Heat stress quietly chips away at milk, fertility and welfare on NZ dairy farms. Learn how to spot it early and manage heat stress with practical, pasture-based solutions.

Hay and Silage Cultivation: A Practical Guide for New Zealand Dairy Farmers

Reliable supplementary feed is critical to the success of New Zealand dairy systems. While pasture remains the backbone of most farms, hay and silage play a vital role in managing seasonal feed deficits, protecting pasture covers, supporting cow condition, and improving resilience during dry summers or wet springs

DairyNZ is giving New Zealand farmers a unique opportunity to gain hands-on governance and leadership experience within the dairy sector. 

Federated Farmers has appointed Mike Siermans as its new chief executive.

Siermans has been the organisation’s interim CEO since September last year, following Terry Copeland’s departure after seven years in the role.

We're excited to present the SUMMER SENSATION ALL BREEDS SALE 2026 catalogue for your viewing pleasure.

There is so much to be excited about within these pages, and we encourage you to delve into it and enjoy the potential buying opportunities.

Federated Farmers says changes to bank capital settings will save farmers some money, but don’t go anywhere near far enough to make a meaningful difference or unlock economic growth.

Federated Farmers has successfully fought to keep a farmer representative on a key Taranaki Regional Council committee, overturning a controversial earlier decision.

"We’re thrilled the council has recognised how important it is to have practical, on-the-ground knowledge at the table when shaping decisions that affect the region," Federated Farmers Taranaki president Leedom Gibbs says.

With New Zealand cows grazing outdoors and directly exposed to the sun, heat stress is a growing challenge. It affects cow comfort, productivity and wellbeing – and farmers are looking for practical, proven options to manage the risk.

Heat stress occurs when cows can’t shed excess heat, leading to discomfort and reduced milk production and with warmer, drier summers, the risk of heat stress is set to rise across all dairy regions.

DairyNZ’s latest Econ Tracker update shows most farms will still finish the season in a positive position, although the gap has narrowed compared with early season expectations.

Despite the Fonterra forecast farmgate milk price easing to a midpoint of $9.50/kgMS, the overall outlook remains positive with a forecast breakeven milk price of $8.50/kgMS.

Topcross Genetics to offer their best for sale

Arguably the highest Breeding Worth (BW) group of crossbreds to sell to date will be marketed in the Topcross Limited Edition Sale in late March 2026.

The South Canterbury operation is contract milked by Philip and Julia Harrison with Philip’s brother, John, in the 2IC position. Philip, 26, and Julia are moving on to a new employment opportunity next season as they work towards their ultimate goal of farm ownership.

The NZ DairyEvent is excited to welcome Brian Carscadden (Ontario, Canada) to oversee the Holstein judging from: 𝐒𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐲, 𝐉𝐚𝐧𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝟐𝟓 𝐭𝐨 𝐖𝐞𝐝𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐝𝐚𝐲, 𝐉𝐚𝐧𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝟐𝟖.

We thank Brian for joining the NZ DairyEvent 2026 judging team. We hope to welcome Tanner Schmaling in the future, after his plans had to be changed for 2026.

𝐇𝐎𝐋𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐈𝐍 – 𝐁𝐑𝐈𝐀𝐍 𝐂𝐀𝐑𝐒𝐂𝐀𝐃𝐃𝐄𝐍
Ontario, Canada
Executive Senior Manager, Blondin Sires Inc.

New Zealand farmers have been setting new milk solid records each month from May to September 2025, with the peak month of October the third highest output on record.

“South America is also shaping up to deliver a significant annual volume increase, and output from the Big-7 (the EU, the US, New Zealand, Australia, Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay) is forecast to finish 2025 up 2.2% year-on-year.

Canterbury Regional Council (Environment Canterbury), several industry partners and a group of farmers are encouraging their peers to consider composting as an environmentally friendly alternative.
Environment Canterbury is the first regional council to offer practical, in-depth guidance for farmers on how to compost animal mortalities on-farm. The guidance has been developed in partnership with a group of test farmers across Waitaha Canterbury, and with support from DairyNZ, Synlait, and Morven Glenavy Ikawai (MGI) Irrigation Company Ltd.

Building on voluntary schemes operating for nearly 20 years, the regulations establish a nationally consistent product stewardship framework for agrichemicals, their containers, and farm plastics – helping farmers cut waste, reduce environmental impact, and improve long-term productivity.

“For more than 30 years the RMA has held New Zealand back. It has frustrated farmers and agribusinesses, slowed down housing, delayed infrastructure and added huge cost and complexity for councils, businesses and communities,” Mr Bishop says.

“Our new planning system will cut red tape, unlock growth and improve environmental outcomes. These transitional arrangements make sure people are not forced to navigate unnecessary costs or uncertainty as we move from the old system to the new one.”

Resource Consents are out.

Today’s release of the Natural Environment Bill and Planning Bill to replace the Resource Management Act is a red letter day for the agricultural sector, Federated Farmers says.

"The RMA is the single biggest handbrake on growing agricultural productivity and rural economies. It's great to see its end come one step closer," Federated Farmers resource management spokesperson Mark Hooper says.  

"When farmers complain about expensive resource consents, unachievable freshwater targets, Te Mana o te Wai, and outstanding natural landscape overlays, these are all things that sit under the RMA legislation.

Federated Farmers is welcoming news that the Government will be taking urgent steps to end the spiraling consenting crisis that has been hammering farmers and rural communities.

"This is a really practical and pragmatic step from the Government that will be a relief for thousands of farming families," says Federated Farmers vice president Colin Hurst."Consenting issues have been a hot topic in rural New Zealand with a lot of people wondering how the transition to new resource management laws will work in practice."Farmers have been faced with huge costs and uncertainty with consenting processes taking months - in some cases years. Quite rightly, they’ve been asking questions.

Synlait Milk Limited (Synlait) has appointed Richard Hickson as Chief Operating Officer (COO).Richard brings over 20 years of leadership experience in manufacturing operations across the global dairy and infant nutrition sectors. His career has spanned the Middle East, New Zealand, and The Netherlands, reflecting a deep understanding of international markets and operational excellence.

Australia’s premier dairy event is shining a light on the forces shaping the future of the dairy industry – beyond milk production – to equip Australian dairy farmers with the insights and tools needed to navigate the emerging future challenges and seize new opportunities.

"Pests and weeds aren’t just a minor nuisance; they’re an economic and environmental crisis causing serious problems for farmers and conservationists.

"They’re spreading disease, destroying native forests, killing native birds, chewing through farmer’s pasture, and in some cases eating newborn lambs - it’s absolutely devastating."