LivestockAbsa's AgriTrends Spring 2026 sees the maize market well supplied for the rest of the season; Epol's feed director says feed is about 70 percent of livestock input costs, while a poultry producer warns drought reserves and diesel could keep feed prices where they are.
AgribusinessWestpac NZ's economists put a severe El Niño drought across northern and eastern New Zealand at a potential 1 per cent hit to GDP; its head of agribusiness Richard Anderson urges farmers to update budgets, check water and feed, set stock-sale trigger points and repair irrigation while the sector's l
Government buffer stocks of pulses have reached a record 4.5 million tonnes against a 3.5 million-tonne norm, with chana, tur, moong and lentils to be released in a calibrated way if the rain-short kharif crop or the coming rabi season falls short.
Soil-moisture maps are changing week to week as high-pressure zones over Australia and the Tasman link up: Southland stays windy, cold and wet while Northland and eastern areas from Northland to Canterbury look at just 5-30mm of rain through to 2 October.
Northland Regional Council's August report says El Niño strengthened considerably last month and could rival 1997-98; below-average rainfall is now the most likely outcome for September to November even though August delivered 172mm, 108% of normal, and left most soils near field capacity.
The IMD says the southwest monsoon began withdrawing from west Rajasthan on Saturday, two days late, with rainfall from 1 June to 19 September 14.9% below the long-period average, El Niño still strengthening, and kharif acreage about 1.45% below last year.
August 2026 tied July 2023 as the hottest month ever measured globally, with Utah, Colorado and New Mexico recording their hottest summers in 132 years; AccuWeather says a 'Super El Niño' is near-certain, peaking around December, favouring a wetter southern US and a drier northern Plains.
Mild winters let more pupae survive, so caterpillars emerge just as maize, chicory, turnip and forage rape seedlings establish; one Waikato farmer lost 40% of a turnip crop in a week and now sprays every crop at the two-leaf stage, while researchers advise weed control, a six-week fallow, treated se
The largest private investment yet in WFP's anticipatory action will fund pre-crisis cash transfers, early warning and forecasting across 22 high-risk countries, as WFP projects the current El Niño, potentially among the strongest on record, could push 49 million people into acute food insecurity
Exporters expect production to drop about 10 million tonnes, or 6.5%, from last year's record 154 million as monsoon rain runs 15% short, up to 42% in some rice states, and summer-sown area falls 4% to 42.68 million hectares; state reserves of 59.6 million tonnes, nearly six times the October targ
DairyNZ's EconTracker scenarios put farm working expenses at $6.57-6.78/kg milksolids against a $6.18 baseline, feed costs up to $2.02/kg, pasture deficits of 2-4.2 t DM/ha in Northland, Waikato, Bay of Plenty and the East Coast, and milk production down 2.1-3.3%; the sector is financially strong, b
IIT Gandhinagar's India Drought Monitor shows the area under drought jumping from 46% to 53.2% in a week, with 33.4% of the country in moderate drought or worse, 15.4% severe and 3.8% extreme; monsoon rain is 15% below normal and 41% of 734 districts are deficient, raising fears for soil moisture be
An Agbiz outlook carried by FarmingPortal: local fertiliser prices were 20% above a year earlier at the end of August with Brent above US$100, tractor sales have fallen four months running to 606 units in August (down 13%), foot-and-mouth restrictions leave few export outlets if drought forces cattl
