With very little rain from Napier to Dunedin autumn pasture growth rates have plummeted with the only saving grace being the mild conditions.
Last weekend’s rain was minimal and while dryland crops have withstood the lack of moisture well, they alone will make winter feeding difficult.
Irrigated properties and those that have had rain look a picture, benefitting from the mild conditions and lack of wind.
With a late El Nino occurring in many other dairy areas, early dry off decisions will need to be made to protect next seasons production, with light and low producing cows being dried off first.
Another hard decision will be how much should be spent on preventative mastitis medications for cows at the end of milking, and dairy advisers suggest vet advice will be important as cutting costs here may have a significant effect on next years production.
The negotiations between graziers and dairy managers continues with some rates mentioned not sustainable for those growing feed.
More deals need to be made which will reward those reaching liveweight targets on time, body condition scores by calving, and low empty rates in new calving heifers.
Feed volumes available are variable between districts and amount of irrigated crops grown, and some will need to add in the cost of cartage with the cheaper feed further away.
Officials have now stated that the velvet leaf incursion will not be able to be eradicated in one season as some seed has been dispersed and will need to be controlled by chemicals in the future.
Fonterra have announced a new auction system to complement the Global Dairy Trade event.
This platform covers the vast array of dairy products, is open 24/7, and allows purchasers to buy smaller packages confidentially, in a global shop set up.
The optimistic ASB followed the auction with a predicted forecast of near $5/kg ms for this year and $6 for next.
Fonterra plans for their governance review to reduce the directors from 13 to 11 with the majority being farmers, has met with a muted response with change proponents.
Yashili has launched their infant formula onto the NZ market to increase the competition for added value products in the domestic market.
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