P3 Dairy Trust

14/08/2026

Monitor Farm Update

Grays

Current situation

Average pasture cover has dropped to 2,235 kg DM/ha with feed demand increasing and a run of frosts over the past two weeks. The farm is currently on a 62-day grazing round, sitting 6-8 days ahead of the spring rotation planner. To help protect pasture covers and maintain cow condition, maize silage is being introduced this week at 2 kg DM/cow/day on the feed pad. The 50-tonne DM stack is expected to last around 60 days. One herd will likely be shifted to twice-a-day over the next two weeks.

Calving

Calving is progressing well, with 395 cows now calved and 333 currently being milked into the vat. There are 99 cows still to calve. Operations Manager Teagan has noticed more ‘dirty’ cows than in previous seasons. Metri-checking will begin in September, with cows already being recorded and monitored in preparation for treatment if required.

Resilient Pastures - Tall Fescue

As part of the Resilient Pastures Programme, the Grays established a paddock of tall fescue in autumn. The paddock was recently grazed for the first time by the milkers at a pre-grazing cover of 3,500 kg DM/ha. While this was above the maximum recommended pre-grazing cover of 2,800 kg DM/ha, the cows left a good residual of 1,500kg DM/ha. The Grays will continue to monitor pasture performance and the milk production response from tall fescue throughout the season.


Hauraki Trust Farm

Feed position

400 cows have now calved (80% of the herd) with 360 being milked into the vat. Despite receiving 25-30 mm of rain over the weekend, pasture damage has been minimal, and temperatures have increased meaning pasture growth rates have bounced back following a week of multiple frosts.

Grazing round length has decreased to 48 days which puts the farm a week ahead of their spring rotation planner. Contract Milker Donald is comfortable as average pasture cover is sitting around 2,200 kg DM/ha, however getting fertiliser on in the form of Ammo is a priority with soil temperatures increasing.

Milk production

Milk production is off to a strong start (see image) with season-to-date production currently sitting 35% above last season.

Reasons for this uplift are thought to include a combination of the following factors.

Tighter calving spread.

Increased feeding (2 kg PKE in the milkers’ diet from early July compared to none at this time last season).

Targeted trace element supplementation over the past two seasons.

Feeding in early lactation is crucial for optimising milk production at peak and reducing body condition loss; which are both significant drivers of total season milk production.

Feeding

The milkers are being offered 18 kg DM of grass and 2 kg DM of in-shed PKE blend. The springers are currently on a grass-only diet, although the team is considering introducing baleage to increase the fibre component of the diet and maintain rumen function to reduce the risk of down cows.

Piries

Calving

Calving is steadily progressing with 800 calved of the 913 expected. After a bad run of milk fever for ten days in late July, things have changed around over the last two weeks. Management changes to achieve this included not grazing paddocks with high levels of potassium and introducing some dry baleage into the diet.

Feed situation

Pasture growth rates have responded well to recent rain and warmer temperatures, lifting to 30-35 kg DM/ha/day from 20 kg DM/ha/day. Average pasture cover is currently estimated at 2,100 kg DM/ha. To maintain a 50-day round, the Piries have increased supplementary feeding with baleage and additional PKE fed out in trolleys. This strategy maintains 18-20 kg DM/cow/day offered while allowing a feed wedge to build up heading towards balance date. PhaSedN Quick Start is currently being applied behind the cows at 100 kg/ha (32 kg N/ha).

Milk production is going well. The Piries are 7% up on last year (season to date) and the first herd test showed an average production level of 1.90 kg MS/cow/day.

Commentary by Rhys Dawson Perrin Ag Consultants Ltd

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02/08/2026

Monitor Farm Update

Grays

Current situation

Average pasture cover has dropped from 2,450 kg DM/ha to 2,350 kg DM/ha over the past two weeks with growth rates sitting around 20 kg DM/ha/day and feed demand increasing.

The Grays have now reached the halfway point of calving. Replacement numbers are ahead of target with 70 replacements on farm from the 110 required, helped by some strong results from their sexed semen programme. From the 40 sexed semen straws used at mating, 16 have calved with all but one calf being a heifer. Any surplus replacements will either be sold once weaned or as an in-calf R2 heifer.

Technology

The Grays continue to utilise Halter throughout calving, using a range of features to improve efficiency and simplify day-to-day management. Some of the most valuable benefits include:

Ability to manage multiple mobs more easily.

