Minister plugs partnerships

“In my view we should attract private companies onto these campuses as well,” he told an audience of dairy farmers and industry professionals gathered for a focus day on Lincoln University Research Dairy Farm (LURDF).

“That would build a very strong hub.”

In an hour-long visit the Minister gave a brief address to the focus day crowd, plugging the various Government funds going into agricultural research and development, then heard how some of that is being deployed from a string of scientists.

AgResearch science leader Mark Shepherd outlined phase II of the $7.7m/year, 5-year Pastoral 21 project.

“It’s a really good model for how industry and science should work together,” he told the Minister, explaining the cross-industry, cross-sector input into the project.

The project has four work streams: next generation dairy systems; breakthrough technologies in feed; mixed livestock systems; breakthrough technologies in environment.

Shepherd stressed that in dairy it’s about providing “accessible technology” and “not about the complete redesign of systems.”

Out in the paddock the Minister heard about how LURDF is testing high and low stocking rate/input systems.

“We don’t expect the high stocking rate system to come in under the nutrient limits that are likely to be put in place in the future,” said AgResearch’s David Chapman.

The lower stocking rate approach, at 3.5 cows/ha compared to 5.0/ha, with pastures laced with clover, chicory and plantain but using much less nitrogen that the high stocking rate farmlet, had the potential to be “very profitable” while significantly reducing losses, he added.

The focus day crowd later saw data showing the low input farmlet had an operating profit of $4809/ha to the high input’s $4590/ha last season, while Lincoln’s commercially-run, 660-cow demonstration farm made $4850/ha.

Lincoln’s Prof Grant Edwards said the mixed pastures in the low input system could reduce urine nitrogen – the source of most nitrogen losses – “by as much as a third”. They grew just as much dry matter and, as the profit figures suggest, cows were equally, if not more productive off them.

He also touched on how they’re testing species such as Italian Ryegrass as a tool to mop up nitrogen that might otherwise be leached.

Meanwhile Professor of Soil Science, Keith Cameron, demonstrated how lysimeters are used to measure nitrogen losses on the research farm, and how DCD, before it was withdrawn, had been able to reduce that.

“It’s amazing how effective this is at reducing nitrogen leaching,” said Cameron, presenting a graph of losses from pasture with and without DCD applied, prompting the Minister to comment “it’s a massive change, isn’t it.”