B+LNZ quarterly activity update June 2026

// B+LNZ

The following was emailed to farmers on 30 June 2026.

image of B+LNZ branded hat infront of sheep yard

Welcome to this quarter’s snapshot of levy‑funded work underway. B+LNZ invests farmer levy money into practical research, tools and programmes that lift productivity, strengthen resilience and support long term profitability across the sheep and beef sector.

Championing farming excellence

Eliminating Facial Eczema Impacts (EFEI)

  • The Sheep Poo Study is nearing its conclusion, with data analysis now underway.
  • What’s happening now:
    • Thousands of data points are being examined to find out how common the disease is and where it is found.
    • Farmers involved will be asked about disease observations over the season and management approaches they used.
    • Further opportunities for farmer involvement in the EFEI programme are expected soon.
  • The programme is also collecting experiences directly from farmers recently affected by FE through a short questionnaire available here.
  • A tool to help predict the risk of FE is in development. It aims to identify early warning signs so farmers can act sooner with monitoring and management, such as using zinc. Machine learning is analysing patterns across:
    • farmer‑collected data from the Sheep Poo Study
    • weather factors such as temperature, moisture and humidity
    • historical high‑resolution weather records.
  • The intention is for the tool to be available for trial during the 2026/27 FE season.

Dairy Beef Opportunities programme

  • The Dairy Beef Opportunities (DBO) programme continues to connect dairy farmers, calf rearers and finishers through communities of practice to solve real farm challenges and share learnings more widely. DairyNZ continues to run events across the country supported by B+LNZ.
  • Under DBO B+LNZ is leading engagement with rearing groups across the country to strengthen connections across the dairy‑beef value chain and better understand opportunities and challenges from a farmer perspective.
  • A report has been completed forecasting origin calves expected to be reared in the 2026/27 season.
  • Key points:
  • Total calves forecast to be reared: 1.97 million, broadly stable on 2025/26.
  • Includes 1.05 million dairy‑beef calves and 916,000 replacement calves.
  • Growth in dairy‑beef numbers reflect increased use of beef genetics and recent rearing trends.
  • The forecast provides early signals to support supply chain planning, feed demand estimates and future investment decisions.
  • Future work will look at system capacity, costs and longer-term growth scenarios.

Resilient Pastures

  • The Resilient Pastures programme, run jointly by B+LNZ and DairyNZ, now has a network of 15 farms helping ensure research reflects real on‑farm conditions and priorities.
  • Early work is highlighting knowledge gaps around:
    • newer pasture species
    • practical management approaches.
  • In response, a tall fescue grazing management trial has been established at Scott Farm in the Waikato.
  • The programme continues to combine farmer experience with research to improve pasture persistence, resilience and long-term farm performance.

Parasites

  • Fast Worm ID – GIN PCR is already delivering impact, with more than 300 tests completed since launch and over 40 veterinarians taking part in training. The rapid uptake highlights strong demand for faster, more accurate parasite diagnostics to support better on-farm decisions. 

Updated Wormwise guidance – think F.A.R.M.ED

  • The Wormwise resource book has been updated with a practical framework for parasite management:
    • F – Feeding: Good nutrition supports animals to better cope with worms.
    • A – Avoiding worms: Use grazing and livestock management to reduce exposure.
    • R – Refugia: Maintain an untreated parasite population to help slow drench resistance.
    • M – Monitoring: Use diagnostics, performance measures and faecal egg counts to guide decisions and monitor drench effectiveness.
    • ED – Effective Drenching: Use drenches strategically to maintain effectiveness and reduce resistance risk.
  • A key message remains that sustainable parasite management relies on combining multiple tools, rather than relying on drench alone.
  • The updated Wormwise resource book is now available through the B+LNZ Knowledge Hub.

Helping bring research to life

  • B+LNZ is exploring new ways to share research so it’s easier for farmers to engage with and apply on farm.
  • We’ve put a call out for farmers who prefer learning through visual formats such as pictures, videos and practical demonstrations to help shape future research communication. Initial work is focused on making topics such as facial eczema (FE) more practical and accessible. Farmers interested in being involved can contact [email protected].

nProve Tracker launched

  • B+LNZ launched nProve Tracker at Out the Gate – a new genetics tool that enables farmers to quantify and visually track genetic progress within their flocks.
  • The tool helps farmers better understand how sire selection is shaping replacement ewe performance over time and provides another practical way to turn genetics into on‑farm decisions.

Sheep Breeder Forum

  • This year’s Sheep Breeder Forum provided a key opportunity to connect with breeders and share the latest developments in sheep genetics.
  • A strong focus this year was genomics and how B+LNZ is leveraging emerging technologies to support future genetic gain and on‑farm performance.

New Zealand Genetic Evaluation enhancement

  • Work is underway to roll out an update to the New Zealand Genetic Evaluation (NZGE) from August 2026.
  • Planned improvements include:
    • broader breed coverage through inclusion of shedding sheep breeds in the weekly evaluation
    • addition of intramuscular fat (IMF) to support eating quality outcomes.
  • These changes will expand the usefulness of genetic information available to farmers and breeders.

Extension programme

Māori agribusiness

  • Lily Tangiora Scully (20) was named the inaugural Emerging Leader Award winner at the recent Rakanui Field Day. Lily is also part of a B+LNZ Emerging Managers Focus Group in Tairāwhiti.
  • More than 220 farmers and rural professionals attended the Gisborne and Wairoa Hill Country Farm of the Year field day at Rakanui Pastoral, supported by B+LNZ.

People and capability

Energising the sector

Out the Gate and B+LNZ Awards

Economic and social contribution of the sector

  • We recently released, with the Meat Industry Association, a new report by BERL, confirming the red meat sector remains a major driver of New Zealand’s economy. The sector generates $48.7 billion in annual spending, contributes $17.5 billion to GDP, and supports one in every 20 jobs nationwide. The findings highlight the strong role of Māori and Pacific people in the workforce and reinforce the sector’s importance to rural communities. These insights will help guide future planning as we work towards lifting export value to $23 billion by 2035. Read the full report here.

Advocacy

Thanks for reading

If you have any questions, please get in touch.

  • B+LNZ