Body Condition Scoring (BCS) is a method to monitor dairy cow health and productivity. This page provides a guide on how to carry out BCS, highlighting specific body parts to check, including the backbone, ribs, hip bones, and more.

Environmental mastitis is caused by bacteria such as Strep. uberis and coliforms that survive in the cow’s environment.

Planning a proper dry-off on your farm can have significant impacts for the coming season, including how and when to start drying off cows. The page outlines essential steps for a smooth dry-off process.

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.

Lameness treatment in cows is crucial for quick recovery. This page details how to effectively treat various hoof conditions, such as white line disease, sole bruising, hoof wall cracks, and digital dermatitis.

Understanding the maximum milking time (MaxT) is key to making your milking system as efficient as possible. MaxT is a strategy to milk cows for a predetermined time based on milk volume.

The design of the milking bail, pipework, and pit in dairy farming is crucial for the safety and comfort of both cows and workers. This page outlines ways to ensure optimal cow flow and worker efficiency in the milking process.

Automated mastitis detection (AMD) systems are technology tools used on dairy farms to identify signs of mastitis in cows by monitoring milk for specific indicators.

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.

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

Dry cows should be checked weekly for changes in the udder and quarters, especially during the last two weeks of their lactation and in the first two weeks of their dry period.

Theileriosis is a cattle disease spread by ticks, causing anaemia and sometimes death, especially in calves and cows during calving.

Good platform design in dairy farming keeps both cows and people safe, while enhancing cow flow into the dairy.

Dairy exit and entry races refer to the design of the pathways that lead cows in and out of the milking platform. Good exit and entry design can speed up the milking process and reduce cow injuries.

Thousands of New Zealand dairy cattle are wintered and/or grazed off farm. There are many ways graziers can protect the health of the stock they manage.

Tokoroa Pastoral Ltd is 70ha of Taupo deep sand soil type, milking 175 cows (2.6 cows/ha). The farm operates at system 2, with 7% of the annual feed supply brought onto the farm.

The philosophy of this Tatua supply farm business has been to grow wealth through being profitable and sustainable.

Jon and Birgit Pemberton are owner-operators of a 139ha farm in Brydone, milking approximately 400 cows producing 560 kg MS/cow through a 28-aside herringbone dairy with in-shed feeding. They supply milk to Open Country Dairy.

Rachel and Kenneth Shorts' self-contained, very low input, organic, coastal Taranaki farm is embracing regenerative pasture management practices. 

Read more on how DairyNZ is understanding how predicted changes to climate will affect cow health and welfare.