The three systems were variable milking frequency, the inclusion of plantain in the forage base and a reduction in the herd replacement rate, Lincoln University Dairy Farm said in a statement.
The three systems were variable milking frequency, the inclusion of plantain in the forage base and a reduction in the herd replacement rate, Lincoln University Dairy Farm said in a statement.
The 186 hectare farm has been used for 19 years as a hub for farmers and the industry to gather and discuss new knowledge, skills and technology that might affect the dairy sector.
The trials would be managed by the South Island Dairying Demonstration Centre, an industry funded partnership between Lincoln University, DairyNZ, Ravensdown, SIDE, LIC and AgResearch.
The centre’s demonstration manager Jeremy Savage, said much of the research had been carried out already by different groups but was being picked up by the demonstration farm as a “first adopter”, to showcase the methods to farmers and give them confidence to pick them up.
DairyNZ systems and competitiveness general manager David McCall said it was exciting to see the adoption of variable milking frequencies after a three-year DairyNZ project that looked at how it could benefit farmers.
The variable milking programme would run over the current season. Instead of milking twice a day, a more flexible regime of 10 milking sessions over seven days would be adopted, in the hope it would work better for both cows and farmers.
Savage said variable frequency milking was quite a radical move from traditional dairying, but a three year DairyNZ study had shown it to be worthwhile.
“It’s quite counterintuitive for farmers to milk cows at different times. Most farmers would be quite reluctant to do that because they would drop their production too dramatically. We’ll learn a few lessons along the way as we apply research and put it into practice,” he said.
The system would improve animal welfare through less lameness and better overall health but would also be better for staff, with less demanding rosters, fewer early starts and a more condensed workload, providing a better work-life balance, he said.
Savage said beginning in mid-October at least 10 per cent of the farm would be planted with plantain.
“This is a forage that may significantly reduce nitrogen leaching. With cow intakes of 30 per cent plantain or higher we anticipate the farm will achieve further improvements to its nitrogen leaching results.
“The potential benefits of reducing on-farm nitrogen leaching by up to 20 per cent by managing the cows’ diets, and without reducing overall herd numbers, are obvious and compelling.”
The introduction of plantain in forage followed a six-year cross-sector programme that looked at ways forages could reduce nitrate leaching, Savage said.
The third research project would trial a reduction in the replacement rate of heifers for the herd. Greenhouse gas emissions modelling showed significant gains could be made by dropping the current 28 per cent replacement rate to 15 per cent to 18 per cent, he said.
The first open day subject to level 2 is on October 6.
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