The Ashbuton District is well suited to dairy farming. With irrigation, free draining soils, flat land and excellent farming services in Ashburton, dairying is popular throughout the Ashburton District.
Dairying

Dairying......

Ashburton District supports 190 dairy farm units running between a total of 125,000 and 130,000 cows.  Dairy farms comprise approximately 18% of Ashburton District plains land farming (excluding other farms that provide grazing for replacement heifer calves and heifers, and dairy cows during the winter dry-off period). 

Irrigated dairy farms in Canterbury have the highest production per cow and per hectare in New Zealand.

 

Advantages of dairy farming in Ashburton District are –

  • Reliability of production provided by irrigation using the latest technology
  • Long and reliable pasture growing season and, therefore, milk production
  • Free-draining soils, providing excellent feed utilisation
  • Off-farm grazing readily available for replacement heifers and dry cows during winter-integrated land use
  • Opportunity to buy-in feed from other farms in district, particularly cropping farms [crop residues etc]
  • Excellent stock health and thrift
  • Flat land, easy for cow movement
  • Strong market for surplus dairy livestock e.g. dairy bull beef
  • Opportunity for large scale of operation, with average dairy herd at 700 cows, amongst the highest in New Zealand
  • Ability to use dairy effluent as a fertiliser, an option not practical in many other dairying areas of New Zealand
  • Increase in staff requirement for dairy farms helps maintain population in rural districts and rural school rolls
  • Excellent farm servicing facilities in Ashburton

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Grow Mid Canterbury
PO Box 392, 57 Cass Street, Ashburton, New Zealand
Phone: +64 03 308 0290, Fax: +64 03 308 0419
office@growmc.co.nz
Updated Friday, 23 July 2010 :: Web publishing made easy, with Thrive ::