Ambassadors making changes

Farmer and DairyNZ environment leader Andrew Booth is advocating for farmers to do better by reducing greenhouse gas emissions and controlling contaminants from water ways. Chris Neil attended a field day onfarm to find out more.

Andrew and Vicky Booth hosted a DairyNZ field day for farmers to explore options that will help them be ready to meet their obligations for greenhouse gas emissions. As a DairyNZ dairy environment leader and climate change ambassador, Andrew’s focus is broader than reducing and mitigating greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

He is also seeking sediment control and E. coli contaminant from water ways. The 210ha farm owned by Andrew’s parents Richard and Sharron has 174ha effective which includes 40ha leased. In their second season of 50:50 sharemilking they are heading to record production as a result of management changes that have significantly improved pasture and crops eaten and included a reduced stocking rate.

DairyNZ focused the first session of the field day on the critical GHG issue they want farmers to understand. These are identified in the Climate Change Commission January 31 2021 draft advice and evidence reports which will be finalised and shared with the Government on May 31 this year.

The report’s message is clear – to meet the targets set in the Climate Change Response Act, “Government must pick up the pace. Aotearoa will not meet its 2050 targets without strong and decisive action now to drive low emissions technologies and behaviour change across all sectors.” Climate change mitigation is the most significant driver of change New Zealand farmers will face in the next decade. While addressing this need to control the cause of global warming, it is likely that farmers will also be coping with the consequences of climate changes such as increased frequency and severity of weather events. Because of its implications for every farmer, reading the source document seems a reasonable time investment – it can be found with a search for the Climate Change Commission Report.

He Waka Eke Noa (HWEN) is the primary sector climate action partnership intent on reducing agriculture emissions and building the sector’s resilience to climate change. HWEN has developed guidance for all farmers and growers on ways to reduce GHG. These are available on the HWEN website.

As clearly indicated by Fonterra and our trade ambassadors, the drivers behind these changes are more than New Zealand social / government demands.

There are clear expectations of onfarm change by key customers such as Nestle, McDonalds, Starbucks and Danone who have promised carbon-neutral products to their customers. For these market influencers to deliver their promise, NZ suppliers / producers must make changes if they wish to continue as high-end suppliers. Between now and 2030 there are eight farming cycles which leaves no time for procrastination and little time for trial and error. Andrew and Vicky Booth believe the onfarm change needed to reduce emissions must be happening now.

They want to make their contribution while recognising that it needs all farmers to participate to achieve meaningful environmental improvement and protect our high-value markets.

Their plan for climate change mitigation is focused on finding management changes that will both reduce GHG and farm working expenses to improve farm profitability.

farm factS 2019/20

Land Area: 210ha total/174ha eff Cows milked: 400 Milk production: 908kg MS/ha Milk production: 385g MS/cow Supplement grown: 320t DM N applied: 120 units BW/PW: 94/111 Calving date: 13 April PSC Purchased nitrogen surplus: 71kg N/ha Greenhouse gas emissions: 8624kg C02e/ha

key areaS of focuS are: calving and dayS in milk

Calving date has been moved from 1 July to 13 April. This better aligns feed demand with pasture production, contributing to an increase of 900kg DM/ha pasture and crop eaten, and a reduction in supplements by 800kg DM/ha. The combination of increased milk production and reduced costs are expected to significantly improve the 2020/21 operating profit.

Stock numberS

Over the past four years as the calving date has moved, stock numbers have been reduced from 440 to 400 cows milked with a proportionate decrease in replacement heifers. Alongside this kgMS/ha and kgMS/ cow have steadily improved with improved cow nutrition and breeding. Selection of higher performing cows retained in the herd has also contributed to improving average cow performance.

breeding Selection

Analysis of cow performance has brought focus onto individual cows. Targeting breeding worth and production worth cows below 80 are mated to beef sires. Sire selection for fertility is also part of their plan to progressively increase the number of days in milk. In addition, Andrew and Vicky are breeding for A2 milk production as a long-term strategy to increase the value of milk they produce.

paSture SpecieS

Ryegrass persistence is proving to be an increasing issue with extended dry seasons. While chicory has been a useful contributor, Andrew is looking to build his permanent pastures around cocksfoot and fescue for greater persistence and increased pasture production. The area of maize grown annually has been expanded to 16ha targeting 320t DM of silage to increase the reliability of their homegrown feed supply and reduce the need for importing feed.

applied N management

The target for annual N application is 100 – 120 units per ha. Reducing the amount applied has required focus on timing of application. A combination of increasing round length and applying N after the cows and only when there is at least 10mm of rain are the key contributors to optimising pasture response to N applied and minimising the amount of N used.

Left: Farmer and DairyNZ environment leader Andrew Booth discussing the environment at a recent onfarm field day.

meaSuring, monitoring and bencHmarking

Benchmarking is the key means for Andrew and Vicky to know the changes they make are achieving their goals of increased profitability with reduced emissions. DairyBase is providing the evidence they need and reporting it as profitability KPIs and environmental KPIs which provide evidence of progressive change within the business as well as comparison with like businesses. For Andrew and Vicky, it showed the reduction in purchased N from 131kg N/ ha in 2018/19 to 71kg N/ha in 2019/20, representing the reduction in N fertiliser, reduction in imported feed and increase in production. Their greenhouse gas emissions in 2019/20 were 8,624kg CO2e/ ha giving them a benchmark to monitor their progress toward 2030.

As a Dairy Environment Leader, Andrew brings a similar approach to improving water quality by acting now on his own property and encouraging other farmers to participate as it takes a collective effort to make a meaningful difference. The combination of profitability, water quality and greenhouse gas emissions are the key elements of his business. A key decision for the Booth family has been the establishment of a 1.2ha wetland and the riparian planting of 5000 trees per year. With the farm adjoining the Mangakahia River which ultimately flows to the Kaipara Harbour, Andrew is passionate about controlling sediment and E.coli entering the river from their farm. The added bonus is the biodiversity emerging on the property making it a highly valued environment in which to operate their business and raise a family.