Milksolids per cow are once again near record levels, says DairyNZ.
Total cow numbers across New Zealand have had a marginal 0.5% lift from 4.67 million to 4.7m for the 2022-23 season, according to the latest annual New Zealand Dairy Statistics.
The annual report, which is collated by DairyNZ and LIC, showed that milksolids per cow has also lifted 6kg, up to 400kg MS/cow from the five-year average of 394kg MS/cow.
Until 2021, the average herd size had increased consistently, but in the past three years appears to have plateaued around a midpoint of 445 cows per herd.
Total milk production across all companies was 20.5 billion litres, containing 1.88b kg MS, a 0.5% increase in kilograms of milksolids.
DairyNZ chief executive Campbell Parker said the dairy sector has undergone significant structural change in the past decade but throughout this period production levels have remained stable, bringing much needed export revenue into the New Zealand economy.
“We have seen our dairy herd numbers reduce by 12% over the last decade, and a 5% decrease in total number of milking cows.
“Despite this, total milksolids processed have remained relatively stable, emphasising the resilience of our farmers, and their focus on ongoing productivity improvement.”
The increase in total milksolids production in the 2023-24 season was driven by a combination of the slight increase in cow numbers and favourable weather conditions, he said.
“Milksolids per cow are once again near record levels, which is a result of farmers dedication, technology uptake, and the application of science and insights driving better on-farm decisions and outcomes.”
Owner-operators remain the largest type of dairy farm operating structures, comprising 55% of the country’s 10,485 dairy herds.
Sharemilking is the second largest operating structure, accounting for 29% of herds across all types of sharemilkers with 16.9% of those sharemilkers being 50:50.
Contract milkers are third, comprising 14.5% of operating structures.
The report showed a slight decrease in the percentage of cows herd tested on the previous season, at 77.1% (3.62 million cows), while artificial breeding remained relatively stable, with a slight decrease to 81.1% of cows (3.81 million cows).
LIC chief executive David Chin said these were not unexpected, following a year of tight financial conditions on farm. As the economic outlook improves, he was optimistic these numbers will rebound in the coming season.
The average dairy co-operative payout (including dividends) from Fonterra and Tatua was $8.90/kg MS, an increase from $8.76/kg MS in the previous season.
When adjusted for inflation, the 2023-24 payout was $0.35 below the five-year inflation-adjusted average of $9.25/kg MS.
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