Dairy farmers produce a record 2 billion kg of milk solids
A record 83% of the national dairy herd was herd tested last season.
|November 3, 2026Listen to the full interview:
Dairy farmers produced more than 2 billion kg of milk solids for the first time in 2025-26, up 4.5%.
DairyNZ chief executive Campbell Parker says average production per cow rose to a record 428kg, up from 414kg, and the national somatic cell count fell to a record low. “It’s not simply about producing more milk,” he says.
He says 83% of the national herd was herd tested last season, a record.
Cow numbers rose slightly to 4.72 million across 10,268 herds.
He says fewer than 9% of cows globally graze outdoors. The average New Zealand dairy cow is about 5.8 years old, compared with less than three years in United States mega dairies.
He says a Southland farmer’s new freestall barn has about a 14% internal rate of return.
To learn more, visit dairynz.co.nz
Watch the full interview:
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