To help you understand and plan for change in your farm system, a list of the key skills that may differ across systems has been developed from the Dairy Industry Standard Roles, with input by farming systems specialists at DairyNZ and farmers from across the country.

• The project

  Farmers from Canterbury, Waikato and Northland joined focus groups to understand their ‘skills for success’ when operating farms ranging from systems 1 to 5. This was followed up with in-depth interviews to examine the skills important in their farm system.

  The experiences of these farmers have been summarised to provide tips about managing skills when changing your farm system.

  The outcome is nine main areas that change as your farm moves between the five farm systems. There are links to each of these areas at the bottom of this page.

If you are thinking about changing your farm system, for example from a system 2 to 4, or from system 5 to 3, click on the links in the graph below to see how our focus groups rated the importance of different skills for each farming system.

Different skills for different systems

Click the links below to see farmer experiences about the key skills in their systems.

• Feed Knowledge

  Knowledge of different feeds, their feed values and properties.

• Managing Pasture

  Managing pasture and seasonal weather events.

• Ordering Supplements

  Ordering supplements at the most effective price.

• Marginal Costs

  Managing the marginal costs of production.

• Managing Supplements

  Manage supplement storage and feeding out.

• Record Keeping

  Record keeping on feed demand, supply, and supplement use.

• Training Staff

  Training staff to have the right skills for your farm system.

• Communication

  Communication (and negotiation) with suppliers and contractors.

• Advisors

  Have support networks, advisers and other farmers, to supply expertise where required.