# Waikato Leads New Zealand Dairy With Record Season As Per-cow Milk Solids Hit 440kg MS Despite Cost Pressures

> Cooper Aitken’s 2025/26 benchmarking of 134 Waikato dairy farms found owner-operator milk-solids production rose 7% year on year to 440 kg per cow. Output per cow was up 21% over six years, alongside greater technology adoption and improvements in genetics, pasture use and supplementary feeding.

- Date: 2026-11-08 · published 2026-11-09T00:17:13.120Z
- Category: market · region New Zealand · magnitude low
- Page: https://feedsoft.ai/events/88318-waikato-leads-new-zealand-dairy-with-record-season-as-per-cow-milk-solids-hit
- Commodities: [Milk (Class III)](https://feedsoft.ai/c/MILK.md)

## Why it matters

Higher output per cow can support New Zealand milk supply despite cost pressures, potentially easing competition for dairy ingredients. The report does not quantify a national supply or price impact.

## Read by commodity

- MILK: bearish ▼

## Sources

- en.edairynews.com: https://en.edairynews.com/waikato-leads-new-zealand-dairy-with-record-season-as-per-cow-milk-solids-hit-440kg-ms-despite-cost-pressures/

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Data from Feedsoft AI (https://feedsoft.ai/). For information only; not investment advice.