October 28, 2025 • 17 mins
In this episode of Talking Dairy, we explore the latest DairyBase upgrades that make benchmarking faster and easier.
DairyBase, our farm benchmarking tool, now connects with Farm Focus – and soon with tools like MINDA and Fonterra – so your financial and herd data flows in with just a few clicks. That means quicker cashflow reports, timely insights, and less time at your desk.
Hear from DairyBase manager (and dairy farmer) Jodie Goudswaard, and South Waikato and Lower Waipa area manager Steph Gudgeon – also a dairy farmer and long-time DairyBase user – about how these integrations are already making a difference.
Not already with DairyBase?
Have feedback or ideas for future episodes? Email us at talkingdairy@dairynz.co.nz
Stay up to date with advice, latest research, tools and resources. Read, browse, scroll, listen, or be there in person. Visit dairynz.co.nz/get-connected
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
SPEAKER_02 (00:01):
Kiora and welcome to Talking Dairy.
I'm your host Jack McGowan fromDairyNZ.
It's great to have you with us.
Today we're talking aboutsomething that can make life
easier on your farm.
Smarter data and less admin.
DairyBase now connects directlywith Farm Focus and soon with
other tools like Minder andFontera.
These integrations mean youspend less time entering data
(00:24):
and more time using it to makedecisions that count.
To share a bit more about this,I'm joined by two guests, Jodie
Goodsward, who leads Dairy Baseat DairyNZ and knows the ins and
outs of benchmarking, andStephanie Gudgeon, a dairy
farmer and longtime Dairy Baseuser.
And in her other job, some ofyou might recognise her as our
South Waikato and Lower WaiPAarea manager.
(00:46):
So let's dig into what's new,why it matters, and how you can
make the most of it.
Tina Kurua, Jody and Steph, sogreat to have you both here.
Can you start by telling usabout who you are and your role?
SPEAKER_01 (00:59):
Kiora, I'm Jody Goodswarez.
I am the dairy base manager hereat DairyNZ.
Also a dairy farmer.
So my husband and I own a smalldairy farm between Matamassa and
Morrinsville.
And I see my role here atDairyNZ as about helping farmers
understand their business.
And that's through benchmarkingmostly.
(01:19):
So I work with farmers, withconsultants, with industry
partners to make sure that thedata we collect is both
meaningful and useful to ourfarmers.
And also not just numbers on apage, but insights that they can
use to make better decisions onfarm.
SPEAKER_00 (01:35):
Cool.
And Steph?
Hi everyone.
I'm Steph.
And along with my husband Andyand our four kids, we farm in
Hinywera, which is in Matmata.
We run a system two, and ourstocking rate is three cows a
hectare.
And our main focus for our farmbusiness is around home grown
feed and managing costs.
And as Jack mentioned, in myspare time, I give back to the
(01:59):
industry through my role withDairyNZ.
SPEAKER_02 (02:02):
Okay, Jody, let's start with the basics.
What is Dairy Base and what doesit offer to farmers?
SPEAKER_01 (02:08):
So Dairy Base is a tool and it helps farmers
benchmark their farmperformance.
So it's financial and physicalinformation.
And so you can benchmark yourfarm against other farms in your
region or similar farmingsystems, but you can also track
your progress over time.
So it collects data over anumber of years and it can help
(02:29):
you identify some areas on thefarm for improvement.
So whether you're looking atthings like cost structures,
pasture harvested, or return onasset, Dairy Base can give you
that clarity to help makeinformed decisions.
So we sort of see it as beingespecially powerful if you do
use it year on year because youcan see how any maybe small
changes that you might make onfarm will impact your bottom
(02:52):
line.
And it's free.
SPEAKER_02 (02:54):
Excellent.
Steph, from your perspective asa farmer, what made you start
using Dairy Base?
What difference has it made toyour farm?
SPEAKER_00 (03:03):
I've just got my 24-25 reports in and realize now
that I have 20 years in DairyBase.
SPEAKER_02 (03:09):
Whoa.
unknown (03:11):
Awesome.
SPEAKER_00 (03:12):
Initially I heard about it and I used it as a
tool, like a learning tool,because I was relatively new to
farming 20 years ago when Istarted.
