Tuesday, 23 January 2024 11:25

Great grazing

Written by  Milking It

OPINION: We hope the Green Party and its supporters are taking notice.

A recent DairyNZ nationwide survey highlights dairy farmers continue to focus on wintering well and caring for their animals and land, no matter the conditions.

Last year, 74% of farmers implemented at least five good management practices to support their cows and manage winter conditions. Importantly, 96% of farmers also said they had strategies to provide comfortable lying conditions.

Farmers, especially in Southland, have been harassed by so-called 'environment warriors' for their winter grazing practices. The DairyNZ survey shows the opposite of what the worriers claim - farmers use a range of tactics to care for cows over winter.

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