Commissioned in 2002, Lye Farm is home to some of the most advanced indoor dairy research facilities in the southern hemisphere. Activities on this farm focuses on milk harvesting and intensive indoor research work.

Farm profile

Farm area	100ha effective
Milking cows	300 (herd size changes depending on scientific requirements)
Soil type and fertility	Mainly Peaty Silt Loams
Paddocks	93 paddocks of 1 ha each
Dairy infrastructure	30-bail rotary dairy with: • automatic cow ID, daily electronic milk weight recording and measured in-bail feeding • associated milking annex with: • three bail tandem dairy (Used for udder health and milking technology studies) • single sided 8 bail herringbone dairy (Used for intensive milk measuring studies) These facilities allows more intensive milk sampling and milking machine cow interaction studies to be undertaken, including udder health. Animal barns: Used for indoor feeding trials • Supplementary feeding barn • Long-term free stalls for housing cows over long periods • Intensive feeding barn incorporating electronic gates at each feeding bail to allow individual intake measurement • Metabolism stalls with 16 bails for intensive input-output studies and a roofed feeding pad The facilities are used for intensive feeding and nutritional studies providing information on: • cow nutrition • reproduction and milk characteristics • methane output Laboratories: • Bacteriological and field laboratories

Main Functions

Research

At Lye Farm, modern facilities make it possible for DairyNZ scientists to focus research on milk harvesting and intensive indoor work.

State of the art rotary and herringbone dairy facilities are used for:

Udder health and milking technology studies
Intensive milk measuring studies

Pristine indoor barn facilities are used for intensive feeding and nutritional studies providing information on:

cow nutrition
production and milk characteristics
methane output

Event venue

Undercover facilities make Lye Farm a popular venue for field days and various other farmer events.

Scott Farm and Lye Farm often form part of various dairying events and touring programmes showcasing the New Zealand dairying industry.

Need a Research Venue

Developed for the advancement of the pastoral based New Zealand dairy industry, we also offer the use of this facility to other research organisations for research projects that will benefit our dairy farmers.