I've used it to build capabilityaround financial indices and
getting to know our farmbusiness, getting to know our
costs.
I've always been one of thosefarmers who would be able to
rattle off like their costs, theanimal health cost per cow or
(03:34):
what it costs they run theirdairy shed, or just the numbers
are really significant to me.
And the difference, Andy and Ispent 10 years sheep milking,
and I could always present to afarm owner and show them what
our farm system, ourprofitability, all on one page,
and it in a way helped us securejobs.
(03:56):
And I've always liked numbers.
So Dairy Base has allowed me tointimately know my numbers.
And that knowledge and abilitywith numbers, it's like a
transferable skill.
It moves into your ability toplan for the future and to
create budgets that are preciseand accurate for your business.
SPEAKER_02 (04:14):
Yeah.
Can you give us an example ofhow you've used Dairy Base to
identify opportunities or helpwith decision making?
SPEAKER_00 (04:21):
This is our seventh season owning.
And for the first five years, wewere absolutely dead broke.
And we're finally starting tomake good money now.
But however, our gross farmrevenue per hectare was always
lower than the benchmark, butour operating profit was higher.
So that highlighted to me thatwe're missing out on milk
revenue.
And that's when we started toexplore other milk companies.
(04:45):
So that was a decision that cameoff our dairy-based reports.
SPEAKER_02 (04:49):
Okay, interesting.
Jodie, there's a new integrationwith Farm Focus.
What is Farm Focus for thosethat don't know?
And what does that integrationmean for farmers?
Why is it a big deal?
SPEAKER_01 (05:02):
So Farm Focus is an accounting software for farmers.
And I know Steph uses it, so shemay give some more detail about
Farm Focus.
We're really excited about it inmy team, and we're hoping that
you guys out there will getreally excited too.
And it's a really big stepforward for us.
So it does mean that farmers whouse Farm Focus can send us their
(05:22):
financial data directly intoDairy Base with just a few
clicks.
Might be a little bit of setupat the beginning, but once it's
kind of set up, it'll just be afew clicks.
And actually, Steph, you've beentesting it for us.
You might even be able to tellus how it's working.
And you'll get access to cashflow reports and benchmarks
really early in the season.
So one of the feedback we get alot from farmers is by the time
(05:44):
we do their financial accounts,it's really late in the season.
So we are just starting to rampup now with financial accounts
because you know accountantshave got a lot of clients and
you can't do them all at once.
So, and even we'll still bedoing farmers' financials next
year.
And if you see something, thenit's quite late in the season to
make any changes.
(06:04):
So by doing cash flow reports assoon as sort of the season's
finished, or we sort of saymaybe when you've finished doing
your GST, then you can getaccess to really quick, valuable
information that will help youmake decisions mid-season.
Thank you, Jody.
SPEAKER_02 (06:20):
Steph, how do you currently manage your financial
data and what excites you aboutthis integration?
SPEAKER_00 (06:26):
So at the moment, I use Focus to do my annual cash
flow.
And every two months I reconcileto do my GST.
And midway through the year, meand my husband monitor our
actuals versus budgeted itemsusing some of the focus reports.
This integration would allow meto get that information out a
(06:48):
little bit easier.
Because at the moment I'm usinga homemade spreadsheet that I
input my revised budget into andwork out my operating profit and
my return on asset and return onequity.
It's really just a check-in anda guide for the rest of the
year.
Because, hey, halfway throughthe season, 60% of the milks in,
(07:08):
maybe 70% of our costs arethrough the bank.
So it's an excellent way to geta good gauge of where you're
going to end for the season.
Thank you.
SPEAKER_02 (07:17):
And Jodie, what kind of data will flow from farm
focus into dairy base and howwill that improve benchmarking?
SPEAKER_01 (07:25):
So, yeah, we're pulling in what we call coded
financial data.
So it's pretty similar to whatsits in there now in Dairy Base.
So things like animal health andelectricity, fertilizer, and
then milk and livestock income.
And because it's coming straightfrom your farm focus account,
it's consistent and it's up todate, but it will allow farmers
to have this really early seasondata which can guide those
(07:48):
businesses' decisions.
