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.

Successful fodder beet growth depends on meticulous practices from the start. Fodder beet, commonly grazed by non-lactating cows in New Zealand's cooler regions, can be part of a cow's diet for up to six months.

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.

The Plantain Evaluation System reviews how effective different plantain cultivars are at reducing nitrate leaching. This system helps you and regulators trust the performance of those cultivars deemed "effective" at this task.

Plantain in pastures can reduce nitrate leaching by affecting nitrogen in urine and soil retention. The page teaches you the importance of assessing the proportion of plantain in your pasture.

Cereal crops, including barley, oats, ryecorn, and triticale, play varied roles in dairy farming. Barley, sown either in autumn or spring, matures quicker than wheat or triticale and provides winter feed.

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.

Lucerne is a perennial legume with a deep taproot, allowing it to tolerate moisture stress more than most pasture species. In NZ, most cultivars are winter dormant, but some newer ones grow earlier in spring and later in autumn.

The Primary Sector Growth Fund Plantain Potency and Practice programme, led by DairyNZ, is investigating how the grazing herb plantain can help farmers reduce nitrogen (N) losses to freshwater, and lower greenhouse gas emissions.

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Winter preparation for cows is key to their health and productivity. Ensure they're in good condition, as fat acts as insulation. Group dry cows based on their condition and calving date, enabling tailored feeding and protection from dominant cows.

Early preparation of your winter grazing paddocks minimises sediment loss and movement. Use back fences and portable troughs to reduce soil damage by limiting unnecessary cow movement.

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.

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Leaf stage, in ryegrass pasture management, is an indicator for optimal grazing times. Monitoring the leaf stage helps you understand when a paddock is ready for grazing and if your rotation length is suitable for current growth conditions.