Lower footprint farming at the Southern Dairy Hub, New Zealand

This practice abstract presents a lower-intensity dairy farming system being tested at the Southern Dairy Hub in New Zealand.

The system combines reduced nitrogen fertiliser use and lower stocking rates while aiming to maintain or improve milk production per cow. The objective is to lower greenhouse gas emissions, reduce nutrient losses to water and improve overall environmental performance without compromising farm profitability.

The approach evaluates multiple indicators, including animal performance, animal welfare, forage production and utilisation, profit, greenhouse gas emissions and nutrient losses. The results will support the development of more sustainable and climate-friendly dairy systems.