Latest news with #DairyNZ
RNZ News
29-05-2025
- Health
- RNZ News
'Mooving Day': Farmers ask drivers not to honk and to 'please drive slowly' as they relocate cows
Photo: Adam Simpson "Don't toot your horns, and please drive slowly". That's the message for motorists as dairy farmers walk or transport their cows to different farms over the next couple of weeks. Moving Day, or Mooving Day as it's sometimes termed, is an annual event in the dairy farming calendar on 1 June. The term 'Gypsy Day' was formerly used - but it has been acknowledged it may be regarded as derogatory. From now until mid June about 5000 dairy farming families, and herds of cows, relocate to new farms - as it's the start of winter and many cows are not being milked. Dairy NZ spokesperson Tony Finch said Moving Day happens throughout most of the country - with more density in the Waikato, Taranaki, Canterbury and Bay of Plenty regions. Finch said thousands of people were literally moving households and farms to new sharemilking jobs and starting the new season at the same time. "It is a really busy time for a lot of people because of the volume of them moving houses, moving possessions, kids, animals, family into a new community. "It does make a big part of the annual dairy calendar and it can be stressful. There is a lot of planning involved." Finch said many cows were transported to their new farm in a stock truck, but for those not moving far they will walk on rural roads. He is urging drivers to be patient if they are delayed behind a herd of cattle, or a stock truck on a rural road. "I suppose the big thing we want to remind people is to be mindful, respectful and patient - that there's going to be a lot of traffic, potentially, and stock moving." People needed to be considerate as it was a stressful time for the animals and farmers, he said. "Impatient drivers tooting their horns is no help - for cattle walking on the roads, and cattle in stock trucks being transported to other areas. Please do not toot. Just wait." Finch said there were many rules about safely moving stock on roads, and farmers needed to have a plan surrounding their cows welfare. To prevent the spread of potentially fatal diseases, such as Mycoplasma bovis farmers have to respect biosecurity regulations. 'It is a critical part of any movement that we ensure cows NAIT (ID tags each cow wears) are up to date. We have had some big scares in the past about biosecurity and that was M Bovis so we want all stock to be tracked correctly. And that we secure boundary fencing so cattle don't get into neighbouring farms. All equipment must be clean that's left in the farms, and what is taken to the new farm." It's not just diseases that have the potential to be spread - it's invasive weeds as well. Bay of Plenty Regional Council biosecurity officer Nicky Oliver-Smith was reminding farmers and contractors that strong biosecurity practices were essential to prevent the spread of pest weeds. "We know farmers put a huge amount of planning into the shift, and good biosecurity and effluent management are key parts of getting it right. "Unclean machinery can easily spread pests. Just one seed or weed fragment on contaminated equipment can lead to a new infestation." Oliver-Smith said Alligator weed and Noogoora buras were two of the most concerning agricultural pest weeds in the region. These fast-growing weeds can reduce crop value and pose a risk to livestock if eaten. Effluent from moving stock trucks, and cows walking along roads can also cause problems on the roads. To prevent large spillages on farmers are advised to only feed their cows dry food, and not green grass, for several hours prior to transporting them to a new farm. One cow can produce about 52 litres of effluent a day.
Scoop
28-05-2025
- General
- Scoop
Annual Moving Day Reminder For Southern Dairy Farmers
Southern dairy farmers are being reminded to incorporate best practices to safeguard water quality and stock transport safety when the annual stock Moving Day begins this weekend on Sunday, 1 June. Moving Day continues for several weeks after 1 June, a tradition where dairy farmers move their cows between farm properties around Otago, either herded along roads or more often by stock truck transit. Otago Regional Council's Manager Environmental Implementation Libby Caldwell says effluent from stock trucks can put road users and adjacent waterways at risk. She emphasised farmers should stand off their animals, for at least 4 to 12 hours, before transporting them. 'The focus is on farmers' standing their stock the day before moving, and for the trucking companies to then make use of the roadside effluent disposal sites around Otago,' Mrs Caldwell says. Effluent can get onto roads and become a safety hazard for other drivers and can also run off into roadside drains or pollute adjacent waterways, she says. The ORC and several local authorities now operate nine roadside effluent disposal sites across Otago, with six disposal sites on State Highway 1 between Pukeuri and Clinton, and three on inland highways, at Raes Junction, Brassknocker Rd and Tarras. Farmers walking their herd along a road should keep them away from roadside drains and channels, and avoid disturbed soil, to stop effluent entering adjacent waterways. Standing off green feed Cows should be stood off green feed for at least four hours, but no more than 12 hours, before they are loaded onto trucks, which helps reduce the amount of effluent on trucks. For welfare reasons, DairyNZ also recommends that a grazed-out paddock or stand-off pads are better options for standing stock, than a concrete surface, as the latter can contribute to tender feet and are not good for stock to lie down on. For general enquiries, contact the ORC's Environmental Implementation Team Catchment Advisors on 0800 474 082, or email them at catchments@ Please report any stock truck effluent spills into waterways to the ORC's Pollution Hotline on 0800 800 033 See stock truck effluent at DairyNZ's online information on Moving Day.
