Research

One of the key objectives of the Dairy Futures:Living Lab is to provide a platform for research and industry engagement to work together to solve the challenges facing agriculture. As a university farm we aim to encourage, engage and enable under graduate and post graduate students in various aspects of research.

Some of the research will be short term component studies within the wider Dairy Futures:Living Lab farmlets while other projects will run in parallel to the farmlet. The Living Lab initiative will support research in under graduate courses (for example PLSC321 and ANSC 312), Honours projects, Masters and PhD's.


2021 - 2023 Research projects

Fertiliser study

Regulation of N fertiliser use to 190 kg N/ha will have a considerable impact on feed supply for many farmers. The market place promotes a number of additives which are stated to improve pasture response to N fertiliser. In this study we will compare a range of additives and fertiliser products on pasture production in a small plot trial which will commence in April 2021 and collect data over 12 months.

Calf study

There is growing evidence from overseas research showing that calves with high pre-weaning growth rates have improved milk yield compared with calves of lower pre-weaning growth rate. This research, which is sponsored by Fonterra, will compare the effect of feeding calves at 10% (control, artificially reared), 20% (high allowance, artificially reared) or ad lib (suckling, natural rearing) on pre and post weaning growth rate and subsequent milk yield.

Publications and reports

2022

Dairy Exporter. 2022. Staying with Mum. https://nzfarmlife.co.nz/staying-with-mum/ September


Manuscripts are currently in press

2021

2020