Changing for the future
The Everest family of Ashburton in Hinds are one of many local farming families working hard to reduce nitrogen loss.
The High Intensity Grass-fed Herds (HIGH) project identifies positive outcomes for pasture-based dairy farms by reducing synthetic nitrogen fertiliser use and improving milk production efficiency from low-cost grazed pasture systems.
Other elements of the project are focused on adding economic value for non-replacement dairy cows, as well as the enhancement and development of people and skills.
The project has seen the construction of a purpose-built dairy at the Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture's Dairy Research Facility at Elliott in north west Tasmania and the establishment of four new farmlets (or mini farms), to research strategies for reducing reliance on synthetic fertiliser and its impacts under real farm conditions.
