Labor Practices and Technology Adoption on New Zealand Dairy Farms

2007 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jenny Jago ◽  
Ian Ohnstad ◽  
Douglas J Reinemann
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Technology Adoption ◽  
Dairy Farms ◽  
Labor Practices

Evaluating rates of technology adoption and milking practices on New Zealand dairy farms

2015 ◽  
Vol 55 (6) ◽  
pp. 702 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. P. Edwards ◽  
B. T. Dela Rue ◽  
J. G. Jago
Keyword(s):  
Cluster Analysis ◽  
New Zealand ◽  
Technology Adoption ◽  
Technology Use ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Investment Decisions ◽  
Dairy Farms ◽  
Significant Potential ◽  
Attitudes Towards Technology ◽  
On Farm

This study assessed technology use and evaluated rates of technology adoption and milking practices on New Zealand dairy farms. Industry surveys were conducted in 2008 and 2013, when farmers were asked a series of questions relating to their physical farm details, their role in the business, their attitudes towards technology, the technologies they had on-farm and their levels of satisfaction. In total, 532 and 500 respondents were questioned in the two surveys, respectively, with a similar representation of rotary and herringbone dairies. Questions relating to attitudes towards new technologies were subjected to a cluster analysis using the 2013 dataset. Farmers were classified into two categories, ‘fast’ and ‘slow’ adopters. Fast adopters are more likely to have a rotary, with a larger farm and more cows. The most common technology in herringbone dairies is automatic vat washing and in rotary dairies automatic cluster removers (ACR). Rotary dairies equipped with ACR, automatic drafting and automatic teat spraying achieve greater labour utilisation (cows/labour unit). Around half of farmers with herringbone dairies sometimes or always wait for slow-milking cows to milk out and 85% of farmers do not know the their ACR settings, highlighting significant potential to improve milking efficiency. Overall, technology is associated with greater labour utilisation. However, the benefits of each technology should be scrutinised to ensure appropriate investment decisions are made by farmers.

Automatic Milking Systems: an option to address the labour shortage on New Zealand dairy farms?

2002 ◽  
pp. 39-43
Author(s):  
J.G. Jago ◽  
M.W. Woolford
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Dairy Industry ◽  
Research Programme ◽  
Working Hours ◽  
Dairy Farms ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Labour Shortage ◽  
Commercial Farms ◽  
Grazing Systems ◽  
Automatic Milking Systems

There is a growing shortage of labour within the dairy industry. To address this the industry needs to attract more people and/or reduce the labour requirements on dairy farms. Current milk harvesting techniques contribute to both the labour requirements and the current labour shortage within the industry as the process is labour-intensive and necessitates long and unsociable working hours. Automated milking systems (AMS) have been in operation, albeit on a small scale, on commercial farms in Europe for a decade and may have the potential to address labour issues within the New Zealand dairy industry. A research programme has been established (The Greenfield Project) which aims to determine the feasibility of automated milking under New Zealand dairying conditions. A Fullwoods MERLIN AMS has been installed on a protoype farmlet and is successfully milking a small herd of 41 cows. Progress from the prototype Greenfields system offers considerable potential for implementing AMS in extensive grazing systems. Keywords: automated milking systems, dairy cattle, grazing, labour

An evaluation of a strategic de-stocking regime for dairying to improve nitrogen efficiency and reduce nitrate leaching from dairy farms in nitrate-sensitive areas

2000 ◽  
pp. 105-110
Author(s):  
Cecile De Klein ◽  
Jim Paton ◽  
Stewart Ledgard
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Nitrate Leaching ◽  
Management Practice ◽  
Field Measurements ◽  
Dairy Farms ◽  
Nitrogen Efficiency ◽  
Management Tool ◽  
Pasture Production ◽  
Leaching Losses ◽  
Sensitive Areas

Strategic de-stocking in winter is a common management practice on dairy farms in Southland, New Zealand, to protect the soil against pugging damage. This paper examines whether this practice can also be used to reduce nitrate leaching losses. Model analyses and field measurements were used to estimate nitrate leaching losses and pasture production under two strategic de-stocking regimes: 3 months off-farm or 5 months on a feed pad with effluent collected and applied back to the land. The model analyses, based on the results of a long-term farmlet study under conventional grazing and on information for an average New Zealand farm, suggested that the 3- or 5-month de-stocking could reduce nitrate leaching losses by about 20% or 35-50%, respectively compared to a conventional grazing system. Field measurements on the Taieri Plain in Otago support these findings, although the results to date are confounded by drought conditions during the 1998 and 1999 seasons. The average nitrate concentration of the drainage water of a 5-month strategic de-stocking treatment was about 60% lower than under conventional grazing. Pasture production of the 5-month strategic de-stocking regime with effluent return was estimated based on data for apparent N efficiency of excreta patches versus uniformlyspread farm dairy effluent N. The results suggested that a strategic de-stocking regime could increase pasture production by about 2 to 8%. A cost/ benefit analysis of the 5-month de-stocking system using a feed pad, comparing additional capital and operational costs with additional income from a 5% increase in DM production, show a positive return on capital for an average New Zealand dairy farm. This suggests that a strategic destocking system has good potential as a management tool to reduce nitrate leaching losses in nitrate sensitive areas whilst being economically viable, particularly on farms where an effluent application system or a feed pad are already in place. Keywords: dairying, feed pads, nitrate leaching, nitrogen efficiency, productivity, strategic de-stocking

