BEEF COWS are out, dairy grazers in and ewe condition a priority on the first FarmIQ demonstration farm to hold a field day this autumn.

AMID A wave of 10 new quad and side-by-side releases by Polaris in Australia recently, two in particular are likely to attract attention in the New Zealand market – the UTE 570 HD and the Sportsman Ace.

OTAKI SHAREMILKER Allen Cottle has reduced milking to once a day (OAD) because of a ‘green drought’ in the area.

THE HUMBLE earthworm is worth its weight in gold when it comes to onfarm soil productivity and protecting waterways from the impacts of farming.

STRATEGIC stocking decisions will be the key to surviving the summer, says a Northland dairy farmer.

THE HIGH milksolids forecast means most farmers are focused on extracting as much milk as possible from the current season.  With pasture growth in many areas again affected by low rainfall, supplements will play a key role.   

FORGET EVERYTHING you learnt at college about rumen function: chances are it doesn’t apply to New Zealand cows because digestion of pasture is quite different from a total mixed ration (TMR), delegates at one of the first of a DairyNZ series of FeedRight workshops were told last week.

RESTRICTED PASTURE growth and milk production occurs in many parts of New Zealand as a result of dry summers and irrigation restrictions. 

AMID A flurry of new product releases by Polaris last week was an ATV developed especially for farm down-under.

DAIRYNZ CHIEF scientist Dr Eric Hillerton has decided to semi-retire, leaving his post at the industry body later this year.