2026 Nuffield NZ Farming Scholarship. Apply by 17 August 2025. Read More...

Apply for 2026 Nuffield NZ Farming Scholarship by 17 August 2025. More details...

Mental stress and fatigue in New Zealand dairy farmers

Becroft Owen, D

Executive Summary

I suspected that there is a significant problem in the New Zealand dairy industry with regard to high fatigue/stress levels. In researching this project I discovered that there has been very little work done in New Zealand with regard to fatigue/stress and none that looked at the dairy industry in particular. This may be due to the fact that it is impossible to measure these factors within humans accurately. Or it could have been over looked as a problem of any significance My main objective in writing this report is to find hard data to demonstrate what the stress/fatigue levels are and to quantify what the likely cost are to the New Zealand dairy farmer.

Download and read the full report here:

Grow. Advance. Lead.

Do the Kellogg Rural Leadership Programme.

More Kellogg reports:

2025

Balancing Profit and Environment: Insights From New Zealand’s Leading Dairy Farms

NZ dairy farmers prove profit and sustainability can align—pasture smart, cost-savvy, and values-led. A balance worth backing.
Read More →
2024

Opportunities and Challenges for the Future of Arable Farming in Canterbury

This report aims to provide insight from a grower’s perspective on the opportunities and challenges of arable farming in Canterbury for the future.
Read More →
2025

27 and Ewe: Evaluating the Case and Appetite for Genotyping the NZ Commercial Sheep Flock

This report by Anna Vaughan evaluates if genotyping NZ ewes delivers enough genetic, market, and sustainability benefits to justify cost and adoption challenges.
Read More →