A heifer's health plan needs to adapt to her age and grazing farm, especially if she moves farms in her first two years. It should cover 5 areas: biosecurity, vaccinations, parasite management, trace elements and minerals, and region-specific issues.

Nitrogen fertiliser is a valuable tool for pasture and crop growth in pastoral dairy farms, but it is essential that it is applied at the right time, in the right place and at the right rate.

Workflow management is central to a productive and efficient workplace. Find out how to improve task organisation with your team using a Kanban board.

Sharemilkers are responsible for operating the farm on behalf of the farm owner. They don’t own the land but split milk income and expenses with the owner. There are two types of sharemilking agreements, herd owning and variable order.

Efficient water management on your dairy farm can save water, time, and money. Begin by mapping your farm’s water infrastructure and identifying and addressing problem areas.

We have completed a four-year trial at Scott Farm in the Waikato, validating the Forage Value Index (FVI) under typical farm management conditions.

The DairyNZ-led, Low N Systems research programme investigates stacking (or combining) management strategies and mitigation technologies on dairy farms to deliver reductions in nitrate leaching of over 40%.

Using plantain has resulted in a 5% reduction in N-loss for the Passey’s so far, as modelled in Overseer and based on an average of 10% plantain in the pasture sward.

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?

Deferred grazing is an alternative pasture management tool used to manage pasture quality, defer spring feed to early summer and increase the number of plants in the paddock through natural re-seeding.

Research Data Analyst

Grass silage is pickled pasture, preserved through the conversion of its sugars into lactic acid by bacteria. This process extends the shelf life of the pasture beyond what it would have if exposed to open air.

Changing mating management on your dairy farm can offer benefits but comes with potential risks.

Lucerne is a perennial legume with a deep taproot, allowing it to tolerate moisture stress more than most pasture species. In NZ, most cultivars are winter dormant, but some newer ones grow earlier in spring and later in autumn.

Black field cricket is a major pasture pest in regions such as Northland and Auckland, predominantly affecting clay soils that crack in dry summers. These crickets feed on pasture grasses at night and hide in soil cracks during the day.