Dairy NZ

The Southern Wintering Systems project is part of the Southern Wintering Initiative, a DairyNZ-led research project looking into how improved decisions around winter management leads to more profitable farms, good outcomes for animals and reduced environmental impacts.

This four year project looks into how farmers are managing these conditions, and tests different approaches to help farmers make the best decisions they can around winter management.

Download the new Southern Wintering Systems fact sheets:

• Stock movement fact sheet
• Sorting pasture damage hot-spots after recent bad weather
• Crop Paddock Selection
• Transitioning cows from crop to pasture

Other information:

• Urgent Weather Conditions Update - July 27, 2011
• Managing crops and pasture following a snow event
• Urgent Weather Conditions Update - July 2011
• Latest information from Southland Civil Defence
• MetService weather warnings and information

Meet your local monitor farmers:

Six monitor farms have been enrolled in the study, covering some of the main wintering systems in Southland. Read more about monitor farmers near you and what their plans are for this month by click on their links below:

Southern Wintering E-newsletters: 

• April 2012
• March 2012
• January 27th 2012
• January 12th 2012
• December 2011
• November 2011
• October 2011
• September 2011
• August 2011
• July 2011
• June 2011
• May 2011
• April 2011
• March 2011

Register now to receive regular e-newsletter updates from the Southern Wintering monitor farms:

Useful Resources:

DairyNZ Fact Sheets:

• Crop Paddock Selection  View PDF (467 kb)
• Southland Stock Movement Fact Sheet View PDF (91kb) 
  Guidelines for Southland farmers moving stock to and from winter grazing
• Transitioning Cows onto Crops Fact Sheet View PDF (108kb)
• Drying-off Cow Management Fact Sheet View PDF (127kb)

Field day notes:

• Wintering Systems Tour - Otago/Southland June 2011 View PDF (4mb)

Crop Yield Information:

• Southland Monitor Farms Crop Yields Autumn 2011 View PDF (90kb)

Body Condition Score Information:

• Southland Monitor Farms Body Condition Score Summary 2010-11  View PDF (83kb)

Forms:

• Staff Skill Assessment Form View Excel Spreadsheet (123kb)

Calculators:

• Winter Crop Allocation Calculator View Excel Spreadsheet (749kb)

DairyNZ Farmfacts:

• DairyNZ Farmfact: Fodder beet - feeding to dairy cows (1-73)
• DairyNZ Farmfact: Kale - growing a high yielding crop (1-74)
• DairyNZ Farmfact: Winter Crops - feeding to dairy cows (1-75)
• DairyNZ Farmfact: Swedes - growing a high yielding crop (1-76)
• DairyNZ Farmfact: Fodder beet - growing a high yielding crop (1-77)