Temporal trends in home-grown forage eaten on New Zealand dairy farms

2021 ◽  
Vol 17 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ryan Mills ◽  
Mark Neal
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
National Level ◽  
Temporal Trends ◽  
Dairy Farms ◽  
International Markets ◽  
Positive Trend ◽  
Performance Metric ◽  
Prior Literature ◽  
On Farm

Pasture is the main source of feed on New Zealand dairy farms, having the benefit of a low cost of production, giving New Zealand’s dairy industry a competitive cost advantage in international markets. Previous literature indicates a plateau in forage grown and consumed on farm (referred to as pasture and crop eaten) over the last 20 years. Farm-level performance data over 14 years from DairyBase across Northland, Waikato, Canterbury and Otago were used to analyse the medium-term trends of pasture and crop eaten at the middle (median) and top (frontier) portions of the distributions of pasture and crop eaten. A performance metric was designed to compare the time trends between top-, average- and bottom-performing farms at the national level. The results were consistent with prior literature with no substantial evidence of an increasing trend in pasture and crop eaten across any region. Furthermore, the results showed that at a national level, top-performing farms were not improving on their pasture and crop eaten, while the average- and bottom-performing farms are improving slightly. The lack of a consistent positive trend is concerning for the dairy sector’s international competitiveness, making further research into new pastoral technologies and techniques paramount for maintaining New Zealand’s competitive position.

scholarly journals Implications of increased use of brought-in feeds on potential environmental effects of dairy farms in Waikato

2017 ◽  
Vol 79 ◽  
pp. 139-145
Author(s):  
S.F. Ledgard ◽  
N.L. Bartlett ◽  
P.J. Van Boheemen ◽  
B.R. Wilton ◽  
S.B. Allen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
New Zealand ◽  
Carbon Footprint ◽  
Environmental Effects ◽  
Dairy Farms ◽  
N Leaching ◽  
Nutrient Efficiency ◽  
High Feed ◽  
On Farm ◽  
Farm System

Abstract The effects of increased use of brought-in feeds were evaluated across 25 dairy farms in central Waikato. Farms were classified into low, medium and high feedinput categories based on 1200 kg DM/cow, covering a range typical of that in the main dairying regions of New Zealand. Average milksolids (MS)/ha was 1087 and 1900 kg in the low and high feed-input categories, but total land-use/tonne MS was the same when all off-farm land was accounted for. Average estimated on-farm nitrogen (N) leaching increased from 26 to 30 kg N/ha/year between the low and high feed-input categories, but off-farm leaching sources were equivalent to an increase of 20 and 84%, respectively. Greenhouse gas emissions/on-farm hectare were 61% higher on high feed-input farms, but the carbon footprint and N leaching per tonne MS were similar across feed-input categories. High feed-input farms used feed-pads and increased effluent area (66 versus 21% of farm) to increase nutrient efficiency. Mitigation analyses indicated that N leaching could be decreased by optimising effluent area, reducing N fertiliser rate and utilising low-N feeds. Keywords: nitrogen leaching, whole farm system, greenhouse gases, land use

The Extended Use Of The Milk Recording System In New Zealand

1946 ◽  
Vol 1946 (02) ◽  
pp. 20-25
Author(s):  
Arthur Ward
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Dairy Farms ◽  
Farm Management ◽  
Recording System ◽  
Soil Types ◽  
Dairy Herds ◽  
List Type ◽  
Young Stock ◽  
Improvement Plan ◽  
On Farm

In New Zealand, herd recording, since the introduction of the Herd Improvement Plan in 1938, has been governed in policy by the Herd Recording Council in Wellington. In 1938 the decision was taken to extend the scope of the milk recording movement so that milk records could be used for:— (1) improvement through breeding; (2) studies on farm management, including the prevention of disease in dairy herds; and (3) studies on problems of nutrition on dairy farms, em-bracing not only the feeding of dairy cattle and young stock, but also such matters as the influence of soil types, pasture species, etc. There are six Herd Improvement Associations and a representative of each Association is elected annually to the Herd Recording Council with full voting power.

