Kōrero: Waikato region

In 2007 John Bluett of Te Pahu had a 255-hectare dairy farm with around 700 Jersey-Friesian cows. Dairy farming began to develop in Waikato in the 1880s, when refrigerated shipping made it possible to export dairy products. Drainage of swampland, scientific advances in soil and pasture management, and improvements in the quality of dairy herds helped Waikato dairy farms become highly profitable in the 20th century.