Donald's Farm NZYF

20/02/2025

The cows are loving their baleage! 🐄🌿 With plenty of quality feed, they are happy, healthy, and thriving. Nothing beats the sound of content cows enjoying a good meal!

19/02/2025

There is always something happening at Donald’s Farm, and our laneway development is coming along nicely! Improving our infrastructure means better access, smoother operations, and happier animals.

18/02/2025

You never know who is going to pop by during board meetings at Donald’s Farm! 🐄🚶‍♂️

Our four-legged “executive team” decided to drop in and check on operations today. Always good to have a little extra input—especially from those who enjoy the pasture the most!

16/02/2025

Meet Cow 15 (AKA Poppy) – The Friendly Boss!

It’s time to introduce another personality from our herd—Cow 15! She’s one of the friendliest cows on the farm and has taken a special liking to our casual staff member. You will often find her running around the paddock, being a bit silly, and showing off her playful side.

Despite being one of the smaller cows, don’t let her size fool you—she holds her own and isn’t afraid to stand up to some of the bigger Shorthorns!

11/02/2025

Great news from the Heifer Liver Biopsies!

We have received the results from the recent liver biopsies on our heifers, and we’re happy to report that all animals show copper and selenium levels well within the recommended range! It’s always reassuring to get positive results, confirming that our herd is in great health.

10/02/2025

Last week, we started work on a long-awaited laneway development project! We are shifting a section of laneway so it will no longer go up and down a hill, making it easier and faster for the cows to walk to the shed from the back of the farm.

Not only will this improve efficiency, reduce lameness, and reduce energy used for walking by the herd, but it will also create more direct access to the nursery and our native bush block. We are looking forward to seeing the benefits this brings for both the farm and our animals!

Stay tuned for progress updates!

09/02/2025

Nature’s Den will be using these traps in our native bush blocks at Donald’s Farm to help protect and restore our local wildlife.

A big step towards conservation and sustainability on the farm!

This term at Nature’s Den Brookby, our tamariki will be assembling 20 rat traps to help protect our native wildlife on the farm and teach the kids the importance of kaitiakitanga (guardianship of the land) 🌱🐦‍⬛

Huge shoutout to for providing the materials through the boomers shed! 🙌

We can’t wait to get stuck in!

09/02/2025

With the summer dry setting in, we have brought in some meal to supplement our cows' diet and keep production up.

The meal is stored in the silo and fed out in the cowshed during milking, ensuring our herd stays healthy and well-nourished through the dry spell.

06/02/2025

Checking In on Our R2 Heifers 🐂

Yesterday, our vet performed a liver biopsy on a handful of our R2 heifers—these are cows born in 2023 who will have their first calves between July and September 2025. The biopsy helps us measure their copper levels to determine if they need extra supplementation in their diet.

We will have the results in a few days and will provide a copper capsule if needed to keep them in top health ✅️

Yesterday, our vet performed a liver biopsy on a handful of our R2 heifers—these are cows born in 2023 who will have their first calves between July and September 2025. The biopsy helps us measure their copper levels to determine if they need extra supplementation in their diet.

We will have the results in a few days and will provide a copper capsule if needed to keep them in top health ✅️

05/02/2025

🐄 At Donald's Farm NZYF, it's all about connecting kids with farming! 🐄

Gifted to NZ Young Farmers in 2018, Donald’s Farm is an educational dairy farm helping people learn where their food comes from. Working closely with schools, they’re growing their impact and sharing the farming experience.

Come Sunday 9 March, join them for Open Farms with a guided tour and a chance to meet the dairy cows! 🐮🚜

Visitor registrations for all farms are opening soon - register to be the first to know at https://www.openfarms.co.nz/visit-a-farm/

03/02/2025

Assistant Farm Manager/2IC wanted
Farming on Auckland’s southern boundary.

A unique opportunity for an assistant farm manager at Donalds Farm has become available.

About the farm
• Donalds Farm is owned by NZ Young Farmers. Donalds Farm is 63 effective hectares, with 11 hectares of native bush, laneways and gullies currently being replanted in native trees and plants. The farm has rolling-steep hill topography.
• The farm operates a low-input system, with supplements used strategically in the shoulders of the season. Chicory is grown on farm as a summer crop.
• The farm milks 125 Jersey and 10 milking shorthorn cows through an 11 aside herringbone shed, young stock are grazed off-farm. We are a spring calving herd, milking twice-a-day until mid-December, then once-a-day for the rest of the season. Cow health and heat detection is monitored with Allflex collars.
• Buildings are up to a good standard and include a Herd Home, which is used in winter and at calving.
• The farm is an educational farm – with visitors and school groups often on farm. Sam (the farm manager) will host farm visits and manages rostered time off and holidays.

What we can offer
• Competitive salary, based on the applicant’s experience.
• A chance to gain many new skills and to work independently
• Opportunities to improve knowledge through Primary ITO if desired
• Utilise the latest technology including Allflex cow collars, Gallagher electric fence and weighing devices, soil moisture monitoring through CropX.
• Flexible rosters
• This is a fixed term, drive-in position. No accommodation will be provided.

What we are looking for in ideal applicant
• Positive can-do attitude, who is a good problem solver
• Someone who can work independently or as part of a small team
• Experience in milking and can identify animal health issues
• Good pasture management
• Confidence on machinery/good tractor driving skills
• Applicants must currently reside in New Zealand.

Interested? Send your CV and interest to us at [email protected]

02/02/2025

Busy days here at Donald's Farm! We've been clearing a fence line that had become overgrown with branches and even had a fallen tree on it.

We are also relocating one section of the fence to protect an area we planted with natives during the winter of 2024.

It’s all part of our ongoing work to keep the farm running smoothly and ensure the new native plantings are well cared for.

31/01/2025

29/01/2025

We are assessing feeding options for the summer and autumn seasons to ensure our cows receive optimal nutrition.

As part of this process, we have conducted a pasture analysis to help us select the best supplements to maximise their diet and maintain herd health and productivity.

Investing in the right nutrition is key to sustainable farming and keeping our cows happy and thriving.

26/01/2025

We are thrilled to share that we have won a brand-new whiteboard with our farm map on it, thanks to and their competition they held at the Fieldays!

This fantastic addition is already proving to be incredibly helpful in running our farm operations and planning day-to-day tasks. It’s also a perfect way to showcase our farm to visitors and give them a better understanding of how everything works here at Donald’s Farm.

Thank you, Vizlink, for this great prize – it’s making a real difference!

23/01/2025

Dairying’s ability to carry the NZ economy in recession cannot be overstated, economist says.

22/01/2025

🌾 Feed for Winter 🌾

Most seasons, we are fortunate enough to make all the baleage we need right here on the farm. However, this year, we weren’t able to make any, so we have taken the step to bring some in.

By securing feed now, we’re ensuring we have plenty on hand to keep things running smoothly through the winter months ahead. Planning ahead is key to looking after our stock and keeping the farm productive.

22/01/2025

Recently, we scanned (pregnancy tested) our herd using ultrasound technology. This allows us to detect pregnancy and measure the size of the fetus, helping us pinpoint the expected calving date.

We are excited to share that our scanning results were our best yet: a 6-week in-calf rate of 82% (target 78% or above) and a not-in-calf rate of just 6% (target 12% or below). Our 10-week mating period, all AI, was supported by Allflex and SenseHub NZ collars for heat detection.

A great step forward for our herd!