Southland farmers in the Edendale catchment are working to understand how a stack of practical mitigations can reduce nitrogen losses while maintaining profitable milk production.

Design Specialists Team Manager

What farmers are asking for ahead of the 2026 General Election, and how those needs have shaped DairyNZ’s six priorities for practical, evidence-backed policy that supports sustainable growth.

Recording which cows are managed together in herd management groups ensures cows are compared with cows managed under the same conditions. This gives more accurate information for breeding, culling, feeding and long-term herd improvement decisions.

A 2024/25 study of 10 New Zealand dairy farms explored how tech, milking frequency, and people management boost productivity. See the impact on performance, expenses, and task efficiency via seasonal comparisons across the farms.

Foot-and-mouth (FMD) disease isn’t in New Zealand, but overseas travel can bring risk closer to the farm gate. Learn what to ask visitors, what to check, and the simple biosecurity steps that can help protect your herd, team and business.

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.

Down cows can add pressure at calving. Hear how a clear plan and the “pattern of two” can help you act early, support cow recovery and keep your team on track.

As part of the DairyNZ-led Plantain Potency and Practice programme, trials at Lincoln and Massey universities tested how plantain affects nitrogen leaching, pasture persistence and farm productivity under different soil and climate conditions.

Calf scours refers to diarrhoea in calves. It is not a disease itself, but a sign that something is disrupting normal digestion. Scours can quickly lead to dehydration, so early identification and treatment are important.

Success for this Western Southland farm is driven by a simple, pasture based farm system that is implemented by excellent farm staff. Good farm and strong financial management ensures operating expenses remain below industry average. 

Biosecurity New Zealand has confirmed H5N1 avian influenza clade 2.3.4.4b in New Zealand, following detection in a migratory seabird found in Wellington.