On-Farm Investigative Development: A Partnership Between Farmers, Consultants and Scientists

Abstract

An on-farm investigative development approach is advocated and described as a relevant method to improve industry awareness and understanding of alternative pasture species and cultivars for South Island hill and high country pastoral systems and thereby improve their currently slow or sporadic rate of adoption. On-farm investigative development trials aim at effectively bridging gaps between plant breeder, agronomist, consultant and farmer. They closely integrate research objectives and extension through the establishment of large-scale experiments with pasture plants and pasture systems on farms, in close co-operation with key farmers. They are of sound experimental design and yet large enough to be defined as a production system, contributing significantly to the livestock feeding goals of the ccroperating farmer. Such trials are an integral part of the cc-operative (DSIR/MAF) Lotus corniculatus breeding programme. Three of them, each located in ,a different environmental/geographic zone, are described. Keywords: Large-scale trials, alternative pasture species, Lotus corniculatus, plant breeding/ plant selection, South Island hill and high country.