Waikato farmer Brian Frost will be able to get out of the cowshed completely in future after investing in a farm automation system for his 24-aside Herringbone shed.

THREE YEARS ago Whangara Farms won the Ahuwhenua Trophy for the best Maori sheep and beef farm in New Zealand.

THE KAPENGA M dairy farm has a simple philosophy: maintain ownership and grow its people’s expertise in farming.

THREE HUSTLER balefeeders bought recently by a large Mid Canterbury dairy farm were chosen for their good design and operator safety, the machine maker says. 

THE WAIKATO Regional Council says a large proportion of dairy water-take consents required under its new Variation 6 water allocation policy should only need to go through a "relatively simple" process.

It was 25 years ago that Milfos International was formed and this week the company will celebrate the milestone with an Australasian dealer conference followed by an evening celebration with service partners, suppliers and business people from around New Zealand.

Fonterra yesterday unveiled the next step in its strategy to build a high-quality, sustainable fresh local milk supply in China, announcing plans to invest $100 million to develop two new large-scale dairy farms in Hebei province.

MANAWATU Rangitikei Horowhenua Sharemilker/Equity Farmer of the Year for 2012, Shaun and Liza Connor, are going up in the dairy industry and reducing their herd size at the same time.

You could almost sense the relief among Lincoln University Dairy Farm’s management team at the Focus Day held recently on the showcase 160ha irrigated property.

Farm nutrient company, Altum is encouraging dairy farmers to challenge their traditional dry cow management systems in preparation this winter. The advice comes on the back of a recent independent trial on the effects of the magnesium and micro-nutrient enriched crystalline molasses block Crystalyx Dry Cow on the dairy cow transitioning from calving to lactation. New Zealand expert in ruminant physiology and reproductive biology, Dr Mark Oliver, Liggins Institute, University of Auckland, says the trial demonstrated that Crystalyx Dry Cow provided benefits above those delivered by traditional mineral supplementation. These include lower rates of mastitis and reductions in retained placentas, along with an added benefit of a lighter workload for farm staff. "Farm staff appreciated the comparative practicality of the molasses block and its performance in poor weather compared to more traditional systems which use dusting or water trough dosing. Anecdotally, there was a perception that cow mood and ease of handling was also superior in the Crystalyx supplemented herd. These preliminary studies suggest that Dry Cow is suitable for use on New Zealand farms representative of the one used in the trial." The trial, overseen by Oliver was carried out on a commercial Tokoroa dairy farm operating two herds…