Livestock monocultures and inappropriate drenching practices are helping raise internal parasite resistance to triple combination drenches, says AgResearch.
New Zealand's 4.8 million milking cows excrete 1000 tonnes of nitrogen a day in their urine, and 200 tonnes of this end up in groundwater, says CRV Ambreed.
With dry off date just around the corner for the vast majority of spring calving herds, it is easy to assume the next few months leading up to spring presents an opportunity to relax and take a breather.
Good Autumn growth sets the scene for maximum growth rates in beef cattle post-weaning, but beware worms in pasture, warns Paul McKee, an animal health technical manager at Ravensdown.
A calm temperament in ewes improves ovulation rate and successful pregnancies, according to a study published by The University of Western Australia (UWA).
Last month I wrote about the likely impact of this growing season on maize silage quality, i.e. that relatively short plants will produce big cobs and therefore produce more starch. It appears this is exactly what has happened on many farms.
Researchers at Livestock Improvement Corp (LIC) are working with the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) to piece together a genetic jigsaw of 15 million pieces.
Farm veterinarians are struggling with the emerging animal health effects of long-term fodder beet use on dairy farms, says DairyNZ senior scientist Dawn Dalley.
Thirty years ago who would have predicted that one of the many spin-offs of ‘Globalisation’ was the evolution of the kiwi palate?
After 16 years experience of feeding fodder beet to his dairy cows, Brendon Woods says he would hate to be without it.
Liver fluke can cause major losses in production, often with few direct clinical signs evident, meaning that farmers don’t recognise the impact on their properties – particularly in bad fluke years.
The VetSouth veterinary practice at Winton, Southland is still coming across clients unaware of the cattle disease Mycoplasma bovis, says director and vet Mark Bryan.
Dealing with the adverse effects of selenium deficiency is a reality for many dairy farmers, with some completely unaware of its effects, says Trina Parker, country manager for BEC Feed Solutions.
High empty rates had been a thorny issue on the Mahuta Ridge dairy farm, Hauraki Plains.
A Massey University professor of animal welfare has been advising China’s animal production officials on raising their industry’s welfare standards.
New Zealand's reputation as a world leader in animal welfare has led to Massey University professor Craig Johnson being invited to join a group reviewing world standards on the subject.
It is time to move away from whole-herd antibiotics to protect stock against mastitis at drying-off, says DairyNZ senior scientist Jane Lacy-Hulbert.
Over the past 5 years following the banning of inductions, farmers have reacted by shortening mating periods to prevent a prolonged calving season.
A low-cost device designed to detect when cows are ovulating and ready to be inseminated has earned two Kiwi entrepreneurs a place among the finalists in the 2018 New Zealander of the Year awards.
New Zealand is internationally recognised for its well-founded and stringent animal welfare regulations. Yet, as reporter Peter Burke notes, cases of mistreatment of animals keep coming before the courts.
AgResearch says it has developed world-leading sensors to better understand how nitrogen is being excreted by cows, and so how best to tackle its effects on the environment.
Dairy farmers and workers must take extra precautions because a newly discovered strain of leptospirosis is not covered by a vaccine.
In general, all mammals use their own body reserves (fat and protein from body tissues) in early lactation, to meet the demands of milk production.
Farmers in and around the Taihape /Hunterville regions of the North Island are being warned to watch for signs of facial eczema (FE).
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