Genetics, Efficiency and Performance: How the Burgesses are raising the bar at Te Poi
Bill and Michelle Burgess had an eye-opening realisation when they produced the same with fewer cows.
We are leading the world when it comes to responsible dairy production. New Zealand dairy farmers are achieving more with fewer cows, shown through record milk production per cow and continued genetic progress.
It's been hard graft to get to this point, but collaboration has been crucial to our success.
For more than a century, dairy farmers to support a thriving dairy sector that is intergenerational, where our care for land, people, animals and community is world class.
Through the Milksolids Levy, our farmers have shared knowledge, the cost of future-focused research, and its on-farm benefits, and established the clear, united voice of dairy that has generated more government support and practical policy.
This year New Zealand dairy farmers have the opportunity to vote on the future of the Milksolids Levy. Any business that produces milksolids from bovine animals for supply to a dairy processor is eligible to vote, including dairy farm owners, sharemilkers, and dairy farm leaseholders, and we encourage them all to have their say.
The Milksolids Levy is the primary source of funding for DairyNZ's work. As the industry organisation representing all New Zealand dairy farmers, we invest in practical on-farm tools, research, farmer support, extension, and advocacy to help farmers respond to change and seize opportunities.
Read More:
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- Dairy farmers urged to participate in 2026 Levy vote
- A jewel in dairy's crown
We're focused on ensuring the Milksolids Levy is our farmers' best investment. An independent report in late 2025 found DairyNZ's levy-funded activities created a seven-fold retun on investment for farmers in terms of value with benefits coming from productivity gains and costs avoided.
But there's more work to be done.
We are working in a dynamic space and there are a lot of opportunities, particularly in maximising pasture and grass-fed advantage, innovation and technology adoption, genetic gain, environmental solutions, workplace development, and sector-wide collaboration. The Milksolids Levy helps New Zealand farmers be competitive in this space.
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The milksolids levy is the primary source of funding for DairyNZ's work. |
Your Milksolids Levy is an investment in shared knowledge between farmers and industry experts - turning real-life experience and science-based advice into everyday improvements, so good ideas spread fast and pay off for us all.
New challenges will need fresh ideas, better tools and the same spirit of working together that's always set our sector apart. When we share what works, and when we back each other, we all move forward.
Your levy is a collective investment that has supported you on farm and in your community. It's what keeps us all moving forward. So, let's keep ahead and lock in as the world's most productive dairy farmers, embracing responsible dairy as our competitive advantage, and future-proofing the way we farm.
Let's vote - together.
Tracy Brown is chair of DairyNZ
