More than 70 farmers and agri pros turned up to the Willesden open day. They walked the full 185 m composting barn, saw the 300 ha dairy conversion milking 700 cows, and heard how it slashes environmental footprint by 46 %, captures all effluent, saves pasture from pugging, and pays back in five years. Full Q&A with Matt Iremonger, Tyler Good and Professor Keith Woodford – straight answers, no fluff. That’s dairy conversion done right.

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Over 70 farmers turned up to walk through Willesden’s 31 m × 185 m composting barn, the heart of a 300 ha dairy conversion now milking 700 cows. They saw first-hand how the barn cuts the farm’s footprint by 46 %, captures all effluent, keeps pasture intact in wet winters, and delivers a five-year ROI while cows stay dry and productive. Real farmers, real questions, real results. Full Q&A video coming soon.

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Carterton Dairy Farm added a hybrid composting barn for 250 cows, cutting pasture damage by 30% and boosting milk solids from 1.9 to over 2.0 per cow. The setup captures all effluent to skip ponds, keeps paddocks pug-free in wet weather, and delivers immediate ROI through feed savings and sustained twice-a-day milking until Christmas. It shelters cows for smoother calving, zero mastitis cases since mid-August, cleaner hides and higher overall welfare.

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Willesden Farms completed a dairy conversion on 300 hectares, now milking 800 cows with a composting barn that slashes the environmental footprint by 46%. The barn keeps cows off during rain or heatwaves, protecting soil and lifting output. It winters 650 cows, shelters up to 800 in bad weather, cuts methane and nitrate outputs to meet NZ’s 2030 emissions goals, and delivers five-year ROI boosting animal welfare and reducing operators stress.

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Jersey Girl farm near Winton swapped composting barns for a Numat-built feed pad with flood wash and Siesta mats. The result: 5 hours of labour saved every day, no more woodchip bills, healthier cows, and a system paying back fast. This isn’t just a feed pad upgrade — it’s a smarter way to farm.

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Willesden Farms’ composting barn slashes environmental footprint by 46%. Featured in Dairy News, this collab with Numat Construction houses 550 cows, protects pasture, boosts animal welfare, simplifies feed management and delivers long-term cost savings.

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Now 90% complete, this 82.8m x 14m calving and loafing barn in Masterton is purpose-built for 250 cows. With composting bedding, H5 poles, and NZ-made LVL rafters, it’s designed to support calving and feeding flow while also coming in at 15% less than comparable designs.

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Understand the cost of building a composting barn, what drives the price, and how to keep your project efficient, compliant, and future-ready. This guide covers typical pricing ranges, the impact of barn size and materials, site-specific considerations, and smart ways to reduce cost without compromising performance. This costs breakdown will help you make informed decisions from design to delivery.

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Willesden’s composting barn is almost done. 550-cow capacity, 740m of feedface, and built up to 20% cheaper than standard options. Built for efficiency the scale of this barn means Willesden Farms can winter more cows on-farm, reduce pasture damage, improve cow comfort, and simplify feed management while keeping long-term costs down.

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