Cole Townsend

Waikato farmer Cole Townsend is so confident in the high-strength probiotics he is using, he has stopped vaccinating his cows against rotavirus.

Townsend and wife Josephine sharemilk about 200 cows on 60 hectares at Wardville near Matamata. Townsend is big on tracking numbers and has the perfect herd size to note how his decisions impact on his cow and calf health.

They are getting a return on investment of $2400 for every $800 spent on the operation (calculated on a $6/kilogram of milksolids). But more than that, he says he has never been in such a “sweet spot” when it comes to being on top of animal health in an impactful and natural way. And while he is happy the numbers add up, he says there is a much bigger story in play here. He believes these probiotics have contributed to him recording his highest production through the drought, while making his day-to-day workload a revelation.