Partners Networking to Advance South Island Dairying
Westland has some unique challenges such as high rainfall and seasonal dry peroids which are variable across the region. There is debate on how pasture growth rates and annual production on dairy farms throughout Westland compares to that collected from three years of monitoring on the Landcorp Kotuku Focus Farm. Westland has now been collecting data for 6 years and continues to building on the information currently available.
This project funded by Westland Milk Products, DairyNZ, CRV Ambreed, ARL-Ravensdown and Rabobank aims to generate reliable pasture growth and quality, and soil temperature information, over the next 12 months, on four commercial dairy farms in Westland.
Farm walks schedule for this season are weekly from August to May, and monthly over the winter period.
Each week we will provide a Weekly Summary of information from the following regions:
Buller: Westport (C Gallagher, Victoria Rd) Upper Grey Valley: Ikamatua (A Mirfin, Mirfins Rd) Greymouth: (A Robb Coal Creek, Taylorville Rd) Hokitika: Kowhitirangi (T&R Little, Whitcombe Valley Rd)
CO comment
Magnesium supplementation to dry cows will need to be started shortly to minimise the risk of grass staggers at calving. By reducing animal health problems the potential exists to increase milk production. Remember the magnesium requirement of the modern dairy cow has increased, partly due to increased use of nitrogen (N) and potassium (K) fertilisers and partly due to the increase in cow genetic merit increasing magnesium demand for milk production. Supplementation options include dusting Magnesium Oxide onto pasture, mixing Magnesium Oxide in silage, including Magnesium chloride or sulphate in drinking water or using Magnesium bullets. Getting in early and adopting the ‘prevention is better than cure’ method is the best approach. Talk with your vet for a mineral supplementation programme and go to the DairyNZ website (https://www.dairynz.co.nz/animal/cow-health/grass-staggers/) for further information.
Farm Summary
|
|
Westport |
Ikamatua |
Greymouth |
Kowhitirangi |
|
Average cover (kg DM/ha) |
2036 |
1974 |
|
1791 |
|
APC (9 June) |
2082 |
1957 |
- |
1791 |
|
Rotation length (days) |
155 |
|
|
|
|
Stocking rate |
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
Percentage in milk |
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
Milksolids kg/cow |
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
Milksolids kg/ha |
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
MS/cow (season to date) |
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
MS/ha (season to date) |
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
N (kg/ha) year to date |
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
Current N application rate kg N/ha |
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
5 June |
6 June |
|
7 June |
|
DM% |
16.7 |
16.3 |
|
15.0 |
|
Pasture ME |
>12.7 |
>12.7 |
|
>12.7 |
|
Pasture NDF |
43.6 |
37.4 |
|
24.9 |
|
Pasture CP |
37.8 |
29.0 |
|
24.2 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Target Intake (kg DM/cow/d) |
9 |
|
|
|
|
Supplement (kg/cow/day) |
2.2 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Soil temperature (°C) |
10.0 |
8.0 |
|
5.8 |
|
Growth Rate (kg DM/day) |
5 |
2 |
|
1 |
|
Rainfall |
14 |
26 |
|
|
|
Conditions for farmwalk |
Fine/cold wind |
Find, cold |
No farm walk |
Fine, cold day |
|
Comments |
|
|
|
|
NB: pasture quality data are for 1 sample collected from each farm
Click here for the full weekly summary - 29th June 2017
Previous Weekly Summaries
2017
| 30 Mar | |||||
| 29 Jun | 25 May | 27 Apr | 24 Mar | 24 Feb | 26 Jan |
| 19 May | 20 Apr | 17 Mar | 17 Feb | 20 Jan | |
| 9 Jun | 12 May | 13 Apr | 9 Mar | 10 Feb | 11 Jan |
| 2 Jun | 4 May | 6 Apr | 3 Mar | 2 Feb | 4 Jan |
2016
Combined Monthly Summaries
2014 - 2015
December 2015
November 2015
October 2015
September 2015
August 2015
July 2015
June 2015
May 2015
April 2015
March 2015
February 2015
January 2015
December 2014
November 2014