Ability to increase number of shifts per day without additional labour.

Using calving alerts to identify at risk cows early and easier pairing of cows and calves.

Pausing collars of cows after calving to give them a fresh break of grass.

Herd management

Cows remain in the colostrum mob for a minimum of four days post calving and until they have cleared a Rapid Mastitis Test (RMT) before joining the milkers. The milking mob will be split into two mobs once numbers surpass 250 into a high-performance mob and lower performance mob. Cows are split based on rumination data, historic milk production, and age. The high-performance mob is generally more efficient and pushed harder while the lower performance mob is milked once-a-day all season. All cows are on once-a-day milking until 6 weeks after PSC, until around 20 August.


Hauraki Trust Farm

Feed position & fertiliser

The Trust farm are seeing a much tighter calving spread this season than last, with 320 cows now calved out of 500 total. Pasture growth rates have increased slightly over the past two weeks due to good weather despite some frosty starts.

Feeding

The Trust are focusing on driving intake to maximise production and reduce cow condition loss. The milkers are being offered up to 18 kg DM/cow/day of pasture and 2 kg/cow/day of in-shed PKE blend. Production is currently at 1.7 kg MS/cow/day with the goal to peak above 2.0 kg MS/cow/day.

Magnesium and calcium supplementation remains a priority, especially with cases of milk fever increasing recently. Down cows are being treated with starter drenches and metabolic bags.

Spring Rotation Planner

The spring rotation planner is a tool that essentially plans the first grazing rotation after calving to ensure farms hit their target average pasture cover (APC)at balance date. For the Trust farm, they work on an APC at the start of calving of 2,400 kg DM/ha and a 90-day round. Over July and August, this drops to an APC of 2,000 kg DM/ha and a 24-day round by 4 September. Current round length (64 days) is slightly faster than target, however APC is also above target which provides some flexibility.

Piries

Current situation

The Piries are currently on a 63-day grazing round, which will continue to shorten until reaching a 21-day round at balance date (around 5 September).

Having a runoff allows the Piries to winter additional cows and take advantage of strong early spring demand for in-milk cows. This year, approximately 120 MA cows are planned to be sold, to mostly repeat buyers. Other surplus cows on farm include a small number of carryovers still being milked which are due to be culled shortly.

Calving

To date, 638 cows have calved from 913 expected. With current pasture growth conditions, the team are starting to see an increasing number of down cows. Strong grass growth and favourable weather conditions have resulted in pasture with high potassium (K) levels, which is believed to be contributing to milk fever. As an additional preventative measure, the Piries are dusting a small amount of lime flour (Ca) to the springer mob. This is being applied at very low rates and with caution to help promote calcium uptake prior to calving.

Calf rearing

The team are currently rearing more than 300 calves, made up of both heifer and bull calves, predominantly Jersey with some Friesian in there too. The new calf shed, pictured below, can house up to 200 calves at a time. It has been designed to allow calves access outside during the day while providing the ability to securely house them indoor overnight.

Commentary by Rhys Dawson Perrin Ag Consultants Ltd

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28/07/2026

How does your farm budget compare?

We have pulled together the average Farm Working Expenses (FWE) across our three P3 Monitor Farms, comparing the 2025/26 actual results with their 2026/27 budgets.

Take a look at the table and consider for your farm:

How do your budgeted costs compare with the Monitor Farm average?

Which expense areas have increased or decreased since last season?

Are there any costs that could be reviewed, renegotiated or managed differently?

Does your budget reflect the way your farm is currently operating?



Every farm is different. Farm system, scale, infrastructure, staffing, debt levels and planned maintenance can all have a significant impact on costs. The Monitor Farm averages are therefore not intended to be a “right” or “wrong” benchmark, but a useful starting point for asking questions and understanding what is driving your own numbers.

A good budget is more than a set of figures—it gives you a plan for the season and helps you identify areas that may need attention before costs get away from you.



How does your 2026/27 budget compare?

Want to see the detail behind the averages? Our weekly newsletter includes a breakdown for each of the three Monitor Farms. If you haven’t already subscribed, you can sign up here: https://gmail.us2.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=9005b3cdc128cf383698c496f&id=ebf3ba1812

20/07/2026

17/07/2026

Monitor Farm Update

Grays

Current situation

Average pasture cover (APC) has dropped from 2,600 kg DM/ha to 2,450 kg DM/ha with temperatures cooling off and pasture growth rates decreasing. The team have planned to start applying Ammo this week (20 kg N/ha).