Evaluating rates of technology adoption and milking practices on New Zealand dairy farms

2015 ◽  
Vol 55 (6) ◽  
pp. 702 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. P. Edwards ◽  
B. T. Dela Rue ◽  
J. G. Jago
Keyword(s):  
Cluster Analysis ◽  
New Zealand ◽  
Technology Adoption ◽  
Technology Use ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Investment Decisions ◽  
Dairy Farms ◽  
Significant Potential ◽  
Attitudes Towards Technology ◽  
On Farm

This study assessed technology use and evaluated rates of technology adoption and milking practices on New Zealand dairy farms. Industry surveys were conducted in 2008 and 2013, when farmers were asked a series of questions relating to their physical farm details, their role in the business, their attitudes towards technology, the technologies they had on-farm and their levels of satisfaction. In total, 532 and 500 respondents were questioned in the two surveys, respectively, with a similar representation of rotary and herringbone dairies. Questions relating to attitudes towards new technologies were subjected to a cluster analysis using the 2013 dataset. Farmers were classified into two categories, ‘fast’ and ‘slow’ adopters. Fast adopters are more likely to have a rotary, with a larger farm and more cows. The most common technology in herringbone dairies is automatic vat washing and in rotary dairies automatic cluster removers (ACR). Rotary dairies equipped with ACR, automatic drafting and automatic teat spraying achieve greater labour utilisation (cows/labour unit). Around half of farmers with herringbone dairies sometimes or always wait for slow-milking cows to milk out and 85% of farmers do not know the their ACR settings, highlighting significant potential to improve milking efficiency. Overall, technology is associated with greater labour utilisation. However, the benefits of each technology should be scrutinised to ensure appropriate investment decisions are made by farmers.

Identifying the pasture potential for New Zealand dairy farms

2019 ◽  
pp. 235-240 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark B. Neal ◽  
Simon J.R. Woodward ◽  
Brian T. Dela Rue
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Financial Performance ◽  
Soil Type ◽  
Dairy Farms ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Nitrogen Fertiliser ◽  
Farm Performance ◽  
Fertiliser Application ◽  
On Farm ◽  
Potential Tool

Higher amounts of pasture and crop eaten on farm are associated with higher profit, and it is likely that many dairy farms have an opportunity to improve their financial performance. Regional averages of pasture and crop eaten are readily available but locally relevant estimates of achievable potential pasture and crop eaten are not, so farmers do not know what improvement to pasture and crop eaten and profitability might be possible. The Pasture Potential Tool was developed to provide a locally relevant estimate of that potential. Data on pasture and crop eaten were sourced from DairyNZ’s DairyBase farm performance database, and made available using an interactive web-based tool after testing with pilot groups of farmers. The tool defined a farm’s potential pasture and crop eaten in a particular year as the 90th percentile of farms within a defined radius, or the level that is exceeded by only one in ten farmers, with the data being filtered for comparable soil type and elevation, and adjusted for nitrogen fertiliser application. The tool is available on the DairyNZ website, and has been accessed more than 1300 times in the first 5 months since it went live (as of May 2019).

scholarly journals Postoperative mortality in New Zealand following general anaesthetic: demographic patterns and temporal trends

BMJ Open ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (9) ◽  
pp. e036451
Author(s):  
Jason K Gurney ◽  
Melissa McLeod ◽  
James Stanley ◽  
Doug Campbell ◽  
Luke Boyle ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Mortality Rate ◽  
National Level ◽  
Temporal Trends ◽  
Postoperative Mortality ◽  
Waiting List ◽  
General Anaesthetic ◽  
Postoperative Death ◽  
Universal Healthcare ◽  
Increased Risk

ObjectivesIn this manuscript, we describe broad trends in postoperative mortality in New Zealand (a country with universal healthcare) for acute and elective/waiting list procedures conducted between 2005 and 2017.Design, participants and settingWe use high-quality national-level hospitalisation data to compare the risk of postoperative mortality between demographic subgroups after adjusting for key patient-level confounders and mediators. We also present temporal trends and consider how rates in postoperative death following acute and elective/waiting list procedures have changed over this time period.Results and conclusionA total of 1 836 683 unique patients accounted for 3 117 374 admissions in which a procedure was performed under general anaesthetic over the study period. We observed an overall 30-day mortality rate of 0.5 per 100 procedures and a 90-day mortality rate of 0.9 per 100. For acute procedures, we observed a 30-day mortality rate of 1.6 per 100, compared with 0.2 per 100 for elective/waiting list procedures. In terms of procedure specialty, respiratory and cardiovascular procedures had the highest rate of 30-day mortality (age-standardised rate, acute procedures: 3–6 per 100; elective/waiting list: 0.7-1 per 100). As in other contexts, we observed that the likelihood of postoperative death was not proportionally distributed within our population: older patients, Māori patients, those living in areas with higher deprivation and those with comorbidity were at increased risk of postoperative death, even after adjusting for all available factors that might explain differences between these groups. Increasing procedure risk (measured using the Johns Hopkins Surgical Risk Classification System) was also associated with an increased risk of postoperative death. Encouragingly, it appears that risk of postoperative mortality has declined over the past decade, possibly reflecting improvements in perioperative quality of care; however, this decline did not occur equally across procedure specialties.

scholarly journals Animal Welfare Assessment: Can We Develop a Practical, Time-Limited Assessment Protocol for Pasture-Based Dairy Cows in New Zealand?

