We've seen significant changes in wintering in Southland and South Otago - with greater recognition that farmers are making strong progress to improve environmental outcomes and animal care.
But getting wintering practices right is important on all farms because every year, in almost every region, there's the potential for ongoing wet weather over winter. Caring for your cows in these conditions is a top priority.
Setting yourself up to winter well now
Winter weather differs between regions, but most farms experience sodden paddocks and mud at some stage. Cows need to lie for more than eight hours a day to stay healthy and comfortable. Research at the Southern Dairy Hub shows that during, and on the day after, heavy rain, some animals don't lie down for up to 24 hours.
It's important to consistently monitor paddocks, the weather and your animals' behaviour over winter. If wet conditions persist and cows aren't getting enough rest, it's time to take action to make them comfortable.
Having a written contingency plan will help improve animal care. If you don't already have a wintering plan, sit down with your team before winter to get options on paper.
Developing and actioning a wintering plan
Your plan should include options to get cows to a drier, preferably sheltered, area with feed. It should also cover when to implement contingency plans. No two farms will have the same threshold for implementing their contingency plan, so make sure everyone on your team knows when to act.
As a team, plan how you can carry out checks of the paddock conditions and mobs at various times of the day. Sharing what you're seeing with each other will help with decision-making.
Assessing conditions in the whole paddock will make it easier to predict what the paddocks might look like in the next few days, and what your options are. Consider whether conditions will improve, get worse or stay the same.
To get an idea of what your cows are up to, look for 'lying bowl' marks left by cows in the soft crumbly soil. If you can't see lying bowls or your cows have a lot of wet mud on their flanks, this indicates they haven't been lying or they've been on a sodden surface, and you need to give them alternatives.
Taking note of how your animals are behaving is useful - are they calm and content, or restless? You and your team know your farm and cows better than anyone, so you'll know the best options for managing your animals in wet weather.
We can't predict the weather, but you and your team can plan for a successful winter.
Keep up to date with the latest in dairy with our Talking Dairy podcast!
Talking Dairy is a DairyNZ podcast for farmers that covers a range of topics from animals, pasture and feed, farm environment, people, and business.
Recent podcasts cover recruiting staff, technology and data, flexible milking, improving herd fertility, protecting profit in a high payout, and emissions pricing.
It's easy to keep up with the latest in dairy news, science, research and practical solutions through DairyNZ's podcasts as you can listen while you're out and about on the farm.
Visit dairynz.co.nz/podcast to listen online. You'll also find links to the podcast on your favourite podcast platform so you can subscribe to Talking Dairy and be the first to know when each new episode is live.