Characterisation of AmpC and extended-spectrum beta-lactamase producing E. coli from New Zealand dairy farms

2021 ◽  
Vol 117 ◽  
pp. 104998
Author(s):  
Sara A. Burgess ◽  
Jacinda Aplin ◽  
Patrick J. Biggs ◽  
Georgia Breckell ◽  
Jackie Benschop ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Dairy Farms ◽  
Beta Lactamase ◽  
Extended Spectrum Beta Lactamase ◽  
E Coli ◽  
Extended Spectrum

scholarly journals The influence of data management, organisation culture and organisation motivation on the likeliness of Business Intelligence adoption

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Ria van den Berg
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Technology Adoption ◽  
Data Management ◽  
Business Intelligence ◽  
Business Environment ◽  
Study Objective ◽  
Organisational Factors ◽  
Organisation Culture ◽  
Management Organisation ◽  
Research Studies

<p>Business Intelligence has become a powerful business tool that describes the business environment, the organisation, its situation in terms of markets, customers, competitors and its financial situation. The objective of BI is to increase the overall performance of the organisation through an informed decision making process. This research study objective is to identify the organisational factors that will increase the likeliness of BI adoption by small-to-medium enterprises (SME’s) in New Zealand. Existing research studies however, focus predominantly on the challenges and benefits of BI technologies adoption. Importantly this study do not define BI as purely a technology but defines it as methods, processes and technology that work together to gain intelligent insight from business information. The organisational factors identified that formed the hypotheses of the research model included data management, organisation culture and organisation motivation. These factors were identified through factor analysis that included technology adoption models and existing research studies specifically related to SME BI and technology adoption. The outcome of the research has identified that only organisation motivation in the context of competitiveness and perception of BI’s value and benefits can significantly influence the likeliness of BI adoption. New Zealand SME’s form the backbone of the country’s economy and also operate in extreme competitive niche markets. The adoption of BI practice and the use of information as a strategic resource will enable SME’s to be more innovative and competitive.</p>

scholarly journals Estimation of dairy pastures - the need for standardisation

1997 ◽  
pp. 221-225 ◽  
Author(s):  
N.A. Thomson ◽  
D.A. Mccallum ◽  
S. Howse ◽  
C.W. Holmes ◽  
P.N.P. Matthews ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Dairy Farms ◽  
Ground Level ◽  
Common System ◽  
Standard Observer ◽  
Standard Calibration ◽  
Standard Set ◽  
Research Centres ◽  
Calibration Equations

A study was undertaken to determine the reason for the differences in the estimation of pasture mass between dairying research centres in New Zealand and to define a common system of estimation that would overcome these differences and be able to describe the pasture situation on commercial dairy farms in different parts of New Zealand. Differences in the visual estimation of pasture between a standard observer and a local observer at the different dairying research centres in the order of 900 kg DM/ha were identified. This was attributed to a lack of regular visual calibration of persons who regularly assessed pasture, as differences between centres in the actual harvested DM yields of the visually assessed plots varied less (200-400 kg DM/ha). To achieve uniformity it is recommended that all centres measure total herbage mass (the amount of herbage above ground level) to regularly calibrate pasture assessment in dairy grazing management studies and on dairy farms. A reasonably consistent estimation of average farm cover, the ranking of paddocks (r2 > 0.9) for the purposes of determining grazing order and the estimation of pre- and post-grazing herbage mass was achieved using the rising plate meter and L'Huillier & Thomson's standard set of calibration equations published in 1988. With these recommendations, estimation of pasture will be more uniform. Standard calibration of the plate meter for the determination of rate of DM disappearance (pre-post grazing) achieved less consistency. Keywords: herbage mass, pasture assessment, pasture height, rising plate meter, visual pasture estimation

scholarly journals ECONOMICS OF NITROGEN USE IN DAIRYING

1982 ◽  
pp. 70-75
Author(s):  
D.A.L. Buxton
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Research Work ◽  
Dairy Farms ◽  
Early Spring ◽  
The Other ◽  
Stocking Rate ◽  
Nitrogen Use

During the last 10 to 15 years, the use of fertiliser N at low rates on New Zealand dairy farms has become more popular. There are many ways in which fertiliser N can be used to increase pasture and milkfat production. Five of those options are analysed, viz. I. High rates of N. 2. Bridging a spring feed deficit. 3. Increasing stocking rate. 4. Earlier calving. 5. More cow condition. Research work is finding the best times and rates of application of N. The extra pasture produced must then be utilised to maximise milkfat responses. Trials have shown that the use of high rates of fertiliser N ( > 80 kg N/ha) is unlikely to be profitable on N.Z. dairy farms. N used to enable more cows to be wintered, and then milked in early spring, appears to be very profitable, due to better utilisation of later spring-autumn pasture growth. The other three options are also profitable, but the increase in total farm milkfat production is only 3 to 4%. The options need to be tested more thoroughly with models and grazing experiments.

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