DairyNZ

Virtual fencing is a livestock management technology that uses global positioning systems-enabled collars and audio or electrical cues to geo-fence and herd animals.VF is now in use on farms in several countries, however there are limited studies on the use of VF on commercial dairy farms and assessing the implications for how farm systems are managed.The aim of this study was to explore farmer experiences with VF use on pasture-based dairy farms in NZ.A qualitative research approach was used, with 60-to-90-min semi-structured interviews conducted with 20 NZ dairy farmers (participants).Interviews were transcribed and analyzed using inductive open coding through Atlas.tisoftware.Innovation appeal, improved job satisfaction, and reduced labor demands were dominant drivers for adoption.Adaptation of animals and people to the new system occurred within a few days or weeks following implementation of VF; however, more time was required for farm system adaptation such as laneway modifications, additional water troughs, and removal of some permanent fencing.Post-adoption benefits, as perceived by participants, related to time savings, greater control of grazing and crop management, and herd management improvements.While it was difficult for participants to place a financial return on their VF investment, almost all expressed an ongoing commitment to using the technology, indicating the presence of strong non-financial benefits.Findings from this research highlight the transformational potential of VF in grazed dairy systems, while underscoring the need for user-friendly interfaces, robust support systems, and strategies to support the early learning process and mitigate cognitive load.

Narrow-leaved plantain ( Plantago lanceolata L.) has potential to reduce N 2 O emissions from pastoral livestock systems. This study aimed to 1) compare N 2 O emissions between plantain and ryegrass (R) swards, and 2) determine if N 2 O emissions differed between three plantain cultivars with differing biological nitrification inhibition (BNI) potential (High (H), Medium (M), and Low (L)). Experiments were performed in two locations of New Zealand (Waikato and Southland) with differing soil types, latitude, and climate. Swards were established in a split-plot randomised block design with dairy cow urine (U) and non-urine (NoU) treatments. For the U treatments, cumulative N 2 O emissions in Waikato were similar between all plantain cultivars and ryegrass (1588 ± 108 g N ha −1 ). However, in Southland, cumulative N 2 O emissions from plantain swards were ∼50 % less than from ryegrass (mean 501 cf. 979 g N ha −1 ), with emissions differing by up to 212 g N ha⁻¹ between cultivars P < 0.05). For the NoU treatments, plantain reduced cumulative N 2 O emissions compared with ryegrass by an average of 60 % (Waikato) and 53 % (Southland), with no differences among plantain cultivars. Urine N₂O emission factors (EF₃) were 0.20 % (H, L) and 0.23 % (M, R) in Waikato ( P = 0.893), and 0.05 % (M, L), 0.07 % (H), and 0.11 % (R) in Southland ( P < 0.001). The observed differences between sites and cultivars may relate to variation in management practices, soil type and physicochemical properties, localised climate, and plant traits. While plantain can reduce N₂O emissions compared to ryegrass swards, the magnitude of this reduction varies between cultivars and is environment specific. • Plantain cumulative N 2 O emissions were similar to ryegrass in Waikato. • Cumulative N 2 O emissions were similar between plantain cultivars in Waikato. • Plantain cumulative N 2 O emissions were smaller than from ryegrass in Southland. • Cumulative N 2 O emissions differed between plantain cultivars in Southland. • Plant chemistry and physiology may explain cultivar N 2 O emission differences.

Pasture is essential to New Zealand farming, but its seasonal and annual variability complicates feed budgeting, farm management, and research predictions. This study evaluated the AgPasture and McCall-Romera pasture models for predicting monthly growth ates and annual herbage accumulation using observeddata from Scott Farm, Newstead, New Zealand, from 2000 to 2020. Both models overestimated annual pasture yield, with AgPasture showing a slightly higher bias (Mean Bias Error (MBE) = 1256 vs. 1155 kg DM/ha/year). However, the difference was not statisticallyor practically significant. Adjusting for differences in annual nitrogen use between the observed and modelled data improved accuracy. McCall-Romera performed slightly better (MBE = 692 vs. 793 kg DM/ha/year), but again, not statistically significant. Both models showed seasonal biases underestimating pasture growth in late autumn and winter and overestimating it in late spring and summer. In May, the MBE was -11 kg DM/ha/day for AgPasture and -6 kg DM/ha/day for McCall-Romera, whereas in December, the MBE was46 kg DM/ha/day and 23 kg DM/ha/day, respectively. Despite increased variability over two decades (coefficient of variation for AgPasture increased from 67% to 74%; McCall-Romera 46% to 58%), prediction accuracy remained stable, demonstrating robustnessunder changing climate conditions. While both models are suitable for predicting pasture growth, further calibration is recommended to improve seasonal accuracy and enhance research reliability.

