DAIRY NEWS Discover New Zealand-the country, cows and culture-during a once-in-a-lifetime tour, the 2016 PDPW International Dairy Tour: New Zealand, Feb. 1-13, 2016, is hosted by the Professional Dairy Producers®. This unique 13-day tour will mix agriculture and sightseeing, have you traveling with people from the land who speak your language and will give you an experience for both the heart and mind.Tour participants will visit with New Zealand dairy producers and get a firsthand look at New Zealand's dairy industry where the country's moderate climate allows cows to be kept outside in all seasons and where, in most regions, grass grows year-round. We'll learn about the dairy industry's unique 1-5 dairy farm system and take in dairies representing various systems. Dairy industry stops include:
- Four highly progressive farmer-owned dairies, each taking a different approach to dairying
- Lincoln University's highly regarded dairy farm, a key extension tool in showing best practices in pasture-based dairy systems
- A co-operatively owned AI business that provides milk yield/testing services and farm management assistance
Along with checking out the dairy industry on both islands, tour participants will visit and learn about other New Zealand agricultural businesses including a canal-based salmon farm, an avocado orchard, an organic kiwifruit orchard and a 6,000 hectare alpine livestock farm that raises fine-wool Merino and meat-producing sheep, beef cattle and deer.
The tour's agenda combines pleasure with business, giving participants an ample time at numerous tourist sites and see and do on their own. During this memory-filled trip, tour participants will:
- Explore small villages as well as well-known New Zealand cities such as Christchurch and Queenstown
- Experience the country's rich cultural Maori heritage
- View thousands of tiny luminescent creatures glowing in darkened limestone caves at Waikato Glowworm Caves
- Absorb what Rudyard Kipling calls "the eighth wonder of the world"
In addition to taking in both island's varied and breathtaking landscapes on land, tour participants will cruise the harbors and enjoy the country's beauty from a different perspective. Majestic mountain scenery, glacier-fed lakes, virgin forests, waterfalls, beaches, geothermal wonders, the wine country, dairy country - they are all a part of this tour of New Zealand. And don't forget about the networking possibilities.
Space is limited to first 46 registrants, with first priority to PDPW dairy farm members. To learn more about this hassle-free tour, designed specifically for those who love to travel and learn and are enthusiastic about agriculture and the dairy industry, contact PDPW at 800-947-7379 or go online to www.pdpw.org
Professional Dairy Producers (PDPW) is the nation's largest dairy producer-led, grassroots organization of its kind, focusing on education, networking and professional development to shares ideas, solutions, resources, and experiences that help dairy producers succeed.
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