Dairy cow and herd numbers easing

Dairy cow and herd numbers easing
(Image: Getty)
Rebecca Howard
There were fewer New Zealand dairy cows and fewer herds in the 2021-22 season while milk production also slid.Cow numbers declined 1.26%, versus the prior season, to 4.84 million while there were 238 fewer herds, according to the annual NZ Dairy Statistics report by DairyNZ and the Livestock Improvement Corporation. Total herds now number 10,796. The average herd size is now 449, five cows larger than the previous season. However, 54.4% of herds have less than 400 cows.A total of 20.78 billion litres of milk, containing 1.87 billion kilogr...