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.

Farmers have counteracted decreasing margins by increasing scale. Individual farm productivity has rocketed by 250% in 15 years.

Average dairy farm size of nearly 300 hectares is on course for 2010, with average dairy herd size of more than 1,000 cows. Mr Roche said farm amalgamations, multiple farm ownership, share milking, and equity sharing arrangements have facilitated the switch to dairying.