Transforming Dryland Sheep and Beef Farms

Professor Derrick Moot

Ararat 14 September 2016This work by Prof. Derrick Moot and the Lincoln University Dryland Pastures Research Team is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Value of support

Source: Dr. Pieter Tans, NOAA/ESRL (www.esrl.noaa.gov/gmd/ccgg/trends/) and Dr. Ralph Keeling, Scripps Institution of Institution of Oceanography (scrippsco2.ucsd.edu/)

NIWA 2013

Strong rainfall gradient West ⇒ East

What is sustainable farming?

A Farm practice that achieves;• Production – a desired goal e.g. MS/ha • Risk – reduces the risk of not achieving the production

goal e.g. maize silage• Economic – medium term profitability• Environment – sustainable for soil, water, air and

other resources e.g. erosion• Social – socially acceptable – “dirty dairying”

Ashley Dene P21 Phase IIEwes & lambs grazing Plot 8 on 5 Oct 2015

Ashley Dene 9 Jan 2015

Required lamb growth = 5 to 35 kg

in ~100 days

Phot

o: A

Mills

Linc

oln

Uni

vers

ity

Experiment site – Quantify growth

15.7 t/ha

Just add Nitrogen

6.3 t/ha

Dryland

Water + Nitrogen21.9 t/ha

MonthJ A S O N D J F M A M J J

Grow

th ra

te (k

g/ha

/d)

0

30

60

90

120Just add water

9.8 t/ha

Growth rates (2 year means)

Mills et al. 2006, 2009

Winter ⇒ temperature response

Thermal time (°Cd)0 1000 2000 3000

DM y

ield

(t/h

a)

0

10

20

30

Water & Nitrogen

y = 7.0 kg DM/ha/oCd21.9 t/ha

Water but No Nitrogen

y = 3.3 kg DM/ha/oCd

9.8 t/ha

Where do we get our N?

Mills et al. 2006; 2009

Water and nitrogen = ryegrass(230,000 ha irrigated dairy)

Pho

to: D

r WR

Sco

ttLi

ncol

n U

nive

rsity

Moot et al. 2010: Department of Statistics

Deer & cattle numbers in Canterbury

Year1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015

Stoc

k nu

mbe

rs (m

illion

s)

0.0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

1.0

1.2

1.4Beef cattle Dairy cattleDeer

Year

N c

onsu

mpt

ion

('000

t)

0

100

200

300

400

500

6 000 t

397 000 t

Fertiliser N use in NZ- Nationally sustainable?

NZ Fertiliser Association 2015

Year1960/61 1970/71 1980/81 1990/91 2000/01 2010/11

CO

2em

itted

dur

ing

the

man

ufac

ture

of N

app

lied

(t)

0

250000

500000

750000

1000000

1250000

1500000

CO2 emitted in production of our N- Globally sustainable?

Based on energy use of 65 MJ/kg N produced and an emission rate of 0.05 kg CO2/MJ energy used (Saunders et al. 2006)

1960/6119,500 t CO2

2013/141,290,250 t CO2

West Coast Tasman

Southland

Year1990 1995 2000 2005 2010Regi

onal

nitr

ate

leac

hing

per

yea

r (t)

0

5000

10000

15000

20000

25000

Regional annual nitrate losses- Sustainable regionally?

Canterbury OtagoMarlborough

Redrawn from Dymond et al. 2013

Mean annual nitrate levels in Harts Creek - Sustainable locally?

