Effects of dairy intensification under microscope

Ian Tarbotton.

A leading edge dairy research programme will put high-input farms under the microscope to identify how to improve future processes and sustainability.

The project was being driven by Ballance Agri-Nutrients, AgResearch, DairyNZ and Tatua, in partnership with the Government's Sustainable Farming Fund initiative.

It would be led by Dr Stewart Ledgard of AgResearch and use case study farms of varying feed use intensity to examine effects of their system changes over the last decade - on emissions, production and profit, as well as testing options for improving their sustainability.

"Locally there is strong interest in understanding implications for water quality of dairy intensification through increased use of supplementary feeds and how effects can be minimised, while internationally there is a desire for food products to be produced with efficient use of resources and reduced wider environmental impacts," Dr Ledgard said.

"This project will apply a mix of regional and international market related methods."

Ballance Science Extension Manager Ian Tarbotton said the industry recognises there had been an increase in high feed-input farms in the past 10 years, but there was no holistic approach to determine when the higher-input system has an adverse impact on the farm business and beyond.

"This project is leading edge as it will evaluate the whole farming system, accounting for all land and brought-in feed through to water quality and energy use. We will be able to help farmers with nutrient use efficiency and farm system monitoring through increased farmer awareness of the hotspots for nutrient losses."