Two Bay of Plenty farms are among those to feature in of a series of YouTube videos focusing on responsible dairying initiatives taking place on New Zealand farms.

Bruce Woods of Whakatane and Jim and Barbara Hitchcock of Rotorua are part of Fonterra Co-operative Group Limited's Farm Focus series aimed to put dairy farm water and environmental conservation in the spotlight.

Bruce Woods of Whakatane has built a large barn for his 500 cows as part of animal management and conservation measures on his farm.

Three different soil types on Bruce Wood's Whakatane farm require different management techniques to keep his herd well fed and protect the environment.

Bruce's story is being aired today with other farms to feature every Wednesday for four weeks on Fonterra's YouTube channel. The videos will also be posted on Fonterra's Facebook and Twitter pages under the hashtag #farmfocus.

The other farmers are Nick and Nicky Dawson of Napier and Ian and Alana Scotts of Tirau.

Supply Fonterra Programme Director, Lisa Payne, says the Farm Focus series shows dairy farmers working in harmony with the environment and doing so in a financially sustainable way.

'Our farmers are acutely aware of the importance of protecting the health of New Zealand's waterways and natural resources.

'They've fenced more than 92 per cent of farm waterways and are undertaking a tonne of good work in the area of nutrient, effluent and herd management.”

Lisa says the Farm Focus series brings to life the activities outside of fencing that are creating measurable change to New Zealand's water quality.

She says it also shows the vast amount of variables that farmers need to account for when dairy farming sustainably.

These includes: fertiliser management, soil monitoring, effluent and riparian management, animal welfare and stocking rates and nutrient management plans, all of which leads to producing high quality milk.

'Sustainable dairy farming is about striking a balance between inputs and outputs. It could be matching fertiliser and irrigation to different soil and grass types on a farm, or lowering nutrient run-off through the use of effluent ponds and riparian planting. Whatever the case it's a complex exercise.”

The work undertaken by Fonterra farmers across New Zealand differs per region and per farm: 'You can't simply transplant what works on one farm to another as there are so many variables in play. What it shows is that taking a whole of farm approach to sustainability and calculating how everything works together translates to environmental benefits and a healthier bottom line.”

Keep up to date with www.twitter.com/Fonterra and search the #farmfocus for further details.