Inter-paddock annual dry matter yield variability for dairy farms in the Waikato region of New Zealand

Abstract

The objective of this study was to characterise paddock-to-paddock annual dry matter (DM) yield variability dairy farms in the Waikato region of New Zealand, as a first step towards improving the amount of pasture grown and eaten by dairy cows. Individual paddock herbage yield was determined by calibrated visual assessment for two research farms and by rising plate meter from two commercial farms. Annualised pasture yield for individual paddocks across farms ranged from 9500 to 26100 kg DM/ha/year. Within farms, the greatest herbage yield paddocks produced between 30 and 122% more pasture DM/ha than the worst. There was a poor correlation (R2 of 0.1 or less) between average paddock yield and yield in the last calendar year for all farms. These data highlight the variability of paddock yield, both spatially within farms and across years. © 2010 The Royal Society of New Zealand.