Issues and options for future dairy farming in New Zealand

摘要

Abstract The dairy industry in New Zealand is a significant contributor (7% of GDP) to the national economy. Major current issues for the industry are the lack of cheap, highly‐nutritive value feed for cows of high genetic merit for milk yield; the poorer reproductive capacity of these high merit Holstein‐Friesian cows; the quantity and skill of farm labour; and the environmental consequences of intensive dairy farming. The industry has responded to these challenges in the following ways. Increased nitrogen fertiliser use has given increased pasture yields, but also increased nitrate leaching and nitrous oxide emission from farms, which in turn has led to research on wintering pads, diet modification and nitrification inhibitors to reduce N losses to the environment. Increased use of supplementary feeds has given improved milk yield per cow, but also increased total farm variable costs, labour requirements and nutrient losses, which in turn have fostered research for cheaper feeds and rumen modifiers to i...