Dairying future in reliable hands

Thomas Macdonald is studying the cost of environmental compliance.

People may be surprised to learn how much dairy farmers are investing to protect the environment, says a University of Waikato masters student.

Thomas Macdonald has been awarded a $17,000 NZ National Agricultural Fieldays Sir Don Lewellyn Scholarship to assist his study into the cost of environmental compliance in the dairy industry.

Macdonald says the regulations on nutrient-management continue to increase, and he's finding out what the options are for farmers and how much they cost. A key aim of his research is to bridge the information gap between regulator and farmer plus the rural-urban divide regarding the investment made in protecting the environment.

He has so far interviewed about a dozen farmers in Waikato on what specific compliance issues they have addressed and their costs.

"Several farmers have paid well over $500,000," says Macdonald. "With more than 3500 farmers in the Waikato and over 11,000 nationwide there is a huge amount of money being poured into compliance. Maximising the effectiveness of such compliance investment is the key aim of this research."

Macdonald, who comes off a farm, expects to complete his Master of Management Studies in the next year. He'll have to fit study around a fulltime job as a dairy business analyst for Landcorp, in Taupo where he'll be responsible for the financial and environmental analysis of Landcorp's Tahi group farms. His undergraduate degree is a Bachelor of Business Analysis with majors in finance and agribusiness. A second Fieldays scholarship of $5000 has been awarded to biological sciences student Brooke Wilson. She is working with AgResearch's stem cell research team investigating the expression of genes throughout the early stages of embryonic development in cattle.

"The results from this project will assist in improving our understanding of cattle reproduction and embryology, with the future goal of generating a truly embryonic stem cell line for livestock animals."

The National Agricultural Fieldays scholarships are awarded each year to graduate students undertaking research at the University of Waikato with a specific focus on agriculture.

Waikato University has a long-standing association with Fieldays. The university's founding Vice-Chancellor Sir Don Llewellyn helped establish the event in the 1960s and as the key tertiary institution in the Waikato region, the university has been a Strategic Partner of the NZ National Agricultural Fieldays for eight years.

Fieldays CEO Jon Calder says he's delighted to have two recipients of the scholarship. "Their work and research will make a real difference to New Zealand agriculture."

Calder says the students' work complements this year's Fieldays theme, Managing Resources for a Competitive Advantage. "Thomas' research is addressing a current topical issue for our farmers while Brooke's work will create new opportunity and possibilities for the future genetic lines of New Zealand's cattle."