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In 10: The next phase of Forage Value Index research · Talking Dairy

• 0:01
  SPEAKER_01: Kiora and welcome to Talking Dairy in 10.
• 0:04
  SPEAKER_01: I'm your host Jack McGowan from DairyNZ.
• 0:07
  SPEAKER_01: In this episode, we're talking about the Forage Value Index or FVI.
• 0:12
  SPEAKER_01: For farmers, choosing the right ryegrass cultivar can be a big decision.
• 0:17
  SPEAKER_01: You're looking for a pasture that suits your farming system, performs well across the season, and supports milk production.
• 0:24
  SPEAKER_01: The FVI was developed to help farmers compare ryegrass cultivars, but the economic rankings and tools have been temporarily removed while DairyNZ and the Plant Breeding and Research Association do more work to improve it.
• 0:39
  SPEAKER_01: So, what's happening now?
• 0:41
  SPEAKER_01: What have we learned so far and how can farmers help shape the next stage?
• 0:45
  SPEAKER_01: To talk us through it, I'm joined by Janet Montgomery, DairyNZ's Forage Value Index Research Project Manager.
• 0:53
  SPEAKER_01: So let's get into it.
• 0:54
  SPEAKER_01: Ki ora Janet, welcome to the podcast.
• 0:56
  SPEAKER_01: Ki ora, Jack, thanks for having me.
• 0:59
  SPEAKER_01: All right.
• 1:00
  SPEAKER_01: Tell us a bit about yourself and how you came to this work.
• 1:04
  SPEAKER_00: Well, I'm actually covering the parental leave for Sarah Guard, who's been the project manager for some time.
• 1:10
  SPEAKER_00: I have a background in forage science, just like Sarah does here in New Zealand, but also in Canada and in the UK.
• 1:18
  SPEAKER_01: All right, for farmers who have not used it before, what is the Forage Value Index?
• 1:24
  SPEAKER_00: So the Forage Value Index was a DariNZ tool that was basically a ryegrass selector tool that ran from 2013 to 2024.
• 1:34
  SPEAKER_00: And it was designed to help farmers choose their ryegrass cultivar best suited to their farming system based on different performance and economic values.
• 1:43
  SPEAKER_01: Give us an update on the project background.
• 1:46
  SPEAKER_00: Happily, which is why I'm here today.
• 1:49
  SPEAKER_00: So from 2018 to 2022, Dari and Z ran a forage value index validation farmlet trial on our Darian Z Scott Research Farm up in the Waiketo.
• 2:01
  SPEAKER_00: And this is a kind of trial where we run herds as mini farms, basically, and compare them to each other, gathering heaps of different data about how they're performing.
• 2:11
  SPEAKER_00: And in this one trial, the predicted milk solids production and operating profit that we expected from the ryegrass dry matter yield, measured at the plot scale, was not able to be captured.
• 2:25
  SPEAKER_00: So the FEI was removed from the Darian Z website.
• 2:29
  SPEAKER_01: Janet, why do you think the trial at Scott Farm didn't give the results that were indicated by breeding values?
• 2:35
  SPEAKER_01: Like, was it a surprise or were you expecting that?
• 2:37
  SPEAKER_01: And that's why the trial was run.
• 2:39
  SPEAKER_00: Yes, the results did come as a surprise.
• 2:42
  SPEAKER_00: And we put quite a lot of work into analyzing the result and what had happened to get to that result.
• 2:49
  SPEAKER_00: And there were a few contributing factors that we could point to at the time.
• 2:52
  SPEAKER_00: For example, some really uncharacteristically dry summers.
• 2:56
  SPEAKER_00: But ultimately, we've developed this new stream of work to better understand the results from those trials, but also to increase our confidence going forward into relaunching the forage value index.
• 3:08
  SPEAKER_00: So having a more sophisticated understanding around things like ryegrass physiology.
• 3:13
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, so the tool has been taken off the website for now.
• 3:17
  SPEAKER_01: What work is underway?
• 3:19
  SPEAKER_00: So we've worked very closely with the Plant Breeding and Research Association or the PBRA to develop another couple of streams of work to really understand the results from the last trial, but work towards relaunching a revised FBI.
• 3:34
  SPEAKER_00: So the main themes that we're trying to understand is the transfer and then the capture of ryegrass genetic gain as we measure it in small plots up to farm situations where it's relevant to farmers.
• 3:47
  SPEAKER_00: So the first stream of work is looking at some ryegrass physiology.
• 3:52
  SPEAKER_00: And what we're focusing on there is the differences in physiology between mowing and grazing, and also how yield is impacted when we take cultivars to different covers and compare between the different covers.
• 4:05
  SPEAKER_00: So these trials are actually in the ground already.
