David Silva Villacorta

Citation

Thesis Title
Determining Premium Payments for Concentration of Unsaturated Fatty Acids in Milkfat in New Zealand Based on Changes in Farm and Processor Profit

Read article at Massey Research Online:

In recent years niche markets have emerged for dairy products with a higher than average concentration of unsaturated fat. However, the modification of milkfat composition on-farm is associated with extra costs or losses in production which can negatively affect farm profit. Currently, there is not a premium for dairy farmers that supply milk high in unsaturated fat in New Zealand. Mr Silva Villacorta developed a farm model to investigate the characteristics of dairy farms that produce milk with a high concentration of unsaturated fat. Based on the financial characteristics of dairy farms and dairy processors, he estimated premiums for concentration of unsaturated fat in milk. The premiums estimated in this study could help New Zealand dairy companies to further evaluate whether it is economically viable producing and processing milk with a high concentration of unsaturated fat.

Supervisors
Professor Nicolas Lopez-Villalobos
Dr Alastair MacGibbon
Professor Hugh Blair
Professor Rebecca Hickson