Composting is an effective way to dispose of dead stock while creating a useful product and minimising the potential for groundwater contamination. If managed well, composting can be low cost and relatively odour free.

Ryegrass selection for a dairy farm system involves key decisions: choosing the right ryegrass variety (from annual to perennial), picking an endophyte for insect control, and selecting ploidy (diploid or tetraploid) and a heading date.

Switching to full-season once-a-day (OAD) milking is a practice considered by many dairy farmers, especially in New Zealand.

Grass silage is pickled pasture, preserved through the conversion of its sugars into lactic acid by bacteria. This process extends the shelf life of the pasture beyond what it would have if exposed to open air.

Irrigation systems require suitable application depth, rate, and return periods to meet soil, plant, and climate needs. This page encourages evaluating your system against its design specifications to find potential improvements.

Clusters in dairy milking are a set of components that include a claw and four fully assembled cups. Selecting the right clusters and setting them up correctly will increase milking efficiency and improve animal health.

Succession planning is the process of transferring farm assets, knowledge, and skills to the next generation.

Black field cricket is a major pasture pest in regions such as Northland and Auckland, predominantly affecting clay soils that crack in dry summers. These crickets feed on pasture grasses at night and hide in soil cracks during the day.

Establishing a successful sharemilking or contract milking relationship requires thorough due diligence. Understand your own situation, including goals, values, financial standing, and farming practices.

Renewing pasture is crucial for maintaining healthy dairy farms, and there are four primary methods to consider: cultivation, spray-drilling, undersowing, and oversowing.

Keeping your milking system clean and safe is an essential part of maintaining your farm successfully. The cleanliness of the milking system and the dairy is critical, so understanding your systems and the processes to cleaning is very important.

Building a robust track for dairy farming requires a comprehensive understanding of construction principles and potential problems. This page guides you through the basic steps for constructing a sturdy and efficient track for cow traffic.

Calculating Metabolisable Energy (ME) needs is important for dairy cows. You adjust for feed quality by adding or subtracting 4% per MJ ME/kg DM from the standard 11.0 MJ ME/kg DM.

The page focuses on the importance of well-designed and maintained intersections between the yard and track on a dairy farm.

Copper deficiency in cattle, common during winter/early spring or in fast-growing calves over six months, can lead to issues like weight loss, reduced milk yields, reproductive problems, and anaemia in cows.

Carbohydrates, forming about 75% of plant dry matter, provide the major energy source for dairy cows and aid in milk glucose and fat production.

Pregnancy testing is key in managing your dairy herd. It tells you which cows are pregnant and their conception time, which helps you to plan effectively.

Salmonellosis is the most common disease associated with acute diarrhoea in adult dairy cows. Salmonella bacteria from cattle can also be transferred to humans, causing significant illness.

Magnesium supplements can help prevent metabolic issues in your cows, such as milk fever and grass staggers. Start giving these supplements two to three weeks before calving and continue until spring pasture growth slows.

Effluent storage on your farm is crucial and requires careful planning and design. With a well-designed storage system, you'll experience peace of mind, improved irrigation, efficient use of nutrients and water, and enhanced environmental protection.