AgFirst - Horticultural Icon LinkAgFirst - Recent Projects - Link to Environmental  informationAgFirst Recent Projects - Link to Agriculture
Agriculture

NDDT Supplement Trials

AgFirst consultants Kim Robinson and Chris Boom have been involved in running a supplement trial for the Northland Dairy Development Trust.

The three year trial is investigating the use of palm kernel extract (PKE) and other supplements on farm production, profitability and environmental measures.

This project compares a farm that does not import any supplement (Pasture Only farm, 2.7 cows/ha) with a farm that only imports PKE (PKE Only farm, 3.1 cows/ha) and a farm that imports PKE and other supplements (PKE Plus Farm, 3.1 cows/ha).

The trial came about as a result of farmers asking whether it was profitable to import other feeds such as DDG to boost production when FEI is limiting PKE use.

PKE is fed on the PKE Only and PKE Plus farms when pasture supply is limiting. Other supplements are fed to the PKE Plus farm when milk fat evaluation index (FEI) levels indicate no further PKE can be fed.

Download the first year results here.

Project Information

date
January 1, 2019
type:
SUMMARY
This project compares a farm that does not import any supplement (Pasture Only farm, 2.7 cows/ha) with a farm that only imports PKE (PKE Only farm, 3.1 cows/ha) and a farm that imports PKE and other supplements (PKE Plus Farm, 3.1 cows/ha).

Other Projects

AgFirst Recent Projects - Link to AgricultureAgFirst - Recent Projects - Link to Environmental  informationAgFirst - Horticultural Icon Link
Agriculture
AgFirst Recent Projects - Link to AgricultureAgFirst - Recent Projects - Link to Environmental  informationAgFirst - Horticultural Icon Link
Environmental
State Of Grain- Implications of global price and supply of supplementary feeds on the New Zealand agricultural sector
This report discusses factors impacting the price and supply of IPF, quantifies the New Zealand livestock sectors which feed it and examines the consequences of global supply shortages.
AgFirst Recent Projects - Link to AgricultureAgFirst - Recent Projects - Link to Environmental  informationAgFirst - Horticultural Icon Link
Environmental
AgFirst Recent Projects - Link to AgricultureAgFirst - Recent Projects - Link to Environmental  informationAgFirst - Horticultural Icon Link
Agriculture
Forestry on Farms: Implications for Farm Sustainability and Regional Impact
Funded by the Fertiliser Association of New Zealand This study was undertaken by a consortium of; AgFirst, Groundtruth Ltd, and Market Economics. This modelling study was undertaken to understand the opportunity to farm better class farmland more productively while planting forestry on poorer class land farmland, with blanket forestry planting as a comparison. It also considered the wider regional economic impact of such forestry planting.
AgFirst Recent Projects - Link to AgricultureAgFirst - Recent Projects - Link to Environmental  informationAgFirst - Horticultural Icon Link
Agriculture
AgFirst Recent Projects - Link to AgricultureAgFirst - Recent Projects - Link to Environmental  informationAgFirst - Horticultural Icon Link
Environmental
AgFirst Recent Projects - Link to AgricultureAgFirst - Recent Projects - Link to Environmental  informationAgFirst - Horticultural Icon Link
Māori Agribusiness
Takahuri Whenua GHG modelling Report
This project focuses on three Māori Collectives, and investigates: (i) The impact on greenhouse gas emissions, farm profitability, and nitrogen leaching levels at an individual farm level for six farms within each Collective; (ii) The opportunity to operate the farms at a Collective level to enhance greenhouse gas emission reductions while maintaining or improving profitability; and (iii) The opportunity to operate at a pan-Collective level to further achieve the goals of reduced greenhouse gas emissions/maintenance of business profitability.

We have over 60 consultants nationwide