MARCH 25, 2025
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New Zealand’s sheep industry was built on a dual-purpose breeding flock, but for 22 years the strong wool component has languished as a generation of consumers has grown up ignorant of its merits and attributes. As wool returns have fallen, farm fortunes have fluctuated as incomes become reliant on meat returns.
The Future of Wool special report looks at what is being done to resurrect the wool sector’s fortunes and asks if it is enough for wool to once again contribute positively to farm incomes.
What’s leading theonconversation the front page of WeeklyFarmers this
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What our audience are telling us this week
Do you think improved access to genetic technologies would have a positive effect on New Zealand’s food and fibre sector?
YES
“Yes, but with extreme caution and a very methodical and multi-stakeholder approach to how they are implemented (or “relaxed”).”
NO
“Absolutely not! NZ is known for its natural richness, this does not align with that whatsoever”
Is the government doing enough to stop whole-farm conversions to forestry? Have your say at farmersweekly.co.nz/poll
What’s happening on the FarmersPodcastWeekly
Visiting Nuffield scholar Wilco Brouwer de Koning tells Bryan about life as a Dutch dairy farmer and says they’re facing the same regulatory and market-driven challenges we face in New Zealand. Wilco is researching how a biodiversity credit system might work to reward farmers and says transparency of data is the key to success.
Also on the Farmers Weekly podcast this week
News Wrap | The future of strong wool
Market Insight | Drought does little to dent livestock markets
Feds Focus | Answers sought on continued afforestation
The Final Word | Bryan’s thoughts for the week
My opinion as a farmer, but also as a board member, is that if society asks us to do something on sustainable farming, on biodiversity, it has to be rewarded, because we cannot do something because we like it.
– Wilco Brouwer de Koning, Nuffield scholar, Episode: Different countries, same farming challenges, 21 March 2025
Every Friday in the office the Farmers Weekly team gathers together for a sneak peek of next week’s paper.
The content is king…and queen…and even jester! (when it comes to the cartoon).
So what a lovely moment it was when in the middle of last week’s sneak peek our sub editor stopped the meeting in its tracks to celebrate one of the ads in the paper!
Nestled in the middle of our special report on the future of wool is a very special ad from Beef+Lamb New Zealand, that’s designed to be cut out!
The advertisement goes through the steps a shearer should take in the unlikely event that there’s an injury to a sheep in the shearing shed.
If you’ve got guides like this that would look great as a full page ad, we’d love to hear from you!
I read it every week. I usually have a look at it online first and dip back in the following week when it lands in my mailbox.
Larissa Brown Federated Farmers Provincial Dairy Chair Otago
Senior reporter Neal Wallace is in Singapore this week as part of a food and fibre delegation. He’ll be visiting with Nestle, an alternative protein think tank and take a look at the global investment scene.
Look out for Neal’s stories over the coming few weeks.
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What’s hot, and what’s not in rural media here overseasand
In the latest Farm Trader magazine the team have taken to profiling some of the latest harvesting equipment by doing something pretty interesting. Each of the 10 machines they reviewed was put to work harvesting a Waikato farm block, with a team of 3 judges assessing performance and features over a few days! It was all filmed too, resulting in some great cross-platform video content for their website (farmtrader.co.nz).
There’s a diverse contingent of food and fibre sector leaders currently on the ground in Singapore (including Farmers Weekly’s own Neal Wallace!) to see what they can learn and bring back to apply to New Zealand farming. The visit is a collaboration between AGMARDT, FoodHQ and ASB and, just like last year’s Meeting the Market tour, is sure to spark thoughts and conversations when the observations are brought home. Keep tuned to the Farmers Weekly podcast to learn more.
