| Overview As a whole, the New Zealand dairy industry processed over 14.6 billion litres of milk in the 2003/04 season from 3,851,302 cows in 12,751 herds. Over 1.25 billion kilograms of milksolids were processed from seasonal supply units into products predominantly for export.
Summary of Milk Production Statistics for the 2003/04 Season (million litres):
| Milk Processed |
Milkfat Processed |
Protein Processed |
Milksolids Processed |
| 14,599 |
716 |
538 |
1,254 |
Summary of milk production statistics for the 2002/03 Season (million litres):
| Milk Processed |
Milkfat Processed |
Protein Processed |
Milksolids Processed |
| 13,906 |
676 |
515 |
1,191 |
^ Back to top Regional Dairy Farm Statistics Information Source: Livestock Improvement Corporation "Dairy Statistics 2003-2004".
Almost one third of all New Zealand dairy farm herds are located in the Waikato / South Auckland region. 85 percent of dairy farms are located in the North Island with Taranaki being the second most heavily populated region at 16.3 percent. South Island dairy farms account for 17.9 percent of the national total. (see http://www.lic.co.nz/)
Regional Distribution of Dairy Farms for the 2003/04 Season:
| Region |
Percentage of Dairy Farms in Region |
| Waikato / South Auckland |
31.8% |
| Taranaki |
16.3% |
| Other North Island |
14.2% |
| Northland |
9.5% |
| Central Auckland |
4.9% |
| Bay of Plenty |
5.3% |
| Southland |
5% |
| North Canterbury |
3.9% |
| West Coast (South Island) |
3% |
| Otago |
2.5% |
| Nelson / Marlborough |
2.3% |
| South Canterbury |
1.2% |
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Production Per Cow For several seasons, the trend for increased production per cow has been mainly due to genetic gain and improvements in farm management. The weather does have a considerable affect on each season's actual production and can mask the improvements from season to season.
Summary of per cow production for the 2003/04 Season:
| Average kg protein per cow |
Average kg milksolids per cow |
| 138 |
322 |
Summary of per cow production for the 2002/03 Season:
| Average kg milkfat per cow |
Average kg protein per cow |
Average kg milksolids per cow |
| 179 |
136 |
315 |
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