BOP Focus On Dairying

The aim of the BOP Focus on Dairy is to influence farmers in the BOP to make their farms more profitable and sustainable by:

Setting up a focus farm with a farmer whose beliefs largely align with industry “best practise” to demonstrate the process and actions to improve their performance to meet their goals within their resources. This will involve collecting and analysing data to show cause and effect as to how improvements are made
To promote/drive research and investigation on commercial farms in the BOP on how to improve pasture persistence, mastitis and achieve the industry targets for reproduction
Provide farmers with local climate and pasture growth data relevant to their district.

Expected outcomes of this project

Benefit

Farmers see/discuss “how” to improve farm performance through on farm demonstration and are motivated to improve their performance and adopt best practise

By presenting hard data, farmers have the confidence in the evidence presented to adopt successful practise on their farms.

Farmers in the BOP have access to information to support them in decisions on pasture renewal.

Farmers are aware of the key drivers that cause mastitis and know the process they need to follow and are supported by rural professionals if they are motivated to reduce bulk milk SCC and clinical mastitis.

Farmers have local information to help them make better grazing management decisions on their farms.

Vets servicing farmers in the region and the DairyNZ COs will become more competent and understand how to use InCalf to achieve the dairy industry targets for herd reproduction.

Farmers know the importance and actions they can take to have an efficient effluent system.