SIDDC current research

• Current dairy related projects at Lincoln University
• SIDE is supporting with funding the following projects
• Current dairy related projects at Plant & Food Research
• Dairy related research funded by Ravensdown/FertResearch
• Dexcel (DairyNZ) - Industry and public good funded research 2005-06
• LIC - current dairy related research

For further information please contact office@siddc.org.nz

Current dairy related projects at Lincoln University

Environment

1. Strategic changes on dairy farms to reduce the environmental impacts of dairy farming
2. Development and use of ‘eco-n’ nitrification inhibitor technology to reduce nitrate leaching losses
3. Reducing nitrous oxide emissions from pastoral agriculture using nitrification inhibitors
4. Determination of nitrous oxide emission factor from animal excreta
5. Greenhouse gas emissions in agriculture
6. Environmental leadership on LUDF
7. Delivering environmental solutions for sustainable productivity [P21]
8. N leaching and root distribution
9. N isotope fraction techniques for measuring N partitioning in dairy cows
10. Improving water use efficiency on irrigated dairy farms
    
    

Farm productivity

1. Pasture legume agronomy and management
2. Pasture grass endophyte evaluation
3. Perennial ryegrass evaluation
4. Modelling growth and quality of forage crops
5. Water use efficiency in grasses and legumes
6. Dairy systems models
7. Wintering systems for dairy cows
8. 45 t DM/ha from supplementary feeds
9. Control of intake in grazing cows
   

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Farm business

1. Future dairy farm employment
2. Economic aspects of changing seasonality of milk production in NZ
3. Techniques for optimisation of a dairy farm simulation model
   

Animal health and welfare

1. Role of bovine MHC genes in mastitis resistance
2. Neural networks (application to detecting mastitis in cows)
3. Magnesium metabolism – a simulation model
4. Feed and forage evaluation
5. Dairy cow lameness
6. Rumen function and nutritional disorders.

SIDE has supported with seed funding the following projects:

1. “An examination of the costs of the non-induction policy of the LUDF”. Anna Paton, LU Student
2. “Dairy run-off management and profitability”. Brendan Richards, LU Student
3. “Total Productivity Factors". Adam McCall, LU Student
4. “Sustainable, Productive Support Land for South Island Dairying”. SIDDC Research Group
5. "South Island Dairy Lameness". Jim Gibbs, Lincoln University
6. "Pasture analysis to investigate Spring milk production dip at LUDF". Prof Richard Dewhurst, Lincoln University
7. "Effluent irrigator audit". Debbie Care, DairyNZ
8. "Future proofing Southland Dairy Farm systems". Southland Demonstration Farm
9. "Winter feeding systems for Southland's burgeoning dairy industry". Dawn Dalley, DairyNZ
10. "Shorter milking times". Jenny Jago, DairyNZ
11. "West Coast monitor farms". Michael Hart, West Coast Focus Farm Advisory Board

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The following papers relating to Support Land have been published in The Proceedings of eight annual SI Dairy Events. This demonstrates the importance placed on support land related topics by the farmers on the SIDE Committee for the farmer audience. The subject is wide, the number of papers is high, and the topic has featured from 1999 - 2008.

1. "Sustainability and practice on dairy support land". Michael Bennett, LU. SIDE 2008
2. “Run-offs – Control, but at What Cost?” Davis & White. SIDE 2005
3. “The Cost of Wintering in Southland”. Bruce Greig. SIDE 2004
4. “Alternative Crops Suitable for Dairy Land in Southern New Zealand”. Craig Howard. SIDE 2004
5. “Feed Crop Rotations for Supporting a Milking Platform”. Warwick Scott. SIDE 2003.
6. “Brassica Wintering for Dairy Cows: Overcoming the Challenges”. Nichol/Westward/Dumbleton/Amyes. SIDE 2003.
7. “Effective Supplement Use”. Clearwater/Wright. SIDE 2003.
8. “Riparian Management – Benefits to Water Quality”. Maurice Rodway. SIDE 2002.
9. “Innovative and Sustainable Wintering”. Terry Hughes. SIDE 2002.
10. “Future Forages for South Island Dairying”. Hogg/DeRuiter/Hanson. SIDE 2002.
11. “Dairying and the Environment”. Cameron/Di. SIDE 2001.
12. “Environmental Impacts of Wintering Systems”. Bruce Thorrold. SIDE 2000.
13. “Extending Lactation to Increase Milk Solids Per Cow”. John Penno. SIDE 2000.
14. “The Winter – the Alternatives”. Ross Cottier. SIDE 2000.
15. “Optimal Economic Production from Pasture Based Dairying”. Dave Clark. SIDE 1999.
16. “Feeding Supplements to Milkers – South Island Systems and Costs”. McDonald/Allison. SIDE 1999.

Current dairy related projects at Plant & Food Research

1. Define systems for production and utilisation of supplementary forage crops with yield and quality at levels approaching the practical upper limits of productivity of forage crop sequences during the transition from old to new pasture, (Pastoral 21: FRST, DairyNZ, Meat & Wool NZ and Fonterra).
   • Use complementary experimental and modelling approaches along with on-farm testing to optimise profitability.
   
2. Determine the impacts of dairying on soils, (Pastoral 21: FRST, DairyNZ, Meat & Wool NZ and Fonterra).
   • Define the effects of simulated grazing of cereal, grass and brassica forages on nitrate leaching from soil under different forage crop sequences.
   
