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Rights: DairyNZ Published 2 April 2021 Size: 48 KB Referencing Hub media

DairyNZ is the industry organisation that represents all New Zealand dairy farmers. DairyNZ supports farmers through investing in research, resource development, extension and advocacy to ensure sustainable dairy farming and food production.

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    ARTICLE

    Dairy farming – key terms

    This resource provides explanations of the key concepts and terms encountered when exploring some of the science that supports sustainable dairy farming. Cultivar Dairy effluent Dry matter ...

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    2. ACTIVITY

    Observing pasture composition

    Pasture is an area of land that’s covered in a range of low-growing forage species. Grasses, legumes and herbs are common pasture plants, with farmers selecting particular cultivars to suit ...

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    3. ACTIVITY

    Measuring pasture mass

    Whether you are a scientist running feed trials or a farmer managing pasture and feed supplies, measuring pasture mass is an important part of the job. Pasture mass is the amount of pasture per ...

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    4. ARTICLE

    Dairy innovations – targeting climate change

    The dairy sector is big business in Aotearoa New Zealand. The first refrigerated exports began in 1882 with a 98-day journey to ship milk and butter to England. Dairy and transport technologies ...

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    5. ARTICLE

    Climate change – implications for dairy farming

    Weather always brings challenges for the farming community, but climate change has the potential to create additional risks. The dairy and agricultural sectors produce about half of Aotearoa New ...

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    6. ARTICLE

    Pasture plants

    We often think of pasture as grassy areas where cows, sheep or other animals graze, but if we take a closer look, there is a lot happening in the grassy paddock! Pastures are ecosystems An ...

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    7. ARTICLE

    Plantain research

    Plantain has been in the spotlight as scientists and farmers investigate its usefulness as pasture feed and its potential environmental benefits. Why conduct plantain research? Dr Ina Pinxterhuis ...

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    8. ARTICLE

    Plantain

    Plantain is the common name for around 200 plants in the family Plantaginaceae. There are about 20 species in Aotearoa New Zealand, including 10 endemic species. The plantain species often seen ...

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    9. TEACHER PLD

    Dairy farming and climate change – a context for ...

    Farming is a way of life in New Zealand. Farms cover about half of the country’s land and are important to our economy. Agriculture has shaped who we are as a nation, but it has also had a big ...

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    10. ARTICLE

    Dairy farming and the nitrogen cycle

    Understanding the nitrogen cycle – the transformations that nitrogen undergoes as it moves between the atmosphere, the land and living things – is an important part of dairy farming. Balance is ...

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    11. ARTICLE

    The primary sector and climate change

    Aotearoa New Zealand’s primary sector exports reached a record $56 billion in 2023. Rights: 123RF Ltd Milk – a nutritious food source Milk is packed with nutrients and is an excellent source of ...

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    12. ACTIVITY

    Explore a cow's digestive system

    Cows are ruminants – mammals with specialised digestive systems that use fermentation processes to gain nutrients from plant material. Cattle, sheep, horses, deer, goats and camels are also ...

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    13. ARTICLE

    Ruminant digestion

    Ruminants are mammals with specialised digestive systems that use fermentation processes to gain nutrients from plant material. Cattle, sheep, deer and goats are all ruminants. They are also ...

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