Resources for Nutrition and Feed Advisors
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2 min read
You're at the heart of the dairy sector, connecting farmers with the knowledge and tools they need to optimise animal nutrition and performance. Your insights help shape resilient, productive, and sustainable farm systems. To support your work, we offer research, tools, and resources designed to help you assess feed options, plan with confidence, and deliver advice that supports both animal health and farm profitability.
Your go-to tools and resources are here
If you are short on time, start with these quick links to the most used resources.
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Feed budget calculators
Support farmers to calculate feed supply and demand to ensure feed strategies meet herd requirements year-round.
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FeedChecker calculator
The FeedChecker calculator is a robust way work to ensure feed optimisation and allocation throughout the year.
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Pasture and crop eaten calculator
Identify opportunities to improve feed use, support better planning, and strengthen farm system performance alongside farmers.
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Supplement price calculator
Determine the maximum price worth paying for supplementary feed to balance decisions around nutritional value, cost-effectiveness, and farm system goals.
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FeedRight resources and training
A collection of practical evidence-based resources on cow nutrition and feed management to support your work with farmers.
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Milk urea
Read more on how milk urea is an approximate indicator of dietary crude protein supply and how excessively high milk urea may indicate an increased risk of urinary nitrogen loss.
What's timely
Achieving BCS targets at calving
Autumn is a make‑or‑break period for body condition score (BCS) at calving. BCS conversations provide a clear way to link cow condition with reproductive outcomes and production in the vat.
Cows that calve at target BCS typically deliver better milk production and better reproductive outcomes. Taking action now gives cows the best chance of reaching target BCS before the window to influence condition gain closes.
Read more on strategies to improve body condition score on farm.
Turn wintering best practice into a practical on-farm plan
A successful winter is much easier when everyone has a clear, shared plan. Looking to achieve the following outcomes with farmers?
- Planning for how cows will cope in wet conditions.
- Improving cow lying time, grazing movement, and access to shelter and water, to prevent issues before they arise.
- Identifying risks such as critical source areas and areas prone to pugging early.
- Supporting paddock layouts and grazing approaches that protect soils and waterways while maintaining cow comfort.
- Gradually transitioning cows onto crop and using practical grazing strategies to reduce both animal and environmental stress as conditions tighten.
The winter grazing plan helps turn the following conversations into a practical plan that everyone can work from.
Ground your nitrogen advice in a clear next step
Use the catch crops webpage and resources to add a clear, practical option to your conversations about managing nitrogen loss after grazing. It gives you something tangible to bring to the table when you’re talking through high-risk paddocks and where catch crops could make the biggest difference.
Read more on Catch Crops here, or compare gross margins and costs using the catch crop gross margin calculator.
Explore more tools to strengthen your advice and support farmers
Discover what's driving better farm systems
Stay informed with the latest research, discover insights into regenerative agriculture, greenhouse gas emissions in pasture-based systems, and the role of plantain in improving animal health and reducing environmental impact. Dive into results that connect emissions reduction with farm profitability. The best advice starts with this great research:
Track body condition score to fine-tune your feed strategy
Body condition scoring (BCS) reflects how well a farm’s nutrition and feed plan is working. These tools help you support you to monitor and manage BCS throughout the season, ensuring feed strategies align with animal needs and farm goals.
Use nutrition and feed to hit heifer growth targets
Heifer nutrition directly impacts future herd performance, longevity, and farm profitability. As a feed and nutrition advisor, you play a key role in helping farmers get it right from the start. Use the Heifer Development Plan and Heifer Rearing Tool to guide feeding strategies that support healthy growth, timely weight gains, and successful transition into the milking herd.
Unlock insights shaping nutrition and feed decisions with these podcasts
If you're looking for insights and perspectives to support your work with farmers, these podcast episodes are a valuable resource. We've curated a selection we think you'll find both relevant and thought-provoking for your role.
See how leading farmers manage feed across their systems
Want to see how the top operators are managing their farms? This section covers all feed case studies. Understand how different feed approaches impact productivity, profitability, and sustainability.
Support farmers to continue to turn feed into profit with targeted training
This training supports your advice by building farmers’ confidence in feed budgeting, financial planning, and system-wide decision-making—helping them get more value from every kilogram of dry matter.
Looking for something else?
Explore the links below to return to the Rural Professional Hub, contact your local area manager, explore current research, or sign up for updates on upcoming events, resources, and insights to support your work with farmers.