Calving

The Grays have had 45 cows calve since planned start of calving (PSC) on 14 July. A small number of down cows has reminded the team to increase magnesium dusting rates to the springer paddocks. Farm manager Teagan notes that the high level of quality feed around and a larger number of cows above BCS 5.0 has increased the risk of metabolic issues. For prevention, all springers receive a Multimin injection (5 mL) when they enter the mob. Post-calving, any cows that look ‘at risk’ are given an oral drench containing calcium, yeast, and brewers’ grain to help stabilise blood calcium levels, promote rumen function and manage the cow’s negative energy balance. The Grays use an oral stomach pump system rather than manually drenching animals to make it easier on both staff and animals. Pasture samples have been taken and sent away to understand the mineral requirements of the herd through early lactation.

Colostrum mob

During the transition period, the milkers are on once-a-day (OAD) for the first six weeks of calving until mid-August. Milking OAD in early lactation comes with the benefits of reduced workload, improved cow health and energy status, and a slower decline in cow condition. However, there is a tradeoff in reduced milk production. DairyNZ research suggests that the longer cows are milked OAD post-calving, the greater the reduction in total milk production over that season (3-5% less kg MS for a herd on OAD for six weeks post PSC).


Hauraki Trust Farm

Feed position & fertiliser

Average pasture cover has dropped back from 2,400 kg DM/ha to 2,250 kg DM/ha over the past two weeks. A round of Ammo 31 is planned to go on this week to build pasture covers. Ammo 31 is a combination of Sulphate of Ammonia (60%) and Urea (40%). It is often applied in late winter/early spring when the mineralisation of organic sulphur to plant available sulphate is slow following wet/cold periods. While it can provide a strong boost for early spring, avoid applying before heavy rain as both sulphate and nitrate have a high leaching risk.

Feeding

Two weeks since the start of calving, 160 cows have now calved (33% of the herd). The Trust farm started supply on 10 July and are currently milking 80 cows into the vat. The milkers are on once-a-day milking; however, this will go to twice-a-day shortly. Contract milker Donald expects to see an uplift in early lactation production relative to last season by starting in-shed feeding from the start of July rather than in September last season. The in-shed meal consists of 65% PKE, 30% Tapioca, and 5% Molasses. The blend is focused on increasing the energy in the diet rather than providing protein. Energy rather than protein is often the most limiting component of the cows’ diet at this time of year. As a rule of thumb, good quality spring pasture has a crude protein level of 24-28% (DairyNZ). The recommended dietary protein levels during early lactation are 18% when production is < 2.4 kg MS/cow/day and 24% when production is > 2.4 kg MS/cow/day.

Piries

Current situation

A run of frosts has slowed grass growth down to 25-30 kg DM/ha/day this week from 40-45 kg DM/ha/day. Average pasture cover is sitting at 2,450 kg DM/ha, which has dropped following the slower pasture growth and the increasing feed demand as calving progresses. Farm owner, Brian expects pasture growth to bounce back strongly following some rain and plans to start a round of PhaSedN Quick Start shortly. The team are holding tight on an 80-day round, on target with their Spring Rotation Planner. The small number of springers on farm, with late-calvers still at the runoff, has meant that the milkers are going into paddocks with higher covers (3,300+ kg DM/ha) and leaving residuals of 1,600 - 1,700 kg DM/ha. August calving cows are expected to return to the home farm from the runoff over the next two weeks. The springer mobs are currently being offered 10 kg DM grass/cow/day and eating down to residuals of 1,250 - 1,300 kg DM/ha.

Calving & animal health

To date, 350 cows have calved out of 913 expected. Of those that have calved, approximately 250 are being milked into the vat producing an estimated 1.80 kg MS/cow/day. With the current pasture growth conditions, the team have seen some metabolic issues in the colostrum mob. Older cows (> six-year-olds) are receiving calcium boluses and a Vitamin D injection as a precautionary measure.

Interestingly, the Piries have seen a high number of twin-calving cows this season, which has kept the team on their toes when matching cows and calves. Although DNA testing for all calves does eliminate some of the guess work, being observant and having good records goes a long way in being able to identify potential problems early.

