23 May 2012

Farmers look beyond slump in dairy payouts

6:31 am on 23 May 2012

Fears of falling milk payouts are expected to be a talking point at the second DairyNZ Farmers' Forum which starts at Mystery Creek, near Hamilton on Wednesday.

But organiser Tim Mackle says that speakers such as Primary Industries Minister David Carter and Fonterra chief executive Theo Spierings will be helping farmers take a boader view.

"While milk price changes will be topical ... the forum is really about taking a longterm view," he says. "It is looking towards 2020, and it's about thriving in a changing world."

"We're taking a future look at things," Dr Mackle says. "It's 'big-picture' talks on the first day, looking at industry issues, and the second day comes back to the farm level".

Almost 800 North Island dairy farmers have registered for the two-day event, which effectively replaces the former Ruakura farmers conferences.