After almost ten years at the helm, Glenys Christian steps into the role of editor-at-large while we step up to the mark as co-editors of the magazine.
Dairy Exporter is a magazine for farmers and others involved in the dairy industry, written by people passionate about farming. You’ll notice a few changes in this issue, such as our new Expert’s Eye column and a 101 section stripping farm management elements down to their basics. We’ll be rolling out a few more changes in coming months as we aim to give you the best information and research that we can find, with some inspiration mixed in for good measure. Take a good look, kick the tyres, poke around in the corners, then get in touch to let us know what you think.
One of New Zealand’s traditional dairy farming strengths is resilience in the face of challenge. This season the challenge has certainly been thrown down with the forecast milk payout set to hit farming businesses’ top line numbers. So it’s timely that this month’s special report takes a look at the numbers driving your business. The focus is not on shoring up the defences in a low income year, but rather on sustaining high performance.
We also touch on other topics to get farmers thinking in this issue. How the Hauraki Plains focus farm dealt to its challenges and great information on summer cropping are just a couple of examples.
We are looking forward to building on the more than 90-year partnership Dairy Exporter has with you, our dairy farming readers.
Erin Hutchinson
From a Tararua sheep-and-beef farm, Erin has spent time as a trainee livestock buyer, agricultural journalist, and farm research technician. Before joining NZX Agri she was loving her time in gumboots and overalls managing dairy farms of various sizes. Graduating with a Bachelor of Science with first class honours majoring in geography in her mid-20s, she is now studying part-time towards a Master of Management in agribusiness.