So for us, the idea is as soonas the sort of the April-May GST
bill is paid in late June, thenwe'll get your farm focus data
through into Dairy Base.
And then also going forward frommid-next year, we're looking to
have bi-monthly updates as well,which would be quite exciting.
So every two months, once thatGST is done, we can get sort of
(08:09):
more relevant and timelyinformation throughout the year
to support sort of planning andthen be able to benchmark
against other farmers in yourregion to see sort of where they
may be spending money or, youknow, where their income's
coming through.
SPEAKER_02 (08:23):
Thank you.
So beyond farm focus, Jody,you're also working on
integrations with MINDA andFonterra.
What can farmers expect fromthose?
SPEAKER_01 (08:32):
We're also really excited.
We're quite an excited team,aren't we?
So we're also really excitedabout the upcoming integrations.
So MINDAR, we are pulling inanimal data.
So that will help us calculatethings like your peak cow
numbers, number of young stock.
We'll be looking at removedanimals to help us calculate the
days in milk.
And then when we overlay thiswith your Fonterra data, we can
(08:55):
get sort of milk production forthe year, but also maybe milk
production per cow at the peak,somatic cell count, those kind
of things.
So again, it's about the goal isto give farmers a more complete
view of their business in oneplace so they can make decisions
based on that full story, notjust financials.
So we feel it's quite importantto overlay that physical
(09:18):
information with that financialinformation as well.
So yeah, watch this space.
SPEAKER_02 (09:23):
We certainly will.
Steph, I'm sure you'll bewatching.
What herd or milk data would bemost useful for you if it could
be pulled into dairy base?
SPEAKER_00 (09:33):
The trickiest part of dairy-based data collection
for a farmer is the removedanimals and days in milk.
So it would be super if in mindor we can pull out animals
treated for under a dry off planand then your removed animals
that have been culled or sold.
That would make life a loteasier.
(09:54):
And also perhaps animals thathave been under treatment or
withhold periods.
SPEAKER_02 (09:58):
And Steph, can you share an example of how
benchmarking has helped you spotan opportunity or make a change
on your farm?
SPEAKER_00 (10:06):
Benchmarking is really powerful.
And as I said before, our mainfocus on the farm is to maximize
homegrown feed.
Our farm is in quite a highvalue area, so the return on the
grass that grows, that the feedavailable on the farm, that
returns the most important tous.
So the first thing I will lookat is the pasture and crop
(10:28):
harvested figure and to see howwe're going against the
benchmark within our area.
It would be more powerful for meif more farmers in Manamata
Piaco area put their data in,because at the moment there's
only about 20 farmers in thatbenchmark set, once Jodi's got
all the financials in.
And usually we're sitting prettymuch at the top of that or above
(10:49):
that benchmark.
So you want some more farmers tocompare to?
Yeah.
And in the past, as sharemilkers, I would monitor each
cost and look around what thebenchmark is.
And if we went to groups orevents or just with general
farmers in our area, we can ask,you know, what they're doing and
find ways that we could maybesave money or do things a little
(11:13):
bit differently.
SPEAKER_02 (11:14):
Jody, how do you see these integrations helping
farmers make smarter, fasterdecisions, especially in tight
seasons?
SPEAKER_01 (11:22):
I think when times are tough, then every decision
counts, right?
And I want to put off on Steph'scomment about getting more
farmers in.
Hopefully these integrations isgoing to make it a whole lot
easier and we get a whole lotmore farmers, Steph.
But it's also the integrationsmean farmers can access their
performance earlier, hopefullywith less effort, because
another, I said before, a lot ofthe feedback we get is the
financials are late in theseason.
(11:43):
The other feedback we get isI've already done this for this
person.
Why do I have to do it again?
So getting that data in quicker,way easier, hopefully more
farmers, means that they canrespond a bit faster, whether
it's adjusting feed, reviewingcosts, or being able to plan for
the next season.
And about giving farmers likethat real confidence in their
numbers so that we say they canact with clarity and purpose.
SPEAKER_02 (12:07):
And what's your vision for the future of Dairy
Base?
Where's it heading?
SPEAKER_01 (12:12):
Well, since you asked, so my vision is that
Dairy Base becomes a farmer'sgo-to for farm performance
insights.
So we're trying to build aconnected system where data
flows seamlessly.
There may be a little fewhiccups along the way, but
hopefully it will be seamlesslyfrom the tools that farmers
already use, like MINDAR,Fontera, their Dairy Diary,
(12:32):
those sort of things, andstraight into Dairy Base.
So we're also talking to otherintegration partners like a
couple of fertilizer companies,other milk companies.
And if farmers have got othersuggestions for companies they
use, we will definitely talk tothem and hopefully we can get
some integration set up.
But it just hopefully will meanless admin, better benchmarking,
(12:53):
which will lead to smarterdecisions.
And we're also, this is going totake some getting my head
around, but exploring predictiveinsights and more tailored
reporting.
So kind of bringing in a bit ofthis AI stuff.
Farmers can then not only tracktheir progress, but also kind of
plan ahead with confidence aswell.
So the predictive insights thingis quite cool.
(13:13):
So it'll be interesting to seewhere that goes.
SPEAKER_02 (13:16):
This integration is something that farmers have been
asking for, it feels like, thewhole time I've worked at
DairyNZ.
So it's not actually that easyto do, is it?
SPEAKER_01 (13:26):
No.
So first of all, we kind of haveto have some sort of legal
agreement to make sure, youknow, that everybody's happy and
what's going to happen with thedata and that kind of thing.
And then there's the technicalpiece, which I kind of had these
really unrealistic expectationsthat like a month, when can we
get this done in a month?
And uh some of them are takingsix months and longer.
So there's kind of get thislovely agreement that every
(13:47):
party, you know, we're all aboutsupporting the farmers and
trying to make it easier forthem.
But yeah, there's some otherlittle tricks in there.
And then the technology piece,and then we've kind of we test
it a little bit.
So Steph has been testing ourone with farm focus to make sure
it's seamless.
So then when we go, hey, youknow, this is really easy, you
click here, it makes it easierwith farmers.
So it does take some time, buthopefully things will speed up a
(14:09):
bit.
SPEAKER_02 (14:10):
Awesome.
It's so good to see it coming tofruition.
SPEAKER_01 (14:13):
Yeah, I'm happy.
SPEAKER_02 (14:16):
And Steph, what would you say to farmers who
haven't tried Dairybase yet,especially those who already use
Farm Focus?
SPEAKER_00 (14:22):
For farmers who haven't tried Dairy Base, I
definitely encourage them.
It gives you this other level ofknowledge around your business.
It gives you like a new level toplay with, to experiment with.
It gives you a new realm ofknowledge to perfect or to
master.
And DairyBase has beenhistorical.
(14:43):
As Jody's been talking about,sometimes there's a delay in
getting our data once ourfinancials are in.
And then we sort of are lookingback at last season
retrospectively.
And for me in my budgetingstyle, I work on our past
historicals.
So they're like proven numbers,so I can use them confidently.
But going forward, if we've gotthese integrations, it's sort of
(15:06):
like a mix of what has been andthe excitement of what can be.
So this integration couldactually give us better insight
to what we're doing.
And hey, my husband's notinterested in this.
He just wants me to sit downwith him every six months and
give him a four-sentence summaryof how well we're doing.
He doesn't even want to ask mehow much money I've got in the
(15:29):
bank account.
Like he just wants to know thenuts and bolts.
Has he got a surplus?
How's he tracking against thebudget?
So he thrives on his cows andgrass, whereas I thrive on the
numbers behind the business.
And over the last 20 years, it'sbecome my bread and butter, and
I couldn't be where I am todaywithout it.
SPEAKER_02 (15:49):
Well, that's it for this episode of Talking Dairy.
A big thanks to Jody and Stephfor sharing their insights.
If you want to cut down on adminand get better benchmarking,
now's the time to connect yourfarm focus accounts with
Dairybase.
Head to dairynz.co.nz forwardslash dairybase to learn more.
Thanks for listening and we'llcatch you next time.
Matewa.
(16:16):
If you'd like to get connectedwith DairyNZ's latest advice,
research, tools, and resources,whether it's reading, scrolling,
listening, or in person, you canvisit dairynz.co.nz forward
slash get connected, and don'tforget to hit follow to keep up
to date with our latestepisodes.
As always, if you have anyfeedback on this podcast or have
(16:37):
some ideas for future topics orguests, please email us at
talkingdairy at dairynz.co.nz.
Thanks for listening and we'llcatch you next time on Talking
Dairy.
Kiora and welcome to Talking Dairy.
I'm your host Jack McGowan fromDairyNZ.
It's great to have you with us.
Today we're talking aboutsomething that can make life
easier on your farm.
Smarter data and less admin.
DairyBase now connects directlywith Farm Focus and soon with
other tools like Minder andFontera.
These integrations mean youspend less time entering data
(00:24):
and more time using it to makedecisions that count.
To share a bit more about this,I'm joined by two guests, Jodie
Goodsward, who leads Dairy Baseat DairyNZ and knows the ins and
outs of benchmarking, andStephanie Gudgeon, a dairy
farmer and longtime Dairy Baseuser.
And in her other job, some ofyou might recognise her as our
South Waikato and Lower WaiPAarea manager.
(00:46):
So let's dig into what's new,why it matters, and how you can
make the most of it.
Tina Kurua, Jody and Steph, sogreat to have you both here.
Can you start by telling usabout who you are and your role?
SPEAKER_01 (00:59):
Kiora, I'm Jody Goodswarez.
I am the dairy base manager hereat DairyNZ.
Also a dairy farmer.
So my husband and I own a smalldairy farm between Matamassa and
Morrinsville.
And I see my role here atDairyNZ as about helping farmers
understand their business.
And that's through benchmarkingmostly.
(01:19):
So I work with farmers, withconsultants, with industry
partners to make sure that thedata we collect is both
meaningful and useful to ourfarmers.
And also not just numbers on apage, but insights that they can
use to make better decisions onfarm.
SPEAKER_00 (01:35):
Cool.
And Steph?
Hi everyone.
I'm Steph.
And along with my husband Andyand our four kids, we farm in
Hinywera, which is in Matmata.
We run a system two, and ourstocking rate is three cows a
hectare.
And our main focus for our farmbusiness is around home grown
feed and managing costs.
And as Jack mentioned, in myspare time, I give back to the
(01:59):
industry through my role withDairyNZ.
SPEAKER_02 (02:02):
Okay, Jody, let's start with the basics.
What is Dairy Base and what doesit offer to farmers?
SPEAKER_01 (02:08):
So Dairy Base is a tool and it helps farmers
benchmark their farmperformance.
So it's financial and physicalinformation.
And so you can benchmark yourfarm against other farms in your
region or similar farmingsystems, but you can also track
your progress over time.
So it collects data over anumber of years and it can help
(02:29):
you identify some areas on thefarm for improvement.
So whether you're looking atthings like cost structures,
pasture harvested, or return onasset, Dairy Base can give you
that clarity to help makeinformed decisions.
So we sort of see it as beingespecially powerful if you do
use it year on year because youcan see how any maybe small
changes that you might make onfarm will impact your bottom
(02:52):
line.
And it's free.
SPEAKER_02 (02:54):
Excellent.
Steph, from your perspective asa farmer, what made you start
using Dairy Base?
What difference has it made toyour farm?
SPEAKER_00 (03:03):
I've just got my 24-25 reports in and realize now
that I have 20 years in DairyBase.
SPEAKER_02 (03:09):
Whoa.
unknown (03:11):
Awesome.
SPEAKER_00 (03:12):
Initially I heard about it and I used it as a
tool, like a learning tool,because I was relatively new to
farming 20 years ago when Istarted.
I've used it to build capabilityaround financial indices and
getting to know our farmbusiness, getting to know our
costs.
I've always been one of thosefarmers who would be able to
rattle off like their costs, theanimal health cost per cow or
(03:34):
what it costs they run theirdairy shed, or just the numbers
are really significant to me.
And the difference, Andy and Ispent 10 years sheep milking,
and I could always present to afarm owner and show them what
our farm system, ourprofitability, all on one page,
and it in a way helped us securejobs.
(03:56):
And I've always liked numbers.
So Dairy Base has allowed me tointimately know my numbers.
And that knowledge and abilitywith numbers, it's like a
transferable skill.
It moves into your ability toplan for the future and to
create budgets that are preciseand accurate for your business.
SPEAKER_02 (04:14):
Yeah.
Can you give us an example ofhow you've used Dairy Base to
identify opportunities or helpwith decision making?
SPEAKER_00 (04:21):
This is our seventh season owning.
And for the first five years, wewere absolutely dead broke.
And we're finally starting tomake good money now.
But however, our gross farmrevenue per hectare was always
lower than the benchmark, butour operating profit was higher.
So that highlighted to me thatwe're missing out on milk
revenue.
And that's when we started toexplore other milk companies.
(04:45):
So that was a decision that cameoff our dairy-based reports.
SPEAKER_02 (04:49):
Okay, interesting.
Jodie, there's a new integrationwith Farm Focus.
What is Farm Focus for thosethat don't know?
And what does that integrationmean for farmers?
Why is it a big deal?
SPEAKER_01 (05:02):
So Farm Focus is an accounting software for farmers.
And I know Steph uses it, so shemay give some more detail about
Farm Focus.
We're really excited about it inmy team, and we're hoping that
you guys out there will getreally excited too.
And it's a really big stepforward for us.
So it does mean that farmers whouse Farm Focus can send us their
(05:22):
financial data directly intoDairy Base with just a few
clicks.
Might be a little bit of setupat the beginning, but once it's
kind of set up, it'll just be afew clicks.
And actually, Steph, you've beentesting it for us.
You might even be able to tellus how it's working.
And you'll get access to cashflow reports and benchmarks
really early in the season.
So one of the feedback we get alot from farmers is by the time
(05:44):
we do their financial accounts,it's really late in the season.
So we are just starting to rampup now with financial accounts
because you know accountantshave got a lot of clients and
you can't do them all at once.
So, and even we'll still bedoing farmers' financials next
year.
And if you see something, thenit's quite late in the season to
make any changes.
(06:04):
So by doing cash flow reports assoon as sort of the season's
finished, or we sort of saymaybe when you've finished doing
your GST, then you can getaccess to really quick, valuable
information that will help youmake decisions mid-season.
Thank you, Jody.
SPEAKER_02 (06:20):
Steph, how do you currently manage your financial
data and what excites you aboutthis integration?
SPEAKER_00 (06:26):
So at the moment, I use Focus to do my annual cash
flow.
And every two months I reconcileto do my GST.
And midway through the year, meand my husband monitor our
actuals versus budgeted itemsusing some of the focus reports.
This integration would allow meto get that information out a
(06:48):
little bit easier.
Because at the moment I'm usinga homemade spreadsheet that I
input my revised budget into andwork out my operating profit and
my return on asset and return onequity.
It's really just a check-in anda guide for the rest of the
year.
Because, hey, halfway throughthe season, 60% of the milks in,
(07:08):
maybe 70% of our costs arethrough the bank.
So it's an excellent way to geta good gauge of where you're
going to end for the season.
Thank you.
SPEAKER_02 (07:17):
And Jodie, what kind of data will flow from farm
focus into dairy base and howwill that improve benchmarking?
SPEAKER_01 (07:25):
So, yeah, we're pulling in what we call coded
financial data.
So it's pretty similar to whatsits in there now in Dairy Base.
So things like animal health andelectricity, fertilizer, and
then milk and livestock income.
And because it's coming straightfrom your farm focus account,
it's consistent and it's up todate, but it will allow farmers
to have this really early seasondata which can guide those
(07:48):
businesses' decisions.
So for us, the idea is as soonas the sort of the April-May GST
bill is paid in late June, thenwe'll get your farm focus data
through into Dairy Base.
And then also going forward frommid-next year, we're looking to
have bi-monthly updates as well,which would be quite exciting.
So every two months, once thatGST is done, we can get sort of
(08:09):
more relevant and timelyinformation throughout the year
to support sort of planning andthen be able to benchmark
against other farmers in yourregion to see sort of where they
may be spending money or, youknow, where their income's
coming through.
SPEAKER_02 (08:23):
Thank you.
So beyond farm focus, Jody,you're also working on
integrations with MINDA andFonterra.
What can farmers expect fromthose?
SPEAKER_01 (08:32):
We're also really excited.
We're quite an excited team,aren't we?
So we're also really excitedabout the upcoming integrations.
So MINDAR, we are pulling inanimal data.
So that will help us calculatethings like your peak cow
numbers, number of young stock.
We'll be looking at removedanimals to help us calculate the
days in milk.
And then when we overlay thiswith your Fonterra data, we can
(08:55):
get sort of milk production forthe year, but also maybe milk
production per cow at the peak,somatic cell count, those kind
of things.
So again, it's about the goal isto give farmers a more complete
view of their business in oneplace so they can make decisions
based on that full story, notjust financials.
So we feel it's quite importantto overlay that physical
(09:18):
information with that financialinformation as well.
So yeah, watch this space.
SPEAKER_02 (09:23):
We certainly will.
Steph, I'm sure you'll bewatching.
What herd or milk data would bemost useful for you if it could
be pulled into dairy base?
SPEAKER_00 (09:33):
The trickiest part of dairy-based data collection
for a farmer is the removedanimals and days in milk.
So it would be super if in mindor we can pull out animals
treated for under a dry off planand then your removed animals
that have been culled or sold.
That would make life a loteasier.
(09:54):
And also perhaps animals thathave been under treatment or
withhold periods.
SPEAKER_02 (09:58):
And Steph, can you share an example of how
benchmarking has helped you spotan opportunity or make a change
on your farm?
SPEAKER_00 (10:06):
Benchmarking is really powerful.
And as I said before, our mainfocus on the farm is to maximize
homegrown feed.
Our farm is in quite a highvalue area, so the return on the
grass that grows, that the feedavailable on the farm, that
returns the most important tous.
So the first thing I will lookat is the pasture and crop
(10:28):
harvested figure and to see howwe're going against the
benchmark within our area.
It would be more powerful for meif more farmers in Manamata
Piaco area put their data in,because at the moment there's
only about 20 farmers in thatbenchmark set, once Jodi's got
all the financials in.
And usually we're sitting prettymuch at the top of that or above
(10:49):
that benchmark.
So you want some more farmers tocompare to?
Yeah.
And in the past, as sharemilkers, I would monitor each
cost and look around what thebenchmark is.
And if we went to groups orevents or just with general
farmers in our area, we can ask,you know, what they're doing and
find ways that we could maybesave money or do things a little
(11:13):
bit differently.
SPEAKER_02 (11:14):
Jody, how do you see these integrations helping
farmers make smarter, fasterdecisions, especially in tight
seasons?
SPEAKER_01 (11:22):
I think when times are tough, then every decision
counts, right?
And I want to put off on Steph'scomment about getting more
farmers in.
Hopefully these integrations isgoing to make it a whole lot
easier and we get a whole lotmore farmers, Steph.
But it's also the integrationsmean farmers can access their
performance earlier, hopefullywith less effort, because
another, I said before, a lot ofthe feedback we get is the
financials are late in theseason.
(11:43):
The other feedback we get isI've already done this for this
person.
Why do I have to do it again?
So getting that data in quicker,way easier, hopefully more
farmers, means that they canrespond a bit faster, whether
it's adjusting feed, reviewingcosts, or being able to plan for
the next season.
And about giving farmers likethat real confidence in their
numbers so that we say they canact with clarity and purpose.
SPEAKER_02 (12:07):
And what's your vision for the future of Dairy
Base?
Where's it heading?
SPEAKER_01 (12:12):
Well, since you asked, so my vision is that
Dairy Base becomes a farmer'sgo-to for farm performance
insights.
So we're trying to build aconnected system where data
flows seamlessly.
There may be a little fewhiccups along the way, but
hopefully it will be seamlesslyfrom the tools that farmers
already use, like MINDAR,Fontera, their Dairy Diary,
(12:32):
those sort of things, andstraight into Dairy Base.
So we're also talking to otherintegration partners like a
couple of fertilizer companies,other milk companies.
And if farmers have got othersuggestions for companies they
use, we will definitely talk tothem and hopefully we can get
some integration set up.
But it just hopefully will meanless admin, better benchmarking,
(12:53):
which will lead to smarterdecisions.
And we're also, this is going totake some getting my head
around, but exploring predictiveinsights and more tailored
reporting.
So kind of bringing in a bit ofthis AI stuff.
Farmers can then not only tracktheir progress, but also kind of
plan ahead with confidence aswell.
So the predictive insights thingis quite cool.
(13:13):
So it'll be interesting to seewhere that goes.
SPEAKER_02 (13:16):
This integration is something that farmers have been
asking for, it feels like, thewhole time I've worked at
DairyNZ.
So it's not actually that easyto do, is it?
SPEAKER_01 (13:26):
No.
So first of all, we kind of haveto have some sort of legal
agreement to make sure, youknow, that everybody's happy and
what's going to happen with thedata and that kind of thing.
And then there's the technicalpiece, which I kind of had these
really unrealistic expectationsthat like a month, when can we
get this done in a month?
And uh some of them are takingsix months and longer.
So there's kind of get thislovely agreement that every
(13:47):
party, you know, we're all aboutsupporting the farmers and
trying to make it easier forthem.
But yeah, there's some otherlittle tricks in there.
And then the technology piece,and then we've kind of we test
it a little bit.
So Steph has been testing ourone with farm focus to make sure
it's seamless.
So then when we go, hey, youknow, this is really easy, you
click here, it makes it easierwith farmers.
So it does take some time, buthopefully things will speed up a
(14:09):
bit.
SPEAKER_02 (14:10):
Awesome.
It's so good to see it coming tofruition.
SPEAKER_01 (14:13):
Yeah, I'm happy.
SPEAKER_02 (14:16):
And Steph, what would you say to farmers who
haven't tried Dairybase yet,especially those who already use
Farm Focus?
SPEAKER_00 (14:22):
For farmers who haven't tried Dairy Base, I
definitely encourage them.
It gives you this other level ofknowledge around your business.
It gives you like a new level toplay with, to experiment with.
It gives you a new realm ofknowledge to perfect or to
master.
And DairyBase has beenhistorical.
(14:43):
As Jody's been talking about,sometimes there's a delay in
getting our data once ourfinancials are in.
And then we sort of are lookingback at last season
retrospectively.
And for me in my budgetingstyle, I work on our past
historicals.
So they're like proven numbers,so I can use them confidently.
But going forward, if we've gotthese integrations, it's sort of
(15:06):
like a mix of what has been andthe excitement of what can be.
So this integration couldactually give us better insight
to what we're doing.
And hey, my husband's notinterested in this.
He just wants me to sit downwith him every six months and
give him a four-sentence summaryof how well we're doing.
He doesn't even want to ask mehow much money I've got in the
(15:29):
bank account.
Like he just wants to know thenuts and bolts.
Has he got a surplus?
How's he tracking against thebudget?
So he thrives on his cows andgrass, whereas I thrive on the
numbers behind the business.
And over the last 20 years, it'sbecome my bread and butter, and
I couldn't be where I am todaywithout it.
SPEAKER_02 (15:49):
Well, that's it for this episode of Talking Dairy.
A big thanks to Jody and Stephfor sharing their insights.
If you want to cut down on adminand get better benchmarking,
now's the time to connect yourfarm focus accounts with
Dairybase.
Head to dairynz.co.nz forwardslash dairybase to learn more.
Thanks for listening and we'llcatch you next time.
Matewa.
(16:16):
If you'd like to get connectedwith DairyNZ's latest advice,
research, tools, and resources,whether it's reading, scrolling,
listening, or in person, you canvisit dairynz.co.nz forward
slash get connected, and don'tforget to hit follow to keep up
to date with our latestepisodes.
As always, if you have anyfeedback on this podcast or have
(16:37):
some ideas for future topics orguests, please email us at
talkingdairy at dairynz.co.nz.
Thanks for listening and we'llcatch you next time on Talking
Dairy.
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