PROGRAM WHAT WE SAID WE’D DO WHY WE DID IT WHAT DID WE ACHIEVE? Future Forage Provide a targeted approach to lifting the productivity of southern dryland dairy farmers through significant changes in forage production and utilisation Reduce on-farm feed unit input costs via increased home grown forage and improved system management Increased industry standard for forage growth, consumption and learning from 30/30 program partner farms Established on-farm change in pastures grown and consumed on a minimum of 100 dairy farms (20/12) Increased knowledge of N cycling on dairy pastures (Greener Pastures) Future Feeding Systems Address the considerable amount of confusion among producers and mixed messages from different advisors about how much grain and concentrates to feed profitably to cows at pasture Grains2Milk program - developed an agreed industry-wide program of work in the areas of pasture and grain integration on farms in place. Field work to commence in spring 2007 Completed desk research to delineate the issues and parameters surrounding the integration of grain and pasture in dairy management systems Appointed a program leader to guide, develop and integrate programs across the business group Future Decision Support Bring existing knowledge into the most useful and accessible forms for Dairy Australia, the R&D community and service providers to aid in making better decisions Modelling future farming systems and complex relationships between, for example, a fodder crop yield and the nutrients and water available to it, are important for determining the potential gains in the future, and where Dairy Australia should invest. Dairy Australia significantly improved industry modelling capability in 2006/07: • Established ownership of key data code and modelling capability • Adapted modelling tools to integrate with on-farm decision making • Produced improved overall modelling capability in key areas of production (grass growth and pasture nutrition) • Technology confirmed, data collected and interpreted across the key dairy regions in Victoria and defined a commercial path to market for modelling technology • Established a protocol for testing (autumn 2008) the ability of satellite technology to improve farmer management of pastures in temperate Australia Plant Breeding Develop information and tools to apply marker-assisted selection in the genetic improvement of forage species Genetic marker techniques provides the potential to identify superior grasses and clovers and fast track their development Confirmed dairy industry commitment to genetic marker research in plants (ryegrass and white clover) and established a clear path to market with strong commercial partners
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