ABSTRACTPregnancy and live birth rates are commonly used metrics to define fertility in humans and animals. The impact of aberrant microRNA (miRNA) expression on fertility‐related genes represents a significant knowledge gap in understanding post‐transcriptional regulatory mechanisms associated with reproductive dysfunction. Identifying subfertility markers is therefore critical to the success of fertility intervention strategies, particularly in agriculture, where sustainable farming practices are linked to overall economic performance. Here, we explore the expression patterns and association of blood plasma small extracellular vesicles (sEV)‐derived miRNA with Holstein‐Friesian dairy cow (Bos taurus) subfertility. Small RNA‐seq identified 14 differentially expressed plasma sEV‐derived miRNAs (FDR < 0.05 and −logFC > 2) between divergent low fertile (LF) and high fertile (HF) primiparous dairy cows (n = 10/group) with known reproductive outcomes. qRT‐PCR miRNA assay validation of these plasma sEV miRNA candidates isolated from a different sample population of young heifers (10 month old) (LF and HF; n = 8/group) confirmed that the abundance of miR‐181b‐2‐3p was significantly higher in LF sEVs compared to HF sEVs [p value = 0.0093, relative expression ratio = 2.665 (2−ΔΔCT; LF = 19.6095, HF = 7.35636)]. Our results suggest that circulating sEV miRNA may contribute, in part, to fertility traits in dairy cows. The association of miR‐181b‐2‐3p with the subfertility phenotype suggests that this miRNA may serve as a putative early indicator of LF status.

In housed systems, administration of oral monopropylene glycol (MPG) in postpartum cows increases the likelihood that cows resolve hyperketonemia (HYK), reduces the incidence of clinical ketosis, and improves milk production, uterine health, and reproductive performance. The objective of our study was to investigate the efficacy of MPG as a treatment for hyperketonemia (blood BHB 1.2-2.9 mmol/L) and its effects on milk production, uterine health, and reproductive performance in 3 seasonal-calving, pasture-based dairy herds in New Zealand. Cows were tested a maximum of 15 times for HYK (3 times weekly on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday; mean ± SD; 14.9 ± 0.4 tests) from 1 to 35 DIM using a handheld meter. In total, 749 (76.4%) of 980 cows sampled were diagnosed with HYK (blood BHB ≥1.2 to 2.9 mmol/L) or severe HYK (blood BHB ≥3.0 mmol/L) at least once during the first 35 DIM. Cows that never tested above 1.2 mmol/L were classified as non-HYK (n = 231) and were excluded from the study. Cows with HYK that were randomly allocated to the control group (n = 362) were left untreated, whereas those allocated to the MPG treatment group (n = 387) were orally drenched with 300 mL of MPG (equivalent dose 310 g) every time the BHB test was ≥1.2 to 2.9 mmol/L during the first 35 DIM (mean ± SD treatment bouts per cow: 2.0 ± 1.2 bouts). The MPG treatment was repeated once daily until blood BHB was <1.2 mmol/L at subsequent tests. Data from the survival analysis indicated that MPG reduced the time to resolve HYK (blood BHB <1.2 mmol/L) and delayed time to onset of severe HYK. The MPG-treated cows were 52% more likely (hazard ratios [HR] = 1.52, 95% CI = 1.30-1.76) to resolve HYK and 69% less likely (HR = 0.31, 95% CI = 0.17-0.58) to develop severe HYK compared with control cows. However, repeated measures analysis indicated that MPG-treated cows had marginally lower ECM yield in the first 15 wk in milk (24.7 ± 0.24 kg/d) compared with control cows (25.1 ± 0.24 kg/d). Logistic regression was used to determine the effect of MPG on uterine health and reproductive performance. The prevalence of purulent vaginal discharge endometritis (score ≥3) was lower in MPG (n = 9/350) compared with control cows (n = 19/301). There were no overall effects of treatment on risk of submission to artificial insemination (AI) within 21 d of breeding start, confirmed pregnancy to first AI, pregnant within 42 d of breeding start, or the entire seasonally defined breeding period. Treating HYK with MPG improved the likelihood of a cow resolving HYK and reduced the incidence of severe HYK; however, there were minimal benefits for improving uterine health and reproductive performance and a biologically small difference in milk production in cows diagnosed with HYK based on a threshold of 1.2 mmol/L and treated with MPG.

