The Payout!

# Big Farming Story of the Week: The Payout!

I know this is soooo last week, but combined with this week’s Global Dairy Trade Event (down 1.4%), Fonterra’s recent announcement holding the forecast payment for the 2012 season at $7.15 to $7.25 (before retentions) is a great news story. There are a whole lot of reasons, not the least of which the exchange rate, for a forecast payout beginning with a six rather than a seven. However, someone deep in the bowels of the Fonterra trading room has done his or her homework and cow cockies should be rejoicing! While it doesn’t quite contain the cream-on-top content of this season’s expected $8-15, it will be the third-highest in Fonterra’s 11 year history and sure beats the hell out of the $3-16 of 2002-03.

# Big Political Story of the Week: The relevance, or otherwise, of the Act party.

By including former Federated Farmers president Don Nicolson at number four on its party list, Act is making an undeniable play for farmers’ votes. Act is the most farmer-friendly of all parties. That said, I suspect the Greens, rightly or wrongly, might get more farmer votes.

# Big Sporting Story of the Week: The Rugby World Cup.

There is no other story! It’s taken a while but Rugby World Cup Fever is finally here. Yes, the tickets are over-priced! Yes, there will be tickets unsold! Yes, we are being ripped off by hotels and airlines. And yes, Graham Henry is testing our loyalty with his “Claytons” rotation policy (the kind of rotation policy you have when you’re not really having one).

But putting all those minor impediments to one side, it’s finally here. This is a six week festival over seven weekends, the likes of which we will never see again in New Zealand, let alone in our lifetimes. The early rounds do not come at an ideal time for farmers, with the small matter of lambing, calving and the sowing of crops to contend with. However, once we get to the business end of the competition, October 8-23, for the quarter-finals and beyond, it’s game on for young and old. The late evening kick-off of many games makes it possible for most of you to take in all the action (free to air) and still squeeze in a full day’s toil on the land.

# Brickbat: Mad Margaret Mutu.

If Margaret Mutu was white, the Race Relations Conciliator would run the harebrained Maori academic out of town. Ngapuhi leader David Rankin was right to label her the "Robert Mugabe of New Zealand politics" after the wayward professor said there should be a cap on the number of white people migrating to New Zealand because they bring attitudes of white supremacy and are destructive to Maori. The Rugby World Cup presents a grand opportunity for all Kiwis to bat on the same team for a common cause. Mad Margaret is divisive and she represents the ugly face of inverse racism. She needs to be treated with all the disdain of a specialist winger in the All Blacks RWC squad. Banished!

An honourable mention must be accorded Chris Carter who departed Godzone for the war zone of Kabul. Although he’s got 250,000 tax paid reasons to go, there’s an absolute irony that a man who milked the foreign travel system for all it’s worth has traveled to a foreign land to fight corruption!

# Bouquet: Richie McCaw.
At the time of writing it appears McCaw will have the privilege of being the first All Black to play 100 tests for his country. While Sir Colin Meads will always be our most iconic and favourtie All Black, McCaw has his shot at glory over the next six weeks to become statistically our greatest All Black. I’m sure Pinetree would gladly pass on the mantle in exchange for the Webb Ellis Trophy.

Jamie Mackay is the host of the Ballance Agri-Nutrients Farming Show which airs on Radio Sport and Newstalk ZB. jamie@farmingshow.com