SI dairy farmers more efficent than NI counterparts

SI dairy farms are much more efficient than their NI counterparts, according to a study which warns climate change legislation costs could stymie northern efforts to catch up reports Stuff. The research into efficiency of NZ dairy farming was done by Auckland University economics PhD student Nan Jiang."Although the northern dairy farms have been doing a good job in terms of following best regional farm management practices, the North Island, as a whole, is being left behind by the southern dairy industry, whose technology is more up-to-date," Ms Jiang found. SI farms had an average efficiency of 82%, with NI farms lagging behind on 70%. Perhaps controversially, one of the reasons for the South Island lead was likely to be the "greater capability and enthusiasm" of southern farmers, according to Dairy NZ economist Mathew Newman. Mr Newman said northern farmers tended to take a more traditional lifestyle approach to farming, whereas southern farms were far more commercially oriented. There were about 11,500 dairy herds, with just 20% in the south. However, southern herds were larger, with 31% of all dairy cows in the South Island contributing 35% of the 1.3 billion kilograms of milk solids produced in 2007/08. Southern farms tended to be larger and more modern. NI farming efficiency could be increased through more intensive farming, including better irrigation and the use of rotary, instead of herringbone sheds, Ms Jiang said. Northern farmers could achieve a 13 per cent gain in milk solids produced per cow. However, climate change policies could cause "real issues" for northern farms trying to close the gap with the south.