Herd production performance soars
New data released by LIC and DairyNZ shows New Zealand dairy farmers have achieved the highest six week in-calf rate and lowest notin- calf rate on record.
Cow Central's (Hamilton) Waikato Museum is looking to tell a broader story about the white stuff via its Milk Matters exhibition which opened recently.
Aimed at children aged seven-twelve, but equally valid for the ‘mature’, the exhibition is sponsored by Fonterra and DairyNZ; the theme is milk, the technologies that turn it into a vast range of products such as whey proteins and supplements, and spreadable butter, developed by Fonterra in the late 1990s. (Kaipara Co-op Dairy marketed a spreadable butter in the early 1970s. ed.) Developed by the museum science curator Salina Ghazally, the display has taken 15 months to bring to fruition and will run until April 2018.
Beyond the many uses for raw milk the exhibition looks at why dairying is important to New Zealand, why Waikato is the heart of the industry, and explains land use in terms of topography and climate. Looking beyond the practical, the visitor gets a taste of the science, and audio-visual stories of local dairy farming families.
Youngsters are encouraged to crawl inside a mock-up of each of a cow’s four stomachs to see what goes on there, are offered a display about breed types, and may learn that modern dairy cows result from 10,000 years of evolution traceable back to the DNA strings of 80 animals first domesticated in the Middle East.
No modern exhibition in Waikato would be true to form if it didn’t consider issues such as nitrate leaching, soil erosion and global warming caused by cows’ creation of methane. Possible solutions are discussed simply, allowing audiences to easily understand.
Well worth a look if you’re in town.
Animal rights organization, SAFE says the government needs to maintain the ban on live exports.
New findings from not-for-profit food supply and distribution organization, the New Zealand Food Network (NZFN) have revealed a 42% increase in demand for food support in 2023 compared to 2022.
New data released by LIC and DairyNZ shows New Zealand dairy farmers have achieved the highest six week in-calf rate and lowest notin- calf rate on record.
Christchurch City Council and the Canterbury Agricultural and Pastoral Association (CAPA) have signed an agreement which will open more of Canterbury Agricultural Park for public use while helping to provide long-term certainty for the A&P Show.
This year’s Fieldays will feature a Rural Advocacy Hub - bringing together various rural organisations who are advocating for farmers and championing their interests as one team, under one roof, for the first time.
ASB head of rural banking Aidan Gent is encouraging farmers to speak to their banks when they are struggling.
OPINION: Talking about plant-based food: “Chicken-free chicken” start-up Sunfed has had its valuation slashed to zero by major investor Blackbird…
OPINION: Synlait's financial woes won’t be going away anytime soon.