It is that time of the year again when it is time to start planning dry-off and make sure you are well set up for the next season. Did you know that body condition scoring your herd can be a great tool for planning your...
It is that time of the year again where high soil temperatures and high humidity increase the risk of facial eczema in our cows. In this blog post we will look into the causes of facial eczema, symptoms, and prevention. This blog post was originally written by...
Our farm system study comparing an autumn and spring calving system was recently published in the Journal of New Zealand Grasslands! In this blog post we will share the main results from the study. Background There has been an increasing interest in autumn calving systems on the...
On our DTT Waimate West farm in Manaia we are running a 7-year trial to assess the economic and environmental impact of diverse pastures on a dairy farming system as part of MPI’s Regenerating Aotearoa program. The study involves 2 farmlets at the DTT Waimate...
In this blog post we will share the strategies Dairy Trust Taranaki has used to reduce the number of bobby calves on our DTT Kavanagh farm and the results so far. Why? Sending 4-day old calves on the bobby truck is a practice not well perceived...
Introduction Did you know that effluent and its storage systems account for 10% of methane greenhouse gas emissions on an average New Zealand dairy farm? This makes effluent the second largest contributor to methane greenhouse gas emissions on a dairy farm, so exploring potential ways to...
It is time for Throwback Thursday and another science gem from the 90's related to deferred grazing. Many older farmers will remember the very tough times brought about by the deregulation of agriculture in the early 1980’s. Many businesses became non-viable and many farming families...
Science you can do on your own farm In this blog post we cover two simple on-farm methods for improving herd management using practical science. By monitoring pasture spore counts and determining the dry matter percentage of your feed, these easy-to-follow techniques allow you to make...
Welcome to our blog "Moo, Milk and More - Dairy Trust Taranaki's Science Digest" brought to you by the science team at Dairy Trust Taranaki. Why a blog? The mission of Dairy Trust Taranaki is to deliver relevant, word-class research, demonstration and extension to the dairy...