Lesson 3: Dairy Farming as a System

Key Questions:
1. What are the FOUR components of a system?
2. What is the difference between a natural and cultural input?
3. What are some of the inputs, outputs and feedbacks on a
dairy farm?
4. How do inputs and outputs relate to productivity?

Activity 1: Copy this diagram into your book under the heading “A system”

Inputs Processes Outputs

- natural - positive
- cultural - negative

Feedbacks
Answers:
ACROSS DOWN
4. adviser 1. management
5. erosion 2. milk
10. hay barn 3. pesticide
12. fertiliser 6. tractor
14. race 7. profit
15. rotary 8. fodder
17. herd tester 9. hedge
18. bull 11. nitrate
19. cowshed 13. shelterbelt
23. fertile (soil) 15. rolling (land)
24. riparian (zone) 16. trough
25. herringbone (cowshed) 20. sharemilker
27. effluent 21. mastitis
29. contractor 22. paddock
30. bobby (calf) 26. herbicide
33. veterinarian 28. water
34. clover 31. silage
35. rye grass 32. hay
36. heifer
Herringbone cowshed
Haybales
Silage
Fact File: Most Important Natural Inputs

1. Moderate to high sunshine hours

Need over 1800 hours per year to ensure fast grass growth.

2. Moderate to high rainfall

The ideal amount of more than 1000mm per year for the grass to grow
quickly
3. Mild temperatures
An average of 15 degrees over the year for fast grass growth

4. Land
Flat or gently rolling lowlands to make sure it is easy for cows to
travel around so not to waste energy.
5. Fertile, well-drained soils
Soils need the nutrients for grass growth. Volcanic and alluvial
soils are ideal for this. A depth of 30cm is ideal.
Activity 1: Précis Sketch of Dairy Farming Areas in NZ

Turn to page 86. Draw a précis sketch of the dairy farming areas in NZ. You
must include the statistics and place names in your drawing.
Activity 2: Cultural Factors that Influence Distribution within New Zealand

We have seen how the natural factors, such as land and climate, influence
the distribution of dairy farming in New Zealand. This is because these
natural factors are used as INPUTS into the dairy farm system.

Cultural factors also influence where farms are located.

Quickly brainstorm what you think these factors may be….
Decent roads – access for milk tankers,
stock trucks etc
Nearby dairy factories – e.g. Fonterra in
Hawera

Nearby towns – farmers need supplies both

for themselves and their farm
Ports – e.g Port Taranaki for exports

Research facilities – improved technology

gives an advantage over others
Activity 3: Practice Paragraph

Using your précis sketch and notes, write a paragraph describing the
distribution of dairy farms in New Zealand. Include both percentages, place
names, compass directions AND the natural and cultural factors that cause this
distribution.
Fact File: Most Important Cultural Inputs

1. Grass
A mixture of rye grass and clover so growth is maximized
2. Cows
Friesians produce more milk, but Jerseys have milk with a higher fat
content. These have been bred over many generations to maximize milk
content.
3. Infrastructure
Things such as races, water troughs, fences etc that help to
increase productivity
4. Labour and Expertise
People with good local knowledge and hardworking attitude

5. Items directly related to milking

Milking machines, cowshed, effluent ponds etc are all
fundamental to a farm.
Productivity

The aim of a farmer is to MINIMIZE the inputs as much as

possible and to MAXIMIZE the positive outputs. This is known as
productivity.

In order to achieve this, the farmer needs to make sure the

PROCESSES on their dairy farm are as organized and well-run
as possible.

Processes are those actions (like milking, drenching, calving etc)

that help change inputs into outputs.
 Lesson 4: Processes on a Dairy Farm

Key Questions:
1. What are some of the important processes that take place on
a farm?
2. How do these processes affect the productivity of the farm?
3. What are some of the possible problems associated with the
processes on the farm?

Skill:
Field sketches and annotations
Break-feeding
Rotary cowshed - milking
Activity 1: Field Sketch

Turn to page 92. Look at the picture at the bottom of the page.
Complete a sketch of the photo showing and labelling all of the NATURAL and
CULTURAL inputs.
Write brief notes relating these inputs to the processes of milking and food
management. Use the table I have given you as a guide.
Activity 2: Other Important Processes

Take notes on the following processes. Afterwards, try to explain how

they increase the productivity of the farm (either boost milk production
or reduce costs)

Process Explanation Effect on Productivity

 Breeding

Many dairy farms don’t keep bulls on-site, but rather bring them in, or just their
semen kept frozen in canisters when required, which is implanted manually by
the farmer.
Bulls are carefully selected to ensure the best possible calves are produced.

After the artificial breeding (AB), a real bull will be put with the herd for a month
or so to ensure that all the cows get pregnant.
 Calving

Cows are allowed to go dry over winter for about two months before giving birth.
Newborn calves stay with their mothers for a day or two, and then they are taken
inside and reared by hand.

Male calves (bobby) are either taken away to the freezing works or sold as soon
as possible.

Calving is left to nature. Calves that are born prematurely or with deformities are
often euthanized by the farmer.

Farmer often has to feed the calves colostrum, the type of milk first produced by
the mother, to strengthen the immune system.
 Drenching

This is the where a medicine is squirted down the throat of a cow or applied as a
spray on the coat..
There can be a variety of reasons for using drench, but it is used mostly for
getting rid of internal parasites or to protect from bloat.
Farmers can check the dung of the cows for eggs to see if they need to drench
them.

