DAIRY Country

Profitability in dairy farming comes down to getting both sides of the equation right, and Hugh and Anna Edward have built a system around tight cost control, strong pasture management and making every kilogram of feed count. Anne Lee speaks with the Putaruru couple about their journey from sharemilking to owning two adjoining farms, running 650 cows across 350 hectares and running separate, his and her, Jersey and Friesian herds through the season.   Host: Anne Lee, Senior Journalist, Dairy Country Guests: Hugh and Anna Edward, South Waikato Farmers   Hugh and Anna discuss how they manage their first grazing round and the focus they have on driving intakes of high quality pasture by closely monitoring both pre-grazing covers and post-grazing residuals. They use supplements judiciously to get a high milksolids response for every kilogram of bought-in drymatter and have a strong focus on buying fed in at the best possible price. They explain what’s behind their impressive six-week in-calf rate of 84% with planning for that starting early in the previous autumn.   Sign up to the weekly DAIRY Country email newsletter here: https://dairycountry.co.nz/sign-up/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tatua Cooperative chairman Steve Allen is stepping down after nearly 30 years on the board, including a long tenure as chairman. Anne Lee speaks with Steve about his journey from farming a small 160-cow herd to growing his farming business and becoming involved in the governance of one of New Zealand’s smallest and most specialised dairy co-operatives. They talk about the decisions that allowed Tatua to remain independent through deregulation and the formation of Fonterra.   Host: Anne Lee, Senior Journalist, Dairy Country Guest: Steve Allen, retiring Tatua Co-operative Chairman   Steve discusses the thinking behind Tatua’s decision to stand alone, the co-operative’s focus on adding value to farmers’ milk and its disciplined approach to growth, investment and retaining earnings. He also reflects on the importance of leadership and culture, the role of the board in choosing a chief executive and allocating capital, and why he remains positive about the future of New Zealand food and dairy. Find out more about the Better Pastures Together podcast by Barenbrug here: https://barenbrug.co.nz/podcasts Sign up to the weekly DAIRY Country email newsletter here: https://dairycountry.co.nz/sign-up/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Farm ownership can feel like a long way off for young dairy farmers, but Abbi Ayre and Frikkie Terblance are steadily working their way towards the goal. Anne Lee speaks with the West Coast/Top of the South Dairy Industry Award winners about their journey from early careers and contract managing to leasing farms and working towards ownership, while also discussing the personal challenges they have faced along the way.   Host: Anne Lee, Senior Journalist, Dairy Country Guests: Abbi Ayre and Frikkie Terblance, West Coast Contract Milkers   Abbi shares her experience of burnout early in her dairy career and her journey through postpartum psychosis following the births of her children, while Frikkie talks about the impact it had on their family and the lack of support available for partners. They discuss the importance of recognising the warning signs, finding practical tools to protect mental wellbeing and building connections within rural communities. The couple also explain how they have used technology such as virtual fencing to manage their farms, the lessons they have learnt from different ownership models and why keeping business arrangements simple and aligned is key to achieving their goal of owning their own farm.   Read the article featuring Abbi Ayre and Frikkie Terblance here: https://dairycountry.co.nz/from-burnout-to-balance/ Find out more about the Better Pastures Together podcast by Barenbrug here: https://barenbrug.co.nz/podcasts Sign up to the weekly DAIRY Country email newsletter here: https://dairycountry.co.nz/sign-up/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Southern Dairy Hub is exploring what the future of dairy farming could look like through a side-by-side comparison of high genetic merit cows run at a 0.5 cows per hectare lower stocking rate than a more traditional herd. Anne Lee speaks with Southern Dairy Hub Acting General Manager Greg Delaney and DairyNZ Senior Scientist Dr Dawn Dalley about the latest results from the demonstration farm, including higher milk solids production per cow with significantly less supplementary feed.   Host: Anne Lee, Senior Journalist, Dairy Country Guests: Greg Delaney, General Manager, Southern Dairy Hub Dr Dawn Dalley, Scientist, DairyNZ   Dawn explains how the future herd produced more than 520kg of milksolids per cow compared with 470kg for the standard herd, while using close to 40% of the  supplementary feed last season. In terms of total production, on a per hectare basis, production in the lower stocked, future herd is getting close to that of the standard herd. The future herd production was less than 100kg MS/ha lower than the standard herd. They also discuss grass-based wintering, body condition score changes and the wider potential benefits of running a lower-stocked, high genetic merit system. Greg and Dawn talk about the Hub’s new 1000-square-metre standoff pad, its design and how it’s being used to improve animal welfare during calving. The farm’s HubWatch weekly farm data updates are now available for the new season.  Dawn and Greg also give an update on the process underway to determine the Southern Dairy Hub’s future strategic direction.   Sign up to the weekly DAIRY Country email newsletter here: https://dairycountry.co.nz/sign-up/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Pain relief is becoming an increasingly important part of dairy cattle welfare, with more options available to farmers than there were a decade ago. Anne Lee speaks with Northland veterinarian Rory Dean about how cattle experience and show pain, why they can be difficult to assess as prey animals and how commonly used non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs can help cows recover from painful and inflammatory conditions.   Host: Anne Lee, Senior Journalist, Dairy Country Guests: Rory Dean, Northland Veterinarian   Rory explains how drugs such as ketoprofen and meloxicam work, and their role in managing lameness, mastitis and difficult calvings. Anne and Rory also discuss pain relief for calves, including during disbudding and when treating conditions such as pneumonia, navel ill, joint ill and diarrhoea, as well as the importance of early intervention and pre-emptive analgesia. They explore the different roles of anti-inflammatory drugs, local anaesthetics and sedatives, why pain relief needs to be combined with appropriate treatment and nursing care, and the importance of following label instructions and veterinary advice to avoid overdosing and side effects.   Read the article from the latest issue of the DAIRY Country here: https://dairycountry.co.nz/the-right-pain-relief/   Sign up to the weekly DAIRY Country email newsletter here: https://dairycountry.co.nz/sign-up/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.