Research Information
At SDH we are primarily carrying out multi-year farm system evaluations. From this platform we can do a lot of additional short term or small trials on specific items too.
The farm is run as four distinct farmlets where each farmlet has it's own paddocks and cows which won't change within the season OR between years of the 2-4 year trial. The cows are split evenly at the start, as are the paddocks so that our farm map looks like a four coloured patchwork quilt to give all cows even access to soil type, contour, walking distance and paddock history.
We set some really strict rules for how each of our four farmlets can operate, and then we measure any and all differences that occur throughout a normal farming system. This includes looking at cow performance, reproduction, financial comparisons, environmental footprint, manageability and people requirements of the system and many more elements.
View our Projects
February 2024 Update: - Next Farm System Trial: Off Paddock Infrastructure v paddock based wintering, and lower nutrient losses
Comparing relative farm performance including, Profit, Animals and Environmental measures when farms have different wintering, or different pasture nitrogen application rates
Current Farm system trial: Wintering systems Bale, vs Beet, vs Swede and Standard vs Lower Nutrient loss
Comparing relative farm performance including, Profit, Animals and Environmental measures when farms have different wintering, or different pasture nitrogen application rates
Current Forage Trial – Plantain Evaluation System
Trialling Plantain Evaluation System to compare different cultivars for effectiveness in reducing nitrate leaching
Recently Updated - Are catch crops an effective mitigation for nitrate leaching in Southland?
Catch crops are fast-growing short-term species (e.g. oats, Italian ryegrass) that establish quickly and utilise soil N in winter-early spring, used primarily to reduce nitrate leaching.
Research in Canterbury has shown that catch crops following winter forage crops work well, reducing N leaching from urine patches by up to 50%. But what about Southland?
Cumulative effects of fodder beet - SFF Making fodder beet sustainable
Longer term study looking at the impacts of Fodder beet on animals, and potential solutions.
4 Year Farm System comparison; Kale vs Fodder Beet and Standard vs Lower Nutrient loss
Comparing relative farm performance including, Profit, Animals and Environmental measures when farms have different wintering, or different pasture nitrogen application rates
Weather and soil effects on animal behaviour
Monitoring cows on winter crops to measure lying times in good and bad weather
Effect of crop type on calf size and traits
Fodder beet vs kale wintering of pregnant cows – resulting impacts on calf stature (size) and bone density.
Nitrate leaching from winter forage crops and SDH farm systems
Measured differences in nitrate leaching under winter crops – Kale vs Beet
SFF Participatory research
Comparing SDH farms to four regional farmers, and looking at changes to environmental footprints from farm modelling changes including Greenhouse Gas
Crop type & allocation effect on behaviour & lactation performance
Milk production in Spring after different rates of different crops fed over winter
Demonstration project - Changing Crop establishment for better wintering outcomes
Comparison of conventional vs minimum tillage crop establishment, and any impacts on soil or animals
Feeding behaviour of R1 heifers on fodder beet or kale
Measuring growth rate of calves on kale vs fodderbeet and assessing differences intime spent ruminating.
Forage value index validation
Interaction between genetic merit potential of perennial ryegrass cultivars and nitrogen fertiliser in a pastoral grazing system
Catch crops for cleaner water - Lysimeter trial
Measuring ground water leaching under column lysimeters, under winter sown catch crops sown at different dates
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Farm Data & Research
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611 Ryal Bush Wallacetown Road
RD4, Southland 9874
Fonterra Supply Number 31445