Otago Daily Times
25-05-2025
- Business
- Otago Daily Times
Proud to buy half of farm ‘hitting its stride'
Nan de Haan and wife Marissa are going to be proud half-farm owners. PHOTOS: SHAWN MCAVINUE Southland sharemilker Nan de Haan is proud to own a dairy farm, which is "hitting its stride". Mr de Haan and his wife Marissa and sons Lewis, 4, and Colin, 2 months, are in their fifth season 50:50 sharemilking at Awarua Wetlands, about 20km east of Invercargill. When they started, the dairy farm had a major facelift including a new milking shed, fences, lanes, feed pad, effluent system, house and extensive regrassing. The grass was performing, the herd was fertile and milk production was humming, Mr de Haan said. This season, farm owners Greg and Sonya Herbert will sell them their half share of the property. "We are going to be proud half-farm owners," Mr de Haan said. Winy and Maarten van Rossum own the other half of the farm. Herd manager Rommel Dy has worked for the de Haans for the past eight seasons. The de Haans were contract milking when they began establishing their herd for an average price of $1400 each. "I got them from here, there and everywhere," Mr de Haan said. A major focus when selecting foundation heifers and cows was their production worth, an index estimating a cow's lifetime production ability. Breeds in his herd included Jersey, Holstein Friesian and Norwegian Red. The herd was analysed before mating to identify qualities cows needed and qualities bull semen could bring. "There are no bad cows and no bad bulls — there are only wrong combinations," he said. Bulls had been selected to produce heifer calves with traits better than their dam including stronger feet, more capacious rib cages and udders hanging higher from the ground. "This is how I hope to get this group of liquorice allsorts to be a more coherent herd," he said. Mating starts on November 1 and the herd begins calving in early August. Calves stay on until early December and then go to a grazier in Fortrose, on the western edge of the Catlins. The heifers stay in Fortrose for two winters, returning home mid-July to a bed of woodchips near the feed pad. All of the cows were wintered on farm. After the herd was dried off this season, about 225 cows would be wintered on grass and baleage. "It is a simple system — pretty much just feed them until they've finished it," he said. About another 75 cows, usually the early calvers, would be wintered on straw and silage in the old milking shed. "I sometimes put the late calvers in there before I dry them off to stretch my season out and then swap them with my earliest calvers." Baleage and silage was made on farm and bought in. His silage feeding plan was to "feed it until the cows are happy" rather than measuring it and feeding out a certain amount. Sheep and beef farmer Ray McCrostie (left) questions his neighbour, dairy farmer Nan de Haan at a DairyNZ field day this month. A new feed management practice was drilling about 150kg of oat seed in late July in paddocks to winter cows. If conditions were favourable, two cuts of oats were available by late November and then the paddock was ploughed and regrassed. This season, the herd began eating supplementary feed from a pad earlier this month. As autumn had been favourable, the cows would spend about half the amount of time on the pad as last autumn. A wet and cold spring last year meant the cows spent most of the season on the feed pad. Milk production was about 4% down on last season. The drop was due to a wet autumn last year, prompting an earlier dry off than usual. If autumn was favourable, some cows were milked for up to two weeks into winter. The herd was now being milked twice a day and the frequency would reduce to once a day at the end of this month, he said. Cows of 50:50 sharemilkers Nan and Marissa de Haan on Awarua Wetlands. Now cows were being given palm kernel and distiller's dried grains in the milking shed. Grain features in the mix earlier in the season. "Cows need energy to milk," he said. On average, 591kg of milksolids was produced per cow in the 2023-24 season. The herd had the potential to produce more than 600kg of milksolids "with similar profitability, if not sharper". "We have not peaked yet." More milk could be produced from more precise feed management, he said. The farm had forgiving sandy soil and a temperate, summer safe climate, which helped grow grass.