Perennial ryegrass ( Lolium perenne) is a critical species supporting New Zealand's intensive pasture-based agricultural industries. Perennial ryegrass forms a symbiotic, mutualistic association with asexual Epichloë, an endophytic fungus known to increase invertebrate pest resistance. Plant breeders have incorporated several strains of Epichloë in perennial ryegrass, including AR1 and AR37, which exhibit variations in their alkaloid production to target different pasture pests. The impact of Epichloë on ryegrass production and invertebrate pests has been extensively studied; however, little attention has been given to its effects on other associated microorganisms, particularly in established pastures. This study utilized 16S and internal transcribed spacer amplicon sequencing to explore the bacterial and fungal communities of established perennial ryegrass swards from three prominent New Zealand farming locations infected with different Epichloë strains. The value of this study was its replication of real-life farming pastures with different environmental and management variables. The results revealed that plant niche (rhizosphere, root/shoot endosphere) and farming site were the primary factors influencing microbiome variation. The correlation between the Epichloë strain and variations in the bacterial and fungal communities within perennial ryegrass were inconsistent, except for the shoot endosphere communities at one site (Burnham). However, differences in the relative abundance of individual fungal amplicon sequence variants were observed across sites between Epichloë treatments. The absence of significant correlations between Epichloë and the microbiome, coupled with the identification of core microbiota across all samples, contributes evidence that the Epichloë incorporation may not induce substantial variations in the microbiome of 3-year-old established perennial ryegrass pastures. [Formula: see text] Copyright © 2025 The Author(s). This is an open access article distributed under the CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 International license .

In the original publication [...].

Abstract Communities across Aotearoa New Zealand are collaborating to reverse ecological decline, but little attention has been given to understanding the deeper relationship required with our physical and socio‐cultural landscapes. We used knowledge co‐production to develop 11 insights to support place‐based strategies that nurture a collective responsibility to revitalise both people and place. Twenty‐five subject matter experts across communities, government, industry and research drew from their collective expertise and the review of 63 local‐to‐global case study examples of farm‐to‐community‐scale place‐based approaches. A key output from this work is an Aotearoa New Zealand framework that diagrammatically represents the interdisciplinary nature of the 11 insights.

Abstract Milk is a near‐universal source of essential nutrients and contributes significantly to global nutrient availability. Global demand for milk continues to rise, driven by population growth, rising household incomes and favourable consumption patterns. Plant‐based alternatives (PBAs) to milk seek to cater to the preferences of a share of consumers regarding sustainability, lifestyle or health‐related matters (e.g. allergies and lactose intolerance). Though popular, PBAs do not stand as suitable nutritional substitutes for milk. These considerations emphasise the complex relationships between nutritional content and consumer preferences. This paper estimates a demand system for milk and PBAs in the New Zealand (NZ) market. We explore patterns of complementarity or substitutability between standard milk, reduced‐fat milk and organic milk, and an aggregate group of PBAs. We use these results to calculate nutrient elasticities and assess changes in nutrient availability in response to prices and expenditure variations. We estimate a Quadratic Almost Ideal Demand System using purchase records for 2460 NZ households in 2021. We find that demand for standard milk does not show any substitutional relationship with PBAs. On the contrary, increases in the PBAs price lead households to switch towards standard milk, thereby increasing the availability of essential nutrients. That is, in the case of price increases, milk effectively offsets the reduction in essential nutrients as households switch away from PBAs, but PBAs cannot offset any reduction in essential nutrients as households do not find them to be adequate substitutes for milk.

Extended lactation (EL) systems, with calving interval voluntarily extended beyond 12 months, may alleviate dairy sector challenges of labour scarcity and non-replacement calves. This study used bio-economic simulation to investigate how the profitability of an EL system could be improved through strategic management and tested system robustness across different climate and economic years. An EL system with half of cows calving each spring at 24-month intervals was compared with a conventional (Control) system calving all cows each spring. Both systems were modelled with Ruakura climate and Friesian cows at 2.8 cows/ha with &gt; 80% of feed from grazed pasture. Profitability of the EL system was better during years with greater pasture growth, particularly in summer and autumn, and in years with low supplement feed costs relative to milk price. The EL system profitability was improved by shortening grazing rotations in autumn and winter to harvest more pasture. Overall, a strategically managed EL system could achieve similar or improved production, profit and environmental outcomes to Control, provided the herd achieves similar days in milk to the control and has sufficiently lower feed, health and breeding expenses.