Prices of dairy products recorded their smallest gain this year, edging up to a new record.

Rainbow Confectionery has doubled its capacity with the acquisition of an Australian confectionery plant.

Labour's Clayton Cosgrove has accused Solid Energy of excessive spending in the year leading up to the company's near collapse.

Organisers of a red meat industry meeting in Christchurch tomorrow are seeking a written mandate from farmers, including a commitment to a possible new entity.

Strong overseas demand for the New Zealand dollar is likely to form a major barrier to attempts by the Reserve Bank to bring it down, say analysts.

The average farming wage is higher than for the country as a whole and living costs in rural areas are lower.

Supermarkets around the world are selling Anchor milk and Fernleaf butter that is not produced on New Zealand farms.

Maori-controlled, with a Vietnamese connection, one of the country's newest dairy companies does things a little bit differently from the big boys, discovers Jamie Gray.

A New Zealand-developed process for dying wool hailed as a world first in the textile industry has been snapped up by a US active wear manufacturer.

New data out shortly could show if the severe drought is having an effect on farm sales but one expert believes farmers' general spending will be hit harder than volumes or prices of property deals.

Fonterra will launch its own infant formula brand in China this year as it looks to grab a slice of the booming market for the product in the Asian superpower.

Prices of dairy products have surged to a record in Fonterra's latest global online auction as traders competed for a shrinking volume of drought-affected milk powder.

Led by dairy products, prices for export commodities surged last month - and this time the rise in world prices was not eaten up by a higher exchange rate.

Fonterra enjoyed strong earnings in the first half and has raised its payout forecast to farmers for the current year.

Profits have soared 33 per cent at our largest exporter Fonterra, but the dairy giant warns its performance is unlikely to be repeated in the second half of the year.

Farmers throughout the North Island continue to hope for rain as the big dry bites hard, making conditions for some worse than the 2008 drought.

China is becoming an increasingly important market for New Zealand wine and a group of local firms is hoping to boost sales further by making an appearance the Chengdu Wine Fair.

Prices of dairy products surged to the highest in two years in Fonterra's latest Global Dairy Trade auction as drought curtails production in the North Island.

Slaughterman Kent Sambells' workload was "hectic" last week as Waikato farmers called him in to destroy ailing cattle and take them away for processing into pet food.

Businesses expect the New Zealand dollar to peak around the middle of the year before declining, according to an ASB Bank survey.

Sheep and beef farm profits are predicted to halve this season, as the full impact of current lamb prices and drought kick in, Beef and Lamb New Zealand says.

World dairy prices have surged to the highest since June 2011 with the prospect of New Zealand production curtailed by drought.

Commodity prices rose in February but the strength of the local currency meant they were flat in kiwi dollar terms.