Displaying items by tag: maize

I recently had the pleasure of attending an AgFirst event in Hamilton where the results of the 2024-25 Waikato-Bay of Plenty Dairy Financial Survey were shared. Based on a 136ha farm milking 379 cows, average farm profit before tax was $405,892, an incredible 286% increase on the 23-24 season.

Over the past few months, I’ve had the privilege of speaking with many farmers at events and one-on-one.

As I write this article, we have just had our first frost in the Waikato, a change in weather signalling that winter is upon us.

This season's dry conditions have made one thing clear: not having enough feed on hand can bring your season to an early close.

OPINION: Few things are more stressful for dairy farmers than running out of feed when cows need it most.

As summer progresses, dairy farmers face two critical challenges: maintaining milk production and keeping weight on cows.

In my last article, I covered factors affecting the marginal returns from growing maize on-farm.

Much has been discussed in recent seasons about the rising costs of production on dairy farms, and rightfully so.

The country may have to import maize grain next season unless the issue of having enough gas to dry the local product is resolved.

In many parts of the country, dairy farmers have enjoyed favourable growing conditions throughout winter and spring, leading to reduced use of stored and imported feed and higher-than-expected production to date.