Liver damage caused by Facial Eczema severely impacts animal welfare and productivity, yet many farmers are not sufficiently supplementing their cows to protect against it.
The bonus of split calving is that you can match feed supply with feed demand throughout the year, says Neville Porteous of Te Arai Farms in lower Northland.
If you're selling or leasing bulls this spring, understand the risks and know the animal’s history of movement and health.
Johne's disease (JD) is a major production-limiting disease of farmed ruminants worldwide and, after CAE, it is the biggest animal health concern for goat farmers.
Farmers should stop treating agricultural pests as a problem, and instead realise they are a symptom of an unsustainable farming method, says a visiting expert in ‘regenerative’ agriculture.
Filling the vat with the best milk you can produce is a financial advantage, says milking liner maker Skellerup.
Dairy farmers are using a range of tactics to keep their cows and farms safe from Mycoplasma bovis this mating season.
DairyNZ has redeveloped and updated a reproduction knowledge course known as the InCalf training programme.
Every mating season, veterinarians are called to fresh calved heifers presenting with unexplained severe forelimb lameness. This could be down to copper deficiency.
The ability of dairy cows to use feed to produce higher quantities of milk is a genetics issue, says the world’s largest dairy farmer cooperative.
Dairy farmers worldwide are being urged to prepare now for a future with a smaller herd of higher producing cows, says the general manager of World Wide Sires New Zealand, Hank Lina.
West Coast farmer Andrew Stewart believes the key to animal traceability is to keep your National Animal Identification and Tracing (NAIT) account regularly updated.
A new embryo transfer biopsy and genomic selection technology is being used to boost elite animal breeding for the dairy industry.
At this stage of the season, levels of Neutral Detergent Fibre (NDF) rise very rapidly in typical NZ pastures as ryegrass starts to form seed head.
Surgery to fuse four discs in his lower back prompted beef farmer Ger Daly, in County Galway, Ireland, to think again about how to do heavy lifting on his farm.
Farmers will be able to administer a local anaesthetic for disbudding or dehorning, if they are trained, when new regulations come into force on October 1, 2019, says NZ Veterinary Association chief veterinary officer Helen Beattie.
Several years back, milk processors provided new information on Milk Urea Nitrogen (MUN). While some farmers understand the test, the implications of the test and how to manipulate it, there are still many who don’t.
With new animal welfare regulations coming into effect on October 1, even if you already think you are doing the right thing it’s best to check.
A trial is underway to measure the growth rates of Angus/Jersey beef calves from birth to finished product.
Gain insight into which cows should be cycling once mating starts with pre-mating heat detection.
National's agriculture spokesman, Nathan Guy, says while some of the NAIT changes were needed, their passing under urgency has prevented proper scrutiny of them.
Recent changes to the NAIT regulations have generally been welcomed by the farming industry: DairyNZ and Beef + Lamb NZ are in favour, although Federated Farmers sees them as rushed.
The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) says farmers nationwide appear to be better treating bobby calves headed for slaughter.
The government's change to the National Animal Identification and Tracing (NAIT) Act will result in some changes to the NAIT system in the coming weeks, says OSPRI chief executive Michelle Edge.
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