• 4:08
  SPEAKER_00: This is the big update for the project is the trials went in at the Lincoln University Research Dairy Farm here in Canterbury this past autumn, in April 2026.
• 4:18
  SPEAKER_00: And they're in for three years through until May 2029.
• 4:22
  SPEAKER_00: We're also working towards designing a second stream of work, which is grazing trials, where we're going to look at then what the impact of ryegrass cultivars is on milk yield in the tank.
• 4:34
  SPEAKER_00: And those will commence in 2028.
• 4:37
  SPEAKER_00: So we have a little bit of time to learn some things from the trials that are in right now, but also to gather some feedback and input and make sure what we're designing is really the most relevant thing.
• 4:48
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, so the first stage of the research is about understanding what's happening in the pasture.
• 4:52
  SPEAKER_01: And then the next stage is how that carries through, you know, when cows are actually grazing the pasture and how it carries through into milk solids instead of being mowing.
• 5:02
  SPEAKER_01: Yep, spot on.
• 5:03
  SPEAKER_01: So it sounds like this is about making sure the tool is robust before it's relaunched to farmers.
• 5:09
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, 100%.
• 5:10
  SPEAKER_00: What we've had is feedback from farmers.
• 5:13
  SPEAKER_00: It's really valuable for them to have an independent tool that helps them compare different ryegrass cultivars.
• 5:19
  SPEAKER_00: It's important to us, it's important to the PBRA.
• 5:21
  SPEAKER_00: So we're really trying to work together on developing that tool to be the best of all worlds.
• 5:27
  SPEAKER_00: And so what does this mean for farmers in the long run?
• 5:30
  SPEAKER_00: What we're working towards is relaunching a revised FVI so that farmers have that tool to compare ryegrass cultivars for suitability on their farming system.
• 5:41
  SPEAKER_00: And we want it to be based on a more sophisticated understanding of ryegrass physiology and pasture growth and interaction with the cow.
• 5:49
  SPEAKER_01: I have a couple of questions, Janet.
• 5:51
  SPEAKER_01: The first is you've only talked about ryegrass, but we know there's other pastures.
• 5:56
  SPEAKER_01: Why is that?
• 5:57
  SPEAKER_00: So what we're focusing on right now is ryegrass.
• 6:00
  SPEAKER_00: That's still sort of the backbone of pasture species selection in New Zealand.
• 6:05
  SPEAKER_00: But definitely there's rising importance of non-ryegrass species, particularly in the Upper North Island.
• 6:11
  SPEAKER_00: So for now, what we're focusing on for this specific project is ryegrass and being able to compare those different cultivars.
• 6:19
  SPEAKER_00: But we're also, you know, I'm in the same team, the Forages team, as Dr.
• 6:23
  SPEAKER_00: Alina Minae, who runs the Resilient Pastures program.
• 6:27
  SPEAKER_00: And that's a big program dedicated to looking at ryegrass alternatives.
• 6:31
  SPEAKER_00: And so we sort of keep closely in touch and work together on that, you know, marrying ryegrass and non-rygrass.
• 6:37
  SPEAKER_00: And certainly there's a lot of potential in the future for taking what we learn from, particularly around physiology and how that translates to farm scale, looking at that for non-ryegrass species.
• 6:48
  SPEAKER_00: But for now, as our really intense development stage, what we're focused on is ryegrass.
• 6:54
  SPEAKER_01: The trial or the validation has moved from the Waikedo down to Canterbury.
• 7:01
  SPEAKER_01: Are those Canterbury results still going to be relevant for North Island farms?
• 7:05
  SPEAKER_00: Yes.
• 7:06
  SPEAKER_00: So the grazing trials we're looking at for this project are not designed the same way as the validation trial.
• 7:14
  SPEAKER_00: We're not looking at this as a validation trial per se, so much as a redevelopment trial.
• 7:20
  SPEAKER_00: We need to understand certain factors first before we apply them to a farm system.
• 7:25
  SPEAKER_00: So we have moved them down to Canterbury in response to a few of those challenges that we had in the validation trial in the Waikedo.
• 7:33
  SPEAKER_00: We can have irrigation.
• 7:34
  SPEAKER_00: So if there are dry summers, we have a little more control.
• 7:37
  SPEAKER_00: We have more options for endophytes, et cetera.
• 7:39
  SPEAKER_00: But we're really keen to make sure it doesn't become an overly Canterbury-centric tool.
• 7:45
  SPEAKER_00: So we are seeking feedback from a national group of farmers.
• 7:49
  SPEAKER_00: Just, you know, this is happens to be where we can test it, but it's still really important that there's value for it as a national tool from across the country.
• 7:58
  SPEAKER_00: A handy way that we're able to do that is we use the PBRA National Forage Variety Trial data as our input for the forage value index.
