El Niño could push farm costs to $6.78/kgMS, cut milk production

Jamie GrayBusiness Reporter·NZ Herald·15 Sep, 2026 11:00 PM4 mins to read‌The El Niño weather pattern could hit farm expenses and dairy production hard. Photo / Deposit PhotosThe El Niño weather pattern could hit farm expenses and dairy production hard. Photo / Deposit PhotosDairyNZ says a strong El Niño weather pattern could push farm working expenses and break-even prices sharply higher.The industry group’s modelling showed a very strong El Niño could push farm working expenses to $6.78 per kilogram of milksolids (kgMS) and the national break-even milk price to $9.07/kgMS. Against that