News & Advice

Multimin® is a unique combination of trace elements that has proven quite positively effective within multiple production parameters. The initial “top up” concept was initially viewed with scepticism by a number of veterinarians (including ourselves), but most of us have since been shown the error of our ways. While routine supplementation of animals is very effective […]

As dairy farmers are currently at peak calving, it may seem odd to write an article about planning for what is coming up in a few months’ time… mating. However, what is done correctly now can have a large impact on the success of the mating down the road. Everything is interconnected. This may sound […]

For years, the approach to mating has been to apply heat detection aids sometime before mating starts, to monitor the heat activity and to then implement a strategy for anoestrus cows. This is a sound strategy which supports the good basic farming principles of calving cows early, optimising recovery and achieving high premating heat rates. […]

Just how can an animal health report help with your on-farm spend? Inflation is currently running high in NZ and is apparently refusing to budge from a stubborn 7.5%. Yet recent Rabobank surveys suggest on-farm inflation is running higher and could be sitting around 14%. The main drivers of this would appear to be feed, fuel […]

It is well-known and accepted that achieving the ideal BCS at dry-off is crucial to the proceeding season. The target is BCS 5.0 for cows and 5.5 for heifers. Unfortunately, for whatever reason, this is rarely achieved and we need to put weight on our cows through the dry period. Cows calving 1 BCS lower than target […]

About 90% of illness in the dairy cow occurs in the transition period, i.e. the three weeks before calving through to the three weeks following calving. There is huge demand on the dairy cows during this time. From being late-pregnancy, non-lactating animals with small changes in energy demand, they go through calving (which is inherently […]

Calf diarrhoea, or scours, is one of the most common and yet devastating diseases that can affect a calf. Scours can occur due to nutritional reasons, such as a change in composition, volume or timing of milk, or due to an infectious cause. Viruses, bacteria, and protozoal parasites can all be implicated in scour outbreaks […]

As I am writing this, the total number of cows wearing some sort of monitoring technology in New Zealand is probably somewhere between 600,000-800,000 and growing.   In fact, the number of cow devices has doubled every year since first being introduced, so do not be surprised if this number has increased greatly again by this […]

Going into the late lactation period, we need to start thinking about the best way to get the cows and farm ready for next season. What we do now will have a big impact in the new season.   Body condition and transitioning the cows properly from milking to dry are the key points to focus […]

Lameness has a huge impact on the fertility, milk production and body condition of cows.  The result is large amounts of time and energy spent treating cases and increasing culling, and then a consequential decrease in overall efficiency on farm. Costs of lameness are estimated at between $200-$1,300/cow depending on the case, and, as you […]

Reviewing reproductive data can assist in providing more targeted outcomes for you and your business. It seems like only yesterday we started calving. Time has flown by, and now most dairy farms will be finished with mating and will have some scanning data available. To some, this information may not be used for much, but it […]

Summer is the time for PAR! In other words, you ‘Planned’ and ‘Acted’ and now is the time to ‘Review’. So, three simple questions to ask yourself and to discuss with your management team/business partners: Where are we and how did we get here? Where are we heading, and do we want to go there? If […]