Commentary by Rhys Dawson Perrin Ag Consultants Ltd

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04/07/2026

Monitor Farm Update

Grays

Current situation

Average pasture cover has remained relatively consistent at 2,600 kg DM/ha over the past two weeks with pasture demand essentially matching supply (growth rates).

Meal has been contracted for spring (120 tonne of PRO COW 30). The milkers will start receiving the blend in early August at 2 kg/cow/day. A draft to form a springer mob is scheduled for next week and dusting with Mag Oxide will begin from there. Otherwise, the Grays are preparing for calving, making sure calf sheds are ready, and changing all the rubberware in the cowshed.

Animal health

The R2 heifers have recently received their second Salvexin vaccination for Salmonella, and B12 and Selenium injections. A final weigh pre-calving was also done, resulting in an average weight of 474 kg.

The Grays use MINDA to track heifer liveweights from weaning to their first calving. Reaching liveweight targets play a crucial role in determining the lifetime production of a cow, as well as its ease of calving and ability to get back in calf (fertility). At 22 months of age, the heifers should be 90% of mature liveweight prior to their first calving (DairyNZ).

Mature liveweight is estimated by 510 kg +/— Liveweight Breeding Value (Lwt BV). For the Grays, mature liveweight for this age group is 512.7 kg. The figure below shows that 70% of the group are at ideal liveweight, 10% are above target, and 20% are below target.


Hauraki Trust Farm

Current situation

Average pasture cover has dropped back from 2,550 kg DM/ha to 2,438 kg DM/ha over the past two weeks. Contract Milker Donald is preparing to apply a round of Ammo 31 to build covers as feed demand continues to lift over calving and pasture growth rates drop with recent frosts. After 80 mm of rain last week, the Trust were able to give the cows a larger area and minimise pasture and soil damage. Higher covers have also made grazing management in the wet much easier.

Calving

There have been 19 cows calve; however, things have not been straightforward with the first heifer requiring a caesarean. Magnesium is being supplemented to the Springer mob through dusting of Magnesium Oxide and Magnesium Chloride in the water. The Colostrum mob are being milked once-a-day and will be switched to twice-a-day next week once supply to Fonterra begins.

Feed planning

PKE will be introduced to the milkers’ diet shortly once supply begins, starting at 1 kg/cow/day. This is a change to last year where in-shed feeding started in early September. The goal is to improve milk production at peak using PKE and increase individual cow intake.

A look back over the 2025/26 season shows the annual feed supply (pasture growth) and demand (figure below).

Early spring is often a pinch period for the Trust farm so increased PKE use aims to reduce the pasture demand and improve milk production too.


Piries

Current situation

Calving is well underway for the Piries, with over 120 cows calved to date. June has been an outstanding month for grass growth and puts the Piries in a great feed position. Average cover is sitting at 2,475 kg DM/ha, which has come down as more cows join the milking mob and their feed demand increases.

The dry cows are targeting paddocks with higher covers (3,500+ kg DM/ha) while the milkers are going into paddocks between 3,000 - 3,200 kg DM/ha to ensure quality is being offered. The milkers are being offered ad-lib pasture, leaving behind residuals of 1,500 - 1,600 kg DM/ha.

There are still 330 dry cows at the runoff, which will start to come back to the milking platform over the next month as they start looking likely to calve.

Animal health

Udder swelling (oedema) has been an issue with the heifers, so the team have reduced the amount of grass offered and are supplementing with dry baleage (1 kg/cow/day). Udder oedema is more common in high performing young cows and caused by the milk vein not being able to keep up with the fast development of the mammary gland drain and drain lymphatic fluid effectively. Find more information on feeding transition cows here.

Fertiliser

Another round of PhaSed N is planned for July. Brian, farm owner, is confident in the response given the current pasture growth rates and soil temperatures being above 8° C.


Commentary by Rhys Dawson Perrin Ag Consultants Ltd

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25/06/2026

What is one management decision you've made that has had the biggest positive impact on your farm's cost of production?

19/06/2026

Monitor Farm Update

Grays

Current situation

The Grays continue to carry high covers although pasture growth rates have now dropped to 26 kg DM/ha/day. Round length remains at 90 days as the Grays are focusing on hitting low residuals and “resetting paddocks” while the weather conditions allow. Without this reset, target residuals are harder to hit in early spring, and pasture quality and regrowth can become an issue.

