Fonterra's milk collections are up 3.7% compared to the same time last year. Photo / Christine Cornege
Fonterra's milk collections are up 3.7% compared to the same time last year. Photo / Christine Cornege
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Fonterra’s milk collections are finishing the season on a high, with strong production across the country and near-record March volumes.
Farm Source Milk Supply Director Lisa Payne said favourable conditions had underpinned the positive momentum, with early rainfall lifting collections in the NorthIsland and strong pasture growth sustaining production later into the season in the South.
As a result, collections are up 3.7% compared to the same time last year.
“We actually had the highest March on record for the South Island collections and the second highest March ever for the North Island,” she told The Country’s Michelle Watt.
Payne said that with milk supply being a key focus, it was vital to attract new blood to Fonterra.
“We know farmers have a choice around processors, so we’re firmly focused on making our offering as competitive as we can.
“Obviously, we all believe in the co-op, but what we deliver when it comes to our milk price, earnings, and performance overall is absolutely critical.”
Strong relationships with farmers were also important, and Payne said Fonterra was working to bolster its farmer-facing teams in the regions.
“We keep focusing on some of the tools and things we do, the events we have and the overall support.
“At the beginning and the end of the day, we know that investing in the farmers’ space is absolutely critical because they are the heart of our co-op.”
Succession planning is another focus for Fonterra, especially helping the younger generation of farmers in their ownership journey.
Payne said a good example of this was the Growing Future Farmers pilot programme.
Fonterra co-designed the programme alongside the Growing Future Farmers training organisation and local farmers in the Waikato and Bay of Plenty.
“At the moment we’ve got seven students placed with seven Fonterra farmer trainers for a two-year programme,” Payne said.
Lisa Payne, Farm Source’s Milk Supply Director at Fonterra.
The students spend four days a week on-farm and one day studying – all while working towards an NZQA qualification.
Payne said the mix of students on the programme was encouraging.
“A majority of them are new to the industry, they’re from all over New Zealand, and we think that’s really important because it’ll widen that pipeline for the future of people coming through.”
She said the students weren’t the only ones learning from the programme.
“We’ve deliberately started small, it’s a pilot, we want to learn about how we recruit and how we bring students and farmers into this programme.
“So we’ll evolve it from here.”
Finally, Payne attended the New Zealand Dairy Industry Awards last weekend, where the co-op continued its support of the younger generation through the Fonterra and ASB First Farm Award.
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The award is a partnership between Fonterra, ASB and the Dairy Industry Awards Trust.
It’s designed to provide practical support, such as financial backing, mentoring, or industry network connections, to help good operators get started on their own farms.
The 2026 winners were Johno and Tania Burrows, and Jonathon and Stacey Hoets, both from Canterbury/North Otago, and Marc and Nia Jones from Waikato.
Payne was pleased to report that last year’s inaugural winners, Braden and Biddy Barnes, had recently bought their first farm in Canterbury.
“That’s really what it’s all about, just backing these fabulous young couples and helping set them up for the long term.”
