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LIC chief executive Wayne McNee.
The days of high growth in New Zealand cow numbers are over, says LIC chief executive Wayne McNee.
Numbers have dropped in recent years due to economic factors and environmental issues are forcing cows off farms in some regions.
LIC is forecasting zero growth in cow numbers over the next five years.
“We are calling it peak cow or cow equilibrium,” McNee told Rural News.
“For forecasting purposes we are saying there will be no growth in cow numbers in the next five years; this forecast is corroborated by other information and what others are saying in the sector.
“We are not seeing the [dairy] conversions for a variety of reasons – some economical, some environmental.”
Over the last 23 years, on average an extra 100,000 cows were added to the national herd every year— an extra 2.3 million cows in the last 23 years. McNee doesn’t see that continuing.
“We are seeing stabilisation; it may vary region to region -- some will grow, some won’t.”
McNee says the peak cow makes genetics and herd testing even more important. Farmers need to pick out the good cows in their herd; if the number of cows is down, let’s have the most productive.
The most efficient cows will be those converting grass into milk, not waste. Farmers need to choose the right cows to breed from.
“With our scheme at the moment, you can breed from the top 80% of your cows and produce replacements and put the rest of them to a beef animal,” says McNee.
“But to do that, you must know what are your best animals. you can’t do that by just looking at them in the shed and milking them; herd testing is the way to go.”
McNee says peak cow aligns with what DairyNZ has been “saying for a long time”.
“Identify your most efficient animals; focus on breeding from them and milk your best cows.”
LIC chief executive David Chin says meeting the revised methane reduction targets will rely on practical science, smart technology, and genuine collaboration across the sector.
Opening a new $3 million methane research barn in Waikato this month, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay called on the dairy sector to “go as fast as you can and prove the concepts”.
The Government has announced it has invested $8 million in lower methane dairy genetics research.
The first calves of a new crossbred dairy-beef offering are now on the ground at a Pamu (Landcorp) farm near Taupo.
A US-based company developing a vaccine to reduce methane emissions in cattle has received another capital injection from New Zealand’s agriculture sector.
Acclaimed fruit grower Dean Astill never imagined he would have achieved so much in the years since being named the first Young Horticulturist of the Year, 20 years ago.
The Ashburton-based Carrfields Group continues to show commitment to future growth and in the agricultural sector with its latest investment, the recently acquired 'Spring Farm' adjacent to State Highway 1, Winslow, just south of Ashburton.
New Zealand First leader and Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters has blasted Fonterra farmers shareholders for approving the sale of iconic brands to a French company.
A major feature of the Ashburton A&P Show, to be held on October 31 and November 1, will be the annual trans-Tasman Sheep Dog Trial test match, with the best heading dogs from both sides of the Tasman going head-to-head in two teams of four.
Fewer bobby calves are heading to the works this season, as more dairy farmers recognise the value of rearing calves for beef.
The key to a dairy system that generates high profit with a low emissions intensity is using low footprint feed, says Fonterra program manager on-farm excellence, Louise Cook.
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