Automatic Milking Systems: an option to address the labour shortage on New Zealand dairy farms?

2002 ◽  
pp. 39-43
Author(s):  
J.G. Jago ◽  
M.W. Woolford
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Dairy Industry ◽  
Research Programme ◽  
Working Hours ◽  
Dairy Farms ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Labour Shortage ◽  
Commercial Farms ◽  
Grazing Systems ◽  
Automatic Milking Systems

There is a growing shortage of labour within the dairy industry. To address this the industry needs to attract more people and/or reduce the labour requirements on dairy farms. Current milk harvesting techniques contribute to both the labour requirements and the current labour shortage within the industry as the process is labour-intensive and necessitates long and unsociable working hours. Automated milking systems (AMS) have been in operation, albeit on a small scale, on commercial farms in Europe for a decade and may have the potential to address labour issues within the New Zealand dairy industry. A research programme has been established (The Greenfield Project) which aims to determine the feasibility of automated milking under New Zealand dairying conditions. A Fullwoods MERLIN AMS has been installed on a protoype farmlet and is successfully milking a small herd of 41 cows. Progress from the prototype Greenfields system offers considerable potential for implementing AMS in extensive grazing systems. Keywords: automated milking systems, dairy cattle, grazing, labour

scholarly journals Trace Element Supplementation of Livestock in New Zealand: Meeting the Challenges of Free-Range Grazing Systems

2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Neville D. Grace ◽  
Scott O. Knowles
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Trace Element ◽  
Mineral Nutrition ◽  
Slow Release ◽  
Dairy Farms ◽  
Free Range ◽  
Grazing Systems ◽  
Long Acting ◽  
Grazing Livestock ◽  
Cobalt Copper

Managing the mineral nutrition of free-range grazing livestock can be challenging. On farms where grazing animals are infrequently yarded, there are limited opportunities to administer trace element supplements via feeds and concentrates. In New Zealand, where the majority of sheep, cattle, and deer graze pasture year round, inadequate intake of cobalt, copper, iodine and selenium is prevalent. Scientists and farmers have developed efficient strategies to monitor and treat these dietary deficiencies. Supplementation methods suited to grazing livestock include long-acting injections, slow-release intraruminal boluses, trace element-amended fertilisers, and reticulated water supplies on dairy farms.

A review of nitrogen losses due to leaching and surface runoff under intensive pasture management in Australia

Soil Research ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 52 (7) ◽  
pp. 621 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lucy L. Burkitt
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Nitrate Leaching ◽  
Surface Runoff ◽  
Dairy Industry ◽  
Farming Systems ◽  
Dairy Farms ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Pasture Management ◽  
N Losses ◽  
Pasture Production

This paper reviews the literature on nitrate leaching and nitrogen (N) runoff under intensive dairy pasture systems in Australia and draws comparisons with research undertaken under similar climates and farming systems internationally, with the aim to inform future research in this area. An Australian nitrate-leaching study suggests that annual nitrate-leaching loads are lower (3.7–14.5 kg N ha–1 year–1 for nil N and 6–22 kg N ha–1 year–1 for 200 kg N ha–1 applied) than the range previously measured and modelled on New Zealand dairy farms (~18–110 kg N ha–1 year–1). It is likely that nitrate-leaching rates are higher in New Zealand because of the prevalence of free-draining soils and higher average stocking rates. However, this review highlights that there are insufficient Australian nitrate-leaching data, particularly following urine application, to undertake a rigorous comparison. Median N surpluses on Australian dairy farms are higher (198 kg N ha–1) than values for an average New Zealand farm (135 kg N ha–1). Given the facts that many soils used for intensive pasture production in Australia are lightly textured or free-draining clay loams receiving average rainfall of >800 mm year–1, that herd sizes have risen in the last 10 years and that water quality is a concern in some dairy catchments, nitrate leaching could be an issue for the Australian dairy industry. Australian data on surface runoff of N are more available, despite its overall contribution to N losses being low (generally <5 kg N ha–1 year–1), except under border-check flood irrigation or hump-and-hollow surface drainage (3–23 kg N ha–1 year–1). More research is needed to quantify surface N runoff and leaching following effluent application and to examine dissolved organic forms of N loss, particularly in view of the continued intensification of the Australian dairy industry.

Validating satellite monitoring of dairy pastures in Canterbury with Lincoln University Dairy Farm and commercial farm data

2011 ◽  
pp. 109-114
Author(s):  
G. Mata ◽  
N. Purdie ◽  
R.N. Handcock ◽  
D. Dalley ◽  
N. Ota ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Dairy Farm ◽  
Dairy Farms ◽  
Quality Data ◽  
Satellite Monitoring ◽  
Standard Errors ◽  
High Quality ◽  
High Quality Data ◽  
Commercial Farms ◽  
Lincoln University

Validation of satellite-based prediction of pasture cover for dairy farms in Canterbury (New Zealand) during the 2008 and 2009 milking seasons is reported. Satellitebased predictions made using the new Canterbury model were validated against estimates from a rising plate meter for the Lincoln University Dairy Farm (LUDF) weekly farm walks and from nine commercial farms, across 15 images. Validation against LUDF data showed high coefficients of determination (mean R2 = 0.85, range 0.69 to 0.97 kg DM/ha) and low residual standard errors (mean RSE =138 kg, range 53 to 244 kg DM/ha). Validation against commercial data showed a higher level of variability between farms and images than the LUDF data. The Canterbury model accounted for a large proportion of the observed variability in pasture cover of dairy pastures when matched to high quality data, and showed seasonal trends in the model coefficients. Higher variability associated with commercial data may be attributed to geographic distribution, timing and method of data collection as well as varying levels of competency in monitoring skills. Keywords: Pasture, monitoring, satellite data, paddock ranking, pastures from space

scholarly journals Estimating Dairy Young Stock Rearing Cost of Different Management Systems in Keningau, Sabah, Malaysia

