assets.

Summer's El Nino weather pattern may be good news for barbecues and backyard cricket, but farmers and firefighters are preparing to battle drought and wildfires.

Canterbury dairy company Synlait Milk has almost halved its net profit for the July year to $10.6 million.

Silver Fern Farms embarked on a roadshow to sell farmers on bringing in China's Shanghai Maling Aquarius as a shareholder in its newly formed venture.

Low dairy prices have continued to weigh heavily on farmer sentiment, according to Rabobank's Rural Confidence Survey.

Chief executive Theo Spierings says dairy giant has to make tough decisions as review increases job cuts to 750.

The blocking of a sale of Lochinver Farm will be welcomed by those with a narrow, not to say xenophobic, view of the national interest.

Federated Farmers said it welcomed the Government's decision to decline the sale of Lochinver Station, near Taupo, to China's Shanghai Pengxin Group.

Does this morning's big jump in world dairy prices mean an increased payout for farmers? There might be a long way to go.

Prices are expected to rise at this week's GlobalDairyTrade auction but doubts remain as to how much further improvement is in store.

Fonterra is cutting back the amount of product it sells on its GlobalDairyTrade auction platform for the next 12 months.

Pre-tax profits for an average sheep and beef farm in New Zealand will increase to $109,900 this season - 9.6 per cent more than last season, but 3.1 per cent below the five-year average, Beef and Lamb New Zealand says in its 2016/6 season outlook.

McIvor family owns the last remaining farm on Auckland International Airport's main road approach. And they have no intention of selling.

Deal would increase dominance of New Zealand's biggest meat exporter but erode farmer control of the industry.

Low world dairy prices aren't stopping the NZ industry - production was up 13pc last month from July last year.

Banks appear to have come to the party for NZ farmers needing support during the dairy downturn.

Fonterra's move to cut the amount it sells on its global dairy auction appears to have worked.

Crunch time is fast approaching for the farmer-funded industry group, Beef and Lamb New Zealand.

The grass-fed meat has fewer calories, less cholesterol or fat than beef, and consumers can't seem to get enough.

A day after the Government pushed new health and safety legislation through Parliament a sharemilker died in a quad bike accident on a Waikato property.

A person is dead after a quad bike accident on a farm in Waikato this morning.

State-owned farmer Landcorp said its profit fell by 84 per cent due mostly due to lower milk and lamb prices.