Good nutrition will support smooth calving
As dairy farmers know all too well, the calving season brings with it significant nutritional demands on the herd.
First shown on the Virtual Fieldays 2020 platform, the Tailpainter heat detection tool is now complemented by the Dairy Paint tallpaing range, which made it's debut at the 2021 physical event.
A vibrant, water based and non-toxic paint available in four colours, the paint is formulated for ease of use and with a bright pigment for easy reading of silent heats.
“We are delighted to offer New Zealand farmers a complete heat detection solution,” says co-founder Liam O’Keeffe. “Covid has left farmers with less available labour so an easy-to-use tool that cuts down labour time and maximises herd production is more necessary now than ever".
The Tailpainter also helps farmers by supporting block breeding and increasing herd productivity, by consolidating the calving season into a period of as close as possible to six weeks. This helps maximise the production of milk and calves from their herd, with each cow producing a calf and maximising milking production pretty much on a cycle of exactly every 12 months.
Key to achieving this 12-month cycle is effective heat detection practice, with every cycle missed extending the 365-day target. Closing this gap with effective heat detection, together with the correct timing of AI using top genetics, the elimination of stock bulls and ensuring best practice in nutrition management, represents a significant increased profit opportunity for the New Zealand farmer.
“We are delighted with the feedback from our existing customers who are realising real benefits including ease and speed of tail paint application. The difference is the farmer now spends his time observing cows and not on strenuous tail painting, resulting in improved heat detection and more compact calving,” adds Liam O’Keeffe.
“The real trick here is to ensure that the paint quality is always in good condition before the cow leaves the parlour, topping up the paint regularly. This routine removes any guessing from heat detection; the paint has to be in good condition at all times during the breeding season and therefore also allows for detection for so called non-cyclers.”
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.
Within the next 10 years, New Zealand agriculture will need to manage its largest-ever intergenerational transfer of wealth, conservatively valued at $150 billion in farming assets.
Boutique Waikato cheese producer Meyer Cheese is investing in a new $3.5 million facility, designed to boost capacity and enhance the company's sustainability credentials.
OPINION: The Government's decision to rule out changes to Fringe Benefit Tax (FBT) that would cost every farmer thousands of dollars annually, is sensible.
Compensation assistance for farmers impacted by Mycoplama bovis is being wound up.
Selecting the reverse gear quicker than a lovestruck boyfriend who has met the in-laws for the first time, the Coalition Government has confirmed that the proposal to amend Fringe Benefit Tax (FBT) charged against farm utes has been canned.
OPINION: Years of floods and low food prices have driven a dairy farm in England's northeast to stop milking its…
OPINION: An animal activist organisation is calling for an investigation into the use of dairy cows in sexuallly explicit content…