Animal feed can affect animal health, milk quality and food safety, and the source of dairy products can be important to buyers and consumers. That’s why it’s important when buying and selling feed, it can be traced to its origin.

DairyNZ’s subsidiary NZAEL (New Zealand Animal Evaluation Limited) has recently made a new fertility trait update – in this episode we’ll discuss what this change will mean and how it will benefit farmers.

South Island Physical Data Collection

DairyBase Manager

DairyBase Senior Analyst and Project Lead

Research Data Analyst

Disbudding is the process of removing a calf's horns between one to six weeks old. This prevents injuries to both the farm team and other animals.

The Mastitis Focus report helps you manage mastitis in your herd. This two-page report identifies problem areas and risks to udder health, letting you and your veterinary advisers track changes.

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.

Dead stock management is the process of dealing with farm animal fatalities. It is important to appropriately dispose of carcasses to avoid spreading diseases, contaminating water, and harming the dairy industry's public image.

Electronic identification (EID) systems in dairy farming consist of a transponder, reader, and data processing unit that communicate via radio signals.

Integrated cattle handling facilities, including head bales, crushes, and AI races, are essential for safe and efficient animal health tasks for both cows and handlers.

Lipids or fats, found in plant and animal products, are a key energy source in dairy cows' diet. They are typically low, between 2-6% of dry matter in pasture-based diets, as excess can harm rumen function and milk production.

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.

Coccidiosis is a disease mainly affecting young cattle, causing diarrhoea that can lead to dehydration or even death. The disease comes from parasites found in infected feed, water, or from self-grooming.

Exotic animal diseases, pest plants, and insect pests are significant threats to New Zealand's dairy farming. The page details DairyNZ's proactive steps to identify these risks through the Dairy Biosecurity Risk Evaluation framework (D-BRiEF).

DairyNZ's research farms are an important industry resource that provide 'real farm' platforms with associated science resources, enabling pasture and animal trials to be carried out.

Volcanic eruptions pose a risk to dairy farm animals due to toxic ash containing fluorine. Hungry animals grazing short pastures are especially at risk, but rainfall can reduce the danger as fluoride is soluble.