From April to May the herd gradually finishes milking for the season. This period is often referred to as the dry period and is often used to tackle major maintenance and development projects on-farm such as fencing, drainage, water reticulation and shed maintenance. Farmers have more free time to enjoy lifestyle and leisure activities as well as plan ahead for the next season.

The autumn rain ensures grass grows more quickly; so that:

• Farms look more lush
• Cows are in good condition.

Farmers are:

• Drying cows off (stopping milking them)
• Already starting to think about what needs to be done next spring
• Starting to feed on feed pads.