Future Farm Systems Trial Update 11 Dec 2025
This project compares the impact on productivity, profitability, people and the environment on three farms:
- Baseline (Current) Farm – Kikuyu & ryegrass based pastures with up to 190 kg N/ha/annum, 3.1 cows/ha
- Alternative Pasture Farm – Tall fescue & cocksfoot based pastures, up to 190 kg N/ha, 3.1 cows/ha
- Low Emissions Farm – Kikuyu & ryegrass based pastures, designed to reduce methane emissions by 25% and nitrous oxide by 50%, no nitrogen applied, 2.3 cows/ha
This project is funded by DairyNZ, MPI (Sustainable Food & Fibre Futures) and Hine Rangi Trust.
| Update 11th December 2025 | Baseline Farm | Alternative Pasture Farm | Low Emissions Farm |
| Average Pasture Cover with silage paddocks | 2,132 | 2,163 | 2,126 |
| % of farm closed up for silage | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| % farm out for turnips | 9% | 12% | 9% |
| Pasture Growth (kg DM/ha/d, last 2 weeks) * | 62 | 74 | 69 |
| Rotation Length (days, last 10 days) | 26 | 27 | 28 |
| Cows in Milk/Total Cows | 81/81 | 82/82 | 64/64 |
| SCC (000’s) | 86 | 152 | 176 |
| Production/cow/day (kg MS/cow) | 1.67 | 1.47 | 1.85 |
| Production/ha/day (kg MS/ha) | 4.87 | 4.31 | 4.15 |
| Production/cow season to date (kg MS/cow) | 232 | 226 | 230 |
| Production/ha season to date (kg MS/ha) | 697 | 674 | 537 |
| Supplement Offered Milkers (kg DM/cow/day) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Purchased Supp Fed season to date (kg DM/c) | PKE 482
Purch bale 24 |
PKE 409 | PKE 246 |
| Homegrown Silage Fed to date (kg DM/cow) | 4 | 0 | 128 |
| Homegrown Silage on hand (kg DM/cow) | 311 | 350 | 259 |
| Average Body Condition Score (Milkers) | 4.00 | 4.05 | 4.07 |
| % cows below BCS 4.0 | 17% | 16% | 15% |
| Nitrogen to date – 2025/26 Season (kg N/ha) | 162 | 157 | 0 |
| Managers Worry Score (1 = Low, 10 = High) | 3 | 4 | 2 |
| Rainfall (last two weeks) | 18 | ||
*Pasture growth rates are calculated using uncalibrated platemeter readings
CURRENT MANAGEMENT
- Pasture growth crashed from 100 kg DM/ha/day two weeks ago to 30 – 40 kg DM/ha/day last week due to hot dry conditions. Paddocks cut for silage have been especially slow to come back.
- We are restarting PKE feeding on the Baseline and Alternative Pasture farms due to a drop in pasture covers. The lower stocked Low Emissions Farm is currently fine on pasture only.
- With the drier weather we will stretch the rotation to 30 days on all farms.
- Turnip paddocks are looking good where we had a good strike initially. Poor germination in wetter areas were redrilled a couple of weeks later, however the dry weather seems to be compromising further germination.
- Unlikely we will be putting any more nitrogen on until autumn.