Tail management is crucial in dairy farming to ensure animal welfare and a positive working environment. Tail injuries can cause pain and impact how cows communicate.

Comparative Stocking Rate (CSR) is a tool to measure the balance between feed demand and supply on a farm. It is determined by calculating the amount of livestock weight per hectare versus the annual feed available.

Successful heifer mating is essential for their productive future. Targets include reaching puberty at 12-13 months, conceiving by 13-15 months, and being of adequate weight at calving.

Managing high-quality pasture during feed surplus periods is a crucial skill in pasture management. This page explains that pasture surplus often develops in spring, which if unmanaged, can lead to low-quality pasture affecting milk production.

Soil fertility is vital for optimal plant growth, with 16 essential nutrients needed by pasture plants. Five of these nutrients, N, P, K, S, and Mg, are often added as fertilisers.

Autumn pasture management in dairy farming involves focusing on average pasture cover and cow condition to prepare for spring.

A business plan organises your ideas for your dairy farm, creating a roadmap for success. This page reveals that businesses with a plan perform better, as it aligns everyone, identifies opportunities, and avoids problems.

White clover is crucial for New Zealand dairy pastures, offering nutritional value and fixing nitrogen to boost other grasses' growth. Yet, shade hampers its growth, and overusing N fertiliser can outcompete it.

Farm dairy effluent systems manage waste from your dairy farm. Choosing the right system requires professional advice, considering future plans, and picking the right person for the job.

Heifer rearing is essential for your dairy farm's success. The page discusses three basic methods: rearing stock on your dairy farm, contract grazing, and purchasing grown replacements.

Once-a-day (OAD) milking is a practice adopted by dairy farmers to manage their herds during late lactation, particularly from Christmas onwards.

Growing heifers well, so that they meet their liveweight targets, can improve farm productivity and profitability. Use this tool to set a plan for the first two years of a heifer's life.

Doug and Emma McLeod are 50:50 sharemilkers on flat to rolling land next to the Pomahaka River in South Otago. They supply milk to Danone. Up to 160 kg N/ha has typically been applied to pasture each year and effluent application is via a pod system.

Tauranga farmers Nick and Mary Dowson initially decided to give flexible milking a go from Christmas onwards as a strategy to cope with dry summers.

Taranaki has long been a centre for dairy science with research and demonstration farms in Stratford, Hawera and Waimate West.

DairyNZ recommends these effluent management and design training courses for farm teams and rural professionals.

Improving milking efficiency is one of the great wins for dairy farmers.

Rob and Rachael are farm owners for Brooklea Farm Ltd at Wendonside which was converted to dairy in 2008-09. They supply milk to Fonterra. A 100-ha unirrigated support block was purchased in 2020 allowing more of the wintering to be done in house.

Frustrated that milking wasn’t more enjoyable for his team, Bay of Plenty farmer Gordon McFetridge decided it was high time to seek help from milking expert Josh Wheeler.

Prepare your team for a successful calving season with CalvingSmart. This workshop is designed to build confidence, strengthen skills, and ensure everyone on farm is ready to support cows and calves safely and effectively during calving.