HubWatch – 13 February 2026

Urea on crops: We used the drone again this week to spread urea on the crops. This is a great way to achieve an even spread without damaging plants. Thanks @Southland Drone Services Limited.

Production: Both herds are holding production well, with the Standard herd producing 1.92 kgMS/day and the Futures 2.03 kgMS/day. It was great to see some grass growth this week (34 kgDM/ha Standards and 42 kgDM/ha Futures), however it's still below demand. We're starting to see a few of the younger cows drop body condition score, especially in the Future herd. While we've lifted the in-shed feed to these animals, these will be the early cows to focus on as we head through the remainder of the season and our staggered dry-off process relative to BCS.

Field days: Thank you to DairyNZ for accommodating us at their stand at Waimumu Field Days. Our GM Andrea Dixon has really enjoyed interacting with the farming community and hearing research suggestions as we head into our farmer workshops next week. These workshops will help shape our future research, and we would love to see as many farmers there as possible. Find out more at www.southerndairyhub.co.nz/events and please register here. These workshops are a great forum to discuss challenges, ideas and opportunities that will help shape future research topics.