According to Dairy Companies Association of New Zealand (DCANZ), April ’14 New Zealand milk production continued the recent trend of production growth, increasing 32.8% YOY. The April ’14 YOY milk production increase was the largest monthly increase in five years, partially due to adverse weather conditions reducing production last spring. April ’14 New Zealand production was 3.9% higher than the ’11-’13 three year average April production. ’13-’14 YTD (Jun ’13 – Apr ’14) New Zealand milk production is up 9.0% YOY, with future YOY gains expected to moderate, but remain strong. According to the Fonterra June Global Dairy Update, milk collections across New Zealand were up 24.0% in May ’14, and 8.0% for the year ending May 31^st. North Island collections for the full ’13-’14 season were up 8.9% YOY and South Island collections for the full ’13-’14 season were up 7.3% YOY. New Zealand milk production typically peaks in October and gradually declines until seasonal lows are reached in the summer months. According to USDA, some New Zealand producer cooperatives indicate that over half of the cows have been dried off and moved to winter pastures as of the first week of June. Looking ahead to the ’14-’15 season, New Zealand’s Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) forecasts production to increase modestly by 2.3%, a result of a continued long-term trend in increasing cow numbers and more moderate growth in milk yield per cow, which is expected to ease back to its long-term average. MPI forecasts a 2.0% increase in herd size, from 5.0 million head to 5.1 million head, and a 0.3% increase in milk yield per cow.