Crystal Rivers farm increased the productivity of its dairy herd by constructing a covered enclosure.

Crystal Rivers farm owner Paul Kuriger decided to invest $500,000 in constructing a herd home to address issues associated with excessive rainfall. The Taranaki Maunga region is characterized by frequent storms bringing over 200 mm of precipitation in a few days, which increases the risk of sediment runoff into local water bodies during the winter period. The new structure has allowed for the elimination of grazing on waterlogged pastures and minimized the environmental impact.

The structure is a covered space that provides livestock animals with free movement and comfortable conditions on a wood chip bedding. For a herd of 360, there is about 12 sq. m of space per cow. During the winter period from May to October, the animals receive a ration of hay or silage in the amount of 11 kg of dry matter per head per day. As Paul Kuriger notes, this approach has reduced losses of feed, which were previously trampled into the soil, and improved the overall condition of the herd.

The possibility of year-round housing under a roof during adverse weather has allowed the farm to extend the milking season by one month, which has provided an increase in milk fat production of 30,000 kg annually. In addition, the herd home is actively used for calving: two weeks before the start of the calving period, cows are moved to a facility where the temperature is maintained at about 24–25 degrees, which helps reduce losses among newborn calves.

The farm also implements environmental practices for water resource protection. All water bodies on the farm grounds are fenced off, and 36 ha are set aside for areas of native forest vegetation. According to the farmer, shelterbelts and created wetlands effectively filter water after heavy rains, preventing sediment from entering streams. The used wood chips from the herd home are subsequently transported to fields and used as fertilizer for pastures.