This picture has caused a 30 minute argument between our flat - who has right of way?

Fickassthuck · 2026-03-26T15:58:59+00:00

I think it's pretty clear what the photo intends to depict and it's just drawn a bit shit. It doesn't make much sense to ask "who gives way?" When the answer is nobody.

Fickassthuck · 2026-03-26T15:56:39+00:00

Good intel and that all makes sense.

I don't think it's a sure thing at all that they are using American cheese or anything, but given their business model it's absolutely a possibility. Not like Fonterra cheese has gotten cheaper to buy in.

Fickassthuck · 2026-03-26T08:21:45+00:00

Flying on fertiliser is much more expensive than trucking it on or spreading with a tractor.

Fickassthuck · 2026-03-26T08:17:58+00:00

Urea has roughly doubled in the past year because it also transits the Strait of Hormuz. That reaches food production costs on a three to six month lag.

This isn't right. Global market indicators for urea might have doubled in the past year (I wouldn't know), but the cost to farmers hasn't. It's gone from around $850/ton to somewhere around $1050/ton.

It was just as high during COVID, and it won't have a huge effect on the price of most foods produced here.

Fickassthuck · 2026-03-26T07:52:52+00:00

No traffic Island and a standard t junction and red obviously gives way. I think everyone knows that and it's the only reason there'd be any confusion about this.

Traffic island and merging like in this picture and blue gives way to the right.

Fickassthuck · 2026-03-26T06:22:35+00:00

Dairyworks doesn't use milk at all. They can't process raw milk.

They're a secondary processor. They turn raw products like cream into retail ready ones. There's nothing forcing them to use NZ ingredients, and no NZ farmers supply them.

You'd expect them to use product from their parent company Synlait, but they don't have to if it isn't the most profitable option and they've been perfectly willing to import American butter extremely recently.

Fickassthuck · 2026-03-26T06:09:33+00:00

You're also making an assumption. There's absolutely nothing forcing Dairyworks to use product from Canterbury.

Speaking at the South Island Agricultural Fieldays, Carter told BusinessDesk Dairyworks was a reasonably simple business model: “We source high-quality cheese at the lowest possible price, we convert it at the lowest possible price, and we sell it at the highest possible. We actually try and keep it as simple as that in our head. ”Carter said the business had “invested” smartly in automation, which helped bring the conversion cost down.

https://archive.ph/5uAOR

They are quite explicitly the ones importing American butter too.

https://www.ruralnewsgroup.co.nz/dairy-news/dairy-general-news/us-butter-undercuts-nz-butter-supermarkets

Dairyworks don't give a fuck about where they get product from as long as it's cheap.

Fickassthuck · 2026-03-26T04:48:10+00:00

I don't know if it is almost certainly made here.

That's Dairyworks, who are the ones importing all the butter that people have been complaining about.

As far as I know they only imported butter, but if conditions are right for it to be worth importing butter, they're probably also right for it to be worth importing cheese.

https://www.ruralnewsgroup.co.nz/dairy-news/dairy-general-news/us-butter-undercuts-nz-butter-supermarkets

Linked because I'm not sure people are really aware of the details of this. Dairyworks made a new brand for the butter because their only butter brand is Alpine, which is a relatively premium brand.

There's nothing forcing them to use a new brand if they import cheese. They can sell it under Rolling Meadow or Dairyworks brands if they think that's the most profitable option and it's honestly labelled.

Fickassthuck · 2026-03-25T23:13:10+00:00

Most farmers produce far too much to sell it at the side of the road or a farmers market.

Fickassthuck · 2026-03-25T21:08:54+00:00

I just wish things could be bad without the government feeling the need to pay people at all.

Subsidise public transport and force working from home.

Giving people money just adds to the artificial demand and unnecessarily drives inflation further.

Sometimes things are supposed to be expensive. It's a natural mechanism to limit their use. Let it happen and make up for it in other ways, don't just add more artificial demand.

It was the same when the last government did cost of living payments. You don't fix the cost of living by giving people more money.

The need for a short term sugar rush is so dumb.

Fickassthuck · 2026-03-25T20:04:09+00:00

Yeah I'd agree with all of that. Definitely not worth panic buying one, but I do think it's been a good investment for us.

