Economic Trends
The dairy outlook: a dashboard, not a single price prediction
Use verified signals to build conditional plans, and leave missing observations visibly blank.
29 Oct 2026Read
Blog
Stories & insights
Practical articles for dairy farmers and the people who work with them.
Economic Trends
New Zealand, Europe and America: useful comparisons, different farms
Overseas producers offer lessons about risk and market exposure—not a ready-made South African milk-price forecast.
29 Oct 2026Read
Economic Trends
Global dairy: powders firm while the headline index treads water
FAO and GDT measure different markets and periods. Read the product mix before drawing a conclusion for South African milk.
29 Oct 2026Read
Economic Trends
The cost squeeze: build a dairy budget from separate moving parts
Energy, wages, finance and traded inputs do not move together. The useful question is how each reaches the farm invoice.
29 Oct 2026Read
Economic Trends
South African milk: more volume is not the same as more profit
Milk purchases are growing, but the verified price evidence is an index—not a national rand-per-litre payment.
29 Oct 2026Read
Transforming African Small-Scale Farmers
Beyond the Grant: Building the Skills and Partnerships That Help Farmers Grow
Funding and infrastructure matter, but emerging farmers also need practical skills, trusted partners and a plan for managing risk. From Kenya’s LEAF programme to South Africa’s application deadlines, these examples show where to start.
27 Oct 2026Read
Transforming African Small-Scale Farmers
From Packhouse to Buyer: Practical Routes for African Small-Scale Farmers
A new packhouse in North West shows how infrastructure can bring produce closer to market—but farmers still need finance, records, skills and buyers. Here are practical routes, from an Eastern Cape funding deadline to dairy and market-linkage programmes elsewhere in Africa.
27 Oct 2026Read
Agricultural Research & Development
Cooling Dry Cows: A Florida Trial Puts Water-Efficient Soaking to the Test
A University of Florida trial suggests cow-detecting smart soakers may reduce water use while keeping pregnant Holsteins cooler. For farms, the result is promising—but still needs testing under commercial conditions and local climates.
27 Oct 2026Read
Agricultural Research & Development
Digital Dairy Tools Need to Prove Their Place in the Parlour and the Paddock
A European assessment of 30 digital-farming case studies offers a timely reminder: sensors and software should earn their keep in the conditions of each farm. Here is how dairy producers can turn data into decisions without letting technology become another chore.
27 Oct 2026Read
Agricultural Research & Development
Ration precision: Cornell research puts nutrient use at the centre of dairy performance
Cornell researchers are examining how to meet cows’ milk-production needs while limiting urinary nitrogen losses. The farm lesson is not a universal ration prescription, but a sharper focus on matching nutrients to animals, feed and production goals.
27 Oct 2026Read
Agricultural Research & Development
Neospora Control Starts with the Calf: What New Gippsland Evidence Means for Herd Management
An Australian study of five Gippsland dairy farms links Neospora transmission to both infected cows and replacement-herd decisions. Its findings give producers a locally grounded way to think about reproductive disease control—not a one-size-fits-all protocol.
27 Oct 2026Read
Agricultural Research & Development
Dairy R&D that pays its way: water, feed and data under the microscope
Recent trials from Florida, Cornell and Europe point to practical ways to use water, nutrients and digital tools more precisely. The farm lesson is to measure local results, not assume a promising technology or research result will automatically translate into profit.
27 Oct 2026Read