Resources for Nutrition and Feed Advisors
Tools, insights, and resources to support your conversations.
Welcome, Nutrition and Feed Advisors
A central place for tools and information to support your expertise, and drive dairy farming success - on farm, every day.
Your go-to tools and resources
You're at the heart of the dairy sector, connecting farmers with the knowledge and tools they need to optimise animal nutrition and performance. As a feed advisor, your insights help shape resilient, productive, and sustainable farm systems. To support your work, we offer research, tools, and resources designed to help you assess feed options, plan with confidence, and deliver advice that supports both animal health and farm profitability.
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Feed budget calculators
Use these calculators when supporting farmers to be calculate feed supply and demand across a full season. They are designed to support long-term planning and help ensure feed strategies meet herd requirements year-round.
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FeedChecker calculator
The FeedChecker calculator is a robust way work to ensure feed optimisation and allocation throughout the year.
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Pasture and crop eaten calculator
This 5-step assessment gives you a clear seasonal snapshot—allowing you to identify opportunities to improve feed use, support better planning, and strengthen farm system performance alongside farmers.
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Supplement price calculator
This calculator determines the maximum price worth paying for supplementary feed. It supports strategic decision-making by balancing nutritional value, cost-effectiveness, and farm system goals, so you can advise with precision.
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FeedRight resources and training
A collection of practical evidence-based tools and resources on dairy cow nutrition and feed management in pasture-based systems to support your work with farmers.
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Milk urea
Read more on how milk urea indicates the crude protein in a cow's diet, which is formed from the metabolism of amino acids and body protein.
Make the most of spring-time pastures with these two resources
Advanced spring rotation planner (advanced spreadsheet)
Download the advanced excel sheet to estimate feed supply and demand during and after calving, designed to help you support farmers with accurate planning and nutrition decisions.
Download the SRP spreadsheetSpring rotation planner guide
Plan and communicate feed allocation with confidence during the first spring rotation. This printable guide lets you input key data and display it for farmers to help ensure consistent feeding decisions through calving and early lactation.
Print the SRP guideExplore hidden gems in DairyNZ’s toolkit
These resources are designed to support rural professionals in continuing to deliver high-value advice to farmers.
Use nutrition and feed to hit heifer growth targets
Heifer nutrition directly impacts future herd performance, longevity, and farm profitability. As a feed and nutrition advisor, you play a key role in helping farmers get it right from the start. Use the Heifer Development Plan and Heifer Rearing Tool to guide feeding strategies that support healthy growth, timely weight gains, and successful transition into the milking herd.
Track body condition score to fine-tune your feed strategy
Body condition scoring reflects how well a farm’s nutrition and feed plan is working. These tools help you support you to monitor and manage BCS throughout the season, ensuring feed strategies align with animal needs and farm goals.
Discover what's driving better farm systems: explore the latest research
Stay informed with DairyNZ’s research designed to support rural professionals in delivering high-quality, reliable advice alongside farmers. Discover insights into regenerative agriculture, greenhouse gas emissions in pasture-based systems, and the role of plantain in improving animal health and reducing environmental impact. Dive into results that connect emissions reduction with farm profitability. Access the knowledge you need to build more resilient farming systems. The best advice starts with this great research:
See how leading farmers manage feed across their systems
Want to see how the top operators are managing their farms? This section covers all feed case studies. Understand how different feed approaches impact productivity, profitability, and sustainability.
Support farmers to continue to turn feed into profit with targeted training
This training supports your advice by building farmers’ confidence in feed budgeting, financial planning, and system-wide decision-making—helping them get more value from every kilogram of dry matter.
Podcasts
Tune into breeding-focused discussions
If you're looking for insights and perspectives to support your work with farmers, these podcast episodes are a valuable resource. We've curated a selection we think you'll find both relevant and thought-provoking for your role.
Looking for something else?
Explore the links below to return to the Rural Professional Hub, contact your local area manager, explore current research, or sign up for updates on upcoming events, resources, and insights to support your work with farmers.
