NZ sheep, beef farmer confidence drops sharply in latest Rabobank survey

NZ sheep, beef farmer confidence drops sharply in latest Rabobank survey
Edwin Mitson
By Edwin Mitson Dec. 5 (BusinessDesk) - A sharp slump in confidence amongst beef and sheep farmers has tempered dairy farmer optimism in the latest Rabobank confidence survey of New Zealand farmers.  Overall net confidence fell to 25 percent from 35 percent in the previous quarter, although it has now been in positive levels for the past nine months.  The number of farmers expecting the rural economy to improve in the next year fell to 39 percent from 48 percent in the previous quarter, while 42 percent expected similar conditions. ...