Talking Dairy

Welcome to Episode 80 of Talking Dairy. Winter can be challenging on dairy farms, and knowing what cows need during these cold, wet months is crucial for their health and productivity. In this episode, we are excited to have Dawn Dalley, a Senior Scientist at DairyNZ, sharing her wealth of experience and insights gained from over 15 years of research on managing cows in winter conditions. Dawn tal...

In this episode of Talking Dairy, we dive into the topic of ongoing water quality improvement efforts by the dairy sector with Aslan Wright-Stow, Senior Manager - Science at DairyNZ. Aslan shares valuable insights on the sectors’ commitments, the progress made, measured benefits and the scientific advancements that are improving water quality management and decision making. Links: Sustainable Dair...

How do you benchmark your farm systems and performance within the sector? DairyBase enables you to better understand your farm system and its performance, by comparing KPIs (key performance indicators) and determining what is working well, then identifying opportunities for improvement. 20% of New Zealand farms contribute to DairyBase which offers two types of benchmarking – the business’s financi...

Injuries are commonplace on farm, ACC shares that 40% of farm injuries are from a sprain or strain and most of these occur between August to October, aligning with spring calving for a lot of farmers. In this episode we talk to DairyNZ Senior Scientist Dr Callum Eastwood and QCONZ CEO Chris Leach about a joint project between ACC and DairyNZ. Callum and Chris share the learnings from the project o...

Animals are at the heart of every farming business. To support the sector in achieving high levels of animal welfare, DairyNZ has been interviewing farmers about their animal care practices for over a decade now. Join us as DairyNZ Lead Advisor Animal Care Penny Timmer-Arends and Animal Care Consult Contractor Hannah Fulton, talk to how the information from the consult is used to track changes in...

When it comes to breeding more efficient cows, why is genetic gain so important and how can NZAEL’s online tools help? Join us as we talk to Rhiannon Handcock DairyNZ’s NZAEL scientist and dairy farmer Michelle Burgess, about the latest in dairy genetics and animal evaluation. Notes NZAEL is the industry good organisation for genetics and animal evaluation. As a wholly owned subsidiary of DairyNZ,...

When it comes to budgeting on farm and forecasting spend, how do others do this? Join us as we talk to Mark Storey DairyNZ’s Head of Economics and Louise Collingwood – a South Waikato farmer, about the latest economic insights and newly updated DairyNZ Econ Tracker tool . Have feedback or ideas for future episodes? Email us at talkingdairy@dairynz.co.nz Connect with DairyNZ Stay up to date with ad...

When it comes to monitoring waterway health, what makes up a holistic assessment of stream health? In this episode, we talk to DairyNZ Principal Scientist Dr. Craig Depree, who shares his approach on ecosystem health and what environmental factors influence freshwater management.   Have feedback or ideas for future episodes? Email us at talkingdairy@dairynz.co.nz Connect with DairyNZ Stay up to da...

When it comes to leadership and motivating the next generation, how do others do this? Join us for part two of our people leadership series, as we talk Tawera Nikau a retired professional rugby league player, who is now farmer, businessman and community leader, and Tina Ngatai who sits on several boards across the agricultural and horticultural sectors, to hear their views on leadership and how th...

When it comes to improving water quality, what does best practice look like? And how do you invest in long-term solutions to meet changing regional regulations? Join us as we talk to DairyNZ Senior Water Quality Scientist Dr Katrina Macintosh and AgResearch Senior Scientist Dr Richard Muirhead about DairyNZ’s key research initiatives and how these projects can provide solutions to improve water qu...

When it comes to managing a team, what does good leadership look like? And how do you invest in developing people when times are financially tough? In this people leadership series, we’re talking to different farm businesses across the country to get their perspectives on leading successful teams, and how to attract and retain the best talent. For this episode, we to talk to Southland share farmer...

How do you take a break from the farm?  This summer farmers across the country, of all ages and stages, are hitting the beach to head along to Surfing for Farmers sessions. DairyNZ is proud to come on board as Surfing for Farmers “Grassroots partner” to support farmers coming together off-farm to catch up, have fun and boost their health and wellbeing.  We’re talking to Southland dairy farmers Rob...

DairyNZ’s subsidiary NZAEL (New Zealand Animal Evaluation Limited) has recently made a new fertility trait update – in this episode we’ll discuss what this change will mean and how it will benefit farmers. Our guests are Ee Cheng Ooi from Abacus Bio, vet and geneticist who worked with NZAEL to develop the new fertility estimated breeding value, NZAEL quantitative geneticist, Melissa Stephen, who r...

