New Zealand produces more dairy feed

Feed manufacturers in New Zealand have reported a 287% increase in production of dairy feed in the March quarter compared to the same period in 2007. In 2007 the production of dairy feed also increased almost 80% on the previous year.

"New Zealand dairy producers are increasingly looking to manufactured feeds to help meet the nutrient requirements of their high producing animals" says Michael Brooks, Executive Director of the New Zealand Feed Manufacturers Association (NZFMA). "No doubt, the drought in some areas like the Waikato, has meant that dairy producers purchased more compound feed than they would have in a normal rainfall year" he added.

"But we are also seeing a continuation of the trend which has been observed over the past 18 months, with dairy farmers realising the benefits available from using manufactured feed as a to supplement our traditional grass-fed dairy farming system.

"Manufactured feeds have a number of benefits over other feedstuffs and in many cases can fulfil functions which other feeds simply cannot" said Michael Brooks. There's a lot more information available on the strategic use of manufactured feeds in the booklet developed by the NZFMA in 2007. "This document drew on a wide range of expertise available from within our membership and illustrates the benefits available to dairy farmers who use manufactured feeds as part of their feeding strategy" said Mr. Brooks. The document can be downloaded, free of charge, from the NZFMA website (www.nzfma.org.nz).

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Editor AllAboutFeed