SMASH: Run by dairy farmers for dairy farmers

SMASH has been set up to help dairy farmers, particularly those with smaller operations, to run successful businesses. We mainly achieve this by running events throughout New Zealand. These give farmers the opportunity to gain knowledge and skills which will stand them in good stead back on their own farms.

We also want to foster a supportive farming community – we are all in it together! SMASH is run by a group of New Zealand dairy farmers with a passion for the industry and for helping to build a strong and sustainable future for dairy farming. Read more

Survey: Pathways to Farm Ownership. Can you help us out?

Whatever your farming career path we would like to hear from you! We want to find out what career path dairy farmers have taken, and what their plans are for the future.

  • Have you bought a farm?
  • Are you planning to buy a farm?
  • Or is farm ownership not your end goal?

Whatever your farming career path, we would like to hear from you. We want to find out what dairy farming career end goals look like nowadays and how people who buy farms have achieved their ownership dream. Once we have the results we are going to share them so all farmers can benefit from what we learn.

We value your time, and so we are offering people who fill in our survey the opportunity to go in the draw to win one of two Kapiti Cheese hampers (valued at $200 each – thanks to Fonterra).

The survey takes 5 – 10 minutes to complete.

Click here to go to survey

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Cattle can’t see the way we can. The cow’s eyes, on either side of their head, give them a wide range of vision (almost 360 degrees), but they have a small 30 degree blind spot directly behind them. They have binocular vision for a limited area in front of them. This is where they will have the clearest vision and ability to judge depth or distance. To get the best possible vision, cattle will lower their head and face the object of interest front on.The rest of their visual field is monocular. This large monocular area is very good for detecting predators, but they cannot judge distance in this area well. Because of this it is best to approach a cow from the side and move at a slow pace. This will not spook the cow and allows you to approach them more closely than front on. Your voice is a useful cattle handling tool. Good cattle handlers use their voices to calm and soothe. Most importantly, your voice lets cattle know where you are. ... See MoreSee Less
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There are 4.67 million dairy cows in New Zealand – down 3.5% from 2021/22 (New Zealand Dairy Stats 2022-23).This is about 3% of the world dairy cattle population, with India having the largest population of about 61 million, and Brazil coming next with around 17 million.If you stood all the cattle in New Zealand nose to tail in a line along the equator, most of them would drown. ... See MoreSee Less
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2 weeks ago

SMASH Dairy Farming NZ
As we get into the swing of this season’s mating join us for a live chat with Stephen Smyllie (Waikato farmer, DIA runner-up Waikato Share Farmer of the Year 2024) and Wade Bell. Stephen and his wife Sophie are contract milking 330 cows on Stephen Weir’s 98 ha property near Te Aroha.Stephen and Wade are going to discuss current farm conditions and late spring/early summer planning with a focus on the key stock and feed decisions. They will use Stephen’s farm as an example, but there will be plenty of take-home messages for other farmers. They will talk about:• How this season has been going for Stephen and the key management decisions he has made to handle on-farm conditions. • What Stephen’s mating plan was and how it is progressing so far, what the numbers are indicating, and how they compare to previous seasons. Last year he achieved a 79% 6 week in-calf rate with a 9% empty rate from a 9-week mating period.• How Stephen manages his spring pasture surplus and the feed plans he is putting in place to prepare for summer. ... See MoreSee Less
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Another one about chewing 😊. There’s good news for those that love a good cheese board – cheese is a superfood for the teeth due to being a good source of calcium, plus its ability to combat acid erosion of the teeth.Every time you eat a meal with bread, sweets, citrus, or soda, your teeth are exposed to tooth decay-causing acid. Eating cheese after a meal can counteract this acid, making it a great choice for dessert. Soft cheeses, such as brie and camembert; aged cheddars; and blue cheeses, including Roquefort, gorgonzola and Stilton, are all excellent options for your teeth.Reference: orthodonticsaustralia.org.au/9-foods-healthy-teeth/ ... See MoreSee Less
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Testimonials / See what people say about us

Our Farmers

Keith and Tracey

Smaller herd works for couple

“You are never too old to learn, attending SMASH events, industry and bank days keeps you well-informed and up-to-date. It is great to get off farm to see how other people run their farms.”

Cam

Always learning something new

“I think some people are shy to walk into an event on their own. The way I think about it is if you go to an event and learn one thing, quite often that thing will make you a lot better farmer. There are a lot of practical ideas you can pick up.”

Paul and Abby

Winning shift to the West Coast

“I love the fact that it is much more family-orientated, that is much more sustainable from a people perspective. My kids will grow up like I did, getting out on the farm, helping Dad in the shed. Ultimately, that is where the next generation of farmers comes from. I think we have done well to attract people from the urban setting, but I don’t think that is sustainable. You have to have environments where you can bring up families and that is one of the big benefits of small herds.”

Peter

SMASH supporter from the start

“SMASH events are more relevant for smaller herds farmers, you don’t feel out of place as you are not among the big corporates. It’s good to have small events like SMASH. I would encourage anyone to go to a SMASH event if they get a chance. I enjoy the interaction with the people afterwards as much as the topics.”

Nathan and Rosie

Career switch to smaller herd pays off

“We like the SMASH events so much because they are at a good level, they are deep enough to be worthy of going, and practical enough that we can use them in everyday life. Getting off the farm to go to an event is like a holiday! We feel so refreshed afterwards, it’s like we have been away for ever!”

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