• 8:07
  SPEAKER_00: And that is collected in all regions.
• 8:09
  SPEAKER_00: So the forage value index will always be based on regional data.
• 8:14
  SPEAKER_01: So you've said that you've got farmers giving you input.
• 8:17
  SPEAKER_01: What have farmers told you matters when they're choosing cultivars?
• 8:21
  SPEAKER_00: We have had one session already in Canterbury, just as a bit of a lead-in to this sort of feedback.
• 8:27
  SPEAKER_00: We also have an online feedback form.
• 8:29
  SPEAKER_00: And so far, the feedback we've had, what we're seeking really is information about what's important to farmers in their ryegrass cultivars and how they're making their cultivar selection decisions.
• 8:40
  SPEAKER_00: So that at this early stage, we're not going too far off the farm track for what's important.
• 8:46
  SPEAKER_00: The feedback we've had so far is in line with what we would expect that farmers find important, but things like total annual dry matter production, but also the seasonal distribution of that production, the quality of the grass, how cows perform on it, palatability, morphology, all those sorts of factors.
• 9:05
  SPEAKER_00: But it's quite handy for us to just reinforce that we're looking at the right things that matter to farmers.
• 9:11
  SPEAKER_01: Is any of that different from what we had in the original FVI?
• 9:16
  SPEAKER_00: No, but we just want to make sure.
• 9:18
  SPEAKER_00: You know, while while we're redesigning anyway, just want to make sure that we're still capturing all the big things that are important.
• 9:26
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 9:27
  SPEAKER_00: Okay.
• 9:27
  SPEAKER_01: And it sounds like there's still opportunities for farmers to be involved.
• 9:31
  SPEAKER_01: Tell us more about how they can get involved.
• 9:34
  SPEAKER_00: Yes, very definitely.
• 9:35
  SPEAKER_00: We're keen for as much feedback as possible, as a sanity check, as much as anything, to make sure we're on the right path and to make sure that the tool is designed as well as possible for the future.
• 9:47
  SPEAKER_00: So there's two ways to be involved at this stage.
• 9:51
  SPEAKER_00: So we're looking for feedback through our online feedback form, which I think will be linked in the show notes.
• 9:57
  SPEAKER_00: So that will be on the website long term, forever, as long as I'm with the project.
• 10:03
  SPEAKER_00: So at any time, farmers can go to the website, give us a bit of feedback.
• 10:07
  SPEAKER_00: We're also developing the details for an online workshop about cultivar selection decisions and whatever input farmers want to give us at this point.
• 10:16
  SPEAKER_00: In the medium term, we'll also be looking for input and feedback on the grazing trials to help us maintain our paddock cred, as it were, to make sure that those trials are seen as feasible from a farmer's point of view, to make sure that those results are really translatable.
• 10:34
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, so the first step for a farmer is to get that online feedback form and give us some feedback or express interest.
• 10:42
  SPEAKER_00: Absolutely.
• 10:43
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 10:43
  SPEAKER_00: So the same feedback form, the online feedback form, allows you to express interest at this time.
• 10:50
  SPEAKER_00: Once the online workshop has been conducted, the feedback form will just be for feedback.
• 10:55
  SPEAKER_01: Brilliant.
• 10:56
  SPEAKER_01: Well, thank you very much, Janet, for joining us.
• 10:59
  SPEAKER_01: It's so brilliant to hear that work on the forage value index is continuing because I'm sure it will be a popular and useful tool for farmers.
• 11:07
  SPEAKER_01: So DairyNZ and the Plant Breeding and Research Association working to better understand the model, test how ryegrass performance carries through from research plots to farm systems, and create a really useful tool for farmers to help make decisions.
• 11:23
  SPEAKER_01: That sounds pretty good.
• 11:24
  SPEAKER_01: If you would like to have a say, we have linked the feedback form in the show notes, and you can also visit dairynz.co.nz forward slash FVI to keep up with the latest.
• 11:35
  SPEAKER_01: Thanks for listening and we'll catch you next time.
• 11:37
  SPEAKER_01: Matiwa.
• 11:44
  SPEAKER_01: If you'd like to get connected with DairyNZ's latest advice, research, tools, and resources, whether it's reading, scrolling, listening, or in person, you can visit dairynz.co.nz forward slash get-connected.
• 11:58
  SPEAKER_01: And don't forget to hit follow to keep up to date with our latest episodes.
• 12:02
  SPEAKER_01: As always, if you have any feedback on this podcast or have some ideas for future topics or guests, please email us at talkingdairy at dairynz.co.nz.
• 12:12
  SPEAKER_01: Thanks for listening, and we'll catch you next time on Talking Dairy.