Rural news in brief: Milk forecast and scholarship applications

Beef + Lamb New Zealand has appointed Melissa Clark-Reynolds as the first independent director to its board.

$6.75 milk price forecast

Fonterra last Thursday announced an increased forecast farmgate milk price for the upcoming 2018 season to $6.75 per kilogram of milksolids (kgMS). The co-operative also announced a forecast earnings per share range of 45 to 55 cents, making the forecast total available payout to farmers in the 2017/2018 season $7.20 to $7.30, before retentions.

Chairman John Wilson said the revised forecast farmgate milk price was a lift of 25c on the original forecast of $6.50kgMS in May and reflected the ongoing rebalancing of supply and demand in global dairy markets.

Scholarship applications

Applications for the Whangarei A&P Society's annual $7500 agricultural scholarship are now open. The scholarship is paid over three years to one successful applicant who is, or will be, participating in agricultural based studies related to a career in the agricultural sector in 2018.

Students living within the boundaries of the Northland Regional Council area are eligible to apply. Entries close on September 29. The successful candidate will receive their first payment of $2500 when they are accepted by the tertiary institution of their choice. Application forms by contacting shelley@wap.org.nz or downloaded from www.whangareiap.org.nz.

New director appointed

Beef + Lamb New Zealand has appointed Melissa Clark-Reynolds (ONZM) as the first independent director to its board. Clark-Reynolds became a professional director after 25 years' experience as an entrepreneur and CEO of technology companies. She is a governor of Radio NZ and sits on the boards of Kiwi Insurance, Jasmax, and Softed.

Clark-Reynolds, who keeps bees and tweets as @HoneyBeeGeek, is a member of the Ministry for Primary Industries Primary Growth Partnership Investment Advisory Panel and she chairs the LINZ Risk and Audit Committee. She starts her role as a B+LNZ director next Wednesday.

NAIT tag advice

Operational Solutions for Primary Industries (Ospri) advises farmers with calving under way that those bobby calves going directly to slaughter don't need a NAIT tag - but they do need a direct-to-slaughter tag issued by the meat processor.

If calves are staying on the farm, they need a NAIT tag within six months or before being moved off the farm. All newborn cattle must be tagged with a NAIT approved RFID ear tag before they are six months old, or before they move off farm - whichever is soonest.

Burgess wins TeenAg judging

Dargaville TeenAg Club member Alee Burgess won the TeenAg miniature horse judging in the CRV Ambreed Stock Judging Competition during the Young Farmer of the Year national final at Feilding last month.

She was also runner-up to William Robertson in the overall TeenAg team contest. Alee, 16, lives on a dairy and beef farm at Arapohue, near Dargaville, and is in Year 12 at Dargaville High School. Her mother Rebecca said Alee showed her own beef animals at agricultural shows around the North.

Rural Women Awards

Rural Women New Zealand (RWNZ) invites entries from innovative and successful rural businesswomen, in horticulture, agricultural, dairy, tourism or any other rural sectors for this year's Enterprising Rural Women Awards.

The 2017 awards are: Emerging Enterprising Rural Woman Award, Innovative Enterprising Rural Woman Award, Entrepreneurial Enterprising Rural Woman Award and the Supreme Enterprising Rural Woman Achievement Award for standout business success in the rural sector. Entries close on August 31. Entry forms at ruralwomen.org.nz.