Owl Farm case study - Milk quality

Owl Farm case study - Milk quality

This page from Owl Farm, the Waikato demonstration dairy farm run jointly by St Peter's School and Lincoln University, reports milk quality results against Fonterra's Co-operative Difference standard, including alerts, grades and demerit points by season.

It covers teat spraying and rapid mastitis testing practice, how herd test data is used to cull high somatic cell count cows before summer milking changes, and the plant hygiene checks run each season.

Photo: “Disused Dairy Milking Shed at Ngakuru” by DB Thats-Me, licensed for reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0

Open LinkOpen Kete

Dairy

  • Owl Farm case study - Mastitis control

    Enterprise
    Dairy
    Livestock
    Wellbeing

    Discover how Owl Farm keeps mastitis cases and cell counts down in its herd.

  • Farm Source guide - Optimise milk quality

    Enterprise
    Dairy
    Livestock
    On-farm actions

    See how preventing mastitis and lifting milk quality reduces treatment costs and lost production.

  • Owl Farm case study - Milk production

    Enterprise
    Dairy
    Productivity
    Profitability

    Compare season milksolids results against Owl Farm's production targets.

Productivity

  • Owl Farm case study - Herd reproduction

    Enterprise
    Dairy
    Livestock
    Productivity

    Track how a Waikato demonstration farm lifts its 6-week in-calf rate each season.

  • Owl Farm case study - Feed budgets

    Enterprise
    Dairy
    Farm planning
    Productivity

    Learn how feed budgets keep pasture cover and cow condition on target.

  • Owl Farm case study - Imported supplements

    Enterprise
    Dairy
    Productivity
    Profitability

    Check how imported feed is used strategically to lift milk from pasture.

Livestock

  • Owl Farm case study - Animal well-being plan

    Enterprise
    Farm planning
    Livestock
    Wellbeing

    See how Owl Farm builds a seasonal well-being plan for its dairy herd with local vets.

  • Owl Farm case study - Herd genetics

    Enterprise
    Dairy
    Livestock
    Productivity

    Read how genetic selection keeps Owl Farm's herd among the nation's best.

An alternative perspective

  • Owl Farm case study - Soil health

    Whenua
    On-farm actions
    Soil
    Sustainability

    Discover how Owl Farm tests and protects its soil's physical, chemical and biological health.

Explore related content

Owl Farm case study - Youngstock rearing

Enterprise
Dairy
Livestock
Productivity

Explore how replacement calves are reared and grown out to entry weight.

Dairy Farming in Matamata

Enterprise
Capability
Dairy

Hear from Waikato dairy farmer Ella Wharmby about a season of hard graft and lessons learned.

Owl Farm case study - Paddock performance

Enterprise
Fertiliser
Productivity
Soil

Discover which paddocks grow the most feed and why some fall short.

Pete Morgan & Ann Bouma, Te Awamutu

Climate
Agritech
Dairy
Productivity

Find out how a Te Awamutu dairy farm used virtual fencing to run fewer, more productive cows.

People, planet and profit

Climate
Dairy
Methane
Profitability

Meet the Waikato dairy farmers using their numbers to cut emissions and stay profitable.

Owl Farm case study - Environment plan

Whenua
Farm environment plan
Farm planning
On-farm actions

Follow how Owl Farm's environment plan guides its land, water and effluent management.

Investigating robotic milking

Enterprise
Dairy
Innovation
Productivity
Wellbeing

Read about the Greenfield Project which showed that automated milking can be successful within a New Zealand pastoral system.

Owl Farm case study - Greenhouse gas performance

Climate
Emissions reduction
Greenhouse gas
Methane

Learn how Owl Farm cut biological greenhouse gas emissions over a ten year period.

Owl Farm case study - Heat stress management

Climate
Livestock
Water
Wellbeing

Read how Owl Farm cools its herd through hot Waikato summers with shade and sprinklers.

Once-a-day-milking Decision Matrix

Enterprise
Agribusiness
Dairy
Employment
Livestock
Planning
Productivity

Evaluate switching to once-a-day (OAD) milking with this decision matrix tool.