Synthetic milk
OPINION: Will synthetic milk derail NZ's economy?
THE STORM that wreaked havoc on the West Coast, and in particular the huge disruption it caused to dairy farmers, has gone largely unreported in mainstream newspapers. No front page pictures of dead cows or devastated hay barns.
FOR MANY farmers, the year immediately following a drought is as tough as the drought itself. If stock have been sold to reduce stocking rates, in the short term the cashflow may look good. But there may be tax implications from the sale of capital livestock and in the following year, rebuilding livestock numbers will reduce available cash.
2014 HAS seen a high-demand start to my professional year with many sizeable assignments starting for new and existing clients. This reflects a combination of a buoyant dairy economy and more willingness by top operators to make themselves accountable to best practice by putting key aspects of their businesses under the spotlight.
MY LAST article talked about ways farmers can decrease the amount of nitrogen leached from their farm systems. Options include reducing stocking rate, manipulating cow diets so less nitrogen is excreted in the urine, growing crops which utilise soil nitrogen and keeping cows off pasture, especially during the wetter winter months.
FARMERS NEED not separate solids from the liquid in farm effluent, says the distributor of German-made Nevada pond stirrers, Mid-West Machinery.
OPINION: Will synthetic milk derail NZ's economy?
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