Updated dairy statistics - we'll need every one!!!

Dairy herd numbers are dropping but the number of cows in NZ has risen to a record level of over 4 million in the 2007/08 season, according to LIC.  The average herd has doubled in 20 years to 351 cows, with herds between 850 and 899 cows having highest per-cow production. LIC says the average production per cow and per hectare is higher in the South Island. It says the summer/autumn drought this year has had a measurable effect on NZ's dairy production. In the 2007/08 season 1.27 billion kilograms of milksolids were produced by NZ dairy companies a drop of more than 6.6 percent from last season's record production. Production per cow also dropped and on average cow production was 307 kg/ms compared to 330 kg/ms in the previous season. Herd numbers declined for the seventh consecutive year to a new total of 11,436 (down 194).  Herd size in the North island averages 305. South Island dairy herds account for 21% of the national total, but have 31% of the cows. There are more than 1.2 million cows in the South Island The largest average herds can be found in South Canterbury (711) and the average herd size in the South Island continues to increase (currently 526). Holstein Friesian cows have highest milksolids at 317.6 kg/ms average while Jerseys produced the highest milkfat and protein percentages. Over 3 million cows were mated to AB in the 2007/08 season. The trend to mate yearlings to AB continued with 169,000 matings. Data for the New Zealand Dairy Statistics is sourced from the LIC Database, dairy companies, NZ Animal Evaluation Ltd, Animal Health Board Annual Report, Quotable Value New Zealand Rural; Property Sales Statistics and Statistics New Zealand. New Zealand Dairy Statistics is available online, at no charge, at www.lic.co.nz/news/publications or at www.dairynz.co.nz/dairystatistics