3. Determine the impacts of increasing use of crops for supplementary feeding on dairy farms in Taranaki, (MAF-SFF, DairyNZ, PGG Wrightson, Taranaki Regional Council, Ballance Agri-Nutrients).
   • Define the productivity of splits herds grazing on ‘all grass’ vs ‘grass + crops’ systems.
   • Examine the long-term effects on soil properties.
   • Assess best cropping sequences for fit with animal feed requirements.
   
4. Improve management, production and quality of forage crops for the dairy industry,
   (Ballance Agri-Nutrients).
   • Develop software for forecasting harvest timing of cereal crops for silage or grain.
   • Release crop production management packages.
   
5. Develop new cereal and brassica forage cultivars for the dairy industry.
   • Produce single and multi-graze cereal and brassica forage cultivars for improved productivity and quality.
   • Develop management systems for improved productivity and quality of forage brassicas and cereal forage cultivars.
   
6. Develop new opportunities for reducing the impact of insect damage in brassica crops, (MAF–SFF, Synlait and FAR).
   • Improve the dispersion of biological control agents for chewing insects.
   
7. Literature review and evaluation of wintering options in Southland (MAF–SFF, DairyNZ).
   
8. Management and forecasting systems for forage brassicas, (FRST, Ballance Agri-Nutrients).
   • Develop yield physiology models for forage brassica crops.
   • Develop management strategies and decision support tools for improved productivity and reliability of the diverse range of summer and winter forage brassicas.
   
9. Optimising nutrient use efficiency on West Coast modified soils, (MAF–SFF, DairyNZ, Landcorp, Westland Milk Products).
   • Develop guidelines for improving nutrient use efficiency on West Coast hump and hollow and flipped soils as they develop following modification.
   
10. Irrigation Calculator, (DairyNZ).
    • Develop and evaluate a simple model to predict when to irrigate dairy pastures and how much to apply.
    
11. Soil physical and chemical properties that influence nitrogen transformations in grazed forage crop systems (FRST, PhD Student).

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Dairy related research funded by Ravensdown / FertResearch

1. Nitrification inhibitors: Effects of nitrification inhibitors on nitrate leaching, N2O emissions, pasture production and quality. Lysimeter plot and grazing studies in Canterbury, Manawatu and Waikato, including participating in a MAF co-ordinated study at 4-6 sites throughout the country.
   
2. Fertigation: Effect of applying liquid urea through centre pivot irrigation compared to the same quantity of urea applied as a solid (Lincoln University).
   
3. OVERSEER development: Continued and increased involvement in the on-going development of the nutrient budgeting software through half membership of FertResearch which is a third owner of OVERSEER along with MAF and AgResearch.
   
4. Nutrient Management Plans: More as development, we are rolling out NMPs to all dairy customers over the next few months.
   
5. Contaminants: FertResearch and its member companies are involved in on-going research, monitoring and discussions with regulatory agencies concerning the fate and impact of unwanted passengers (non-essential minerals) unconsciously applied with fertiliser.
6. Industry and public good funded research 2005-06

Titles of Dairy InSight funded research projects:

1. Modelling farm and industry production and profitability (led by Pierre Beukes)
   
2. Pregnancy Enhancement (led by Susanne Meier)
   
3. Mastitis Epidemiology and Alternative Control Strategies (led by Jane Lacy-Hulbert)
   
4. Forage Mixed Rations for increased profitability (led by Sharon Woodward)
   
5. Transition Cow Nutrition (led by John Roche)6.
6. Enhanced Ovarian Function (led by Lucia Chagas)
   
7. Extending lactation for 670 days (led by Eric Kolver)
   
8. Mechanisms of body tissue mobilization and deposition in high genetic merit dairy cows (led by John Roche)
   
9. Once a day milking for lifestyle and profit (led by Dave Clark)
   
10. Reproductive solutions for future farming scenarios/ Automated Oestrous Detection (led by Chris Burke)
    
11. Ensuring productive and profitable cow genotypes (led by Kevin Macdonald)
    
12. Pasture cover via satellite (led by Sue Petch)
    
13. Overseer: Nitrification Inhibitors (led by Bruce Thorrold)
    
14. Advanced Supplementary Decision Rules (led by Eric Kolver)
    
15. Automated Technologies for on-farm management of dairy herds – early detection and body condition score (led by Jenny Jago)
    
16. Prototype Farms (led by Bruce Thorrold)
    
17. The impact of novel ryegrass endophyte AR37 on dairy production (led by Errol Thom)
    
18. Northland Project: mastitis control and productivity (led by Jane Lacy-Hulbert)

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Titles of FRST-funded research projects:

1. Innovative food harvesting and monitoring technologies (led by Murray Woolford)
   
2. Protecting people through product purity (led by Jane Lacy-Hulbert)
   
3. Sustainable Dairying (led by Dave Clark)

Titles of SFF-funded research projects:

1. Sustainable intensification of Waikato Dairy Farms (led by Bruce Thorrold)

Current dairy related projects at LIC

1. Genomic selection (partially funded by Technology New Zealand)
   
2. Transcriptome Mapping for milk production (Partially funded by TechNZ)
   
3. BoviQuest, joint research effort with ViaLactia on milk production and composition.
   
4. Feed Conversion Efficiency, in collaboration with Dexcel [NZ], Dairy-CRC and DPI-Victoria [Australia], and partially funded by NZTE.

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