AgResearch's new Waikato dairy farm will be at the forefront
of research to reduce the sector's greenhouse gas emissions.
The recently converted $6.5 million Tokanui Dairy Research
Farm, near Te Awamutu, will include greenhouse gas mitigation
research among its programmes, alongside environmental
management, productivity gains and differentiated milk.
AgResearch climate, land and environment scientist Stewart
Ledgard said the 340ha farm would milk 700 cows, rising to
800 by 2010, and it already had a carbon footprint 20% below
the New Zealand average.
Scientists would look at mitigation steps applicable to the
wider industry.
That would include achieving high milk solid production per
cow, more efficient production of milk relative to cow
maintenance, efficient use of fertiliser and the role of
nitrogen inhibitors.
AgResearch chief executive Andy West said research farms
could be pushed and put into situations normal commercial
farms could not.
Tokanui was also a sign AgResearch was making a push into
dairy research, an area in which the science company had
previously not been strong, with just two of its 13 research
farms devoted to dairying.
"This really is a serious commitment," Dr West said.
Another area of research was differentiated milk.
Dr West said the dairy industry was largely built on
processing large volumes of the same milk, but as on-farm
costs increased, New Zealand may need to consider targeting
higher value markets with specialty products.
For example, New Zealand soils were low in selenium, so it
could research selenium-rich milk, or milk enhanced with
antibacteria to fight diseases such as thrush.
Dr West said New Zealand's landscape was likely to change
from other uses such as tree-planting for carbon sinks and
new crops competing with dairy, sheep and beef, and Tokanui
would play a role in ensuring the dairy industry remained
viable.
Recently, a tea plantation opened in the Waikato which Dr
West said claimed it would financially compete with most
current land uses.
"We are going to see a more diverse pattern of land use,
different plants, different markets and diverse dairy
farming."
