62 | nzdairy DAIRY PEOPLE » Dairy Trust Taranaki A decade of rigorous farm-system research Karen Phelps As Dairy Trust Taranaki approaches its tenyear anniversary in 2026, the organisation is set to mark a decade of rigorous farmsystem research and the growing impact its work is having on dairy farming across the region. Formed in 2016 through the merger of three long-standing Taranaki research entities, it now oversees more than 400 effective hectares and remains one of the country’s most substantial providers of commercial-scale dairy research. “It’s always a fantastic journey to bring valuable research to New Zealand dairy farmers,” says Diego Gomez, Dairy Trust Taranaki General Manager. “We are one of New Zealand’s largest research organisations and delivering research at scale is work we approach with passion, rigour and commitment” Since its establishment the trust has hosted hundreds of farmers, advisors and industry specialists across its four research farms. “We operate as an open book and are happy to receive farmers and industry professionals here to see what we are doing,” says Diego. Much of the scientific design and interpretation sits with Mags Bremer, Head of Science, who has been leading several of the trust’s flagship trials. Among them is the Step Change project at the Gibson farm, now in its sixth season after beginning in 2020/21. “What we have seen consistently across all five years is that we have been able to reduce the environmental footprint on the future farmlet,” says Mags. “We have seen consistent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and nitrogen leaching, with varying effects on profitability.” The Gibson property, with its 72 one-hectare paddocks, is uniquely suited to controlled farmlet comparison. The Step Change comparison pits a conventional 3.1 cows/ha system against a lower-input 2.5 cows/ha model with reduced nitrogen fertiliser and imported feed. Mags says it has shown that profitability is highly dependent on milk price and input costs, fluctuating between 12% lower and 24% higher than the current system but averaging out to almost the same. Increased per-cow production on the future farmlet has been achieved through more days in milk. www.taranaki-vets.co.nz Clinics - Stratford ▪ Manaia ▪ Hawera ▪ Patea ▪ Waverley Proud Sponsors of Dairy Trust Taranaki Grazing decisions just got smarter Smart, simple pasture management right in your pocket. aimer-farming.com 07 958 9728 Agricultural For all your services on the farm. Contracting Round Bale Hay & Silage Maize Silage Harvesting Fertiliser Spreading Cultivation & Planting Supplement Sales Calf Bedding 027 384 4822 South Taranaki kalincontracting.co.nz Hedge Mulching Truck & Trailer Cartage Grass Silage by Harvester or Loader Wagon PROUD TO SUPPORT DAIRY TRUST TARANAKI “Because it’s a lower input system with fewer cows, we can milk more days at the start and end of the season, depending on weather conditions. It equates to more milk per cow, but on a perhectare basis it’s still less,” says Mags. This level of precision comes from extensive measurement. Soil moisture, pasture growth, feed inputs, milk production and emissions are all monitored, with greenhouse gas results modelled using Overseer. The Gibson property, with its 72 one-hectare paddocks, is uniquely suited to controlled farmlet comparison. At Waimate West, the trust is four years into a seven-year trial testing diverse multi-species pastures against conventional ryegrass-clover managed traditionally. While many international claims suggest benefits to soil health and animal outcomes, Mags says early results in Taranaki focus on establishment and management. “So far the main learnings have been how to get the diverse pastures established and how best to
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