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Dairy 1 is one of Massey's working farms. It borders the Manawatū River, within the city boundary. This research site is grazed by dairy cows and includes 3 farmlets:
- Farmlet A – standard pasture under contemporary management
- Farmlet B – diverse pasture under regenerative management
- Farmlet C – diverse pasture under contemporary management
Update
Summer has started to bite and with dwindling soil moisture we have seen some paddocks begin to decrease in cover before grazings. With this in mind we have already fed out some of this years silage to maintain rotation length, and will be looking to start a small area of irrigation on the standard pasture farmlet in the next few weeks if the current conditions continue. Mating is going to plan with good submission and conception rates across the farmlets.
Latest pasture covers
Farmlet data
0-point: 1 June 2024
| 26/11/2025 | Farmlet A | Farmlet B | Farmlet C |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pasture | Standard | Diverse | Diverse |
| Management | Contemporary | Regenerative | Contemporary |
| Total area (ha) | 12.2 | 12.04 | 12.08 |
| Crop (ha) | 0.75 | 0.64 | 0.64 |
| Herd size | 33 | 24 | 31 |
| Days in milk | 114 | 112 | 109 |
| Daily production | 1.75 | 1.71 | 1.71 |
| Production - year to date (kgMS/cow) | 210 | 195 | 181 |
| Production - year to date (kg/ha) | 568 | 389 | 464 |
| Daily production (l) | 18.3 | 18.0 | 17.8 |
| Liveweight (kg) | 464 | 420 | 475 |
| Body condition score | 4.6 | 4.6 | 4.5 |
| Supplement opening stock (total) kgDM/ha | 266 | 673 | 820 |
| Supplement purchased in (kgDM/ha) | 177 | 0 | 0 |
| Supplement made (kgDM/ha) | 531 | 284 | 447 |
| Supplement used (kgDM/ha) | 457 | 673 | 820 |
| Supplement in hand (total) kgDM/ha | 516 | 284 | 447 |
| Nitrogen application year to date (kgN/ha) | 81 | 4 | 60 |
| Average pasture cover (APC; kgDM/ha) | 2240 | 3240 | 2620 |
| APC change from previous week (kgDM/ha) | -60 | +350 | 180 |
| Growth rate (kgDM/ha/day) rolling 3 week average | 45 | 52 | 50 |
| Target rotation length (days) | 24 | 40 | 30 |
| Residual (kgDmM/ha) 3 day rolling average | 1592 | 2342 | 1823 |
| Target pasture offered (kgDM/cow/day) | 18 | 18 | 18 |
| Target supplement offered (kgDM/cow/day) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Crop offered (kgDM/cow/day) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Soil Temp (°C) | 18.1 |
| Air Temp (°C) | 16.8 |
| Rainfall - MTD (mm) | 23 |
Other Whenua Haumanu research sites
Massey University: Pasture and Crop Research Unit (PCRU)
The PCRU is one of Massey's working farms. This research site is grazed by sheep and includes 4 farmlets: standard pastures under contemporary and regenerative management, and diverse pastures under contemporary and regenerative management.
Lincoln University: Field Research Centre (FRC)
The FRC is Lincoln University‘s hub for applied plant, soil science and ecology research. This research site is grazed by sheep and includes four farmlets made up of 20 plots each.
