Listen "Farming at the frontier | Ep. 46"
Episode Synopsis
What might NZ dairy farming look like in 2030? What strategies and technologies could Kiwi farmers adopt to get ahead of our global competitors, like US mega-dairies? DairyNZ researchers are on the case, seeking answers to those questions and more through an exciting project called Frontier Farms. It’s all about identifying the key challenges our farm systems need to address – and coming up with solutions – to remain globally competitive. Our guests in this episode are DairyNZ senior scientist Dr Paul Edwards, Perrin Ag managing director Lee Matheson and Waikato dairy farmer Colin Hickey.NotesFrontier Farms - DairyNZUnited States mega-dairies - DairyNZInside Dairy April May edition - Inside Dairy - DairyNZAlternative milks podcast (Ep 43) DairyNZ Podcast - DairyNZChapters01:25 – What Frontier Farms aims to achieve for farmers02:54 – Intro to Colin 03:30 – How and why Colin’s involved in the project04:30 – Lee’s role in Frontier Farms05:15 – What is a ‘mega-dairy’?6:05 – What advantages could US mega-dairies have over Kiwi farmers?07:55 – How NZ dairy farms can better compete with mega-dairies10:15 – Colin’s thoughts on US mega-dairies11:10 – Flattening the labour demand: extended lactation, batch robotic milking14:01 – Next competitors to be assessed; capitalising on our strengths15:05 – How farmers can keep up with the research16.26 – What Colin’s kids think the future of farming looks like18:44 – NZ dairy needs to keep pushing the boundaries20.07 – Learning from what doesn’t work, as well as what does Have feedback or ideas for future episodes? Email us at [email protected] Connect with DairyNZ Stay up to date with advice, latest research, tools and resources. Read, browse, scroll, listen, or be there in person. Visit dairynz.co.nz/get-connected
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