Farm context and winter grazing practices in the Waikato dairy industry

Report: TR 2014/32

Author: Dr Geoff Kaine (Geoff Kaine Research)

About this report

In this report the influence of farm context on the winter grazing practices of dairy farmers in the Waikato region is investigated.   Farm context is the set of factors in a farm system that influences the benefits to be had from adopting a particular management practice or technology.

This report analyses data collected previously to clearly show the link between the winter grazing practices of dairy farmers, specifically wintering off and standing off, and factors in the farm context such as frequency and extent of pugging and soil types.

The main finding in the report is that the adoption of practices such as wintering off and standing off is motivated by production benefits and these benefits arise from the biophysical characteristics
of dairy farms, herd size and stocking rates. 

The information contained in the report will be considered together with other studies and contribute to the development of policy that will take into account the economic implications for farmers to ensure the policies are practical and implementable. 

Read or download the report

Farm context and winter grazing practices in the Waikato dairy industry [PDF, 1.4 MB]