The first major update to the Dairy Cattle Code of Welfare in more than a decade marks an important step in ensuring animal welfare standards continue to evolve alongside scientific evidence and on-farm realities.

Other AI chat tools can be helpful for quick orientation and clear summaries, but when you need advice tailored to New Zealand farming conditions, access to a trusted, research-led source of information is essential. 

Lifting productivity and reducing the dairy sector's environmental footprint is the focus of a new multi-partner initiative.

Taranaki dairy manager Miriam Lauridsen says learning to question feed costs and pasture decisions through a Dairy Training course has improved both her confidence and on-farm decision-making.

Further research into extended lactation systems and mating strategies aims to give dairy farmers more options to increase the proportion of calves suited to beef production.

DairyNZ modelling shows a Very Strong El Niño could push farm working expenses to $6.78/kgMS and the national breakeven milk price to $9.07/kgMS, as farmers are urged to prepare for tighter margins and potential feed shortages.