Animals ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (10) ◽  
pp. 1918
Author(s):  
Sujan Sapkota ◽  
Richard Laven ◽  
Kristina Müller ◽  
Nikki Kells
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Dairy Cattle ◽  
Dairy Cows ◽  
Dairy Herd ◽  
Dairy Farms ◽  
Welfare Assessment ◽  
Assessment Protocol ◽  
Specific Protocol ◽  
Almost All ◽  
On Farm

Despite being a leading producer and exporter of dairy products, New Zealand has no industry-recognised welfare assessment protocol. A New Zealand-specific protocol is essential, as almost all dairy farms in New Zealand are pasture-based and housing is rarely used. Therefore, protocols developed for intensive cows are not suitable. The aim of this study was to develop a simple yet practical welfare assessment protocol that could be used to assess the welfare of a dairy herd during one visit timed to occur around milking. Six welfare assessment protocols and four studies of dairy cattle welfare assessments that had some focus on dairy cattle welfare at pasture were used, along with the New Zealand Dairy Cattle Code of Welfare, to identify potential assessments for inclusion in the protocol. Eighty-four potential assessments (20 record-based and 64 that needed assessing on-farm) were identified by this process of welfare assessments. After screening to exclude on-farm assessments that were not relevant, that had only limited practical application in pasture-based dairy cows or that required more time than available, 28 on-farm assessments remained, which were put together with the 20 record-based assessments and were tested for feasibility, practicality and time on two pasture-based dairy farms. Assessments were then identified as suitable, suitable after modification or not feasible. Suitable and modified assessments were then included in the final protocol alongside additional measures specific to New Zealand dairy farms. The final protocol included 24 on-farm assessments and eight record-based assessments. Further testing of these 32 assessments is needed on more dairy farms across New Zealand before the protocol can be used to routinely assess the welfare of dairy cows in New Zealand.

scholarly journals Ostrich - A diversification option for east coast farms?

1996 ◽  
pp. 273-277 ◽  
Author(s):  
C.D.A. Brown ◽  
K.F. Thompson
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
East Coast ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Farming Systems ◽  
International Markets ◽  
Reproduction Rate ◽  
Low Cholesterol ◽  
By Products

Ostrich are currently being promoted as an alternative to sheep, cattle and deer. Although current bird prices are not sustainable, New Zealand and overseas experience to date suggest ostrich can be farmed successfully and profitability long term. Climate and terrain of the east coast of New Zealand suit ostrich physical requirements. It has been suggested that production systems will develop in which grazed herbage will provide 60% or more of the nutritional requirements. The ability to graze low-cost herbage combined with a reproduction rate of about 25 progeny per hen per year indicate that ostrich production systems may be three times more efficient than beef or deer at turning feed into lean meat. The low fat and low cholesterol meat is likely to be the primary product and is already being sold in international markets. There is also a market for the leather, feathers and oil by-products. Keywords: diversification, east coast, farming systems, meat, ostrich

scholarly journals Flood Impacts on Dairy Farms in the Bay of Plenty Region, New Zealand

Climate ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 30
Author(s):  
Ryan Paulik ◽  
Kate Crowley ◽  
Nicholas A. Cradock-Henry ◽  
Thomas M. Wilson ◽  
Ame McSporran
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Flood Hazard ◽  
Dairy Farm ◽  
Dairy Farms ◽  
Flood Damage ◽  
Water Flooding ◽  
Farm Level ◽  
Changing Climate ◽  
Response And Recovery ◽  
On Farm

Flood damage assessments provide critical information for flood hazard mitigation under changing climate conditions. Recent efforts to improve and systemise damage assessments have focused primarily on urban environments with few examples for primary industries such as dairy. This paper explores the adverse consequences of flooding on dairy farms in the Bay of Plenty region, New Zealand. Ex-tropical Cyclone Debbie in April 2017 caused prolonged riverine and surface water flooding on over 3500 hectares of dairy farmland. The event provided an opportunity to develop and apply a participatory approach for collecting information about on-farm flood damage, and both response and recovery actions implemented by dairy farmers. Semi-structured interviews and transect walks with farmers revealed a range of direct and indirect damages to production and capital assets, influenced by duration of inundation, silt deposition and seasonality. Results highlight the need to identify on-farm and off-farm asset interdependencies of dairy farm systems to estimate long-term socio-economic consequences at farm-level. Enhancing dairy farm flood resilience in a changing climate will rely on farm-level response and recovery plans, proactively supported by emergency management agencies, farm service suppliers and support agencies.

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

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

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