With NIWA’s prediction of an El Nino weather pattern and a high likelihood of a drier summer, how are farmers preparing? In today’s episode, we’re talking to dairy farmer Trevor Hamilton, who has dairy farm operations across the North and South Islands, and Kevin McKinley, DairyNZ regional partner in the Bay of Plenty.  Trevor and Kevin will share their strategies for preparing for a dry summer in...

Having more productive dairy workplaces can save hours, shorten the working day, and create more attractive workplaces. But what exactly is workplace productivity and how can we measure it? What practices and technologies are farmers using, and are they effective at improving productivity? DairyNZ’s Senior Scientist, Callum Eastwood and Research Engineer, Brian Dela Rue have been researching pract...

What’s the best way to manage internal parasites in young dairy stock? Find out how worms limit production in calves, when to start drenching, how to choose the right drench – but importantly, why we need to focus on management factors other than drench. Our guests are Ginny Dodunski, Wormwise programme manager and vet, and Emma Poole, Wormwise facilitator, vet, farm owner and 2023 Young Farmer of...

Many farmers are looking for ways to get better value from their pasture, get through NIWA’s predicted El Niño summer, and control on-farm costs. Could deferred grazing provide a solution for some farmers?  In this episode, you’ll get the low-down on this cheap and flexible form of pasture conservation. Our guests are DairyNZ senior scientist Dr Wendy Griffiths and Waikato farmer Ian Butler, who’s...

Canterbury sharemilker Glenn Jones joins us to talk about the options he’s used to reduce nitrogen losses on-farm. He discusses how successful it’s been, the challenges he’s faced along the way, what he’s learned, and his advice for other farmers. Glenn was one of the partner farmers in a DairyNZ project set up to help dairy farmers in the Selwyn catchment reduce their nitrogen losses by 30%, whil...

To coincide with Mental Health Awareness Week, we’re sharing the powerful story of Emma Walton, a young Waikato contract milker. Emma not only loves dairy farming, but says it saved her life. Find out why farming has been the key to her recovery, why she’s passionate about lifting mental wellbeing in the rural sector, how she copes with stress on the farm, her ambitions, and more. Notes Rural Supp...

What do saloon doors and exosuits have to do with reducing injuries on dairy farms? They’re among a range of practical ideas DairyNZ is trialling to help farmers avoid sprains and strains, particularly around calving time. Hear about the designs and prototypes, including a new easy-entry calf trailer and a flexible breast rail, from DairyNZ senior scientist Dr Callum Eastwood and Waikato dairy far...

How do we reduce methane emissions from cattle within our pasture-based farming system? And when will farmers have solutions ready to use on-farm? In this episode, recorded at DairyNZ’s Lye Farm, you’ll hear about the options being tested by our scientists, including feeding methane inhibitors to calves from birth. DairyNZ principal scientist Dr Jane Kay and technical team leader Olivia Jordan tak...

With farm business viability top of mind and soils still very wet around the country, what are some steps you can take to make sure you’re spending your fertiliser dollar wisely? In this episode, hear solid advice from two legends of the fert industry: Dr Ants Roberts, chief scientist at Ravensdown, and Warwick Catto, science strategy manager at Ballance Agri-Nutrients Ltd. They discuss trends in...

What are the main things to consider before approaching the bank for backing to go into herd-owning sharemilking? Sian Mitchell, ANZ agri manager, explains how to get yourself into as strong a position as possible to secure the bank’s support. She also covers the loan approval process, how and why the bank takes security over the cows, GST loans, loan structures, coping with profit ups and downs,...

Is herd-owning sharemilking in your sights? Already in a HOSM partnership? In this episode, pick up some fresh ideas for both farm owner and sharemilker on how to succeed in this popular business structure. Our guests are Waikato sharemilker Rachel Bunnik and Dairy Farms NZ CEO Craig McBeth, who discuss what they like about the agreement, how the financials work, common challenges, keeping the rel...

Rain, rain, rain. How are other dairy farmers managing their way through this exceptionally wet winter? Hear from Hauraki Plains farm owner John Garrett, Cambridge farm owner Marc Gascoigne, and Northland herd owning sharemilker Carl MacDonald, who explain how they're trying to minimise soil damage while still adequately feeding the cows. They discuss round lengths, cow comfort, team morale,...