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Calves must get lots of colostrum.
Newborn calves are vulnerable to cold and disease, so careful handling, feeding and hygiene are important to get them safely through their first 24 hours, DairyNZ points out.
When bringing calves from the paddock to the shed, make sure the trailer is clean and disinfected.
Handle calves gently – they are babies! Do not overload the transport – all calves must be able to lie down. Treat the navel with iodine again when you get to the shed.
Colostrum is the first milk a cow produces after calving. Collect colostrum and feed it to every calf in the first six hours of life.
Colostrum is very high in antibodies that protect the calf against disease. Calves easily absorb the antibodies in the first few hours, but after 24 hours they absorb very little. Calves that don’t get enough colostrum in the first 24 hours are more likely to get scours or pneumonia and are twice as likely to die in the first two months.
Around half of calves left with their dam for 24 hours do not get enough colostrum. DairyNZ says don’t starve them – tube feed them.
“Don’t be tempted to starve newborn calves overnight so that they get hungry and will drink. By the morning, their ability to absorb antibodies will have almost gone. If they won’t drink, tube feed them.”
One person intimately involved in the new legislation to replace the Resource Management Act (RMA) is the outgoing chief executive of the Ministry for the Environment, James Palmer, who's also worked in local government.
DairyNZ’s latest Econ Tracker update shows most farms will still finish the season in a positive position, although the gap has narrowed compared with early season expectations.
According to the New Zealand Dairy Statistics 2024/25 report, New Zealand dairy farmers are achieving more with fewer cows.
Milksolids levies paid by dairy farmers over the past six years have generated nearly $3 billion in value, according to an independent review.
DairyNZ chair Tracy Brown is urging dairy farmers to participate in the 2026 Levy vote, to be held early next year.
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