Year1995 2000 2005 2010 2015N

itrat

e an

d N

itrite

Nitr

ogen

(mg/

L) (d

etec

tion

limits

hal

ved)

National bottom line for nitrate toxicity in streams

0

2

4

6

8

10

Data ©Environment Canterbury

Evapotranspiration

1000 kg N/ha

- Limited water supply- N to make plants grow!- Meet animal demand (lactation)- Minimize impact on air, soil, water- Productive and profitable- Socially acceptable

Legume dominant

Future pastures

High feeding value pastures have;- high legume content- high leaf content- low stem content- young herbage age

Sheep prefer 70% legume, 30% grassP

hoto

: Jo

Grig

g‘T

empe

llo’ M

arlb

orou

gh

40% White clover

Good quality lucerne

Mostly clover pastureLi

vew

eigh

t g (g

/day

)

-300

+400

0

+300

+200

-100

+100

-200

8 9 10 11 12 13

All dead and stem

Poor hay

Good quality hay

Bailage/silage

50% stem or dead, little clover

Average ryegrass clover growing

pasture

Ewe milk

Rape Pasja

Swedes & turnips

Energy value of diet (MJ ME/kg DM)

Adapted from: 400 Plus. A guide to improved lamb growth

Nitrogen fixation25-30 kg N/t DM Lucas et al. 2010

Biological N fixation

(Source: Lucas et al. 2010)

Clover yield (kg DM/ha)0 500 1000 1500 2000

Fixe

d N

(kg

N/h

a)

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

White cloverSub clover

y = 28.0±0.66x (R2=0.96)

Summer ⇒ moisture responseMills 2007

Water stress effect on yield

D+N

15.7 t/ha

21 Nov 30 Jan

Thermal time0 1000 2000 3000

DM

yie

ld (t

/ha)

0

10

20

30I+N

y = 7.0 kg DM/ha/oCd

21.9 t/ha

Mills et al. 2006

Rain

fall

(mm

)

0

50

100

Thermal time (°Cd)0 1000 2000 3000

Defic

it (m

m)

0

50

100

150

D+ND-N

Total rain = 520 mm

Soil moisture deficit 2003/04

Mills 2007

The ‘MaxClover’ Grazing experiment in paddock H19 at Lincoln University

RG/WcLucerneCF/SubCF/BalansaCF/CcCF/Wc

Date

Jul02 Jan03 Jul03 Jan04 Jul04 Jan05 Jul05 Jan06 Jul06 Jan07 Jul07 Jan08 Jul08 Jan09 Jul09 Jan10 Jul10 Jan11 Jul11

Tota

l ann

ual a

ccum

ulat

ed D

M y

ield

(t D

M/h

a/y)

0

5

10

15

17.8

12.9

10.5 9.8

8.9

13.1

11.5

10.5

8.4

18.5

11.2

10.0 9.0

11.5

10.0

8.0

17.4

10.810.0

8.4

14.0

11.2

9.0

7.1

14.0

9.0

6.6

5.2

Year 12002/03

Year 32004/05

Year 42005/06

Year 52006/07

Year 62007/08

Year 72008/09

Year 22003/04

Year 82009/10

Year 92010/11

12.8

9.5

8.4

6.7

12.9

8.7

5.8

461 mm 493 mm 635 mm 601 mm 643 mm 651 mm 767 mm 612 mm 602 mm

Total annual accumulated dry matter production

Rainfall

CF/SubCF/Bal CF/Wc CF/Cc RG/Wc Luc

Source: Moot 2012

Growth season1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

Pro

porti

on o

f sow

n co

mpo

nent

s

0.0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

1.0

2002/03 2003/04 2004/05 2005/06 2006/07 2007/08 2008/09 2009/10 2010/11

All the cocksfoot pastures lost sown components at about 3% per annum

The perennial ryegrass/white clover pasture lost RG+Wc at about 10% per annum

Mills et al. 2014a

Change in the proportion of originally sown pasture components (grass + clover) over time

Yr 8 Summer(Dec 2009)RG/Wc

Summer rainfall was about 30% below average and the sheep grazing in the background continue to avoid the less palatable dying seedheads of the invading grasses.

There is no evidence of perennial ryegrass seedheads in this image.

Much of the green material is goose grass, Vulpia and Poa annua.

http://www.lincoln.ac.nz/PageFiles/23851/MaxClover-Photo-Diary.pdf

Yr 8 Spring(Sept 2009)CF/Sub

CF/Sub pasture in Plot 5.

In Yr 8 the 2.4 t/ha of yield contributed by sub clover was more than double the clover yield produced from any other grass based pasture.

