Milking longer with maize silage
This season's dry conditions have made one thing clear: not having enough feed on hand can bring your season to an early close.
Fonterra has reaffirmed a forecast milk price mid-point of $10/kgMS for its farmer shareholders, with just over two months of the 2024-25 season left to run.
The co-op has narrowed the forecast farmgate milk price range - from $9.50-$10.50/kgMS to $9.70-$10.30/kgMS.
Fonterra chief executive Miles Hurrell says they are seeing good demand for the co-op’s quality products.
“And our teams have worked hard to optimise our product portfolio to capture value from the market conditions, leaving us well contracted for the season.
“We have also optimised the current season’s Advance Rate Schedule to get cash to farmers sooner, underpinned by our balance sheet strength.”
In terms of milk flows, Fonterra’s forecast milk collections for the year are up 2.7% on this time last year to 1,510 million kgMS.
“This follows favourable pasture growth across most of New Zealand earlier in the season, noting many parts of the country are currently experiencing very dry conditions,” says Hurrell.
Among the regular exhibitors at last month’s South Island Agricultural Field Days, the one that arguably takes the most intensive preparation every time is the PGG Wrightson Seeds site.
Two high producing Canterbury dairy farmers are moving to blended stockfeed supplements fed in-shed for a number of reasons, not the least of which is to boost protein levels, which they can’t achieve through pasture under the region’s nitrogen limit of 190kg/ha.
Buoyed by strong forecasts for milk prices and a renewed demand for dairy assets, the South Island rural real estate market has begun the year with positive momentum, according to Colliers.
The six young cattle breeders participating in the inaugural Holstein Friesian NZ young breeder development programme have completed their first event of the year.
New Zealand feed producers are being encouraged to boost staff training to maintain efficiency and product quality.
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