Javier Baudracco
Doctor of Philosophy, (Animal Science)
Study Completed: 2011
College of Sciences
Citation
Thesis Title
Effects of feeding level and genetic merit on the efficiency of pasture-based dairy systems: field and modelling studies
Read article at Massey Research Online: 
Mr Baudracco conducted field and modelling studies to develop and validate two simulation models, one animal model (e-Cow) and one whole-farm model (e-Dairy) that can predict physical and economic performance of pasture-based dairy systems; exploring interactions between cow genetic merit, feeding level and market prices. Two field experiments were carried out to validate the simulation models. Stochastic simulations using e-Dairy suggest that for New Zealand dairy systems, the increase in stocking rate from 2.8 to 3.5 cows/ha together with an increase in imported supplements from 0.15 to 1.45 t DM/cow/year can be profitable only when milk price is higher than $NZ5.5/ kg milk solid. The e-Cow model was made available online and can be used for teaching, research and extension purposes. The e-Dairy model can be used to explore the trade-offs between profit and the associated risk of different dairy systems.
Supervisors
Professor Nicolas Lopez-Villalobos
Dr Eduardo Comeron
Professor Colin Holmes