News & Advice

It is common practice to winter young growing beef cattle on brassica crops. Brassica crops are a great source of dry matter over a period when dry matter is at a premium. Good crops may yield 6-7 tonnes of DM/ha, and, in wet areas, condensing stock onto a good crop enables valuable winter pasture to […]

“Can this be achieved?” you may ask, because if you do not drench your lambs regularly, they will go backwards and you will lose money! Maybe not necessarily. A report just out from the UK supermarket giant Sainsbury’s, found that monitoring of faecal egg counts (FECs) by their suppliers (New Zealand farmers) using the latest […]

This spring, somewhere between 3 -9% of dairy heifer calves will die within 48 hours of birth, and a further 5-11% will die before weaning.  With similar losses in overseas dairy systems, this is a major welfare and productivity issue for all of us involved in the dairy industry. Vetlife vets, techs and farmers have […]

Metrichecking is used to detect endometritis, or ‘dirty cows’. Endometritis is a chronic infection of the uterine lining and severely affects reproductive performance if left untreated. Why metricheck your cows? Metrichecking is used to detect endometritis, or ‘dirty cows’. Endometritis is a chronic infection of the uterine lining and severely affects reproductive performance if left […]

Understanding where lamb losses are occurring is very valuable information and, when utilised, can help improve future lamb survival. From scanning to tailing it is normal to see losses, but if you are seeing losses greater than 15% then there is room for improvement and an opportunity to increase efficiency. Losses tend to fall into […]

No matter how well the process of calving goes we always end up with a myriad downer cows, the bane of spring. They represent a lot of cost, effort and wastage. However, it is important to get the diagnosis right. Not all downer cows are due to metabolic issues. The list of downer cows includes […]

Disbudding is a routine yet essential procedure in New Zealand’s dairy industry, aimed at removing horn buds from young calves before they develop into full horns. This practice enhances safety for both animals and handlers and supports better herd management. Horned cattle pose risks in handling, transport, and herd dynamics. Disbudding reduces injuries, improves animal […]

It is widely known that many areas in New Zealand are deficient or low in naturally available copper, and survey results show that nearly 80% of deer farms frequently supplement their herds with copper on a routine basis. However, we need to be aware that both too little and too much copper can cause health […]

The economic value of farm working dogs is hard to quantify. They are indispensable members of the staff on a farm (mainly sheep or beef, but sometimes dairy), and they take little pay in return. The cost of purchase, training and maintenance are set over a dog’s lifetime. The loss of a dog through illness […]