Life Sciences Commons^™

Field Testing Of A Turnip Growing Protocol On New Zealand Dairy Farms, J. P. J. Eerens, P. M. S. Lane

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

Summer droughts are a regular occurrence in central North Island districts of New Zealand, which causes pastures to wilt, lose their nutritive value and stop growing. The resulting summer feed gap depresses farm productivity (Clark et al., 1996). Turnips optimally sown mid-late October (more often sown in November or even December) are grown to fill this feed gap. Recorded average yields of 7.4 t dry matter (DM)/ha are below the economic breakeven point of 8-10 t DM/ha (Clark et al., 1996). A turnip growing protocol was developed from published data (Eerens & Lane 2004) and tested on commercial …

Real-World Applications For Virtual Fences – What Are Potential Benefits For Conservation?, F. Riesch, M. Komainda, J. Horn, J. Isselstein

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

Livestock grazing can enhance biodiversity and ecosystem services in agricultural landscapes. In many parts of Europe, however, grazing has lost its importance, especially in the dairy sector. Large proportions of permanent grassland have been converted to arable land or intensified by fertilization and frequent defoliation. The disappearance of large herbivores and extensively grazed pastures contributes to the loss of structural, functional and biological diversity and ecosystem services. Modern technologies, which circumvent the cost- and labour-intensive installation of physical fences, could facilitate a precise spatio-temporal management of livestock and promote grazing. We reviewed the literature on the state-of-the-art of virtual fencing, …

Establishing Baseline Values For Soil Quality Indicators In The Southern Cape Of South Africa, Pieter A. Swanepoel, Philip R. Botha, Chris C. Du Preez, Hennie A. Snyman

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

Commercial dairy farming on pasture is commonly practiced in the southern Cape region of South Africa. In terms of its sustainability, quantification of the impact of dairy-pasture management on soil quality is essential. To comprehend the behaviour of soils in terms of quality, indicators should be assessed to screen the general direction of soil quality within a management system. Development of a soil quality assessment framework necessitates establishment of baseline values for soil quality indicators. The aim of this study was to establish baseline values for soil quality indicators for dairy-pasture soils in the southern Cape. Physical, chemical and biological …

Case Studies Which Demonstrate The Financial Viability Of Precision Dairy Farming, Ian Yule, Hayden Lawrence, Craige Mackenzie, Carolyn Hedley, Miles Grafton

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

A number of case studies are used to demonstrate the financial viability of precision farming methods for intensively managed pastures. Precision farming has sometimes been criticized as being technology-led where the management goals and desired outcomes are sometimes poorly defined. Case studies presented in this paper demonstrate a strong management approach where appropriate technologies are selected to contribute to the financial success of the farm. The first case study farm has increased milk production by 70% in four years, increased pasture production by 43%, reduced fertilizer costs to 43% of previous levels and has successfully predicted annual production to within …

N2o Emissions From California Farmlands: A Review, Elizabeth Verhoeven, Engil Isadora Pujol Pereira, Charlotte Decock, Gina Garland, Taryn Kennedy, Emma Suddick, William Horwath, Johan Six

School of Earth, Environmental, and Marine Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Of the greenhouse gases emitted from cropland, nitrous oxide (N2O) has the highest global warming potential. The state of California acknowledges that agriculture both contributes to and is affected by climate change, and in 2016 it adopted legislation to help growers reduce emissions of greenhouse gases, explicitly including N2O. Nitrous oxide emissions can vary widely due to environmental and agronomic factors with most emission estimates coming from temperate grain systems. There is, however, a dearth of emission estimates from perennial and vegetable cropping systems commonly found in California's Mediterranean climate. Therefore, emission factors (EFs) specific to California conditions are needed …

Greener Pastures 5 - Managing Sulphur In Dairy Pastures, Mike Bolland, Ian Guthridge, Bill Russell, Martin Staines, John Lucey, Richard Morris

Bulletins 4000 -

During 1999-2009, soil testing for sulfur (S) was undertaken on 48 paddocks at the Vasse Research Centre (VRC) at Busselton, in the south-west of Western Australia (WA).

Paddocks had been grazed intensively by dairy cows and their young stock over a period of 10 years, as part of the Vasse Milk Farmlets and Greener Pastures farming system projects. Pasture consisted of annual ryegrasses with some subterranean clover. Soils in the 48 paddocks were 1-2 m sand to sandy loam over massive clay, known locally as Abba sand. For many soils in the region, including Abba sands, the topography is flat …

Lime For High Rainfall Pastures: Above 800mm Average Annual Rainfall, Mike Bolland, Bill Russell

Bulletins 4000 -

Conventional agriculture acidifies soil. As your soil becomes more acid, productive pasture species disappear and are replaced by species of low agricultural value. It is a waste of money to apply expensive fertiliser to pastures which are inherently poorly productive because they are growing in an acid soil.

The paper examines the types of lime available, how to select lime for quality and when and how much lime to apply. Maganese toxity and aluminum toxicity are examine, how to test your soil, and affect of soil acidity on bacteria and other microorgansims.

Dairying In W.A., Department Of Agriculture And Food, Western Australia

Bulletins - 3000 - 3999

Western Australia has a small dairy industry compared with its other rural production. However, the industry has consolidated over recent years.Tree clearing and pasture development on existing holdings and the amalgamation of small dairy farms has led to a rapid increase in the area of pasture per farm. The trend in Western Australia is towards bigger herds, more efficient dairies, more fodder conservation and increasing production per cow and per hectare. Commercial dairy farming in Western Australia is confined to the south-western corner of the State, south of Perth, extending in a 50-kilometre-wide strip along the coast to 50 kilometres …