This week’s Fonterra Global Dairy Trade Event

# Big Farming Story of the Week: This week’s Fonterra Global Dairy Trade Event.

By Wednesday morning we’ll have some idea just how much the latest ructions on the economic front will hurt us as a nation dependent on exporting food. There are two schools of thought as to how the latest financial crisis will play out for New Zealand farmers. The first is that commodity prices across the board will (further) fall. That’s the bad news scenario. The second, more positive, scenario is that we will be relatively insulated from the fallout as food is a much less volatile commodity than, say, oil. Add to that this is a crisis of the western world. Asia, and China in particular, is still going gang-busters by comparison. Our future fortunes lie east not west.

# Big Political Story of the Week: The power and the pointlessness of social media.

Twitter-fuelled rampaging youths in the streets of London, Manchester and Birmingham have only strengthened my resolve to ignore, nay dislike, the social media. I reluctantly admit it’s the way of the future but I’m glad I’m a dinosaur from the past.

# Big Sporting Story of the Week: Dan the Man and Steve the Bag Man.

Dan Carter must look back on the second test against the Lions in 2005 with some regret. He performed to such heavenly heights on that occasion, he’s subsequently lived in the shadow of his own brilliance, forever being compared to the near-perfect standard he set himself. If his performance against the Aussies at Eden Park wasn’t perfect, it was damn close to it. His timing could not be better, less than a month out from the World Cup.

While Carter lets his magical left boot do his talking, Kiwi caddy Steve Williams put his right foot right in his mouth! Tiger Woods’ former bag man took great pleasure in bagging his former boss but in the process had the verbal equivalent of an air shot - a swing and a miss. Some sports books (see below) are garbage. When Williams writes his, it should be a cracker!

# Brickbat: Sean Fitzpatrick.

I don’t, for a moment, wish to detract from the on-field record of this country’s greatest ever rugby union hooker. While I would not quite rate him in the captaincy stakes alongside such luminaries as Sir Wilson Whineray or Sir Brian Lochore or the soon-to-be knighted Sir Richard McCaw, there can be no denying his deeds once he stepped across the white line.

My gripe with Fitzpatrick is off the paddock. With the exception of former coach John Mitchell, has there ever been a more clichéd campaigner than Fitzy? His oft-uttered “full credit” in his after-match captain’s comments was bad enough but it pales in comparison to some of the clichéd claptrap in his latest book, Winning Matters. If you don’t believe me, try getting your head around “Getting what you want starts with knowing what you want …it is only by being absolutely clear on what is important to you and what you want that you are able to move towards it”. Or my particular favourite, “Structure and planning need to sit alongside insight and spontaneity, not on top of them”.

I much prefer the earthy logic of Sir Coiln Meads. “Those South Africans were dirty barrrstards”.

# Bouquet: The Farmy Army (again).

While more than a few have packed up and given up on the earthquake-ravaged Garden City, that could not be said of the Farmy Army’s latest efforts in Christchurch. Last Friday’s effort in providing 600 ‘Sunday Roast Packs’ to the eastern suburbs’ most needy families is yet another sterling example of the country quite literally going to town to help out. Each pack contained frozen meat donated by the Alliance Group, alongside vegetables given freely by Mid Canterbury farmers.
At a time when many townies are putting the boot into farmers and Fonterra over the price of milk, perhaps a momentary reflection on the contribution made by farmers and farmer cooperatives would not go astray.

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