Farmers may need to withhold

the milk from cows that have
been drenched.

They also need to withhold of

the milk of cows that have
been given antibiotics.
 Culling

Dairy herds are constantly tested to make sure they are healthy and producing a
lot of milk. They can be tested up to four times a year.

Cows can be sent to the freezing works or sold if they are not producing enough
milk; if their milk contains too little protein; if they have an illness that will be too
difficult to treat (mastitis or footrot); or even if they have a poor temperament
that makes them difficult to milk.
Fertiliser Application

Fertiliser can be bought and applied to the soil to add essential nutrients for grass
growth.
Done by plane, this is called topdressing. This is usually superphosphate.
Fertiliser accounts for about 14% of total farm expenditure on average.
Nitrate fertiliser can also be applied using a tractor.

Cow effluent collected from the cowshed can be stored in an effluent pond and
sprayed back onto the pasture.
 Drainage

Digging ditches to ensure that rain doesn’t flood flat land, and that the soil
doesn’t get too wet and soggy.

Farmers can employ a contractor to do the work, or simply hire a drain digger and
do it themselves.
 Maintenance

Day-to-day upkeep of the farm infrastructure.

Fixing fences and sheds, clearing drains, cleaning and servicing milking
machinery, trimming hedges and trees.
 DO NOW:

What do these numbers represent in terms of dairy farming in New Zealand?

81 45
15
Minimum sunshine hours needed for Minimum rainfall needed for dairy
dairy farming farming (mm)

1800 Most suitable soil depth for a dairy

farm (cm)
Percentage of NZ farmland found in
the Nth Island
1000
30 Percentage of NZ dairy herd found in
the Waikato region
Percentage of NZ dairy herd found in
the Nth Island
Percentage of NZ dairy herd found in
31 the Taranaki region
Minimum average temperature for
the year suitable for dairy farming (C)
Tell me something about:

the distribution of dairy farming in New Zealand

the natural factors influencing the distribution of dairy farms in NZ

the cultural factors influencing the distribution of dairy farms in NZ

grass growth over the year

milk production over the year

feed management over the year

Processes from the previous handout that I completed for you:
Milking
Silage and hay making
Rotational grazing
Break-feeding
Processes from the table that was left blank and you had to complete the
information:
Breeding
Calving
Drenching
Culling
Fertiliser Application
Drainage
Maintenance
 Lesson 5: Environmental Problems and Solutions

Key Questions:
1. What is sustainability?
2. What regulations do farmers have to follow?
3. What are the common problems on a farm, the causes
and the solutions?
DO NOW:
Do a quick sketch of the North Island, label the two major dairy
farming regions and then add in the location of the Daniels farm in
Helensville.
Sustainability
As you know, the farmer tries to increase productivity by
minimizing costs and maximising (positive) outputs.
However, they also need to make sure that in doing this, they also
need to consider sustainability.

To maximise sustainability, the farmer has to manage resources

in such a way that they will be available in a suitable quality and
quantity for use in future cycles.

Farmers rely on their farm for their livelihood, so are as concerned

about sustainability as they are about productivity.

However, actions that farmers take can have effects beyond their
farm.
Therefore, there are also outside influences that have a say in
how the natural and cultural resources are managed. Some of
these are:

Resource Management Act (1991) – promotes sustainable use of

air, water, soil etc.

MAF – monitoring the health of cows and milk, as well as dangerous

diseases
Catchment Boards – give water rights to farmers (removing water
from streams and rivers)

So, the environmental problems on a farm will concern the

farmer (not sustainable) and/or outside agencies (pollution
etc), and thus need to be fixed.
Stream contamination by effluent
Stream contamination by sediment
Stream contamination by fertiliser
Stream contamination by milk
Pugging
Soil compaction
Spray drift
Reduction in soil fertility
Soil erosion
Noise pollution
Today: Review and Recap – Distribution, Yearly Cycle, Processes, Systems and
Problems
1. Finish the problems worksheet from yesterday. Take an answer sheet to
check your answers. Make sure you understand the information!
2. Draw the diagrams on page 95: Two-pond system and
the Riparian Zone Management. Include all labels.
3. Take a copy of the blank systems diagram and yearly
cycle. Without checking your notes, fill it in as best you can.
Include any numbers you can remember, either generally
or from Daniels farm.
4. Complete the review questions on page 92 (do only 1 to 5). Check
your answers with me.
5. Play pictionary with someone else who is finished,
showing either inputs or outputs, processes or
environmental problems
Next week: Perspectives of Dairy Farming  Gold Mining
Random Review Questions
1. What is the closest town to Mr. Daniels’ farm?

2. What is the name of the dairy company Mr. Daniels sells his milk to?

3. What is the name of the river that runs through Mr. Daniels farm?
4. Explain why the Waikato and Taranaki regions have the greatest
concentration of dairy farms.
5. Which organization is in charge of preventing disease outbreaks and
monitoring the health of cows and the quality of their milk?
6. Explain the problem of pugging and give a solution.

7. Explain the process of drenching and how it improves the productivity of a

farm.
8. Name the three most common breeds of dairy cows in New Zealand.
9. Why do farms use a combination of rye grass and clover?

10. Name TWO positive outputs, TWO negative outputs and TWO losses to
a dairy farming system,