For the spring period (to 16 Nov 2009) about 40% of the DM yield on offer was sub clover.

http://www.lincoln.ac.nz/PageFiles/23851/MaxClover-Photo-Diary.pdf

Yr 8 Spring (Sept 2009)Luc

First spring grazing with ewes and twin lambs at foot.

Lucerne yield was 12.8 t DM/ha compared with the 6.7 (CF/Wc) to 9.5 t DM/ha (CF/Sub) produced by the grass based pastures.

Rainfall for the Jul-Nov period was 195 mm and almost 30% below average. Summer rainfall was also below average in Year 8. http://www.lincoln.ac.nz/PageFiles/23851/MaxClover-Photo-Diary.pdf

Water use (mm)0 100 200 300

Accu

mul

ated

DM

(t/h

a)

0

2

4

6

Grass only

13 kg DM/ha/mm

20 kg DM/ha/mm

Spring WUE

Moot et al. 2008

Grass/clover28 kg DM/ha/mmLucerne

Conclusions from MaxClover after nine years• Animal LWG was associated with more dry matter production in

spring.

• Lucerne produced more DM than all grass based pastures in most years.

• CF/Sub clover was the highest yielding grass based pastures in Years 6-9.

• Yields of all pastures declined over time.

• Lucerne used water more efficiently than the grass based pastures -especially in spring.

Case study – Bonavaree farm, MarlboroughOver grazed – high erosion riskDryland Lucerne conversion

Year1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010

Ann

ual r

ainf

all (

mm

)

225275325375425475525575625650675725775825875

Annual rainfall at ‘Bonavaree’

Long-term Average

Partitioning to roots

A S O N D J F M A

1.5

2.0

2.5

3.0

3.5

Tap

root

dry

wei

ght (

t/ha)

Month

42-day

Moot et al. 2003

28-day

Maximize reliable spring growth – high priority stock

Spring

Growing point at the top of the plant

Seasonal grazing management

• 1st rotation aided by root reserves to produce high quality vegetative forage.

• can graze before flowers appear (~1500 kg DM/ha) ideally ewes and lambs but

Rotation 1 Pre-grazePlot 1 (21/9/07) 2.3 t DM/ha20-25 cm tall

DateJul07 Sep07 Nov07 Jan08 Mar08 May08 Jul08

Mon

thly

rain

fall

(mm

)

DM

Yie

ld (t

/ha)

454

0

1

2

3

4

5

0

100

200

300

400

4

32

1

45

6

321

4

5 6

3

21

45

6

325

16

32

4

5

1

6

2 56

1

MaxClover – 38-42 day rotation

Moot & Smith 2011Practical Lucerne Management Guide

‘Bonavaree’ production change over 10 years

2002 2012 ChangeLand area (ha) 1100 1800 64%

Sheep numbers 3724 4158 12%

Lambing (%) 117 145 24%

Lamb weights (kg) 13.3 19 43%

Lamb sold (kg) 38324 74460 94%

Wool (kg) 18317 20869 14%

Sheep:cattle 70:30 50:50

Gross trading profit (ha) $317 $792 149%Moot & Avery 2013

Phot

o: D

oug

Aver

y, ‘B

onav

aree

’, M

arlb

orou

gh6/

10/2

015

Resilient drought-proofed landscape

SI Farmer of the Year 2010

“With better income we can focus on the environment and preserve it for generations to come”

Doug Avery

Integrity & Trust

Weaned lamb

2011 2012 2013

Lam

b w

eane

d (t)

0

100

110

120

130

Lamb weaned and Ewes mated

Year

Ew

es m

ated

0

3400

3500

3600

3700

3800

3900

Ewes mated

11% increase in lamb weaned per ewe mated (2011 vs. 2012/2013)31.2 vs 34.6 kg weaned per ewe mated

Anderson et al. 2014

Landscape farmingPh

oto:

Bog

Roy

Sta

tion

Lucerne

Ryegrass

0 10 20 30

Soil

dept

h (m

)

0

1

2

Water extraction (mm)

328 mm

Soil water extraction: Species

243 mm

Lucerne dries the bucket to reduce the risk of drainage

White Clover

N fertiliser applied (kg/ha)0 100 200 300 400 500 600

0

20

40

60

80

100 Lucerne

Ryan-Salter unpublished

Ndfa%= 103.7(±1.28) - 0.34(±0.011)x + 0.00034(±0.000018)x2 (R2 = 0.98)

Over 200,000 ha sown 800+ txt alerts

“28-35% Rate of return on investment”

Sub. clover dominant pasture 8 Oct 2015

Seasonal clover growth

Jul-04 Jan-05 Jul-05 Jan-06

Grow

th ra

te (k

g/ha

/d)

0

20

40

60

80Sub clover

White clover

Wet summer Dry summer

Brown et al. 2006

Bulls grazing sub. dominant pasture 8 Oct 2015

LEGUMES AT MEADOWBANK

Will GriggWebsite: www.lincoln.ac.nz/dryland

Field Day handouts and presentations page (20 June 2013)

We’re in clover

• Lucerne/prairie grass/plantain mix in late January 2013. • Sown October 2012 and first grazed late March 2013. • 16 ha split into five paddocks and water troughs installed.

Lucerne, prairie and plantain October 2012. Twin ewes and lambs at 12 ewes /ha and 1 steer/ha.

Grazing after shutting up for sub clover seeding.

Close up of germinating clover seedlings on 1 May

WHAT’S HAPPENED TO PRODUCTION AT MEADOWBANK?

• Similar stock numbers, better fed.• Ewe efficiency increased 40% since 2005

2005 2012 ChangeEwe Lambing% 121% 142% 21%Hogget Lambing% 60% 81% 21%Weaning weight 28 kg/hd 34 kg/hd 21%Return $730/ha $2640/ha $1910/ha

(>260%)

Ashley Dene P21 Phase IIEwes & lambs grazing Plot 8 on 5 Oct 2015

g/head/day

Pasture Ewe Lamb

Cocksfoot/Sub 63 350

Cocksfoot/Sub/Balansa 114 366

Ryegrass/Sub 187 338

Ryegrass/Sub/Balansa 160 353First stock entered pastures 20/8 & all grazing animals weighed on 25/9/15

Sustainable dryland farming?

• Production – 40-100% incr. LWG/ha

• Risk – beat the drought

• Economic – 30% IRR

• Environment – efficient water and N fert., lowered CO2 emissions, ecosystem services, dry profile

• Social – “green” dryland, fire breaks, employment, landscape farming

Website Handouts & presentations

FAQs

Direct link to Blog

Website: www.lincoln.ac.nz/drylandFacebook: @DrylandPasturesResearch

Urea – CO2 emissions (natural gas)

Urine – leaching from cows

Fixed – 25 kg N per t legume grown

Water use – efficiency increased

Consumed – Liveweight gain

Nitrogen friend or foe?Conclusion

References

Anderson, D., Anderson, L., Moot, D.J., Ogle, G.I. 2014. Integrating lucerne (Medicago sativa L.) into a high country merino system.Proceedings of the New Zealand Grassland Association 76: 29-34.

Brown, H. E., Moot, D. J., Lucas, R. J. and Smith, M. 2006. Sub clover, cocksfoot and lucerne combine to improve dryland stock production.Proceedings of the New Zealand Grassland Association, 68, 109-115.

Department of Statistics. 2013. Agricultural Production Survey variables (various years). Accessed: (various dates). Online:http://www.stats.govt.nz

Dymond, J.R.; Ausseil, A.G.E.; Parfitt, R.L.; Herzig, A.; McDowell, R.W. 2013. Nitrate and phosphorus leaching in New Zealand: a nationalperspective. New Zealand Journal of Agricultural Research 56: 49-59.

Grigg, W. We’re in Clover. Presentation to the Dryland Legume Workshop held at the Marlborough Research Centre on 20 June 2013. Online:http://www.lincoln.ac.nz/PageFiles/23598/2013-06-20-Legumes-at-Meadowbank-Will-Grigg.pdf.

Kerr, P. 2000. 400 Plus: A Guide to Improved Lamb Growth for Farmers and Advisors. The New Zealand Sheep Council: Wellington.Lucas, R. J., Smith, M. C., Jarvis, P., Mills, A. and Moot, D. J. 2010. Nitrogen fixation by subterranean and white clovers in dryland cocksfoot

pastures. Proceedings of the New Zealand Grassland Association, 72, 141-146.Mills, A. 2007. Understanding constraints to cocksfoot (Dactylis glomerata L.) based pasture production, PhD thesis, Lincoln University,

Canterbury. Online access: http://researcharchive.lincoln.ac.nz/dspace/bitstream/10182/32/1/mills_phd.pdf. 202 pp.Mills, A.; Lucas, R.J.; Moot, D.J. 2014. ‘MaxClover’ Grazing Experiment: I. Annual yields, botanical composition and growth rates of six dryland

pastures over nine years. Grass and Forage Science 70: 557-570.Mills, A., Moot, D. J. and Jamieson, P. D. 2009. Quantifying the effect of nitrogen of productivity of cocksfoot (Dactylis glomerata L.) pastures.

European Journal of Agronomy, 30, 63-69.

References (cont.)

Mills, A., Moot, D. J. and McKenzie, B. A. 2006. Cocksfoot pasture production in relation to environmental variables. Proceedings of the NewZealand Grassland Association, 68, 89-94.

Moot, D.J. 2012. An overview of dryland legume research in New Zealand. Crop and Pasture Science 63: 726–733.Moot, D. J. and Avery, D. 2013. Sustainable intensification of livestock grazing systems in low rainfall regions of New Zealand. First

International Conference on Global Food Security, O3.O3 (4 pgs).Moot, D. J., Brown, H. E., Pollock, K. and Mills, A. 2008. Yield and water use of temperate pastures in summer dry environments. Proceedings

of the New Zealand Grassland Association, 70, 51-57.Moot, D.J.; Brown, H.E.; Teixeira, E.I.; Pollock, K.M. 2003. Crop growth and development affect seasonal priorities for lucerne management.

pp. 201-208. In: D.J Moot (Ed.). Legumes for Dryland Pastures. Proceedings of a New Zealand Grassland Association Symposium. 18-19November 2003.

Moot, D. J., Mills, A. and Pollock, K. M. 2010. Natural resources for Canterbury agriculture. Proceedings of the New Zealand GrasslandAssociation, 72, IX-XVII.

Moot, D. J. and Smith, M. 2011. Practical Lucerne Management Guide. 9 pp. http://www.lincoln.ac.nz/Documents/Dryland-Pasture-Research/presentations/Lucerne-management-guide-Col.pdf

NIWA 2013. Climate Explorer – National Median Annual Rainfall Map. Accessed: 1/10/2010 2010. http://climate-explorer.niwa.co.nz.Saunders, C.; Barber, A.; Taylor, G. 2006. Food Miles - Comparative energy/emissions. Performance of New Zealand's agriculture industry.

Research Report No. 285. Lincoln University Agribusiness & Economics Research Unit (AERU), Lincoln University. 105 pp. Accessed:14/9/2009. http://www.lincoln.ac.nz/story_images/2328_RR285_s13389.pdf

Acknowledgements & DPR Online Presence

Acknowledgements for data/graphs• Environment Canterbury (ECAN) for Harts Creek data (data ©ECAN)• New Zealand Fertiliser Association for the nitrogen fertiliser data

Websites/Social Media presenceLincoln University Dryland Pastures Website: http://www.lincoln.ac.nz/drylandThe MaxClover Photo Diary: http://www.lincoln.ac.nz/PageFiles/23851/MaxClover-Photo-Diary.pdfLincoln University Dryland Pastures Blog: https://blogs.lincoln.ac.nz/dryland/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/DrylandPasturesGoogle+: https://plus.google.com/+DrylandPasturesFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrylandPasturesResearch