Thursday, 28 July 2022 08:55

Oz farmers study N usage

Written by  Staff Reporters
The High Integrity Grass-fed Herds (HIGH) project identifies positive outcomes for pasturebased dairy farms by reducing synthetic nitrogen fertiliser use and improving milk production efficiency from low-cost grazed pasture systems. The High Integrity Grass-fed Herds (HIGH) project identifies positive outcomes for pasturebased dairy farms by reducing synthetic nitrogen fertiliser use and improving milk production efficiency from low-cost grazed pasture systems.

Australian dairy farmers are backing a new five-year research project looking into reducing the reliance on nitrogen fertilisers used in pasture production.

The High Intensity Grass-fed Herds (HIGH) project identifies positive outcomes for pasture-based dairy farms by reducing synthetic nitrogen fertiliser use and improving milk production efficiency from low-cost grazed pasture systems.

Other elements of the project are focused on adding economic value for non-replacement dairy cows, as well as the enhancement and development of people and skills.

The project has seen the construction of a purpose-built dairy at the Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture's Dairy Research Facility at Elliott in north west Tasmania and the establishment of four new farmlets (or mini farms), to research strategies for reducing reliance on synthetic fertiliser and its impacts under real farm conditions.

More like this

Reviewing 50 years of NZ use

Nitrogen is an essential nutrient for plant growth, and nitrogen fertiliser has long been critical to maintaining the high productivity of grazed pasture systems in New Zealand.

More N available than thought

Paul Hunter farms 240ha of well-drained Mairoa ash soils at Mulroy Farm, situated south of Te Awamutu in the Waikato.

Changing for the future

The Everest family of Ashburton in Hinds are one of many local farming families working hard to reduce nitrogen loss.

Featured

MPI cuts 391 jobs

The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) has informed staff it will cut 391 jobs following a consultation period.

National

Canada's flagrant dishonesty

Deeply cynical and completely illogical. That's how Kimberly Crewther, the executive director of DCANZ is describing the Canadian government's flagrant…

Regional leader award

Eastern Bay of Plenty farmer Rebecca O’Brien was named the 2024 Dairy Women’s Network (DWN) Regional Leader of the Year.

Machinery & Products

Tractor, harvester IT comes of age

Over the last halfdecade, digital technology has appeared to be the “must-have” for tractor and machinery companies, who believe that…

» Latest Print Issues Online

Milking It

Substitute for cow's milk?

OPINION: Scientists claim to have found a new way to make a substitute for cow's milk that could have a…

Breathalyser for cows

OPINION: The Irish have come up with a novel way to measure cow belching, which is said to account for…

» Connect with Dairy News

» eNewsletter

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter