Mowing of pasture before grazing, topping of pasture after grazing, and regrazing of pasture were... more Mowing of pasture before grazing, topping of pasture after grazing, and regrazing of pasture were studied as methods to control post-grazing residuals at optimum levels for pasture quality and growth. The study was conducted over a 14-day period during November 2009 and the impact of each of these methods of residual control on cow intake and milk production was measured. Cows were split into eight herds of 15 cows and allocated to one of four treatments with two replicates. Compared to the control, topping pasture pre-grazing reduced (P < 0.01) cow intake by 2.3 kg DM/cow/day, milk yield by 2.9 L/cow/day (P < 0.05) and milk protein percent (P < 0.05). The pasture that was mown before grazing was significantly (P < 0.05) higher in neutral detergent fibre and significantly (P < 0.05) lower in metabolisable energy, than all other treatments. This study has indicated that pre-graze topping as a method of maintaining low pasture residuals during spring reduces milk production and cow intake.
The Tasmanian dairy industry is predominantly pasture-based and pasture consumption is a key driv... more The Tasmanian dairy industry is predominantly pasture-based and pasture consumption is a key driver of dairy farm profitability. Due to this, Tasmanian dairy research, development and extension has a focus on increasing the amount of pasture grown and consumed by dairy cows. At an industry level, average pasture consumption has increased from 8.5 t DM/ha to 10.6 t DM/ha over the past 10 years. Coaching is one of the extension methods used in the Tasmanian dairy industry to develop farmer skills in grazing management. Pasture coaching involves the formation of groups of 4-6 farmers by an extension officer who takes on the role of coach for the group. A pasture coaching group meets 8-10 times over a 12 month period. An assessment of the impact of pasture coaching on grazing management skills was undertaken in 2016-17 through pre-coaching and post-coaching surveys along with one-on-one farmer interviews. Pasture coaching resulted in practice change with more people undertaking best management practices including calculating average pasture cover and cow requirements and determining leaf stage. Not only did more people implement some of these best management practices but there was also an increased frequency that these practices were undertaken throughout the course of the pasture coaching program.
Dairy farmers may be able to increase farm profitability by obtaining pasture measurement data. F... more Dairy farmers may be able to increase farm profitability by obtaining pasture measurement data. Four Tasmanian dairy farmers participated in an eighteen-month study investigating the value of accessing regular pasture measurements. The farmers reported an increased confidence in their visual observations of pasture covers by having access to the provided data
As farmers continue to face increasingly uncertain and often rapidly changing conditions related ... more As farmers continue to face increasingly uncertain and often rapidly changing conditions related to markets, climate or the policy environment, people involved in agricultural research, development and extension (RD&E) are also challenged to consider how their work can contribute to supporting farmer resilience. Research from the social sciences conducted in the past decade has focussed on adaptability or adaptive capacity as a key attribute for individuals and groups to possess for managing resilience. It is, therefore, timely to ask the following: do current ways of doing and organising RD&E in the dairy sector in New Zealand and Australia contribute to supporting farm adaptability? This paper reports on results from an examination of case studies of challenges to resilience in the dairy sector in Australia and New Zealand (i.e. dairy farm conversion, climate-change adaptation, consent to farm) and the contribution of dairy RD&E in enhancing resilience of farmers, their farms and ...
Tasmanian dairy farmers were surveyed to identify the extent of use of pasture management tools a... more Tasmanian dairy farmers were surveyed to identify the extent of use of pasture management tools and technology and engagement with extension activities. The survey was mailed to the 440 registered dairy farmers with a response rate of 164 (37%). Of the farmers who responded, 65% had previously used a tool such as a rising plate meter, CDAX bike reader or pasture ruler, 48% currently use a tool, and 86% had attended extension activities. Attendance at extension activities, past use of a tool, farm size and education were positively related to the current use of pasture management tools (p <0.05). Farmers who have used a pasture measurement tool in the past and/or currently use a tool, ranked confidence in their pasture management ability higher (p <0.05) than those who have not used a tool. Past use of a tool, herd size and farmer education were positively related to attendance at extension activities (p <0.05).
Pasture consumption is an important contributor to farm business profitability in pasture based d... more Pasture consumption is an important contributor to farm business profitability in pasture based dairy systems around the world, including Tasmania. Research, development and extension prioritises further increasing pasture consumption in the Tasmanian dairy industry, through progressing technical innovations and providing services to support increased farmer adoption of proven practices. Increasing farmer adoption of best practice grazing management recommendations relies on the continued development of extension delivery to meet farmer information and skill-development needs. A social research study identified some of these needs by exploring pasture management approaches and associated learning processes of farmers whose practices were more aligned versus less aligned to recommended practices. The aim was to improve understanding of the grazing management learning process and implications for extension in the context of data made available through new technology. Qualitative inter...
