L14 - NZ Dairy Innovation

What does the dairy sector synchronise and why?

grass growth, milk production, mating and calving season, synchronised to optimise all processes

When is grass growth at its peak and lowest?

is high in January but decreasing until June, starts to increase until around October-November

When is mating season?

November-January

When is calving season?

July-August

Why is it beneficial for early lactation to occur in July?

this is when grass growth rises to meet high nutrient demand for milk production

What is oestrous synchrony and how and why is it done?

synchronises reproductive mating, the CIDR is used for this, and can allow a whole herd for artificial insemination at the same time

What is superovulation and why is it used?

allows collection of lots of embryos from a high genetic merit cow, these can be put into surrogates to produce multiple offspring from an individual cow

What were the developments in NZ milking machines?

used silicone rubber (less perishable) and stainless steel (easier to sterilise), herringbone - more linear milk machine where milker trapped at end of cows and had to attach and detach everything themselves, rotary - rotating platform which milker can be less or not at all involved in

What is cluster equipment? and what did it show us?

tool with cups with collect milk from cows, shown the industry we have capabilities in precision metal component manufacture, thermoset silicone moulding, thermoplastic moulding, and stainless steel fabrication

How does NZ measure milk quality and quantity?

quality: to screen for mastitis, somatic cell count is measured and if too high vet can come in, if this is detected prior to processing farmers avoids a penalty, conductivity can also measure milk quality, milk quantity is measured to assess individual cow performance

What were NZ challenges and solutions for robotic milking?

unlike Europe, cows are kept further away in pasture from milking machines in NZ, had to use directional gates and ensure cows would go back to pasture between milking

What was NZ’s innovation of spreadable butter?

developed in 1970s-1980s but only commercialised in 2000s, careful blending of milk fats to change the melting temperature

What is sexed semen in dairy beef and why is it done?

in high genetic merit bulls (daughters produce milk well), collect semen and cells are stained to separate into gender, unwanted cells are discarded and others are put into liquid straws for 90% chance of chosen gender offspring, delivered around NZ for artificial insemination, done to avoid leaving up to chance and waste

What happens to the rest of the herd not needed for milk production?

a beef bull will be put in with the dairy cows to produce dairy beef - the majority of NZs beef

How has milk production changed in NZ?

there is now more milk production per cow and per hectare as we can monitor animal health and select for high genetic merit

How are dairy farmers paid for their milk in NZ?

not by volume but by the concentration of components in their milk

Why can reducing stock numbers be beneficial for farmers?

reducing stock makes it easier to feed animals as feed can be grown on own land, can grow enough feed to keep animals in better condition which is better for reproduction and more cows will be pregnant not empties which are a financial cost to feed through winter if not calving.

What is bale grazing?

bales are filled with pickled grass (sileage) and used for feed in winter, farmers now allow animals to have as much feed as they want approximately 20% is not eaten and is used as bedding which is comfortable for animal, reducing stress and improving performance or trampled into the grass which is good as it puts carbon back into the soil and prevents leeching of nutrients and less urine running into waterways

What do animal borne sensing technologies detect?

proximity to other devices, movement and temperature - can help to show an animal’s role in the herd, if they are getting sick or going into heat

How does excess N from cow urine affect land?

when cows urinate there is often excess N which the plant cannot take up and this becomes an emission into the atmosphere or waterways

When do cows tend to urinate?

night

What in a cow’s diet can help reduce the effect of excess N?

plantain - a natural diuretic which makes an animal urinate more frequently diluting the N content and spreading it across a pasture

What has research found about plantain in cow diets?

could reduce the N losses into the atmosphere, soil and waterways

What are Halter and eShepherd devices?

a wearable device for the animals to train virtual fencing, animals can’t get stuck in a virtual fence and smaller shock than an electric fence, can move cows easily and reduce mowing/burning emissions by directing cow to eat plant material and reduce land degradation