Sunday, 13 March 2016 10:55

Focus on heifers

Written by 
The field day will focus on helping farmers manage through dry periods with a view to setting up for next season. The field day will focus on helping farmers manage through dry periods with a view to setting up for next season.

A heifer rearing field day in Central Hawke's Bay next week will provide information on ensuring young stock continue to meet target weights through summer and autumn.

The field day on March 15 will be held at Craig and Graham Anderson's farm near Waipukurau. The Andersons run a mixed business with heifers, winter cows, cropping, hogget grazing and some beef across four blocks totalling 1600ha.

DairyNZ consulting officer Scott Cameron says the field day will focus on helping farmers manage through dry periods with a view to setting up for next season.

"Summer can be quite extreme in Central Hawke's Bay. The timing and location of the field day was planned so farmers can see how the Anderson's manage through dry weather," says Cameron.

"Autumn is often the most challenging season to grow heifers due to low pasture growth rates and peak animal demand. To cover all bases we'll look at 'what-if' scenarios and strategies that can be put in place to ensure target weights that are set out in grazing contracts are met.

"The Andersons run 1200 heifers and 820 weaners with no irrigation, so careful planning is needed to reduce the impact of summer dry – that plan will be discussed at the field day."

Cameron says as well as talking through the Anderson's plans, the field day will provide an update on the region's heifer grazing focus farm near Marton, owned by Andy Stewart.

"To date we have run four field days hosted by Andy. These have covered a wide range of topics as we have tracked the animals from weaners in December through to in-calf heifers in May when they leave the farm," he says.

A final focus farm field day will be held at Andy's farm in May.

More like this

DairyNZ project wins national award

A project reducing strains and sprains on farm has won the Innovation category in the New Zealand Workplace Health and Safety Awards 2025.

Featured

Farmstrong marks 10 years of rural support

Nationwide rural wellbeing programme, Farmstrong recently celebrated its tenth birthday at Fieldays with an event attended by ambassador Sam Whitelock, Farmers Mutual Group (FMG), Farmstrong partners, and government Ministers.

National

Machinery & Products

Farming smarter with technology

The National Fieldays is an annual fixture in the farming calendar: it draws in thousands of farmers, contractors, and industry…

» Latest Print Issues Online

Milking It

110,000 visitors!

OPINION: It's official, Fieldays 2025 clocked 110,000 visitors over the four days.

Sticky situation

OPINION: The Federated Farmers rural advocacy hub at Fieldays has been touted as a great success.

» Connect with Dairy News

» eNewsletter

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter