Milk output slow during NZ winter months

Milk production during the month of June was 7% down on the same time last season.  Official data released by DCANZ show that just 10.4 million kgs milksolids (kgMS) was produced in June.  In June the majority of dairy cows in New Zealand are not in milk.  A small number of cows are milked during the winter months primarily to meet fresh milk demand in the domestic market.  Although June marks the official start to the 2013/14 NZ milk production season it is not an indicator of performance of the season ahead.  NZX Agrifax analyst Susan Kilsby says “June’s milk production figure is insignificant due to the very low volumes typically produced in that month and does not give any indication of likely production levels for the new season”.  June production volumes account for less than 1% of total annual milk production in New Zealand.   “June’s milk production figure is insignificant due to the very low volumes typically produced in that month and does not give any indication of likely production levels for the new season”. Susan Kilsby Agrifax Dairy Analyst Fonterra data indicates that production volumes remained subdued during the month of July.  Last week Fonterra announced that during the months of June and July they collected 10.4% less milk than during the same months in 2012.  Milk collections were down to a greater degree in the North Island than in the South Island.  This is to be expected as milk production in the South Island is typically growing quicker than it is in the North Island as more land is converted into dairying.  Also the South Island did not get impacted by the autumn 2012 drought to the extent that the North Island did.