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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
All cows are now dry and the heifers have been allocated to herds. At the start of June the remaining herd numbers will be topped up to their nominal rates (33 in A, 24 in B and 31 in C). Farmlet A has consumed all of its conserved pasture silage from spring and is now relying on bought in feed to maintain animal intake, build covers for winter and extend rotation length.
Latest pasture covers
Farmlet data
0-point: 1 June 2024
| Date | 5/19/2026 | Farmlet A | Farmlet B | Farmlet C |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (data as on) | Pasture | Standard | Diverse | Diverse |
| Management | Contemporary | Regenerative | Contemporary | |
| Total area (ha) | 12.2 | 12.04 | 12.08 | |
| 20-Apr | Grass area (ha) | 11.55 | 11.34 | 11.42 |
| 29-Apr | Dry cows | 33 | 24 | 31 |
| 20-Apr | Days in milk | 255 | 267 | 262 |
| 20-Apr | Daily production (kgMS/cow/d) | 1.38 | 1.09 | 1.08 |
| 20-Apr | Production - year to date (kgMS/cow) | 407 | 370 | 365 |
| 20-Apr | Production - year to date (kg/ha) | 1101 | 738 | 937 |
| 20-Mar | Liveweight (kg) | 513 | 543 | 525 |
| 21-Apr | Body condition score | 5.1 | 4.4 | 4.9 |
| 1-Jun | Supplement opening stock (total) kgDM/ha | 266 | 673 | 820 |
| 21-Aug | Supplement purchased in (kgDM/ha) | 207 | 0 | 0 |
| 6-Dec | Supplement made (kgDM/ha) | 984 | 810 | 1041 |
| 8-Mar | Supplement used (kgDM/ha) | 1457 | 1363 | 1824 |
| 20-May | Supplement in hand (total) kgDM/ha | 0 | 120 | 37 |
| 29-Apr | Nitrogen application year to date (kgN/ha) | 163 | 4 | 95 |
| 18-May | Average pasture cover (APC; kgDM/ha) | 1987 | 2075 | 1860 |
| 18-May | APC change from previous week (kgDM/ha) | 60 | 7 | 25 |
| 18-May | Growth rate (kgDM/ha/day) rolling 3 week average | 25 | 18 | 18 |
| 18-May | Target rotation length (days) | 70 | 90 | 70 |
| 11-May | Residual (kgDmM/ha) 3 day rolling average | 1277 | 1436 | 1120 |
| 13-Apr | Target pasture offered (Drys, kgDM/cow/day) | 8 | 10 | 9 |
| Soil Temp (°C) | 11.4 |
| Air Temp (°C) | 10.1 |
| Rainfall - MTD (mm) | 3 |
Other Whenua Haumanu research sites
Massey University: Pasture and Crop Research Unit (PCRU)
The PCRU is one of Massey's working farms grazed by sheep and cattle. It 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.
