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No calf rearer wants to deal with a disease outbreak and see their calves fall behind through illness when they should be thriving. How do you balance regular disinfecting with reducing cost? Words Sarah Perriam-Lampp.

Tapping into the potential workforce in your local community could be a game changer for dairy farmers this spring and a new online platform has made it easier to connect with people. Words Sheryl Haitana.

Data is only as valuable as one’s ability, or willingness, to use it. Farmers investing in technology for their farm dairy require functionality and data that adds to their onfarm business decisions. Words Sheryl Haitana.

While it’s already getting busy onfarm, taking a bit of time now to think about the wider feed strategy and paddock selection can pay dividends later. Words Anne Lee.

Maize silage is the perfect partner to pasture on dairy farms, supporting maximum pasture growth and quality, whilst also providing economic, animal health, and environmental benefits that work in harmony with pastoral farming. Words Sheryl Haitana.

The Dairy Exporter’s Sheryl Haitana and Anne Lee attended the 25th South Island Dairy Expo (SIDE) this week, to catch up on the latest dairy innovations. They chatted to the keynote speakers about resilience and wellbeing, rural bank lending, and the impact new proteins will have on dairy products, and how they can coexist alongside each other.

The Low N farmlet trial carried out at Lincoln University is looking at all the tools in the box when it comes to lowering nitrogen loss and is also looking at a milk-based indicator tool for farmers to track and manage their herd’s dietary N surplus during the season.
Words Racheal Bryant

With extreme weather events becoming more common, hot days in the sun are bad enough for people – so what are we doing for our livestock? Heat stress is a concerning issue for cows, but what are some cost-effective, practical solutions? And is it part of a broader conversation about farm-system resilience?

Hear from three experts in this field: Kyle Wills on a practical farm try-out; Annabel Davies on what Pāmu have implemented; and Dr Helen Beattie on practical solutions from an animal welfare perspective.

While George Moss, in Tokoroa is buying more greenhouses and focussing on being self sufficient, he is urging industry to lead harder when it comes to managing emissions.

There is a global race happening to reduce emissions from dairy farming with more solutions potentially becoming available to housed-cow systems. So where does that position New Zealand’s pastoral model? Hear from three different agribusinesses supporting farmers to reduce emissions; Margaret Stuart from Nestlé Oceania; Charlotte Rutherford from Fonterra; and Wayne McNee from AgriZero.

How efficient can our cows get when it comes to methane? CRV and LIC are right now measuring emissions from the first daughters born in their methane research programme and testing the heritability of the trait. If the programme is successful, the companies hope to deliver a methane breeding value into their respective breeding indexes by 2026.

For Waikato farmer Alan Henderson, maize growing is a key component of his dairy farming operation. Words Heather Chalmers.

Farmers Will Grayling and Will Green discuss their profitable pasture-based systems and share their top tips on hitting pasture cover targets. Barenbrug’s Graham Kerr shares tips for getting the most out of your pasture crops, and when to start having conversations, making strategies, and communicating them.

Fertiliser has famously gotten more expensive, but with the introduction of a wholesale fertiliser company, is the market is about to change? Sheryl Haitana talks to farmers and experts about this market shake-up and discovers ways farmers have been able to manage their fertiliser costs and nutrient footprint, including using variable rate fertiliser applications, and annual soil testing.

Trees could be making a comeback on the Canterbury Plains as the area looks to become more resilient to climate change – and pines may not get a look in.
Words Delwyn Dickey

The Dairy Industry Awards took place in Queenstown last weekend, and host Sheryl Haitana takes the opportunity to talk to those leading the way in the dairy sector. Guests include: Will Hinton & Kali Rangiawha, Share Farmers of the Year; Kieran McCahon, Dairy Manager of the Year; Kirwyn Ellis, Dairy Trainee of the Year.