September milk solids production rose 3.4% YOY, posting the fifth consecutive monthly record according to DCANZ. Season-to-date production was +3.8% relative to the prior season. Milk volumes rose +2.5% YOY in September with season-to-date supplies +2.8%.

Pasture growth was lagging during September, with a 5% decline in the national PGI due to colder weather. This the driving forces behind the rise in milksolids output was due to greater supplementary feed input and increased cow numbers. NZX reports a 13% year-to-date (YTD) increase in the PKE imported into NZ, with a range of imported grain more competitively priced than supplementary feed grown locally.