Turning data into dollars

That dollar figure is a key takeaway from years of landmark industry research on emissions and profitability in New Zealand dairy farming. Emissions and Profitability is a joint project between DairyNZ, Fonterra and LIC that used data from 8000 NZ farms to analyse the relationship between greenhouse gas emissions and farm profitability.

And now’s a perfect time for some farmers to start making it a reality, says pasture expert Graham Kerr, Barenbrug.

“Spring pasture renewal is a great way to improve and strengthen your farm business in summer safe or irrigated areas. And thanks to this study, for the first time we now have data available which reveal exactly how much this can be worth to you in both profitability, and emissions intensity.

“If that’s not a golden opportunity to set yourself up for the future with what grass you pick for spring renewal, I don’t know what is.”

He urges farmers to explore all ryegrass seed options available before they renew this season, rather than opt for the status quo or whatever cultivar their rep suggests.

“There are a lot of good perennial ryegrasses out there,” Graham says. “But what you want is an exceptional ryegrass, and Array is in a class of its own. If you haven’t heard of it yet, it’s time to ask your rep about it.”

Array NEA2 combines unbeaten yield with several other factors that align directly with the emissions and profitability research findings.

These include persistence, high intake, feed quality and nitrogen use efficiency.

“Get the right seed genetics, or you’re missing out on pasture that not only reduces your emissions intensity, but makes you more money.”

The big study found the best performing farms in terms of both emissions intensity and profitability had three things in common.

Array NEA2 is the highest yielding perennial ryegrass Barenbrug has bred, and it achieves this under the same inputs, in the same soils, as its peers, the company says.

The exciting thing for farmers is that Array really stands out when there’s a nitrogen deficiency, Graham says.

This is a benefit during periods of low soil nitrogen, for example after periods of heavy rain, or leading into a hot or dry spell, when the organic matter cycle slows down and nitrogen levels drop.

Combined with ample cool season growth, very late flowering, high feed quality, strong persistence and an upright, easy to eat structure, Array’s yield and nitrogen uptake set it apart from other diploid perennial ryegrasses currently available.

“The industry study has proved that cutting greenhouse gas emissions doesn’t reduce dairy farm profitability. The next step for many farmers will be working out how best to implement these findings on their own properties, if they haven’t already.

“We believe Array is tailor-made for this opportunity.”

Seed for Array is available now from retailers.