200 cow manager feature in NZ

ONE person managing 200 cows has become a key feature of New Zealand dairy farming.

Sheep, beef and tillage land has been converted to dairying in a rapid expansion of milk production.

“Ten years ago, milking 1,000 to 3,000 cows in one unit was difficult to imagine. Now 500 to 1,000 hectare farms are being converted from sheep and tillage farming into irrigated, highly productive dairy units, within twelve months”, said John Roche, a senior research scientist in New Zealand, at last week’s Teagasc National Dairy Conference.