Overview
This project explored farm decision making with respect to pasture seed selection by dairy farmers.
Project Summary
Project overview
This project provided foundational knowledge for the design and delivery of effective change management strategies for improving pasture productivity and developing industry partnerships in the feedbase area. It also helped the industry prepare for the future release of new, superior plant varieties via the work of the Dairy Futures CRC.
This research aimed to:
- Understand how dairy farmers make decisions regarding pasture variety selection and identify the influence points across the seed supply chain/network.
- Identify how service providers influence pasture seed decision making.
- This knowledge will be applied to develop effective extension delivery partnerships and strategies to support greater use of appropriate pasture varieties in the dairy industry.
The specific questions this research targeted:
- How do dairy farmers decide on pasture variety choices for their farm?
- How do pasture seed wholesalers and retailers and advisory services influence dairy farmers’ pasture variety selection and seed purchase decisions?
- What impact would superior pasture varieties developed using genetic markers have on dairy farmers’ pasture variety selection and seed purchase decisions?
Outcomes targeted
- Dairy farmers will ultimately be able to more easily filter and target relevant traits and information for their individual farm system, and make seed variety selection choices with greater confidence and reduced risk.
- Dairy Australia will be able to increase its return on investment in pasture-productivity R&D by developing a change management strategy that aligns this investment with the information access and decision making process of farmers and the private sector operating environment.
- Dairy Australia’s Feedbase Manager will be better able to consider the business case for making investments in capability building of service providers in the pasture seed domain.
- Dairy Australia, the Dairy Futures CRC, and the pasture seed industry will be able to consider different strategies in relation to superior plant genetics grazing plants in dairy systems.
Outputs
Data collection for the project was completed and three Milestone reports submitted (December 2012, and February, June and September 2013).
Findings
- Both formal and informal relationships are important for knowledge sharing between researchers, advisers, seed companies and farmers who comprise the dairy pasture seed network.
- Farm systems advisers, both public and private, tend to refer farmers to seed specialists for advice about specific varieties highlighting how specialised pasture seed knowledge has become the overall balance between public and private interests in the pasture seed industry has swung towards the private sector leaving the dairy industry with plenty of seed varieties to choose from but without coordinated advisory leadership that ensures that farmers can make optimal decisions and avoid making decisions that could have a negative consequence for their farms.
Publications
- The final Milestone Report summarising all findings and recommendations was completed.
- Paper titled “Private-Public advisory networks: An Australian dairy pasture seed case study” was delivered at the APEN 2013 Conference in Christchurch New Zealand and
- Peer reviewed paper was published in Extension Farming Systems Journal 2013, 9(1): 1–9..
Project Duration
1 June 2012 – 30 June 2013
Research Group Leader/Key contact
Dr Barbara King
Contact details
Dr Barbara King
kingbj@unimelb.edu.au
Partnership details
Funded by: Dairy Australia
Resources/Links
Milestone Report 1: Pasture variety selection decisions of farmers: Influence points in the seed value chain. December 2012 Report for Dairy Australia. University of Melbourne. Melbourne
Milestone Report 2: The advisory influences in farmer decision making on a regional basis and the influence of commercial competitive strategies on farmer decision making. May 2013. Report for Dairy Australia. University of Melbourne. Melbourne
Milestone Report 3: Pasture variety selection decisions of farmers: Influence points in the seed value chain. Conclusions and recommendations. September 2013
Publications
King B.J. and Nettle, R. (2013). Private-Public advisory networks: An Australian dairy pasture seed case study. Extension Farming Systems Journal 9 (1): 1-9.