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
X.T. Ang ◽  
N. Mohd Nor ◽  
M.W.H. Hiew ◽  
U. Khairuddin ◽  
C.T. Tan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Average Cost ◽  
Management System ◽  
Dairy Farms ◽  
Management Systems ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Young Stock ◽  
Commercial Farms ◽  
Spss Software ◽  
Feed Costs ◽  
The Cost

Background: Rearing young stock is costly, yet study on the economics of dairy young stock rearing in Malaysia is scarce. This study aims to determine the cost of rearing dairy young stock in different management system at the largest milk producer area located in Keningau, Sabah, Malaysia. Methods: A survey was conducted at 7 smallholders, 6 semi-commercial sand 1 commercial dairy farms between July and August 2019 to estimate costs of rearing young stock from birth until first calving age (FCA) with the average number of milking cows as 16±2.495, 40±3.256 and 1,303 heads, respectively and the average number of young stocks was 2±0.769, 14±4.578 and 2,221 heads, respectively. Only feed costs were estimated. Data were analysed using IBM SPSS software. Result: The average cost of rearing was RM4, 052 (USD1,000)/heifer across three different management systems, which were RM3,478 (USD858)/heifer in small scale, RM4,380 (USD1,081)/heifer) in semi-commercial and RM4,300 (USD1,061)/ heifer) in commercial farms.

An evaluation of a strategic de-stocking regime for dairying to improve nitrogen efficiency and reduce nitrate leaching from dairy farms in nitrate-sensitive areas

2000 ◽  
pp. 105-110
Author(s):  
Cecile De Klein ◽  
Jim Paton ◽  
Stewart Ledgard
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Nitrate Leaching ◽  
Management Practice ◽  
Field Measurements ◽  
Dairy Farms ◽  
Nitrogen Efficiency ◽  
Management Tool ◽  
Pasture Production ◽  
Leaching Losses ◽  
Sensitive Areas

Strategic de-stocking in winter is a common management practice on dairy farms in Southland, New Zealand, to protect the soil against pugging damage. This paper examines whether this practice can also be used to reduce nitrate leaching losses. Model analyses and field measurements were used to estimate nitrate leaching losses and pasture production under two strategic de-stocking regimes: 3 months off-farm or 5 months on a feed pad with effluent collected and applied back to the land. The model analyses, based on the results of a long-term farmlet study under conventional grazing and on information for an average New Zealand farm, suggested that the 3- or 5-month de-stocking could reduce nitrate leaching losses by about 20% or 35-50%, respectively compared to a conventional grazing system. Field measurements on the Taieri Plain in Otago support these findings, although the results to date are confounded by drought conditions during the 1998 and 1999 seasons. The average nitrate concentration of the drainage water of a 5-month strategic de-stocking treatment was about 60% lower than under conventional grazing. Pasture production of the 5-month strategic de-stocking regime with effluent return was estimated based on data for apparent N efficiency of excreta patches versus uniformlyspread farm dairy effluent N. The results suggested that a strategic de-stocking regime could increase pasture production by about 2 to 8%. A cost/ benefit analysis of the 5-month de-stocking system using a feed pad, comparing additional capital and operational costs with additional income from a 5% increase in DM production, show a positive return on capital for an average New Zealand dairy farm. This suggests that a strategic destocking system has good potential as a management tool to reduce nitrate leaching losses in nitrate sensitive areas whilst being economically viable, particularly on farms where an effluent application system or a feed pad are already in place. Keywords: dairying, feed pads, nitrate leaching, nitrogen efficiency, productivity, strategic de-stocking

scholarly journals Whole-genome sequencing from the New Zealand Saccharomyces cerevisiae population reveals the genomic impacts of novel microbial range expansion

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Higgins ◽  
Cooper A Grace ◽  
Soon A Lee ◽  
Matthew R Goddard
Keyword(s):  
Saccharomyces Cerevisiae ◽  
New Zealand ◽  
Whole Genome Sequencing ◽  
Genome Sequencing ◽  
Range Expansion ◽  
Copy Number ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Whole Genome ◽  
Copy Number Changes ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Saccharomyces cerevisiae is extensively utilized for commercial fermentation, and is also an important biological model; however, its ecology has only recently begun to be understood. Through the use of whole-genome sequencing, the species has been characterized into a number of distinct subpopulations, defined by geographical ranges and industrial uses. Here, the whole-genome sequences of 104 New Zealand (NZ) S. cerevisiae strains, including 52 novel genomes, are analyzed alongside 450 published sequences derived from various global locations. The impact of S. cerevisiae novel range expansion into NZ was investigated and these analyses reveal the positioning of NZ strains as a subgroup to the predominantly European/wine clade. A number of genomic differences with the European group correlate with range expansion into NZ, including 18 highly enriched single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNPs) and novel Ty1/2 insertions. While it is not possible to categorically determine if any genetic differences are due to stochastic process or the operations of natural selection, we suggest that the observation of NZ-specific copy number increases of four sugar transporter genes in the HXT family may reasonably represent an adaptation in the NZ S. cerevisiae subpopulation, and this correlates with the observations of copy number changes during adaptation in small-scale experimental evolution studies.

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