Our stories

At Fonterra we care about the environment and the communities in which we operate. We’re always looking for ways to improve, and one area that’s always a focus for us is water.

Where milk comes from plays a part in what milk is best for you. Evidence continues to mount in favour of dairy products being an exceptional source of valuable nutrients.

Fonterra farmer-owners Tony and Fran Allcock have set up New Zealand’s very first “mootel”, saying it not only helps the environment, but it’s also kept their cows happy and business healthy.

Fonterra and Nestlé are teaming up with DairyNZ to expand a promising plantain trial to help improve waterways and reduce on-farm greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

When farmers have a beautiful property they’re proud of, sometimes they just want to share it with the world, and what better way to do that than playing host to one of the biggest women-only multi-sport events in the world.

In the seven years that Fonterra and the Department of Conservation (DOC) have been working together through Living Water, important advancements have been made to help regenerate New Zealand’s precious natural resources.

COVID’s presented many challenges for businesses, and one of them is the inability to travel. So, when Fonterra’s research and development partner BY-HEALTH wanted to give its customers a glimpse of farming, New Zealand-style, they used live video technology to bridge the gap, taking the farm to the customers.

A truck pulls up to the cow shed, a pretty normal scene on a rural New Zealand dairy farm, but it’s not a tanker here to pick up the milk – it’s a delivery truck full of magazines.

They’re hot off the press and intended to help take the heat out of climate change.

When COVID-19 ground his eight-year career as a pilot for Air New Zealand to a sudden halt, Henry Lambert decided to turn it into an opportunity for a complete change - to farming.

Hawke’s Bay farmers Nick and Nicky Dawson have led a clean sweep for Fonterra suppliers at the 2020 New Zealand Dairy Industry Awards.

‘Meat The Need’ was founded by South Island farmers Wayne Langford and Siobhan O'Malley.

The Southland floods left farmers with a big clean up – it’s taken a group effort to support them.

Christmas Day 2019 won’t be one that the family of dairy farming stalwart Tony Wilding will forget in a hurry.

Trish Rankin, the 2019 Fonterra Dairy Woman of the Year, attended last month’s Harvard Business School’s Agribusiness Seminar in Boston.

Every year, our 68 Farm Source stores deliver everyday farming supplies, important services and advice, and a return to the Co-op’s bottom line.

Because what gets measured, gets managed

To solve some of dairy farming’s biggest sustainability challenges.

Every summer, Fonterra takes on two Agribusiness Interns to give them a feel for the business and what it’s like to be on the ground supporting our farmers.

On November 11th, 16 Fonterra farms all across New Zealand had more than 8,400 visitors who wanted to learn about how farmers work and how they care for their animals.

Utilising the genes of animals that produce less nitrogen could provide farmers with a breakthrough in managing on-farm greenhouse gas emissions. Two research projects are currently looking to see if there’s a link between the nitrogen content of milk and animal emissions and whether it’s possible to identify and then replicate genes in animals that might control how much nitrogen an animal gives off.

This month, Fonterra marks the one-year anniversary of TIAKI – our sustainable dairying programme that helps farmers make their operations more environmentally compliant. In doing so we will also celebrate more than 1,000 Fonterra farmers who now have a tailored improvement plan to help address environmental risks on-farm. Achieving this wasn’t easy and while a significant amount of progress was made pre-Tiaki it often felt like we were trying push a rock uphill. We knew there had to be a better way.

When 88-year-old Raglan farmer Jim Bardsley first started supplying Fonterra, he remembers separating his own milk.

It was a special night for Fonterra farmers at the Ahuwhenua Trophy awards evening in Christchurch on May 25. Governor General, Dame Patsy Reddy announced Bay of Plenty shareholders, the Onuku Māori Lands Trust as the winner of the Ahuwhenua Trophy Māori Excellence in Farming Award.

Fonterra farmers have a long history of success in the New Zealand Dairy Industry Awards and that tradition continued at the 2018 national finals on May 12. Check out the 2018 Award Winners.

