Every dairy farm runs on two systems.
There's the one you can see: cows grazing on green pasture, the morning rhythm of the milking shed, the quiet pride of a well-managed herd. New Zealand's dairy farmers are world-class at managing that visible world — and rightly so. They steward 4.7 million cows across 10,500+ farms, producing over $26 billion in exports and contributing 5–6% of New Zealand's GDP.
But there's a second system — one you can't see — and it's where some of the industry's biggest challenges quietly take root. Bacteria. Microbes. An entire living ecosystem inside and around every cow, every udder, every hoof.
At Farm Medix, we work in that invisible world. And what we're finding is changing everything.
The Problem That Wouldn't Go Away
Mastitis and lameness are the number one and number two health costs in New Zealand dairying. Mastitis — inflammation of the udder — costs the industry more than $240 million per year, with over 600,000 clinical cases annually. Lameness — driven by hoof infections — costs over $165 million per year, with a similar case load.
For years, the response has been reactive: wait for symptoms, reach for antibiotics, hope for the best. And yet, season after season, the same farms face the same problems. The cycle repeats.
That's not a failure of effort. It's a failure of information.
Without knowing which bacteria are causing an infection, treatment is guesswork — the equivalent of taking medication without a diagnosis. Farm Medix was built to change that.
The Farm Medix Approach: Identify, Solve, Prevent
We use microbiology — selective and differential culture plates, on-farm testing, and lab-based analysis — to give farmers something genuinely new: a name for the problem, a map of their herd, and a clear path forward.
Our approach works at every level: the farm, the herd, the individual animal, right down to the teat. It's practical, supported seven days a week, and available anywhere in New Zealand.
Check our mastitis management page to learn more about our approach.
And for hoof health, we've developed Stride-On™ Bovine — a continuous-contact copper leg band that leaches copper ions directly to the hoof around the clock, antibiotic-free and carcinogen-free.
The science is solid. The results are remarkable.
Animal Welfare: Cows That Thrive
Mastitis is painful. Lameness is painful. Reducing these infections isn't just a production metric, it's a fundamental animal welfare outcome.
The average New Zealand dairy cow is currently culled at around 5–6 years old, typically 3–4 lactations into her life. The cruel irony is that peak milk production arrives at the 4th to 5th lactation, meaning many cows are removed from the herd just as they're hitting their productive stride. Mastitis and hoof infections impair fertility, accelerate early culling, and cut short lives that have so much more to give.
When we reduce infection pressure, cows live longer, produce more, and contribute more per unit of resource consumed. Fewer unnecessary culls. Less pain and suffering. Longer, more productive lives. That's what better herd health looks like in practice.
Farmer Wellbeing: Giving Back Control
Dairy farming is one of the most demanding professions in New Zealand. When mastitis is a constant, unpredictable crisis, farmers can't plan. They can't take holidays. They carry a weight that never quite lifts.
Tony Hollinshead from Matamata knows this firsthand. When he came to Farm Medix, he was managing 27 mastitis cases every single month. Within four months of working with us, that number dropped to 2. His antibiotic use went from 128 doses per month to just 7. His milk quality improved dramatically. And on his own chart, in his own handwriting, he wrote two words to describe how he felt: "Happiness. Holiday."
For the first time in years, Tony could leave his farm and take a break.
That's not a marginal improvement. That's a transformation — in farm economics, in quality of life, and in the quiet but profound pride that comes from knowing exactly what's happening on your farm and why.
As the team at Longburn Farm (900 cows, Manawatu) put it: "Mastitis doesn't have to be stressful. With Farm Medix, we've reduced our mastitis levels to less than 5% — and reclaimed time and improved efficiency."
Antibiotic Stewardship: Treating Less, Treating Smarter
Mastitis accounts for 75–85% of all dairy antibiotic use in New Zealand. Despite significant advances in technology and knowledge across the industry, antibiotic sales for mastitis have not declined between 2018 and 2023. The needle hasn't moved.
Farm Medix is moving it.
On farms where we work, antibiotic use drops by 30% to 90% — not by withholding treatment from sick animals, but by preventing infections in the first place and treating only when we know exactly what we're treating. Targeted therapy.
Holly and Aaron Jackson (370 cows, Culverden) achieved a 99% reduction in antibiotic use. Jenny & Phil Taylor (455 cows, Tahuna) cut drug costs by 75% and mastitis cases by 92%. Jenny Buckley and Dave van den Beuken (720 cows, Tauwhare) reduced antibiotic use by 50% and reached the top 10% nationally for cell count.
These aren't outliers. They're a preview of what's possible at scale.
Milk Quality: From Stagnation to Excellence
Somatic Cell Count (SCC) is the dairy industry's primary measure of milk quality and subclinical mastitis pressure. Across New Zealand, average SCC has shown no improvement between 2018 and 2023 — a stark reminder that reactive, symptom-based management can only take the industry so far.
The farms working with Farm Medix tell a different story. Holly and Aaron Jackson moved from a seasonal average SCC of 230,000 to 51,000. Jenny Buckley and Dave van den Beuken reached Fonterra's top 10% nationally.
When you identify and eliminate the root cause of infection — whether it's a contagious pathogen spreading during milking or a management practice creating vulnerability — milk quality doesn't just improve marginally. It transforms.
Carbon Emissions: The Hidden Climate Win
The connection between herd health and carbon emissions is one of the most under-discussed opportunities in New Zealand dairying.
A mastitis-affected cow produces up to 6.2% more CO₂ per tonne of milk than a healthy cow. A cow with a foot lesion generates approximately 1.5% more CO₂ per tonne. Multiply that across hundreds of thousands of annual cases and the cumulative emissions impact is significant.
Healthier cows are more efficient. They produce more milk per unit of feed, per unit of land, per unit of emission. Better herd health isn't just good for the animal and the farmer — it's genuinely good for the planet.
A New Standard for New Zealand Dairying
At Farm Medix, we believe we are witnessing a shift in what the dairy industry expects from herd health management. Not milk quality compliance as the ceiling — but herd health optimisation as the floor.
The data is there. The technology is proven. The farmers who've made the change are advocates. What we're working toward is a future where every New Zealand dairy farm has access to the diagnostic tools, practical solutions, and expert support that turn invisible problems into visible results.
Healthy cows. Happy farmers. A thriving industry.
That's not a vision. It's already happening. And we're just getting started.
