Lameness takes toll on cows and farm performance. A lame cow produces less milk, loses condition and takes longer to cycle. The good news? Catching it early and treating it promptly gives her the best shot at a quick, full recovery — and helps keep your herd’s productivity on track.
The inaugural intake of the Holstein Innovation programme has produced its first young sire set to make an impact on the Holstein Friesian breed in New Zealand.
With spring underway, maize growers across New Zealand are preparing for planting.
An early adopter of a 10-in-7 variable milking regime, the Lincoln University Demonstration Dairy Farm (LUDF) is tweaking the system this season in search of further boosting farm performance and profitability.
Foot and Mouth Disease outbreaks could have a detrimental impact on any country's rural sector, as seen in the United Kingdom's 2000 outbreak that saw the compulsory slaughter of over six million animals.
By September, most herds are already calved and are heading towards mating. The window to influence pre-calving minerals has passed, and decisions made in the transition period are only just becoming obvious.
It took a stint at university to remind Otago dairy farmer Megan Morrison that being stuck in a classroom was not for her.
Milton dairy farmer Chris Wills says he began using probiotics in spring 2023 to address somatic cell count (SCC) grades when cows transitioned from their winter barn to lush spring pasture.
The calving season brings with it significant nutritional demands on the herd.
Feeding infected milk is high risk for spreading diseases such as M. bovis.
To ensure optimal growth, health, and wellbeing of calves, feeding strategies should be considered carefully.
Another milestone has been reached in the fight against Mycoplasma bovis with the compensation assistance service being wound up after helping more than 1300 farmers.
The move to bring bovine TB testing in-house at Ospri officially started this month, as a team of 37 skilled and experienced technicians begin work with the disease eradication agency.
Success in calf rearing is often measured by minimising health issues and achieving target weaning weights.
As dairy farmers know all too well, the calving season brings with it significant nutritional demands on the herd.
We've come a long way in dairy farming over the past couple of decades. Genetics are better, sheds are more modern and we have more data at our fingertips than ever before.
At the heart of the SmaXtec system is the ability to monitor animal health, including early disease detection, alongside reproduction issues such as heat identification, optimal insemination windows, calving notifications-on average 15 hours before the eventalongside abortion detection and fertility issues.
Managing director of Woolover Ltd, David Brown, has put a lot of effort into verifying what seems intuitive, that keeping newborn stock's core temperature stable pays dividends by helping them realise their full genetic potential.
Six industry organisations, including DairyNZ and the Dairy Companies Association (DCANZ) have signed an agreement with the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) to prepare the country for a potential foot and mouth outbreak.
It's common to look at reproductive challenges through the lens of the mating season. If cows aren’t cycling, if submission rates are low, or if too many come up empty, most farmers will dig into their mating programme to figure out what went wrong.
As I write this article, we have just had our first frost in the Waikato, a change in weather signalling that winter is upon us.
Leaky teats and poor feeder fit are now a thing of the past for calf rearers - thanks to the Thriver range of calf teats from Skellerup.
ST Genetics breeding consultant Jean Macky believes that it is time for New Zealand farmers to look at Aussie Jerseys.
OPINION: Voting is underway for Fonterra’s divestment proposal, with shareholders deciding whether or not sell its consumer brands business.
OPINION: Politicians and Wellington bureaucrats should take a leaf out of the book of Canterbury District Police Commander Superintendent Tony Hill.
