Freshwater Farm Plans are a new tool for freshwater regulation. These require a farm plan tailored to mitigate risks to land and water on farm. Many farmers already have a farm environment plan or are part of an industry programme.

Having more productive dairy workplaces can save hours, shorten the working day, and create more attractive workplaces. In this episode, we share the findings of two recent studies on workplace productivity and farm tech adoption.

Odour from farm dairy effluent is increasingly an issue as herd sizes grow and urban boundaries get closer to operating farms. If the regional council receives a complaint about an odour, they will come out to the farm and assess the situation.

Using plantain has resulted in a 5% reduction in N-loss for the Passey’s so far, as modelled in Overseer and based on an average of 10% plantain in the pasture sward.

Farming in the Lake Rotorua catchment means meeting challenging N-loss targets. Knowing they had to do their bit for the environment, Steve and Paula Holdem began looking at tools to reduce their N-loss from their farm.

This tool estimates the latest date to dry cows off to ensure they meet BCS targets at calving.

What’s the best way to manage internal parasites in young dairy stock? Find out how worms limit production in calves, when to start drenching, how to choose the right drench, and why we need to focus on management factors other than drench.

Many farmers are looking for ways to get better value from their pasture, get through NIWA’s predicted El Niño summer, and control on-farm costs. Could deferred grazing provide a solution for some farmers?

Canterbury sharemilker Glenn Jones joins us to talk about the options he’s used to reduce nitrogen losses on-farm.

The BCS competency assessment determines your ability to accurately and consistently body condition score.Assessment is required for those who have not passed an assessment before or for those whose certification lapsed more than 2 years ago.

BCS training is open to all but is recommended prior to assessment. It will guide you through theory and practical hands-on learning.

To maintain Certified Body Condition Score Assessor status you need to attend a calibration event annually after passing the BCS assessment.

This study looked at the time requirements of dairy farm activities and priorities to better understand how systems, technology and management influence how productive our farm teams are.

DairyNZ is working with farmers to understand milking practices and technology use with a five-yearly survey showing which technologies are being adopted by farmers.

The Biosecurity Response Levy rate is set each year and is administered by milk supply companies. On a milk docket, it shows as ‘Biosecurity Response Levy’.

Chief Executive

Deferred grazing is an alternative pasture management tool used to manage pasture quality, defer spring feed to early summer and increase the number of plants in the paddock through natural re-seeding.

To coincide with Mental Health Awareness Week, we’re sharing the powerful story of Emma Walton, a young Waikato contract milker. Emma not only loves dairy farming, but says it saved her life.