Feed management

Three weeks out from calving, two-thirds of the herd have achieved target body condition. The cows which are not there yet are being fed supplements in the form of hay and silage. While there is more feed on hand than a typical year heading into calving, Farm Manager Teagan is comfortable provided pre-grazing covers remain below 4,000 kg DM/ha to prevent shading and decay in the base of the sward. If covers do lift, supplement use will be reduced, and the round length shortened.

Resilient Pastures Programme update

Within the Resilient Pastures Programme, the perennial ryegrass paddock struggled to establish in areas of ponding and has required partial redrilling. The back section of the paddock is now ready for grazing, while the front section has responded well but requires more time to catch up.

The paddock of fescues (tall fescue and meadow fescue) established well and have seen strong regrowth following their first grazing. As a result, a second grazing with youngstock has occurred only 21 days after the first grazing.


Hauraki Trust Farm

Current situation

Pasture growth rates remain above 40 kg DM/ha/day despite a recent cold snap. This has lifted average pasture cover to 2,580 kg DM/ha and pre-grazing covers to approximately 3,800 kg DM/ha as growth is still exceeding demand. The autumn new grass paddocks have now been grazed, although some pulling is still evident. Notably, paddocks that were rolled during regrassing are showing more pulling, suggesting compaction rather than soil fertility as the primary cause. To minimise damage, these paddocks are being lightly grazed by the heifer mob.

Fertiliser use

Given the high pasture covers, contract milker Donald has opted to delay an application of Ammo 31. Historically, the Trust has applied nitrogen and sulphur at this time of year to drive early spring feed, however current growth rates mean additional fertiliser could lead to an excessive amount of feed heading into calving. An area of focus this year is on improving fertiliser and nutrient use efficiency by focusing on strategic applications to get the best return from the product. If covers continue to rise and a clear surplus develops, silage may be cut provided conditions are suitable.

Feed planning

Dry cows are currently being offered 12 kg DM/cow/day of pasture, while the heifer mob has been offered pasture and ad-lib PKE to lift body condition prior to calving. Due to the high levels of phosphorus in PKE, this will be removed from the diet shortly as it can limit the uptake of magnesium and therefore increase the risk of milk fever.


Piries

Calving underway

The Piries are now milking 45 empties following the last 110 later calving cows being dried off earlier this week. While three cows have calved, the Piries have temporarily ceased supply to Fonterra for a fortnight before the majority of the herd begins calving at the start of July. Any surplus calf milk is planned to be sold.

For now, the springer mob (205) and heifer mob (230) are being dusted in their paddocks. Once calved, each cow will spend a minimum of four days in the colostrum mob before transitioning to twice-a-day milking.

Feed situation

Pasture growth rates on the peat soils continue to exceed expectations (50+ kg DM/ha/day), with the darker soil type retaining heat more effectively than clay-based soils on the Plains. The Piries are planning another round of PhaSedN Quick Start (100 kg/ha) behind the cows over the next month to capitalise on these strong growing conditions. The current round length (90 days) will be extended to 100 days following the recent dry off and will remain at this length until the start of calving once the spring rotation planner has started.

Commentary by Rhys Dawson Perrin Ag Consultants Ltd

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13/06/2026

Reminder: The P3 Trust AGM will be held on Monday 15th June at 7.30pm at the Centennial Centre, Hauraki Plains College, Hayward road, Ngatea. All welcome.

10/06/2026

Are we feeding more supplement to get the same production?

From 2005-06 to 2018-19 seasons, DairyNZ’s DairyBase analysis observed the following drop in pasture & crop eaten across New Zealand:

Northland: -1.4 ton DM/ha
Waikato: -0.8 ton DM/ha
Canterbury +0.1 ton DM/ha
Otago/Southland -0.5 ton DM/ha

Pasture & crop eaten is one of the key drivers of farm profitability.

Pasture & crop eaten is estimated using a herd’s total annual energy requirements, converted to kgDM, then subtracting the quantity of imported supplement and off farm grazing. What is remaining is the amount of pasture & crop eaten.

DairyNZ is currently analysing more current Dairybase data to see if this pattern has continued or changed.

Source: