The aims of this project were to (a) collate and analyse available pasture quality data to determine whether the data are statistically robust enough to provide nationally representative values for the key livestock classes on a monthly basis, (b) statistically derive the number of samples required to represent the seasonal and spatial variations of metabolisable energy (ME) and crude protein (CP) in each region; and (c) make clear recommendations for the establishment of a national pasture sampling programme.
A literature review was undertaken to understand the impact of grazing management, in particular, grazing interval, on pasture quality and the interactions with pasture species, season, land slope and other drivers of pasture quality in a New Zealand context.
This report documents the methodology and assumptions currently used to estimate animal live weight (and live weight gain) for beef and dairy cattle, deer, and sheep in the Agricultural Inventory Model (AIM), the model used to estimate New Zealand's agricultural GHG emissions.
A database of nitrogen (N) measurements created from studies of cattle (beef and dairy), sheep and deer where intakes and partition of N have been collated. The data assesses the current equation used in the New Zealand greenhouse gas (GHG) inventory model to estimate the partitioning of excreta N into urine and faeces (dung).
The primary purpose of this project is the development of the framework suitable for future use by the Ministry and its partners. The project builds on previous work that quantified the use of supplementary feed usage in the New Zealand (NZ) sheep industry. The models used in the initial report have been further extended to include beef, dairy grazing and finishing of cattle exiting the dairy system.
This project aims to update earlier methodology to account for multiple off-paddock structures that collect animal excreta and the multiple manure management systems, by i) reviewing data on the use of these structures and systems, and ii) developing an accounting tool to estimate the fate of dairy cow excreta.