Mowing of pasture before grazing, topping of pasture after grazing, and regrazing of pasture were... more Mowing of pasture before grazing, topping of pasture after grazing, and regrazing of pasture were studied as methods to control post-grazing residuals at optimum levels for pasture quality and growth. The study was conducted over a 14-day period during November 2009 and the impact of each of these methods of residual control on cow intake and milk production was measured. Cows were split into eight herds of 15 cows and allocated to one of four treatments with two replicates. Compared to the control, topping pasture pre-grazing reduced (P < 0.01) cow intake by 2.3 kg DM/cow/day, milk yield by 2.9 L/cow/day (P < 0.05) and milk protein percent (P < 0.05). The pasture that was mown before grazing was significantly (P < 0.05) higher in neutral detergent fibre and significantly (P < 0.05) lower in metabolisable energy, than all other treatments. This study has indicated that pre-graze topping as a method of maintaining low pasture residuals during spring reduces milk production and cow intake.
The Tasmanian dairy industry is predominantly pasture-based and pasture consumption is a key driv... more The Tasmanian dairy industry is predominantly pasture-based and pasture consumption is a key driver of dairy farm profitability. Due to this, Tasmanian dairy research, development and extension has a focus on increasing the amount of pasture grown and consumed by dairy cows. At an industry level, average pasture consumption has increased from 8.5 t DM/ha to 10.6 t DM/ha over the past 10 years. Coaching is one of the extension methods used in the Tasmanian dairy industry to develop farmer skills in grazing management. Pasture coaching involves the formation of groups of 4-6 farmers by an extension officer who takes on the role of coach for the group. A pasture coaching group meets 8-10 times over a 12 month period. An assessment of the impact of pasture coaching on grazing management skills was undertaken in 2016-17 through pre-coaching and post-coaching surveys along with one-on-one farmer interviews. Pasture coaching resulted in practice change with more people undertaking best management practices including calculating average pasture cover and cow requirements and determining leaf stage. Not only did more people implement some of these best management practices but there was also an increased frequency that these practices were undertaken throughout the course of the pasture coaching program.
Dairy farmers may be able to increase farm profitability by obtaining pasture measurement data. F... more Dairy farmers may be able to increase farm profitability by obtaining pasture measurement data. Four Tasmanian dairy farmers participated in an eighteen-month study investigating the value of accessing regular pasture measurements. The farmers reported an increased confidence in their visual observations of pasture covers by having access to the provided data
As farmers continue to face increasingly uncertain and often rapidly changing conditions related ... more As farmers continue to face increasingly uncertain and often rapidly changing conditions related to markets, climate or the policy environment, people involved in agricultural research, development and extension (RD&E) are also challenged to consider how their work can contribute to supporting farmer resilience. Research from the social sciences conducted in the past decade has focussed on adaptability or adaptive capacity as a key attribute for individuals and groups to possess for managing resilience. It is, therefore, timely to ask the following: do current ways of doing and organising RD&E in the dairy sector in New Zealand and Australia contribute to supporting farm adaptability? This paper reports on results from an examination of case studies of challenges to resilience in the dairy sector in Australia and New Zealand (i.e. dairy farm conversion, climate-change adaptation, consent to farm) and the contribution of dairy RD&E in enhancing resilience of farmers, their farms and ...
Tasmanian dairy farmers were surveyed to identify the extent of use of pasture management tools a... more Tasmanian dairy farmers were surveyed to identify the extent of use of pasture management tools and technology and engagement with extension activities. The survey was mailed to the 440 registered dairy farmers with a response rate of 164 (37%). Of the farmers who responded, 65% had previously used a tool such as a rising plate meter, CDAX bike reader or pasture ruler, 48% currently use a tool, and 86% had attended extension activities. Attendance at extension activities, past use of a tool, farm size and education were positively related to the current use of pasture management tools (p <0.05). Farmers who have used a pasture measurement tool in the past and/or currently use a tool, ranked confidence in their pasture management ability higher (p <0.05) than those who have not used a tool. Past use of a tool, herd size and farmer education were positively related to attendance at extension activities (p <0.05).
Pasture consumption is an important contributor to farm business profitability in pasture based d... more Pasture consumption is an important contributor to farm business profitability in pasture based dairy systems around the world, including Tasmania. Research, development and extension prioritises further increasing pasture consumption in the Tasmanian dairy industry, through progressing technical innovations and providing services to support increased farmer adoption of proven practices. Increasing farmer adoption of best practice grazing management recommendations relies on the continued development of extension delivery to meet farmer information and skill-development needs. A social research study identified some of these needs by exploring pasture management approaches and associated learning processes of farmers whose practices were more aligned versus less aligned to recommended practices. The aim was to improve understanding of the grazing management learning process and implications for extension in the context of data made available through new technology. Qualitative inter...
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Papers by Lesley Irvine