Feed

White clover is a top-quality feed used widely in New Zealand's dairy pastures. Different types have varying purposes in dairy farming. Italian and Annual ryegrass, and Red clover perform well in summer dry areas, complementing white clover in mixes.

Maize is an essential crop for New Zealand dairy farmers, helping enhance feed supply, manage climatic risks, and support pasture renewal. Growing maize on a dairy farm can also extract soil nutrients and reduce costs in high-fertility effluent areas

Velvetleaf is a pest that affects crops, seen in fodder beet and maize crops nationwide. This weed can live on farms for up to 50 years and withstands digestion and silage methods.

Feed quality, often quantified as metabolisable energy (ME) per kilogram of dry matter (MJME/kg DM or M/D), is as crucial as feed quantity for dairy farming. High M/D value means better feed as it has more usable energy.

Selecting the right cultivar for your farm remains just as important as ever. Use this page to make informed decisions when choosing ryegrass cultivars for pasture renovation.

Plantain is a grazing herb that grows well across New Zealand and fits easily into most pasture-based farm systems. It can be managed on a similar rotation to perennial ryegrass and works alongside other pasture species.

Yellow bristle grass (YBG) is a pest plant harmful to pastures. This fast-spreading weed lowers pasture quality as cows avoid eating it. YBG spreads mainly through its seeds, which can move via dung, water, animals, or contamination in hay and maize.

Pre-graze mowing is a technique sometimes used to manage surplus pasture. However, research shows it doesn't increase cow intake or performance, and actually reduces pasture performance.

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.

Managing high-quality pasture during feed surplus periods is a crucial skill in pasture management. This page explains that pasture surplus often develops in spring, which if unmanaged, can lead to low-quality pasture affecting milk production.