New data indicates that the on-going work by farmers to protect our waterways is beginning to show. Over 98% of all significant waterways have been fenced and 95% of our farmers completed nitrogen management reports. Read more details and watch a TV1 news story with Our Stories.

Fonterra suppliers have taken home 29 of 33 regional titles at the New Zealand Dairy Industry Awards. Winners include Share Farmer of the Year, Dairy Manager of the Year, and Dairy Trainee of the Year.

Loshni Manikam is the 2018 Fonterra Dairy Woman of the Year! In addition to milking 600 dairy cows with her husband, Manikam is the leader of Iceberg Coaching and a strategic consultant for Farmstrong.

Rachel Baker, Tracey Collis and Loshni Manikam have been announced as finalists for the 2018 Dairy Woman of the Year Award. Fonterra created the award in 2012 to recognise the cruical work of women in the dairy industry.

Hayden Fowles is a dairy farmer that uses drone technology to watch over his cows and keep them safe. Learn more about the benefits of drone technology and watch a video taken from Hayden's drone.

The Tiaki Sustainable Dairying Programme helps farmers stay ahead of expectations and requirements while increasing standards for customer and the dairy market. Read more about Tiaki on our website.

Daniel and Kirstin Wilks are full time dairy farmers for Fonterra, but in their free time, they teach and practice ballroom and Latin dancing. Read more about the couple's story on our website.

How a pioneering farmer in Southland turned his idea of generating electricity from effluent into reality.

Teaching the next generation about their natural environment is a big part of the philosophy of Kids Barn Childcare Centre in the Taranaki town of Hawera.

Farming runs in the Sulzberger family, and almost nine decades after they began farming, they still own the same farm in Urenui, Taranaki.

When the Hamills were looking into upgrading their cow shed, they shopped around. Have a look at the technology helping them to care for their cows better.

An act of generosity from a Fonterra farmer will mean more young people from our largest city can gain a greater understanding of what farming is all about.

Nominations have opened for the 2018 Fonterra Dairy Woman of the Year award.

Learn more about the ways that Fonterra farms are using their skills and knowledge to lead at the forefront of sustainable farming techniques and innovative farming technology.

Fonterra Shareholders’ Councillor Jessie Chan-Dorman has been announced as the winner of the 2017 Dairy Woman of the Year award.

The My Co-op app is quickly becoming the most popular source for farmers wanting the latest news and information about our Co-operative. More than 1250 news items have been posted on the app since it was launched.

Nearly two weeks after the Rangitaiki River breached its banks, flooding the Bay of Plenty town of Edgecumbe, Fonterra’s Farm Source regional sales manager Nigel O’Flaherty and the store manager Mark Lawrence were allowed in to see how the Farm Source Store had fared.

Jimmy Gerritsen recently invested in solar power to make his business friendlier to the environment. Find out how you could do the same.

Two Fonterra farmers have made the Grand Final of the 2017 FMG Young Farmer of the Year competition.

Ohangai sheep, beef and dairy farmers Peter and Nicola Carver have won the Taranaki Ballance Farm Environment Awards.

Community leadership, a willingness to share knowledge and a passion for rural life are all qualities shared by the three Fonterra farmers who are finalists for the 2017 Dairy Community Leadership Award

The chance to show kids where milk really comes from brings a big smile to the faces of Fonterra farmers Bryce and Amanda Savage.

Do you think, in 100 years, will you still be able to do what you're doing? You get a question like that, and it makes you sit up and take notice.

Lisa and Paul Charmley won the LIC Dairy Farm Award and the Massey University Award for Innovation in 2017. Paul is a fourth generation farmer, and the couple has transitioned from more traditional methods to a high-tech business. Learn about how they maintain an efficient, tech-savvy farm on our website.

New technology solutions to on-farm problems such as water monitoring and grass measuring, may be just around the corner following last week’s successful hackathon in the Manawatu.