
Succession planning help
New farm succession planning workshops are in Otago this week.
Rabobank New Zealand chief executive Todd Charteris said Rabobank was holding free one-day workshops for farmers about succession planning.
The workshops were open to anyone and aimed to provide farmers with an understanding of business transition and succession and to aimed to give confidence to start and progress a succession plan.
"We regularly ask our clients about the financial topics they want further information on, and this is one topic that has come up time and time again in the discussions our agri managers have with farmers and growers across the country."
The new succession workshop topics include asset transfer, business continuance, intergenerational farm ownership, how to clarify roles and responsibilities, and identifying the next steps to make real progress, Mr Charteris said.
Workshops would be held in Alexandra today and Oamaru tomorrow.
A workshop was held in Balclutha yesterday.
The Otago workshops follow a successful pilot event in Feilding last month.
"We had about 25 farmers along to the pilot workshop we ran in Feilding and we had some really positive feedback on this."
In addition to new workshops, the bank would launch a report, which examines succession on farm, at the Primary Industries New Zealand Summit in Christchurch later this month.
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Otago Daily Times
2 days ago
- Otago Daily Times
Succession planning help
New farm succession planning workshops are in Otago this week. Rabobank New Zealand chief executive Todd Charteris said Rabobank was holding free one-day workshops for farmers about succession planning. The workshops were open to anyone and aimed to provide farmers with an understanding of business transition and succession and to aimed to give confidence to start and progress a succession plan. "We regularly ask our clients about the financial topics they want further information on, and this is one topic that has come up time and time again in the discussions our agri managers have with farmers and growers across the country." The new succession workshop topics include asset transfer, business continuance, intergenerational farm ownership, how to clarify roles and responsibilities, and identifying the next steps to make real progress, Mr Charteris said. Workshops would be held in Alexandra today and Oamaru tomorrow. A workshop was held in Balclutha yesterday. The Otago workshops follow a successful pilot event in Feilding last month. "We had about 25 farmers along to the pilot workshop we ran in Feilding and we had some really positive feedback on this." In addition to new workshops, the bank would launch a report, which examines succession on farm, at the Primary Industries New Zealand Summit in Christchurch later this month.

RNZ News
28-05-2025
- RNZ News
Fonterra tipped to announce second season of bumper milk prices
Photo: RNZ / Cole Eastham-Farrelly Dairy farmers basking in a windfall season are in for more good news when Fonterra unveils what may be a record opening forecast for next season. The co-operative will release its third quarter update on Thursday with two key numbers to be released. Fonterra will report on how the current season's milk price is shaping up, that's sitting already at a record midpoint of $10 per kilogram of milk solids ($10/kgMS). And it will announce the opening farmgate milk price forecast for the 2025-26 season which is tipped to deliver high returns for dairy farmers. ASB's general manager of rural banking Aidan Gent said it's likely to be an incredibly strong forecast. "At ASB we're calling a midpoint of $9.75/kgMS," Gent said. "Our range goes all the way up to $10.50/kgMS. The spot prices are certainly selling above that so we think there's a bit of conservatism baked into that." Rabobank senior agriculture analyst Emma Higgins has tipped a midpoint of $9.50/kgMS, which relies on the weaker New Zealand dollar. "Our base case expectation is for an opening farmgate milk price of around $9.50/kgMS for the 2025/26 season, assuming a spot exchange rate of USc 0.59," Rabobank senior agriculture analyst Emma Higgins said. "While it's lower than the NZX futures markets, it would be the highest opening milk price forecast midpoint from Fonterra." Rabobank said its opening price prediction allows for seasonal volatility that can occur over the winter months and a wide range allows for any unwelcome commodity price shocks. "There's room to see the farmgate price move higher than our prevailing price forecast," Higgins said. "This will require dairy markets to maintain current export values over a sustained period. "Depending on currency capers, the farmgate milk price has upside the bandwidth to edge as high as $10.40-10.90/kgMS by the season's end - assuming commodity prices remain broadly stable." Earlier this month ANZ revised its farmgate opening forecast up to $10/kgMS. "Dairy prices have outperformed expectations in recent months as tight global supply has seen buyers compete hard for product," ANZ chief economist Sharon Zollner said. "Looking forward to next season, the starting point for global dairy prices is much higher than looked likely." On the global market, France and Germany have experienced a slowdown in milk production which is driving demand. Production is starting to pick up in the United States but that follows three years of stagnant supply. Agriculture Minister Todd McClay said farmers were ending the season on a high, seeing the highest returns since 2021-22 season. And he agreed all signs point to another strong season ahead. Dairy commodity prices have steadily moved higher through 2025 so far, with a broad-based upswing. According to Rabobank's recent report, at the end of May 2025 - which coincides with the end of the 2024/25 production season - whole milk powder (WMP) prices (in USD terms) have lifted almost 30 percent higher, compared to the 2024 average WMP price. Skim milk powder (SMP) prices are nudging USD 3,000/tonne which is 10 percent higher than the 2024 average. Butter has charged to dizzying record highs in 2025 at prices 16 percent higher than 2024, and 40 percent higher than the 5-year average.


NZ Herald
25-05-2025
- NZ Herald
Rabobank's Ag Pathways Programme adds new regions, boosts skills for over 70 farmers
Bowie said these 'war stories' were popular. 'You could almost see some of the attendees' brains ticking over as they listened in to the more experienced farmers and considered what they needed to do to progress their own agri-careers.' Bowie, who runs a 6000 stock-unit sheep and beef business in North Canterbury, said another major benefit of the programme was the opportunity it provided young farmers to network with others at the same stage in their farming careers. 'This can be incredibly powerful as it provides attendees with a chance to bounce ideas off each other and to hear what has and hasn't worked for those in a similar boat to them.' Bowie said attendees would get together again in June, as a follow-up to the programme. Here, they would present a business plan on what they wanted to achieve in the future. She said the follow-up meeting was 'hugely important'. 'It helps ensure participants are immediately acting on the lessons from the programme and incorporating them into their roles on-farm.' Eli Vollebregt was at the Hāwera Ag Pathways and said the programme exceeded his expectations. 'My wife Susannah and I are contract milking in Ōpunake, and we both decided to attend the programme because we are always keen to learn and to push ourselves out of our comfort zones as this helps us grow as individuals and as a team,' he said. Vollebregt said the agenda was well-rounded with sessions that targeted subjects he was keen to learn more about. 'Things like communication, financial management, business planning, farmer journeys to farm ownership, leadership, governance and succession.' Vollebregt said he felt two sessions stood out. 'The first was the communication session, which started with a personality test. 'I learned which personality type I am and therefore learned what makes me tick and why it makes me tick, and how each personality type is so important and how to navigate and understand different personality types.' He said the second was the business planning session. '[This gave me] a better understanding of how business plans, goals and visions, good habits, consistency, revised budgets and determination can propel you forward in achieving your aspirations.' More about Ag Pathways First run in 2015, and developed by Rabobank's Lower South Island Client Council, the Ag Pathways Programme aims to develop young farmers' skills and contacts to advance their careers in the agricultural sector. The programme has run annually in Otago/Southland across the last decade, with the ninth Lower South Island edition in Invercargill earlier this month. The ongoing success of Ag Pathways in the Lower South Island has prompted Rabobank's Client Councils in the Upper South Island and Lower North Island to replicate the programme in their areas, and the recent events in Ashburton and Hawera were the first of their kind in the Canterbury and Taranaki regions, respectively. This follows inaugural Ag Pathways events in the Manawatū region in 2023 and on the East Coast (Gisborne) last year.