Research - DairyNZ

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DairyNZ’s research is focussed on earning greater market returns for farmers, through increasing productivity through forage production, utilisation, better animals and efficient systems, with a lower environmental footprint.

Key Projects

Pillars of a new dairy system

The Pillars of a new dairy system is a seven year programme of research to improve cow fertility and lifetime productivity. Together, inefficiencies in these areas are estimated to cost the dairy industry $1 billion annually.
Pillar I: Cow fertility

The profitability of dairy farming could be increased by $500 million per year if industry targets for reproductive performance are achieved. These targets will not be achieved using current knowledge and technologies alone. A biological breakthrough is required.
Pillar II: Lifetime productivity

Little is currently known about animal wastage and under-performance in New Zealand dairy systems. The focus of this project is to investigate involuntary culls, deaths and poor health in NZ dairy cows.
Forages for reduced nitrate leaching

This programme aims to reduce nitrate leaching losses by 20 percent by delivering proven, adoptable and profitable pasture and forage crop options.
Pre-grazing and mowing trial

The pre-grazing and mowing trial examined the effects of pre-grazing pasture cover and mowing as a management tool to maintain target residuals.
Chicory and Plantain Programme

The Chicory and Plantain programme of work aimed to determine milk production responses to supplementing a pasture-based diet with chicory or plantain in summer, and how grazing management affected the growth and quality of these herbs, as well as their persistence.
Farm systems modelling

Farm systems modelling is a way to fast track our research.
Feed efficiency: Residual Feed Intake

A Residual Feed Intake (RFI) Breeding Value (BV) would allow breeding companies and farmers to more accurately select the most genetically elite animals that maximise profit. This project looks as how we can predict feed efficiency in dairy cows.
Pastoral 21

Pastoral 21 Next Generation Dairy Systems was a collaborative five-year research programme that aimed to provide proven, profitable, simple, adoption-ready systems that lifted production and reduced nutrient loss.