increase font size
Helen Thoday.
DairyNZ says its CalvingSmart workshops attracted 1500 farmers NZ-wide, many with all their staff, over the past two months.
The annual workshops help farmers and staff grasp the right knowledge and skills to give calves the best start.
CalvingSmart is led by DairyNZ’s animal care team headed by Helen Thoday. Local veterinarians are brought in to address subjects such as facial eczema and lameness.
Thoday says there is always new knowledge to gain at the workshops with their relaxed atmosphere and hands-on experience.
“In several places we had to add extra workshops to accommodate everyone.
“The workshops set up farmers and staff for a successful calving season. All get to improve, whether they’re starting out in farming or have 20 years experience.”
Canterbury farmer Rika West went to the Ashburton workshop.
After ten years dairy farming she is now studying for an agribusiness diploma.
She says she liked the interactive learning experience in the workshop.
“The demonstration model showing how the calf needs to move through the cow’s birth canal was far better than seeing it on a slideshow. I wish I’d seen such a presentation when I started out dairy farming.”
Eion Savage, an Irish potato farmer turned contract milker, liked the learning and company of farmers at the Te Awamutu Golf Club workshop.
“It was a fun learning atmosphere with separate sessions at the start for more experienced farmers and another for beginners. And I left having made good connections.”
Savage’s partner Imogen Bryan, a contract milker on another farm, suggested he attend the workshop after having been to one herself a couple of years ago.
DairyNZ’s website has a calving season refresher – dairynz.co.nz/calving -- including the Calf Care Toolkit recently launched to help farmers fine tune their calf care.
The toolkit asks 12 questions and gives instant, tailored feedback on ways to improve, providing web links for more advice and support. Farmers may then discuss the results with their staff, vet or consultant.
Building on the success of last year's events, the opportunity to attend People Expos is back for 2025, offering farmers the chance to be inspired and gain more tips and insights for their toolkits to support their people on farm.
DairyNZ says potential benefits from gene technology must be carefully weighed against the risks of such technology.
DairyNZ is supporting a proposed new learning model for apprenticeships and traineeships that would see training, education, and pastoral care delivered together to provide the best chance of success.
OPINION: Submissions on the Government's contentious Gene Technology Bill have closed.
For the first time in 17 years, DairyNZ wants farmers to contribute more cash to run the industry-good organisation.
The 2025 South Island Agricultural Field Days (SIAFD) chairman, Rangiora farmer Andrew Stewart, is predicting a successful event on the back of good news coming out of the farming sector and with it a greater level of optimism among farmers.
WorkSafe New Zealand is calling on farmers to consider how vehicles move inside their barns and sheds, following a sentencing for a death at one of South Canterbury’s biggest agribusinesses.
Now is not the time to stop incorporating plantain into dairy pasture systems to reduce nitrogen (N) loss, says Agricom Australasia brand manager Mark Brown.
Building on the success of last year's events, the opportunity to attend People Expos is back for 2025, offering farmers the chance to be inspired and gain more tips and insights for their toolkits to support their people on farm.
Ballance Agri-Nutrients fertiliser SustaiN – which contains a urease inhibitor that reduces the amount of ammonia released to the air – has now been registered by the Ministry of Primary Industries (MPI). It is the first fertiliser in New Zealand to achieve this status.
Precision application of nitrogen can improve yields, but the costs of testing currently outweigh improved returns, according to new research from Plant and Food Research, MPI and Ravensdown.
OPINION: Henry Dimbleby, author of the UK's Food Strategy, recently told the BBC: "Meat production is about 85% of our…
OPINION: For the last few weeks, we've witnessed a parade of complaints about New Zealand's school lunch program: 'It's arriving…
