Mineral tonic supplement for calves
Hawke's Bay animal health supplier Animal Health Direct is further promoting its mineral tonic for calves launched in 2017.
New Zealand's dairy industry must catch up with world-best standards in respect of the environment and animal welfare, says Animal Health Direct founder Richard Kettle
He believes public perception and the new generation of farmers emerging are driving necessary changes.
“Urban people want to see green fields, healthy looking cows with free access to shelter and fresh clean water,” he says.
“If this perfect picture cannot be seen, dairying runs the risk of an end-user backlash. We will see reduced dairy consumption locally and by our trading partners.”
Consumers increasingly want to be at the farmgate and feel a connection with their food.
He says the sometimes unrealistic picture they have in their minds is what they want to see, and every effort must be made to present this scene they are after.
Animal Health Direct recently released a range of Belgian bolus products new to New Zealand via veterinary clinics.
The first – CalciTop – is a fast-release bolus containing Diacalcium phosphate as an inorganic salt for slower release of calcium, and calcium formiate as an organic salt for fast release of calcium 4.5 g phosphorus; 1.5 g magnesium and 200.000 IU per kg Vitamin D3 for milk fever prevention.
The Government's revised 2050 biogenic methane target range of 14-24% by 2050 is being welcomed by dairy farmers.
An increasing number of students are doing agricultural and horticultural degrees at Massey University by distance learning.
ANZ New Zealand is encouraging farmers and businesses impacted by the recent extreme weather that hit Southland and South Otago last week to seek support if they need it.
When Professor Pierre Venter takes up his new role as vice chancellor at Massey University next February it will just be a matter of taking a few steps across the road to get to his new office at the Palmerston North Campus.
Two rural data organisations - DairyNZ’s DairyBase and Farm Focus - have formed a new partnership that aims to remove data duplication and help provide more timely, useful benchmarking insights for farmers.
BNZ says it is backing aspiring dairy farmers through an innovative new initiative that helps make the first step to farm ownership or sharemilking a little easier.

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