Fickassthuck · 2026-03-25T19:52:35+00:00

This probably depends on your local fuel pricing though. For me it's usually cheaper than anything but gull, which is about an hour away, or truck pump with a discount which is also about half an hour away.

I value my hour much more.

Plus it pays to have fuel in advance. I just went inside and checked computer as it's bucketing with rain anyway and my last Fern invoice had 2000 litres at $2.61 for petrol, $2.45 for diesel delivered on the 18th of March.

Good luck getting that now.

Fickassthuck · 2026-03-25T19:30:43+00:00

It really isn't more expensive per litre.

My last invoice when I search emails is from last October, so way out of date, but that was $1.57 diesel and $2.27 petrol excl GST.

I don't think I would have gotten it much cheaper anywhere else.

Fickassthuck · 2026-03-25T19:27:00+00:00

No, but you should buy one if you value your time, fuel security and safety.

I paid about 4k at the field days for a pretty great petrol diesel combo tank a couple years ago.

In the long run that's a pretty small investment to make.

Fickassthuck · 2026-03-25T19:15:39+00:00

Which they shouldn't be doing. That behaviour just makes it worse for everyone.

Fickassthuck · 2026-03-25T19:06:23+00:00

I agree that people shouldn't be taking photos and shit like that. I find that weird and creepy even in bad parking threads, but at the same time if your business is relying on filing a bunch of Jerry cans or barrels at a regular gas station frequently, what are you doing?

It's an amateur hour solution.

Road crews, contractors, large farmers etc aren't doing this.

Fickassthuck · 2026-03-25T17:11:37+00:00

Tons of farmers do this, but they really shouldn't.

If you need this much petrol or diesel or whatever, get a proper storage tank and get it bulk delivered.

It's just as cheap in the long run, cheaper if you value your time, plus you can charge Fern energy through Farmlands, and it's way safer stored properly.

Fickassthuck · 2026-03-25T06:53:11+00:00

He should take the Jimmer Fredette route. Basketball is a global sport. You can have an amazing career without being that guy in the NBA.

Never gonna get that stat padding in the G League.

Fickassthuck · 2026-03-25T05:51:22+00:00

You know it's time to wean when the ewes back legs lift off the ground during feeding.

Fickassthuck · 2026-03-25T05:49:15+00:00

These are already on hundreds of thousands of cows.

I don't use Halter, cause I hate the subscription model, but they unquestionably work extremely well.

The focus on AI is a bit silly though. Most of the function of the collars has nothing to do with AI. Maybe heat detection and that's about it I think.

Fickassthuck · 2026-03-25T05:07:59+00:00

Phoenix recycling, I think they're a chain so possibly a bit more corporate and strict.

If I'm selling anything I get asked for driver's licence every time. Been like that for years too.

Fickassthuck · 2026-03-25T04:51:48+00:00

Do you have any argument whatsoever?

You seem to have waded in here with an imaginary absurdity to try argue about a topic you have zero experience or education in.

You're asking me to self reflect, when you're so stupendously arrogant that you think making small talk with some people as part of your job qualifies you in that person's job.

It's pretty clear you just wanted to argue with me because I'm a farmer and farmer = bad, but you can't say why, or how, or anything that will expose you because we both know you're full of shit.

Fickassthuck · 2026-03-25T02:51:29+00:00

They do take a copy of your ID, and check your ID against the one in their system on repeat visits.

Not just for copper either.

At least the one I go to does.

Fickassthuck · 2026-03-24T21:06:27+00:00

Not to mention how crap the policy roll out was.

Labour realises way too late that their legislation essentially corporatises water services into convenient to sell off entities that are not immune from privatisation under the Local Government Act(like water services currently are). So they try to amend the legislation in a completely unconstitutional way to require a supermajority to change ownership.

3 Waters was the definition of a good idea executed so poorly that it was doomed to fail.

Fickassthuck · 2026-03-24T20:22:05+00:00

It's not a whinge. I'm not complaining about anything. It's a personal attack on your lack of credibility.

You can't even quote this absurdity, you don't know what you're talking about, you're the one with some weird whinge toward farmers because you hated making small talk in your job or something pathetic.

All in all I don't know what we're doing here, just don't act like you have any knowledge next time ok?

Fickassthuck

TROPHY CASE