Special Reports and Podcasts

A joint research programme between New Zealand and Ireland that started in February 2024 aims to better understand methane emissions from pasture-based systems.
Words Jane Kay

AgResearch is looking at how concentrates alter methane emissions.
Words Anne Lee

When times are tough on the farm, fertiliser may be one of the items left off the shopping list.
Words Kerry Dwyer

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

The DWN’s 2024 “Enhance, Elevate, Evolve” conference was held in New Plymouth last week. Sheryl Haitana takes the opportunity to talk to Katrina Roberts, Fonterra Woman of the Year; Jules Benton, CEO of DWN; and Rebecca O’Brien, DWN Regional Winner of the Year.

Finding a marker or proxy in a dairy cow that correlates with low or high methane is the big prize.
Words Delwyn Dickey