Distance education on the rise - Massey University
An increasing number of students are doing agricultural and horticultural degrees at Massey University by distance learning.
For a high-yielding 80kg ewe -- dairy or with multiple lambs – to produce at least 3kgMS/day, her voluntary intake of high-energy feed must be near 3kgDM/day.
So says Sam Peterson, from the International Sheep Research Centre at Massey University.
If the target is not hit, she will enter negative energy balance (NEB) or reduce milk production, he says.
New Zealand’s traditional sheep are not likely to sustain NEB for long, he says.
“Our meat and dual purpose breeds were selected for more than half a century to produce ‘fat lambs’ for the Smithfield market in London at Christmas,” he says in a paper to the NZ Veterinary Association conference.
“Unsurprisingly in retrospect, the result was a small, early maturing sheep that produced a lot of milk for a short period and did not mobilise fat easily.
“Despite the change to selection for large, late-maturing animals, there has been no selection in our national sheep flock for persistence in milk production. Thus, our traditional sheep breeds will tend to reduce milk yield steadily after an early peak, and put on body condition during lactation even when well fed.
“Underfeeding will simply result in reduced yields in most ewes, though some will ‘milk off their back’.
“Lactating sheep, especially dairy sheep and those with multiple lambs, should be fed at ‘luxury’ levels -- offered pasture, lucerne or herb and legume mixes at over 2000kgDM/ha with residuals over 1500kg DM/ha.”
Supplementary crops with high ME content chosen to suit local soils and climate should be used to fill gaps in feed supply, he says.
“These may be fed fresh or conserved. Forages such as chicory have ME content similar to barley and maize grain, so are viable alternatives, although they will take longer to eat and digest.
“Hence, starch-based concentrates (around 300g/day but not more) should be fed to dairy ewes in the shed, both as an aid to management and as a nutritional strategy to increase ME intake.”
The Ashburton-based Carrfields Group continues to show commitment to future growth and in the agricultural sector with its latest investment, the recently acquired 'Spring Farm' adjacent to State Highway 1, Winslow, just south of Ashburton.
New Zealand First leader and Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters has blasted Fonterra farmers shareholders for approving the sale of iconic brands to a French company.
A major feature of the Ashburton A&P Show, to be held on October 31 and November 1, will be the annual trans-Tasman Sheep Dog Trial test match, with the best heading dogs from both sides of the Tasman going head-to-head in two teams of four.
Fewer bobby calves are heading to the works this season, as more dairy farmers recognise the value of rearing calves for beef.
The key to a dairy system that generates high profit with a low emissions intensity is using low footprint feed, says Fonterra program manager on-farm excellence, Louise Cook.
Rural retailer Farmlands has reported a return to profitability, something the co-operative says shows clear progress in the second year of its five-year strategy.

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