Stockpol: A decision support model for livestock farms

Marshall, Paul R.; McCall, D. G.; Johns, Kimberly

doi:10.33584/jnzg.1991.53.2013

Cited by 45 publications

(28 citation statements)

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“…It is reasoned that the characterization of animal production and behaviour at a range of SR would provide a more powerful basis for understanding the dynamics of present production systems in this environment. In New Zealand, farm systems research has been ongoing for decades and is now largely carried on by private consultants through modelling software such as Stockpol (Marshall et al 1991). There it is well recognized that, given the logistical difficulty of direct measurement of herbage intake and associated errors, it is often more feasible in systems optimization research to infer the herbage intake of animals in the grazing system by reverse calculation from data on animal numbers, body weight (BW) and growth rates.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Stocking rate effects on metabolizable energy intake and grazing behaviour of Tan sheep in steppe grassland on the Loess Plateau of Northwest China

et al. 2010

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SUM M ARYA simulated grazing system was set up in Huanxian County, Gansu province, on the Loess Plateau of Northwest China, involving the purchase of 18-month-old wether lambs in June of each year at c. 20 kg body weight (BW) and sale 6 months later at c. 35 kg BW. Three stocking rate (SR) treatments of 2·7, 5·3 and 8·7 wether lambs/ha were evaluated on geographically separated warm season (WS) and cold season (CS) paddocks c. 1 km apart; 3 years' data are reported (2004)(2005)(2006). The metabolizable energy (ME) yield of the grazing system, calculated from the weight of animals fed and their weight gain, averaged 1·7, 3·3 and 4·7 GJ/ha/year for 2004, 2005 and 2006, respectively, in the WS and 0·9, 1·9, and 2·7 GJ/ha/year, respectively, in the CS for SR of 2·7, 5·3 and 8·7 animals/ha. Detailed grazing behaviour records were kept in order to elucidate intake dynamics. In these grazing systems, bite weight was typically c. 0·04 g/bite, lower than for temperate grazing systems at comparable herbage mass. A hypothesis for further study is proposed that this may relate to the distribution of a similar herbage mass over a greater sward height range in steppe vegetation than in temperate grass pasture. Sheep increased their bite rate (bites/min) and the number of steps/min at higher SR to compensate, such that intake/animal was reduced by not more than 10% with a threefold increase in SR. At higher SR, herbage ground cover on grazed plots was still lower than on ungrazed plots, 1 year after a 90-day summer grazing period or a 48-day winter grazing period. The significance of the findings for management of these systems is briefly discussed.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Stocking rate effects on metabolizable energy intake and grazing behaviour of Tan sheep in steppe grassland on the Loess Plateau of Northwest China

et al. 2010

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“…Farmax Dairy was developed by Farmax Ltd, and all IP is owned by the company. Farmax Sheep, Beef & Deer was based on Stockpol (Marshall et al, 1991), which was developed by AgResearch. Ownership of IP pertaining to Stockpol was passed to Farmax in a deed of assignment in February 2018.…”

Section: Farmaxmentioning

confidence: 99%

Land-Use Modelling in New Zealand: Current Practice and Future Needs

Hendy

Ausseil

Bain³

et al. 2018

SSRN Journal

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This paper was prepared under Motu's Shaping New Zealand's Low-Emission Future programme, with funding support from the Ministry for Primary Industries and the Aotearoa Foundation. It was informed by the Motu Researcher Workshop on Land Use and Climate Change held in Wellington on 30 April 2018, and we gratefully acknowledge the contributions by presenters and other participants in that process. We also wish to acknowledge Susan Walker from Manaaki Whenua-Landcare Research, who reviewed parts of this paper. Disclaimer Contributions to the researcher workshop and this report were made in individuals' personal capacity and their inclusion in this paper does not imply any recommendation, consensus or endorsement by all participants, their affiliated organisations or the programme funders. While every effort has been made to ensure the information in this publication is accurate, the Ministry for Primary Industries does not accept any responsibility or liability for error of fact, omission, interpretation or opinion that may be present, nor for the consequences of any decisions based on this information.

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“…FARMAX Pro, a software program developed by FARMAX ® , has allowed Lorne Peak to carry out monitoring and analysis of its farm system as well as a range of scenarios for the same physical location. FARMAX Pro is based off an earlier agricultural modelling program called MAF Stockpol (Marshall et al 1991). The key function of FARMAX Pro is to determine if the planned stocking policy is biologically feasible (White et al 2010) and thus has been hugely planted, as well as what stock classes and numbers can Once crop yields, pasture covers and growth rates have been entered into the program, a range of scenarios can be created and the viability of each calculated.…”

Section: Modelling With Farmax Promentioning

confidence: 99%

Lorne Peak Station - achieving sustainable profitability in challenging Southland hill country

Tayler¹,

Donnelly²,

Frater³

et al. 2016

NZGA R&P Series

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Lorne Peak Station, near Garston in Northern Southland is a 5650 ha station, which until recently, has been run as an extensive store sheep and beef property. Major constraints for this hill country property, like many others in the region, are long winters with occasional snowfall, low pasture growth rates, dry summers, unpredictable autumns and limited cash flow to develop and improve the land. The intensification of New Zealand's hill country farms is a critical aspect in ensuring financial viability. Since 2009, Lorne Peak has undergone a rigorous intensification program, initially aided by income produced from wintering dairy cows on the property. With careful selection of crops and pastures, farm profitability has increased, through selection of different stock breeds/classes and high utilisation of feed supply over the year. FARMAXÂ® modelling software has been used retrospectively to analyse these changes, and compare it with the current scenario. The analysis clearly shows that the use of lucerne for grazing, fodder beet for beef production, subdivision and increasing soil fertility have been real game changers for Lorne Peak. A 292% increase in farm profit before tax is testament to this achievement. However, an increase of 26% for total farm working expenses, highlights the need for investment to be planned to build resilience into the farming operation. Keywords: hill country, intensification, dryland, lucerne, fodder beet, sheep, beef, FARMAXÂ®, profitability

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Stockpol: A decision support model for livestock farms

Cited by 45 publications

References 1 publication

Stocking rate effects on metabolizable energy intake and grazing behaviour of Tan sheep in steppe grassland on the Loess Plateau of Northwest China

Stocking rate effects on metabolizable energy intake and grazing behaviour of Tan sheep in steppe grassland on the Loess Plateau of Northwest China

Land-Use Modelling in New Zealand: Current Practice and Future Needs

Lorne Peak Station - achieving sustainable profitability in challenging Southland hill country

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