Stories by Alexa Cook

Low milk payouts and poor weather are "the straw that's broken the camel's back" in terms of farmers' self-confidence, a Waikato dairy farmer says.

A shipment of palm kernel which has been anchored off Tauranga for over a month has been banned from entering New Zealand.

Regulations governing raw milk cheeses are ridiculous and unaffordable, cheesemakers have told a parliamentary committee.

British retailer Marks & Spencer will no longer stock New Zealand lamb in its Scottish stores, after a decision to only sell locally-produced lamb.

Small-scale cheesemakers are fighting the government over what they say are unrealistic food safety fees.

A rural animal feed store says Fonterra has told them that there is no calf milk powder for two weeks, causing panic among calf rearers.

The value of New Zealand lamb exports dropped 40 percent in August compared to August last year, AgriHQ says.

Westland Milk Products is joining forces with a Chinese company to create a new infant formula venture in New Zealand.

The Tatua Co-operative Dairy Company has announced an annual operating profit of $99.7m and confirmed last season's milk price at $6.30 a kilogram of milk solids.

The $250m second stage of the Central Plains Water irrigation scheme in Canterbury has been fully approved by the shareholders.

Manuka honey curbs bacterial growth on plastic and could help patients fitted with catheters who get infections, according to a new study released today.

The Southland DHB is urging people to be vigilant about washing their hands after working with animals due to a seasonal increase in gastro bug cases.

Farmers' confidence, especially in the dairy sector, is the highest it has been in years, according to the recent Rabobank Rural Confidence Survey.

New Zealand needs to fill 50,000 new jobs in the farming sector over the next decade, and hundreds of prisoners are training up to fill the gap. Audio

Farmers selling beef calves are getting top dollar for their animals this spring because of the drop in dairy cow numbers, says a Waikato livestock auctioneer.

Signs of wallabies have been reported in Alexandra on the Otago Rail Trail, which the regional council says could mean the pest has spread right into the Maniototo.

Woolworths in Australia is importing avocados from New Zealand earlier than usual and this is creating a glut in the market, Avocados Australia says.

While prices have risen in the Global Dairy Auction for the third time in a row, a former agribusiness professor says it could level off from here.

It's not surprising that many dairy farms prefer to employ foreigners, because they are willing to work huge hours to help keep work visas, says a dairy industry veteran.

North Canterbury is still parched and, while there has been a good lambing season, there isn't enough feed, says a local farmer.

It's time for New Zealand to realise the export potential of its cheese market, a British industry veteran says.

New Zealand's exports could suffer if demand for horticulture workers isn't met, a primary industries training organisation says.

The UMF Honey Association says they have confidence in exporting manuka despite reports from the UK that the industry is riddled with fraud.

Produce company Seeka has reported a whopping 92 percent lift in profit of $7.1 million for the first half of the year.

The chlorine used by the Hastings District Council to clear the town's water supply is useless, says a rural water expert.