IT’S WEANING time for the first of the calves from the trial at Massey University looking at possible benefits of differing milk diets and machine feeding compared with hand feeding on calf growth rate and subsequent performance of dairy cattle.

DairyNZ faced pointed questions about the sector’s staff shortages at its annual meeting earlier this month, but the day after, on a field trip, the board and senior management heard one farm’s solution. 

FARMERS could safeguard next year’s calves against Theileria by treating cows for ticks in summer according to senior Vets North vet Mark Anderson.

AUSTRALIAN DAIRY farmers must watch out for mycoplasma as an emerging cause of untreatable mastitis, says Dairy Australia.

THERE ARE two key ways to achieve high per-cow performance: getting a good peak production level and having good persistence throughout the lactation. This is achieved by minimising the rate of post-peak decline and achieving a long lactation length. 

Dairy farmers are being told that there are opportunities to increase profitability even when times are tough.

THE IMPACT of Russia’s dairy ban on global dairy prices may be waning. The emergence of a ‘grey market’, allowing some Russian allies to buy milk from Europe and re-export it to Russia, is easing downward pressure on prices. 

COW NUMBERS in the US are at their lowest for 63 years, contributing to a boom in beef export volumes and prices, says Beef + Lamb NZ chief economist Andrew Burrt.

NEW ZEALAND was last week ranked the number-one co-operative economy in the world during the International Summit of Co-operatives in Quebec, Canada. 

VOTING FOR Fonterra’s board elections has begun. Fonterra’s 10,500 shareholders were last week mailed their voting packs for board elections and, in four wards, shareholder council positions. Voting opened online, by fax or post on the same day at 10.30am.