Read how, each year the New Zealand Super Fund (NZSF) Rural Land portfolio, managed by FarmRight revisits their mating programmes and farm setup to look at how they can improve calf-rearing practices.

What’s the best way to manage internal parasites in young dairy stock? Find out how worms limit production in calves, when to start drenching, how to choose the right drench, and why we need to focus on management factors other than drench.

Disbudding is the process of removing a calf's horns between one to six weeks old. This prevents injuries to both the farm team and other animals.

Trace elements, including cobalt, copper, iodine, selenium, and zinc, play a vital role in dairy cow nutrition. Your cows need these elements for functions like growth, reproduction, and milk production.

Calf scours, or diarrhoea in calves, can be caused by multiple factors and if untreated, can lead to severe dehydration and even death. This disease disrupts the normal water movement in the digestive tract, leading to water and salt loss.

Understanding calf digestion and rumen development is crucial for successful growth and future production.

Successful weaning in calves relies on proper nutrition, adequate weight, and gradual transitions. It's important to ensure calves are consuming the right amount of feed and meeting their weight-for-age targets.

How can we lift the national average six-week in-calf rate from its current position of 67%?

Fodder beet is a feed option for cows that requires careful planning to avoid health issues such as acidosis. Before feeding it, you should measure your crop yield and test the leaf and bulb to determine its nutritional content.

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.

For the best outcome at calving time, know the signs and stages of labour, how to calve a cow, and the immediate care needed after calving. Check springers regularly to help identify the signs of labour, ensuring timely interventions if needed.

Planning and preparing for calving with your farm team will reduce stress when calving is in full swing and will help keep everyone safe and healthy. Spend time with your team prior to calving to create a plan that works for everyone.

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.