Bulk milk urea concentration is a near real-time indicator of the dietary crude protein status of dairy herds and their nitrogen use efficiency, helping to support feed and nitrogen management decisions in pasture-based systems.

How to interpret rumination data and use daily rumination time for day-to-day decision-making.

The transition period in a cow's life requires precise feed management to ensure health and optimal milk production. It’s important to set BCS targets, monitor those targets and adjust your feed budget as required, especially pre- and post-calving.

The transition period in a dairy cow's life, spanning three weeks pre and post-calving, is crucial. During this time, your cows shift from late pregnancy to lactation.

Calculating Metabolisable Energy (ME) needs is important for dairy cows. You adjust for feed quality by adding or subtracting 4% per MJ ME/kg DM from the standard 11.0 MJ ME/kg DM.

Carbohydrates, forming about 75% of plant dry matter, provide the major energy source for dairy cows and aid in milk glucose and fat production.

Magnesium supplements can help prevent metabolic issues in your cows, such as milk fever and grass staggers. Start giving these supplements two to three weeks before calving and continue until spring pasture growth slows.

Managing your cows during the transition from pregnancy to lactation helps prevent diseases and optimises seasonal performance. This period sees the cow's nutrient requirements spike but intake doesn't match up, leading to negative energy balance.

Lipids or fats, found in plant and animal products, are a key energy source in dairy cows' diet. They are typically low, between 2-6% of dry matter in pasture-based diets, as excess can harm rumen function and milk production.

Proteins are essential for many metabolic functions in dairy cows, including growth, lactation, and reproduction. This page explains that the protein in feed, known as crude protein (CP), is calculated based on the feed's nitrogen content.

A successful dry period for cows entails hitting body condition score (BCS) targets before calving. This page emphasises the importance of meeting the cow's energy needs for maintenance, activity, BCS gain, and pregnancy during this time.

Dry matter is a crucial dietary requirement for dry cows. This page outlines the energy a cow needs, considering its weight gain or loss. The feed requirement considers the cow's maintenance, pregnancy, and weight gain.

During the transition from dry to milking cows, it's crucial to manage their health effectively to ensure their reproductive performance, production, and longevity aren't compromised.

Dietary fibre is essential for a cow's healthy rumen function. This page explains that when cows eat fibre, it stimulates chewing, saliva production, and rumination.

Farmers often ask what, when, and how to feed their cows. The Feedright programme and resources were created to answer these questions and separate fact from fallacy.

Can your farm be both highly profitable and low in emissions intensity? New research from nearly 8,000 farms reveals how top-performing NZ dairy farms are achieving both and offer practical insights on how to achieve this on your farm.

In this episode of Talking Dairy, we explore the Resilient Pastures programme - a new research initiative tackling pasture persistence problems. Hear how farmers, scientists and funders are working together to find lasting, practical solutions.

What’s your plan when pasture growth slows or a dry spell hits? In this episode, DairyNZ’s Mark Williams and farmer Enda Hawe share how to choose the right supplements, use tools like the Supplement Price Calculator, and plan to avoid feed shortages.

With NIWA’s prediction of an El Nino weather pattern and a high likelihood of a drier summer, how are farmers preparing? In this episode, we’re talking to Trevor Hamilton and Kevin McKinley who share their strategies for preparing for a dry summer.

Many farmers are looking for ways to get better value from their pasture, get through NIWA’s predicted El Niño summer, and control on-farm costs. Could deferred grazing provide a solution for some farmers?