Research on Massey Farms is examining a broad range of areas such as nutrition, productivity and the impact of farming practices on the environment. Research is often undertaken in conjunction with industry bodies and across multiple farms, taking advantage of the unique topography of each. For instance Tuapaka is useful for hill-country related research and Riverside (in the Wairarapa region) gives scientists a testing ground for a drier climate.
Research on our farms focuses on the following types of animals and issues.
How feed requirements are affected by grazing in the hill countryBeef cows were monitored over two consecutive winters to get baseline measures for use of paddocks.
Cow performance across their lifetimeThis long-term project is reviewing the size and weight of cows on a typical hill country farm and measuring their performance across their lifetime.
Lifetime efficiency of beef cowsThis project on Riverside and Tuapaka farms is evaluating genetic quality of meat for the beef market.
Milking dairy cows once a dayThis research on Dairy 1 is looking at productivity and reproductive performance and the effect of a once-a-day Selection Index on three groups of dairy cows.
Pastoral 21Massey University is contributing to the Pastoral 21 project by working on the development of a practical housing system for dairy farm cows.
Measuring the environmental footprint of milkProject Dairy 1 is using a life cycle assessment methodology to measure the environmental footprint of milk produced at the farm.
Ewe lamb growth post-weaningThis two-year research study at Riverside Farm looked at how herbage fed to ewe lambs can have a positive impact on liveweight of subsequent generations.
Maximising multiple ewe-bearing performanceThese studies are identifying feeding regimens for multiple-bearing (twin- and triplet-bearing) ewes in both pregnancy and lactation to maximise outcomes for the ewe and her lambs.
Leptospirosis in deerThree projects have investigated different aspects of leptospirosis in relation to deer, including epidemiology and control in farmed deer herds.
Fetal wastageInvestigating the prevalence and incidence of abortion in deer herds and identification of potential infectious and non-infectious causes.
Deer welfareAn evaluation of the efficacy of analgesia or the pedicle and antler. Also work investigating death of stags under xylazine sedation.
Monitoring stream sediment, nitrogen and phosphorus concentrationsThe project is monitoring nutrient and sediment concentrations in a hill country stream at Tuapaka and identifying practices which increase losses.
Scenario modelling to assess nitrogen lossProject Dairy 1 researchers are modelling whole farm scenarios to assess the impact of different management strategies on farm performance and nitrogen loss.
Nitrogen in the subsurface environmentThis research is developing methods and procedures to assess and characterise the transport and transformation of nitrate-nitrogen in the subsurface environment.
