DairyNZ revamps website

DairyNZ revamps website

Extensive farmer research has heavily influenced the new DairyNZ website, www.dairynz.co.nz.

“We needed to update the site, but instead of developing something we thought farmers would like, we asked what they wanted,” said DairyNZ CEO Dr Tim Mackle.

The revamped website is the product of over six months’ development by the DairyNZ website team as well as surveys and focus groups with farmers from throughout the country.

“Farmers said they enjoyed the in-depth information on the site, but that it was sometimes difficult to find what they wanted,” said Dr Mackle. “Our challenge was to make the 500-plus pages easy to navigate, surf and view, and we’ve improved the search function.

“Our focus group farmers who viewed the test site described the new Farming Resource Centre as a ‘must have’ bookmark on their farm computers,” he said. It contains nearly 300 pages of problem-solving advice, tools and support, all through a ‘view at a glance’ section on the home page.

The new interactive Farmwatch section features a weekly summary of the on-farm situation observed throughout New Zealand, complete with trend graphics and regional on-farm advice for farmers.

Other new features include an on-line version of DairyNZ’s popular Seasonal Diary Poster. The Seasonal Diary section offers advice on everything from feed, animal, staff and environment management by the season.

People can find and register for DairyNZ events and the Publications and Tools section allows visitors to view, download or order from DairyNZ’s extensive publications library.

They can download a feed requirement calculator, stay up-to-date with the latest industry research, and check out the on-farm situations in their region.

“One of the farmers in the test-site focus group said it looked like it had been built for them and looked like it had everything they needed, and that’s exactly what we wanted to do,” said Dr Mackle.

ENDS

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