Agsafe Weekly Rural Report

Finance:  The NZ dollar weakened during the week against our major trading partners.  The Reserve Bank maintained the OCR with some warnings.  The economic outlook is only fair!!!    

Wool:  Wool prices remain in the doldrums. There are more self-shedding sheep being breed as the cost of shearing is more than the value of the wool.

Beef, Sheep & Venison schedules: All meat schedules are steady for the coming week. There is an increasing demand for quality beef internationally.  A question I have often asked is are our lambs too small as they are generally 4 to 6 kg less than the Aussie’s.

Dairy Prices:  Dairy prices are steady and farmers are feeling confident coming into the autumn, hoswever Synlait, A2 Milk, Maui Milk and the Dairy Goat Coop are all experiencing problems.