Research Farms
DairyNZ’s research farms are an important industry resource that provide “real farm” platforms with associated science resources that enable larger scale pasture and animal trials to be carried out. The farms effectively get research from the laboratory to the farm.
History
DairyNZ farm sites are steeped in rural history. The area featured the first top-dressing, the first waxed carton milk and one of the earliest butter factories. Captain James Runciman, who farmed the original 1200 acres as the Marshmeadow estate, was the first settler on the land after the Waikato Wars.
Captain Runciman was an avid tree planter and some notable trees still survive on the property. One tree, a Manna gum (Eucalyptus regnans), planted in 1878, has once been recorded as the tallest tree in New Zealand.
The properties making up the present DairyNZ farms have been well farmed under dairying for the past 95 years by the original settlers when the government divided up the Marshmeadow holding in the late 1800s.
| Farm name | Research Focus | Farm area | Cows (Variable) |
|
Udder health and intensive indoor nutrition work |
95 ha |
330 | |
|
Large scale farm systems trials |
120 ha |
340 | |
|
Automated dairy farming and milk harvesting systems |
60 ha |
180 |
Other Farming Interests
DairyNZ manages the 120 ha Westpac Trust Whareroa Research Centre in Taranaki under contract to the West Taranaki Agriculture Research Station Trust (WTARS).
DairyNZ is closely involved in the development of the Lincoln University Dairy Farm and Southland Demonstration Farm. The company has close ties with Massey University and runs a number of trials on private farms around the country.
The South Island Dairying Development Centre (SIDDC) is a partnership between Lincoln University, DairyNZ, South Island Dairy Farmers (represented by the South Island Dairy Event (SIDE) network), Ravensdown Fertiliser Cooperative Limited, and Crop & Food Research. SIDDC’s focus is to accelerate the development of South Island dairying for all parties, especially South Island Dairy farmers. SIDDC provides a cluster of expertise, resources, and services delivering innovative, practical research, technical, education, extension and training support to dairy farmers.
Find out more about DairyNZ’s Farms
