Inside the barn: Aztech Buildings takes composting barn conversations on the road
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This September, dairy farmers across New Zealand will have the opportunity to step inside working composting barns and hear straight from the people who use them every day.
Aztech Buildings has launched its Inside the Barn: The Composting Barn Roadshow, a farmer-led event series travelling across six dairy regions throughout September. Rather than a formal trade event, the roadshow has been designed to give farmers, rural professionals and industry stakeholders the chance to see real systems operating on real farms and have open, practical conversations with the farmers behind them.
Composting barns have become an increasingly important topic of discussion across the dairy sector, particularly as farmers look at ways to improve cow comfort, build greater resilience into wintering systems and plan infrastructure that will support their businesses well into the future.
But while there is plenty of discussion around the concept of composting barns, there is nothing quite like walking through one, seeing how it operates and asking questions of the people who manage the system day in and day out.
That is exactly what the Inside the Barn Roadshow has been designed to do.
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A chance to see the system in action
Across six locations, attendees will be welcomed onto working dairy farms where composting barns are already part of the farming system. The events will provide an opportunity to look beyond the plans and concepts and explore how these barns function in a real-world environment.
Practical conversations will cover cow comfort, wintering resilience, bedding management, feed efficiency, farm workflow and long-term infrastructure planning.
Importantly, the focus won’t be on a one-size-fits-all solution.
Every dairy farm operates differently, with variations in climate, soil type, herd size, labour availability, farm layout and management style all influencing the way infrastructure works. The roadshow has been designed to encourage honest discussion around what has worked, what has called for adjustment and what farmers should consider when looking at whether a composting barn could suit their own operation.
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Learning from farmers who are already doing it
One of the key strengths of the roadshow is its farmer-led approach.
Those attending will have the opportunity to speak directly with the farmers who have made composting barns part of their systems. These are the people managing bedding, moving cows, feeding animals and integrating the barn into their daily farm routines.
The practical segment gives the king-hitting content for each event.
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Six regions, six opportunities to get inside the barn
The Inside the Barn Roadshow will travel from North Auckland through the Waikato, Taranaki and the lower North Island before heading to Canterbury and Southland.
Roadshow stops:
📍 North Auckland, Makarau: Tuesday 15 September with Audmore, the Bradys
📍 Waikato, Huntly: Thursday 17 September with Rene and Ereine Vos
📍 Taranaki: Tuesday 22 September with Campbell Clayton-Green
📍 Dannevirke: Wednesday 23 September with Waka Dairies
📍 Canterbury: Monday 28 September with John Faulkner
📍 Southland, Invercargill: Wednesday 30 September with Carl North
Each event will run from 10:30am until 2:00pm, giving attendees plenty of time to explore the barn, hear from the host farmers and take part in practical discussions.
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More than just a building conversation
For Aztech Buildings, the roadshow is about more than simply showcasing a structure.
A composting barn becomes part of a much larger farming system, influencing everything from animal comfort and wintering to labour efficiency, feeding systems, and the long-term direction of the business.
The events are also an opportunity for rural professionals and industry stakeholders to better understand how composting barns are being integrated into New Zealand dairy farming systems across different regions.
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Registrations are essential
Attendance at each roadshow stop is by registration, helping Aztech Buildings manage numbers, catering, biosecurity and health and safety requirements.
With just six events being held across the country, don’t miss this opportunity. For more information or to register for an event, visit the Aztech Buildings Composting Barn Roadshow page.
Registrations are required.
Register for the Inside the Barn: The Composting Barn Roadshow
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