It's sometimes claimed the best ideas are the simplest ones, and an entry in the Innovation Awards at Fieldays backed this thought.

The dairy industry now fully realises the benefits of applying effluent (FDE) to land; not least its fertiliser value – the ability to replace N, P and K, and trace elements, rather than rely on artificial fertilisers.

Figures from DairyNZ suggest the average New Zealand dairy farm spends around $54,000 annually on the battle against mastitis.

Adopting a transition feeding programme should be a ‘no-brainer’ for Australian dairy farmers, says a nutrition and animal health specialist.

One vet clinic says it is doing its bit to help cash-strapped dairy farmers.

TB infection in a dairy herd is a “terrible thing” mentally and morale-wise for a farmer, says Chris Kelly, chairman of the TB plan review governance group.

A pland to eradicate TB from New Zealand livestock within 10 years will cut the need to test some herds and will reduce the work in some vector areas.

Winter weather can place extra strain on the banks of farm waterways, increasing the risk of erosion degrading water quality.

Using bought-in supplement to ‘produce milk for milk’s sake’ could be robbing the New Zealand dairy industry of its resilience says DairyNZ primary scientist John Roche.

Leading a discussion after the Groves and Lincoln presentations, DairyNZ consulting officer Caleb Strowger asked what is being retained, reduced, deferred or removed from budgets this season.