Earlier this month about 40 Federated Farmers’ dairy sector leaders were given an insight into the Ministry for Primary Industries-funded farm system change study,
Dairy sector chairman Chris Lewis said they were impressed with what they heard.
“MPI should promote it as a good, solid bit of work.”
Lewis said while MPI had commissioned the work, research dollars were not in abundance and it should not be left to DairyNZ to do such work on behalf of the dairy sector.
He hopes the rest of the dairy industry will look at and promote farm systems change rather than having the information put on a shelf where it could be lost.
Land use economist Ray MacLeod said farm systems change is not intensive farming but accurately measuring inputs and outputs then using that information to efficiently manage land, pasture and cow genetics with reduced waste.
MacLeod and veterinary and farm systems analyst Bryan McKay have for five years studied and measured the performance of 17 dairy farmers throughout the country to determine how they are among the sector’s top performers.
An MPI spokesman said the study supports the industry as it transitions from “an expansion-based growth model, more land-more cows to a more resilient future built on greater efficiency in production and greater sustainability in the use of natural resources”.
MPI believes farmers are already heading in this direction and hopes this study will be a catalyst for dialogue, innovation and more sustainable and resilient farm management.
DairyNZ strategy and investment leader Mark Paine said the organisation has been in discussions with MPI on the project for more than nine months, providing analysis and feedback.
The principles of farm system change and DairyNZ are “on the same page” with much of its knowledge about top performers acquired by the levy-funded group during the dairy downturn.
“What is really good with this work and what we were really able to scale up during the downturn is that we worked with leading farmers and listened to them.”
DairyNZ operates on four principles: maximising home-grown feed, fully using that feed, controlling costs and maximising people productivity.
Paine believes farm system change has not previously focused on people as much as animal performance and the environment but that has changed.
Lewis said the farm system change presentation to farmers was greeted favourably by the mix of sharemilkers and farm owners and many openly said they wanted more detail.
Researchers found the management of those in the study led to the conversion of drymatter to production at a rate 25% above the national average, meaning they required fewer cows.
Another key finding was that the group averaged from 89% to 93% of milksolids to cow liveweight. The national average was about 72%, or 381kg/MS on a liveweight of 528kg.
The mortality rate among study farms was 30% less than the national average, which, overall, meant fewer replacements were needed while herds had better breeding, a longer milking season, lower financial break-even points and a higher return on assets.
Asked if that was significant given the criticism of cow numbers, Paine said that depended on the aims of the business and the priority of work-life balance.
Farmers need businesses that are resilient and he cautioned against intensifying their operations while acknowledging farms in the study cover myriad farming systems.
That included cows housed in sheds, covered and open feed pads, hybrid systems and irrigated and non-irrigated farms.
MacLeod said farms operating under that system did not exclude the use of complementary or bought-in feed. Its use was assessed on its financial and productivity merits.
The MPI spokesman said the farm data has been assessed with banks, investors and rural professionals to look at challenges and opportunities for attracting investment for environmental purposes and succession.
“Our findings indicate environmental and animal welfare outcomes can be improved while increasing farm profitability and productivity building on the industry’s pasture based model.”
