News
Media Interview: The Dairy Exporter Podcast May 2025

Fonterra Strategic Advisor Malcolm Ellis joins Trev CEO Scott Townshend and Canterbury Grasslands CEO Simon Le Heron to unpack how farmers can unlock real gains in productivity, profitability, and sustainability - all by focusing on feed conversion efficiency.
Malcolm reveals the 165kgMS gap between top and bottom quartile cows, showing a 42% efficiency opportunity and up to 16% methane reduction without dropping stock numbers. Instead, the key lies in lifting fertility, genetics, and feed efficiency - with tools like Trev and the Farm Insights Report making that progress visible. Scott dives into the data behind the average 4.6kgMS lift per tonne of dry matter achieved by Trev users, worth around $90,000 in added revenue. And Simon shares how 20+ years of pasture data is helping Canterbury Grasslands stay ahead of environmental limits by making smarter, more consistent decisions.
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Top 5 KPIs: Stu Taylor
Stuart Taylor is the General Manager of Farming at Craigmore Sustainables. A fifth-generation dairy farmer, he believes the key to New Zealand farming is running successful businesses that support the economy and local communities while continually improving sustainability. Stu is also part of AgriZeroNZ’s Farmer Focus Group, providing his views and feedback regarding implementation of emissions mitigation tools for farming systems in New Zealand.
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Fortuna Group is one of the fastest growing dairy operations in the lower South Island. Their operations perform in the top quartile of farms in Southland and the business has a reputation for progressing farming techniques and implementing change. Trev sits down with Fortuna’s Sustainability Manager, Rosie Forbes, to hear a bit about what the team is doing in this space.
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Top 5 KPIs: Craig Hickman
Craig Hickman is a proud Fonterra farmer and the owner of a 1000-cow farm in mid-Canterbury. Craig shares the ways he strives for efficiency on farm