Friday, March 29, 2024

Forage Index update timely

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As dairy farmers re-focus efforts to lower feed costs in another tight annual budget, the updated Forage Value Index (FVI) provides insights to some of the best solutions to achieve that.
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The FVI released in late January has incorporated the latest updated “star” rankings for specific grass cultivars and added some new cultivars to the FVI’s ever-growing database.

NZ Plant Breeders Rights Association (NZPBRA) general manager Thomas Chin said the release was a timely one, given autumn sowing options were now being considered, and the decision for many dairy farmers was a critical one in light of increasing reliance upon the grass beneath their feet as the key low-cost feed input.

“The update strengthens the data that is already in the FVI, with latest results from the 2015 trials, and we suspect there will be more farmers than ever looking to the FVI over the coming autumn.

While the FVI only commenced in 2012, its ranking of pasture by dry matter production incorporates 25 years of plant variety trial data in an easily understood “star” ranking system.

“There is a lot of history and knowledge there that is incorporated into a very easy to understand system,” Chin said.

By this time next year metabolisable energy levels are likely to also be incorporated into the FVI’s rankings.

Chin also hopes to see the persistence variable to be incorporated shortly after that. Persistence of modern cultivars has been an issue for some farmers, and its inclusion a welcome one.

However the measurement of persistence is also a challenging one in seasonal pasture systems that get hit by weather events. It requires more time to build an accurate indicator to include in the index.

Research work has indicated the awareness level of the FVI among farmers has been relatively high given its short lifespan, with more than 50% of farmers claiming an awareness of it last year.

Hopes are to push that over 70% and make the FVI an integral part of the pasture renovation process that consists of selecting the right paddock, selecting the right cultivar, establishing pasture well and managing the pasture to get its full genetic potential.

Chin said the FVI has been modelled along similar evaluation lines to the Breeding Worth Index, and hopes are it will become the industry’s “go to” index to determine a pasture’s effectiveness within a certain farm system in a certain area.

At present the FVI breaks the country in to four areas, with cultivars ranked within those areas.

Chin said NZPBRA has been in discussion with Beef + Lamb NZ about the possibility of developing a similar index for sheep and beef farmers.

“They have seen what the FVI has to offer dairy farmers and can see the value it could bring to their systems too.”

To view the updated FVI visit: www.dairynz.co.nz/feed/cultivar-selection

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