An Overview Of The Dairy Farming Sector In New Zealand
New Zealand’s dairy farming industry is a crucial part of the country’s economy. The agricultural sector in New Zealand accounts for two thirds of all exports and has an impressive global reputation. Meat, dairy and other livestock product is revered worldwide for its consistently high quality. The dairy industry supplies the entire country and still exports enough to be the eighth largest milk producer, accounting for 2.2% of the world’s production; quite astounding figures for a country of just over four million.
The country’s dairy industry rose from humble beginnings during early European colonisation. In the nineteenth century, dairy farming began to expand with the introduction of farming co-operatives. These farmer-owned dairy companies aided the industry’s growth substantially. Six years after the Treaty of Waitangi was signed, farming exporting began. New Zealand farmer’s arranged the first refrigerated shipments from Dunedin to London in 1882.
There were 600 processing factories open by 1920, the majority owned by co-operatives. The number of co-operatives was growing quickly, and by the beginning of World War II 500 existed in the country. The war brought new technologies and methods of transportation that would lead to a surge in mergers between the country’s co-operatives which grew larger and larger. Soon the number dwindled until only four co-operatives existed in the 1990s. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: agricultural business, dairy farmingRelated posts
Cattle Farming For Beginners – 7 Tips and Ways to Boost Your Earnings in This Profitable Industry
This article contains helpful tips about cattle farming for beginners. Farming cattle is a great way to boost your earnings. Just as long 
as you put into mind the following tips, you are in good hands.
* The quickest way to success is across the greenest pastures with cattle grazing them. These pastures make the most preferable soil upkeep crops.
* A way to bring back a farm that is worn out is by maintaining the amount of cattle which the accessible forages will permit. You should only raise the herd amount as the forage quality and quantity allow.
* Another tip on cattle farming for beginners is to plan the pastures. Begin with a soil map and examine the soils in order to find out the trace elements and materials which may be deficient. Apply enough fertilizer, other elements and minerals in order to acquire the wanted results and sow the pasture to the suitable forages for the climate and the kind of soil.
* Do not try to create pastures on meager land if there is not fertilizer such as potash, phosphate, nitrogen, and limestone because it will simply not pay off.
* Supervision is the key to keeping fine pastures fine. It will not pay to seed and fertilize pastures and not supervise it in order to benefit the most from your investment and hard work. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: agricultural business, animal husbandryRelated posts
Raising Goats – How to Choose the Goat Breeds For Your Farm
Cute and cuddly: those are the two terms people associate with goats. This can be true, if you are raising goats as pets. However, if you are trying to establish a goat farm, you will quickly discover that these two terms are the farthest descriptions you can give your animal wards. Like all animal husbandry practices, raising goats also means having to deal with housing units, choosing feeds and dietary supplements, keeping out unwanted predators (especially wild animals in the surrounding areas,) health check ups done by the vet, updating or buying tools and machineries, regular inspection done by the authorities, knowing the breeding cycle of goats, and most important of all, choosing what breed of goats you intend to keep.
Although you can buy any breed of animal you want, raising goats according to their output will help you quickly regain your investments, and make your endeavors into a profitable business. As such, there are four types of goat farming. These are:
1. Raising goats for their fibers.
Wool is the most common fiber to be harvested from goats. But you can also acquire mohair and cashmere wool; both of which are usually prized for their silken texture and softness. For medium class wool, which is similar to sheep wool but only somewhat thicker, you would need to buy nigora and pygora goats (hybrid goats.)
Angora goats produce mohair and cashmere goats produce cashmere wool. And these are about 100 times more expensive than the common wool. However, you can only every successfully establish a goat farm of this kind in areas that are very cold or experience near freezing temperatures. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: agricultural business, animal husbandry