DTT Waimate West
- 34 effective ha.
- 40 x 0.86 ha paddocks
- North of Manaia
- 1300 mm rainfall
- 90masl
Background
With increasing consumer demand for healthy, environmentally sustainable food products, it could be advantageous for NZ dairy farmers to adopt practices that align with those demands and move to more environmentally sustainable systems.
One approach to this is the introduction of multi species pastures. Some mixed sward pastures (including chicory, plantain and clover) have previously been shown to have greater root biomass and turnover than traditional ryegrass/clover pastures, leading to increased soil health. This is believed to flow on through to increased animal and human health.
DTT is running a 7-year trial to show if and how diverse pastures can deliver these multiple claimed benefits in comparison to conventional NZ farming systems.
Trial Design
The paddocks of the farm have been randomised into two farmlets with a stocking rate of 3.47 jersey cows/ha and are balanced in terms of Olsen P, Soil K, effluent application, cropping and regrassing history and location. 20% of the diverse farmlet has initially been planted in a diverse multi species pasture mix, with the rest of the farmlet to be gradually re-sown in diverse pastures over the remainder of the trial.
The diverse pasture mix currently includes:
Maxsyn perennial ryegrass
Safin superfine cocksfoot
Rohan perennial ryegrass
Timothy
Bareno pasture brome
Tabu+Italian ryegrass
Kotuku white clover
Weka white clover
Morrow red clover
Laser persian clover
Coolamon sub clover
Chicory
Captain plantain
This trial will test evidence for any links that diverse pastures might have to enhanced soil health, improved soil carbon and improved soil biodiversity as well as a reduction of N loss and reduction of GHG emissions. It will test the impact of diverse pastures on profitability and production as well as on social and wellbeing outcomes. Finally we will be testing the milk composition and sensory traits to test claims of improved health benefits.
Measurements
- Milk production from 4 weekly herd tests + vat measurements. Milk can be stored and collected from 2 separate vats & 2 supply numbers via Fonterra.
- Monthly human health milk sampling. Milk will be tested for Omega 3, 6, CLA and macro nutrients
- Pasture growth from calibrated weekly visual estimation of all paddocks (2 weekly in winter)
- Pre and post herbage mass measurements and estimated cow intakes
- Botanical composition analysis
- Soil carbon, nitrogen and physical properties
- Supplements harvested and fed (separate for each farmlet), supplements purchased (amount and cost)
- Nitrogen leaching measurements (lysimeters and suction cups)
- 4 weekly cow Liveweight and condition score
- All animal health and cow fertility events