The demand for Wiltshire sheep is “incredible and unbelievable”, according to the country’s major breeder of the sheep that sheds its wool.
MPI says a significant amount of work is under way this year to update animal welfare codes and provide updated advice to farmers for issues such as heat stress.
While most rams have yet to go out, farmers are being encouraged to book their sheep scanners in early.
Hawke's Bay dairy farmer Rose Galloway rejects any suggestion that mastitis in cows isn't contagious. A trained nurse, Galloway and her family milk 550 cows near Norsewood and says mastitis is caused by pathogens entering the cow's udder through the teat canal and can pass onto other cows. She explains:
Facial eczema (FE) spore counts in some parts of the country are particularly high for this time of year and Beef + Lamb New Zealand is urging farmers to be extra vigilant.
Early weaning of lambs can be a valuable management tool that can advantage both ewes and lambs.
Warm wet weather in many areas of the country creates the perfect conditions for the production-limiting diseases flystrike and facial eczema (FE).
Scabby mouth is common and the infection rate in some sheep flocks can be as high as 90%.
A promising new test for Johne’s disease in dairy cattle has been developed at the Institute for Global Food Security (IGFS) and School of Biological Sciences at Queen’s University Belfast.
Sheep farmers should be investing in proven, worm resistant genetics this breeding season to future proof their businesses’ bottom lines.
Ill thrift is a term used to describe when stock grow at a slower growth rate than expected, given their feed allocation.
Dannevirke dairy farmer Tania Cresswell manages her parents’ 55ha dairy farm at Papatawa, milking 160 predominately Holstein Friesian cows.
As ram buying season gets underway, Beef+Lamb New Zealand is encouraging farmers in at-risk areas to consider including Facial Eczema (FE) resistance in their selection criteria.
At a time of depressed wool prices, more and more sheep farmers are looking at reducing costs – such as shearing and parasite control.
There's been a spike in recent weeks of people appearing before the courts on charges of mistreating farm animals.
New Zealand owned and operated company Alleva Animal Health is claiming a series of world-firsts with four new drench formulas that come together in a drench programme for cattle.
As this season’s lamb crop hits the ground, farmers are being urged to make an internal parasite management plan for the coming season.
BVD is a common but devastating viral infection of cattle.
A local vet recruitment agency says the vet shortage situation in the country is getting more dire by the day.
A one-size-fits-all vaccination programme does not suit different sheep systems, which all have different vaccine requirements.
Strong wool growers wanting to introduce merino genetics, to take advantage of more lucrative fine wool prices, can now do so with confidence.
Undetected drench resistance is costing the NZ sheep sector almost $50 million a year — and it may only get worse.
Massey University is examining the economic impact and the production consequences of crossbreeding with Wiltshire sheep to a fully shedding flock.
Even more doubt has been cast on the economic value of drenching ewes with long-acting products, following a recent jointly-funded Beef + Lamb New Zealand study.
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