16 | nzdairy DAIRY PEOPLE » Dairy Holdings Ltd Partnership with farming co-operative Ravensdown Since 2019, Dairy Holdings has eliminated palm kernel extract (PKE) from its farm system, replacing it with grass silage. Karen Phelps New Zealand’s largest dairy farmer, Dairy Holdings Ltd, has significantly reduced its environmental footprint over the past decade while simultaneously increasing productivity. A key factor in this has been its partnership with farming co-operative Ravensdown, spanning more than ten years, which has helped Dairy Holdings to transform its approach to nutrient management and resource efficiency. “Over the last five years alone, we have taken 6,600 soil samples across Dairy Holding farms to be tested and analysed by Ravensdown,” says Colin Glass, Dairy Holdings CEO. “It has allowed us to get really precise with our fertiliser application from a placement, quantity and timing perspective. Because of this we’ve been able to nearly halve the amount of nitrogen we use per hectare, with a reduction of 46 percent over the last 10 years.” A key element in the company’s sustainability strategy is its commitment to a 100% pasturebased system. Since 2019, Dairy Holdings has eliminated palm kernel extract (PKE) from its farm system, replacing it with grass silage. This allows it to produce what Colin says is the highest quality sustainable food for its customers. The company has also dramatically decreased its reliance on purchased feed, cutting usage from 300kg DM/cow to less than 50kg DM/cow - an 83 percent reduction. “Over the past decade we’ve boosted pasture growth from investment in irrigation, re-grassing G R A S S F E E D A V A I L A B L E • to page 18
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