Farm systems team manager

Technical Team Leader

Fodder beet is a crop with high yield potential, offering many benefits for dairy farming, including adding body condition to cows and having less environmental impact than other feeds. It must be managed correctly to ensure the health of your cows.

Turnips are a brassica root crop used in dairy farming to bridge summer feed gaps and boost milk production. They can be planted from spring to winter, depending on the variety.

Swedes serve as winter feed for livestock. They thrive best in cooler, moist conditions and dislike waterlogged areas and dry spells. For best growth, avoid soils that are either too light and drain quickly or too dense and retain too much water.

Fodder beet is a feed option for cows that requires careful planning to avoid health issues such as acidosis. Before feeding it, you should measure your crop yield and test the leaf and bulb to determine its nutritional content.

Chicory is a leafy herb that provides high feed value, especially during its active growth months from spring to autumn. Popular in the Upper North Island during summer, chicory thrives due to its deep tap roots, which aid growth during dry spells.

Spring management focuses on the critical period from calving through to your balance date when feed supply meets demand.

Farm Manager

Farm Manager

Senior Economist

More farmers are using wearables for heat detection and to ease pressure on skilled people at mating time. But do they lift repro results? Hear what the research says in this episode with DairyNZ’s Paul Edwards and CowSmart vet Line Ferriman.

The transition period in a cow's life requires precise feed management to ensure health and optimal milk production. It’s important to set BCS targets, monitor those targets and adjust your feed budget as required, especially pre- and post-calving.

Farm systems specialist

Senior partnership lead