The typical rate of pasture renewal on dairy farms is around 5% annually. Renewing this amount means the farmer expects pastures to last 20 years, usually not frequent enough to keep up with natural deterioration from dry conditions, weed invasion, pests and pugging.

Date: 0000-00-00 | Category: Testimonials

Autumn is the key time for renewing pastures on many dairy farms. And for farmers considering the option, the first step is being convinced of the economics.

DairyNZ business developer Adrian van Bysterveldt and Graham Kerr, technical development manager of NZ Agriseeds, both part of the Lincoln University Dairy Farm’s management team, believe renovating 10 percent of the farm annually may be a better prospect but there are no specific recipes.

To put the economics into perspective, a conservative example for an average-sized 120ha dairy farm shows the farmer loses 6ha/year by renewing only five percent of the pasture/year instead of 10 percent.
It’s assumed the renewed pasture grows an extra five tonnes of dry matter (DM)/ha than the old pasture – typical on many properties.

A 10 percent rate of pasture renewal over five years gives compounding results, and total increased income over five years would be $117,000.

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