Otago Daily Times
20-05-2025
- General
- Otago Daily Times
‘Proud half-farm owners' look ahead
Photos: Shawn McAvinue Southland sharemilker Nan de Haan is proud to own a dairy farm, which is "hitting its stride". Mr de Haan and his wife Marissa and sons Lewis, 4, and Colin, 2 months, are in their fifth season 50:50 sharemilking at Awarua Wetlands, about 20km east of Invercargill. When they started, the dairy farm had a major facelift including a new milking shed, fences, lanes, feed pad, effluent system, house and extensive regrassing. The grass was performing, the herd was fertile and milk production was humming, Mr de Haan said. This season, farm owners Greg and Sonya Herbert would sell them their half share of the property. "We are going to be proud half-farm owners," Mr de Haan said. Herd manager Rommel Dy has worked for the de Haans for the past eight seasons. Winy and Maarten van Rossum own the other half of the farm. The de Haans were contract milking when they began establishing their herd for an average price of $1400 each. "I got them from here, there and everywhere," Mr de Haan said. A major focus when selecting foundation heifers and cows was their production worth, an index estimating a cow's lifetime production ability. Breeds in his herd included Jersey, Holstein Friesian and Norwegian Red. The herd was analysed before mating to identify qualities cows needed and qualities bull semen could bring. "There are no bad cows and no bad bulls — there are only wrong combinations," he said. Bulls had been selected to produce heifer calves with traits better than their dam including stronger feet, more capacious rib cages and udders hanging higher from the ground. "This is how I hope to get this group of liquorice allsorts to be a more coherent herd," he said. Mating starts on November 1 and the herd begins calving in early August. Calves stay on until early December and then go to a grazier in Fortrose, on the western edge of the Catlins. The heifers stay in Fortrose for two winters, returning home mid-July to a bed of woodchips near the feed pad. All of the cows were wintered on farm. After the herd was dried off this season, about 225 cows would be wintered on grass and baleage. "It is a simple system — pretty much just feed them until they've finished it," he said. Sheep and beef farmer Ray McCrostie (left) questions his neighbour, dairy farmer Nan de Haan at a DairyNZ field day this month. About another 75 cows, usually the early calvers, would be wintered on straw and silage in the old milking shed. "I sometimes put the late calvers in there before I dry them off to stretch my season out and then swap them with my earliest calvers." Baleage and silage was made on farm and bought in. His silage feeding plan was to "feed it until the cows are happy" rather than measuring it and feeding out a certain amount. A new feed management practice was drilling about 150kg of oat seed in late July in paddocks to winter cows. If conditions were favourable, two cuts of oats were available by late November and then the paddock was ploughed and regrassed. This season, the herd began eating supplementary feed from a pad earlier this month. People on a feed pad listen to Mr de Haan speak about his sharemilking business. As autumn had been favourable, the cows would spend about half the amount of time on the pad as last autumn. A wet and cold spring last year meant the cows spent most of the season on the feed pad. Milk production was about 4% down on last season. The drop was due to a wet autumn last year, prompting an earlier dry off than usual. If autumn was favourable, some cows were milked for up to two weeks into winter. The herd was now being milked twice a day and the frequency would reduce to once a day at the end of this month, he said. Now cows were being given palm kernel and distiller's dried grains in the milking shed. Cows of 50:50 sharemilkers Nan and Marissa de Haan on Awarua Wetlands. Grain features in the mix earlier in the season. "Cows need energy to milk," he said. On average, 591kg of milksolids was produced per cow in the 2023-24 season. The herd had the potential to produce more than 600kg of milksolids "with similar profitability, if not sharper". "We have not peaked yet." More milk could be produced from more precise feed management, he said. The farm had forgiving sandy soil and a temperate, summer safe climate, which helped grow grass.
Otago Daily Times
13-05-2025
- General
- Otago Daily Times
Checklist before getting on the road
If you are selling your dairy herd, moving farms, or sending your stock to grazing, take time to plan their movement in advance and confirm the exact number of cattle you need to transport. You also need to: • Ensure BVD, Johne's and other disease testing is done prior to movement. • Dry off as many cows as possible and do this with sufficient time to ensure they are properly dried off on the day of transport. • Check the farm loading ramp and holding yards are in good order, with no obstacles that could harm cattle or people during loading. Confirm this will also be true for unloading. • Ensure your NAIT records are up to date, all animals are tagged, and you are completing all NAIT actions within the required timelines. • Confirm the health status of any animals that will be mixing with your animals on the new farm, and if necessary, make arrangements for testing, vaccinations, etc. Keeping new animals separate for seven to 14 days reduces the risk of introducing unwanted diseases. • Check there are no biosecurity restrictions or requirements on the new farm, for example as a result of M. bovis or Tb control. • Contact your insurer to confirm you have appropriate livestock transit cover before you move. • If you will be droving, try to find out from local farmers if they will also be droving and plan together how you will avoid each other. Ensure different herds do not come into contact, and their urine/faeces do not end up on other properties, as nose-to-nose or faecal contact can spread disease. • If animals are being moved by truck, ensure you plan with the trucking company well in advance, and make sure the animals are prepared for transport. When booking a stock transporter, ask around for recommendations and/or ask enough questions to ensure you are comfortable trusting your animals in their care. • Confirm the truck will be thoroughly cleaned before your cattle are transported. • Confirm the truck has suitable effluent storage and that it will be emptied. • If your livestock are travelling longer distances, such as inter-island movements, understand your stock transport provider's plans for food and water along the journey. As a general rule, in-calf heifers or cows require water every 12 hours and feeding every 24 hours. • Tell your transporter if any cattle have horns. In most instances, horned cattle should be penned separately on the truck. • If you have large or tall stock over 1.4m high at the hip, prevent back rub injury by ensuring they will be transported on a single-deck truck, or loaded on to the bottom deck as it offers more height than the top deck. Let your transporter know in advance so they can select the right truck and plan the best journey. — DairyNZ
