The transition period is the make-or-break window for your entire season. If this period is poorly managed, you don't just see a few downer cows, you see a downward spiral that affects the cow's health, production and reproduction long into the season.
Farmers can now get a more reliable view of pasture covers across their farm, thanks to a combination of three data sources.
Logan Hewlett is milking 500 cows, split into two herds on 405 hectares of land, up on a farm in Mata, fifteen minutes from Whangārei. His neighbour completely changed the way he manages his effluent.
Increased competition for water means the whole community is looking at how irrigators use water.
Analysis of decades of research has revealed the implementation of good farming practices plays a critical role in reducing nutrient losses to improve freshwater outcomes.
Dairy farmers need to be high quality partners to the beef industry, says Prem Maan, the co-founder and executive chairman of the dairy corporate Southern Pastures.
The bumpy road you travel on teachs you a lot, believes Don Watson. And that’s the message he and wife Kirsten, supreme winners of the Auckland Ballance Farm Environment Awards, aim to pass on to their three sons.
There's a common assumption that effective transition cow management is only practical for high-input farms, as controlled rations can make delivery simpler.
The transition period (typically defined as the three weeks prior to and the three weeks immediately after calving) sets the biological and productive trajectory for the entire lactation by determining how well the cow adapts from pregnancy to peak milk production.
A young man just five years out of his Lincoln University degree already has his foot in the door of farm ownership, as equity manager of a large new dairy conversion now taking shape in Mid- Canterbury.
Topping grass with a mulcher is one of the simplest yet most effective ways New Zealand farmers can lift pasture performance, improve soil health, and increase overall productivity.
As spring calving cows head into dry-off, the priority shifts to one thing: setting cows up to calve at the target body condition score (BCS).
Tru-Test collars are "the best investment I've ever made in farming," says South Otago sharemilker Kevin Louw. "I absolutely love them."
New Zealand dairy farmers are making more informed, strategic breeding decisions, and it’s paying off, according to CRV managing director James Smallwood.
A bull on a freight plane sounds like the start of a joke, but for Ian Bryant, it is a fond memory of days gone by.
Keeping cows happy and well fed at home this winter just got easier with the launch of a prolific new annual ryegrass bred to jump out of the ground even faster than its popular predecessor.
Tararua district farmer Jamie Harris milks around 400 cows using a split calving system on his farm, Crossdale Dairies.
Water management is an integral component of sustainable farming practices, according to Watermetrics.
The South Island Dairy Event's BrightSIDE has named Jessica Kilday as the recipient of the BrightSIDE Scholarship, recognising her commitment to furthering her education and future career in the New Zealand dairy industry.
The South Island Dairy Event (SIDE) returns to Lincoln University next month.
The subdivision and sale of the Rangiora's Coldstream Estate in 1921 was advantageous for not one, but four Cantebury families - but one in particular has become synonymous with outstanding Holstein Friesian cattle.
New industry trials confirm what matters most for perennial ryegrass seed this autumn: Cool, dry storage keeps endophyte viability above the 70% commercial threshold, according to pasture specialist Barenbrug.
Pasture specialist Graham Kerr claims that one hybrid ryegrass in New Zealand continues to dominate industry yield trials, as it has done every year since it was launched in 2021.
March often brings a useful mix of opportunity and risk on New Zealand dairy farms.
OPINION: The Irish dairy sector is facing a new dilemma - maintaining year-round fresh milk supplies.
OPINION: Could beef cows play an increasingly important role in improving profitability and resilience on hill country farms?
