Inside Dairy May-July 2026
This edition of Inside Dairy explores how farmers are using data, smart energy choices and proven systems to improve performance and resilience.
Featuring inspirational stories, practical solutions, updates on policy progress, and the latest in dairy research and science. Highlights include how farmers are using smart data to grow their business, advice for powering farms with solar, an environmentally profitable journey, and a unique business model.
Inside Dairy Stories
Just quickly
'Just quickly' snippets from the May-July 2026 edition of Inside Dairy
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Making a real difference on-farm
Meet Mike Borrie, DairyNZ’s new chief farm solutions and engagement officer, whose focus is on delivering value for farmers’ levy investment.
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Boosting the dairy-beef sector
A partnership between DairyNZ, the Government and other sector leaders is engaged in a four-year, $20.9 million programme to expand the dairy-beef sector.
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Backing the next generation
This summer, DairyNZ welcomed a new cohort of interns who joined our science or Māori internship programmes.
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Tracking performance and progress over time
Chris and Carla Staples use DairyBase to track performance, compare results with local benchmarks, and plan their pathway through the dairy system.
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A navigation aid towards equity
DairyBase is helping contract milkers like Keegan and Catherine Rodley strengthen their financial capability, supporting better decisions today and clearer pathways to sharemilking and farm ownership.
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Summer trials: science in action on-farm
Over summer, DairyNZ ran a range of on-farm trials exploring everything from cow behaviour to farm system performance. Lead scientists share a snapshot of what happened in the field, with photos capturing the work in action and showing how levy-funded research delivers practical value for farmers.
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Breeding efficiency into every generation
OneBW aims to bring genomic and non-genomic evaluations together into a single BW index, making it easier for farmers to compare bulls across providers.
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Practical guidance for solar on farms
Solar and battery systems are helping dairy farms save on energy, reduce emissions, and keep operations running smoothly.
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Dairy holds strong but the race is on for productivity growth
New Zealand dairy is world-renowned, but our productivity growth has flattened in recent years relative to our international counterparts. The longer that gap persists, the more our hard-won cost advantage may get compromised.
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Local government reform and what it could mean for farmers
Local government reform will influence how decisions about rating, land use, infrastructure and environmental management are made.
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Three decades of nurturing the land
Long before habitat restoration became a buzzword in the dairy sector, Wynn and Tracy Brown set about restoring the environment on their Matamata farm.
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Te Ao Māori values a lesson from insightful survey
A research partnership shines a light on deep-rooted practices that inform the way Māori farmers nurture the land and the relationships linked to it.
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Laying the right foundation
Getting calves off to the best start – with good colostrum and feeding more milk, more frequently – sets them up for growth, resilience and future productivity.
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