FarmIQ Forage Trials

FarmIQ Systems Ltd is a new company that has been set up to run a seven year programme to turn the meat industry’s production-led approach to a market-led one, responding to consumer needs. The programme is being run as a joint venture through FarmIQ Systems, with private sector partners (Silver Fern Farms, Landcorp Farming, PGGWrightson and TruTest) providing 61% ($92 million) and the Government’s Primary Growth Partnership Fund the remainder 39% of the $151 million total investment.

A series of Roadshows have recently been held around the country to outline the programme and introduce the people and companies behind the projects to farmers and other interested parties.

This item focuses on the lamb forage trials and progeny testing that is currently underway on Pohuetai Farms. It forms part of creating the “plate-to-pasture” integrated value chain that is driving the programme.

Poheutai Farms covers 2,646 ha (2,340 effective) over a number of blocks, half finishing, half breeding country with a small percentage (15%) of medium to steep hill country.

A pasture renewal programme for the finishing country has been in place over the last 12 years. They have rye grass, short rotation and annual grasses, summer brassicas and chicory/clover and plantain.

They run Highlander ewes mated to Primera rams. They have been running a nucleus flock for Rissington Breedline, collecting data for some years now and feeding back to RBL.

The lambs in this programme are Primera-Highlander cross. Lambs have also been sent from a Landcorp farm in Te Anau that have been put into the mix.

There are about two thousand lambs involved in the trial. Different groups of lambs (some same gender, some mixed gender mobs) are finished on five different forage types. All lambs have EID and have been closely monitored from docking onwards. John says accurate record keeping is essential and time consuming, with blood samples and DNA testing as well as weight gains being measured.

John and his staff did their own taste test at the end of last year, with a restaurant in Hastings preparing the meat. An interesting discovery was that their palates were significantly different from the UK consumers’ palates. John believes that up until quite recently, there wasn’t much work going into what product was being produced on farm for consumers.

Additional assistance has been given by geneticist Aimee Charteris and agronomist Derek Ferguson. John produced a budget at the beginning of the season and what additional time would be required to run the work. The additional work is paid for out of the programme.

John says one of the benefits of being involved for him was the highlighting of efficiencies that could be gained by changing approaches to both animal and soil/pasture management. He also believes it was critical to have all staff on board so everyone understood and was behind the work being done. It has also helped John to see the “big picture” and have a clearer understanding of the route being taken and how “on track” the work is.

John works with Richard Wilkie and Daniel Preece, who are involved in the forage work.

Independent geneticist. Aimee Charteris studied at Massey in Animal and Agricultural Science, with a post graduate honours degree in animal breeding and genetics. She worked at Rissington and now contracts as an independent geneticist for Rissington as well as other companies. She has been driving the FarmIQ project from the beginning. Prior to that (over the last 7 to 8 years) she has been progreny testing a selection of lambs, looking at growth rates, weights at weaning, main cuts from lambs (tenderness, yield, etc). Aimee believes there is a need to understand and identify what happens behind the farm gate to produce meat that is consistent in its production regarding taste, colour, pH etc, so the consumer will be sure of the consistency of product that is targeted to their palate. Aimee says there has to be a three-way win: for the producer, the processor and the consumer. Although there has been a lot of work done post-slaughter in terms of producing tender meat (using ageing and electrical stimulation) little has been done on what creates a better, consistent product. This is what drives this project.

Collier Isaacs has been involved in the livestock and meat industries for most of his career, starting with the Game Industry Board in 1989 and becoming Chief Executive in 1999. He was appointed Landcorp Corporate Strategy Manager in 2002, which was extended to Services and Strategy in 2007. He was appointed FarmIQ Systems Chief Executive in November 2010. Collier is also Chairman of DeerResearch and DeerSelect and a director of Deer Industry New Zealand.

Collier says this exercise forms part of larger picture of wanting to improve returns from the red meat sector. Getting value chain working – rewarding farmers for superior product, a better eating experience for consumer producing better returns to farmer.

He points out this is not an exclusive club of participants (SFF and Landcorp), the idea is that once up and running, it can move out to the wider production community – to anyone prepared to do what it takes to make the adjustments to management in order to reap the rewards of greater returns.

The stated vision of FarmIQ Systems Ltd is “to create a demand driven integrated value chain for red meat that delivers sustainable benefits to all participants”. The drive is “to connect consumers’ needs to farmers’ supply, so we can all make more money”.

There are 5 partners: SFF, Landcorp, PGGW, True Test, MAF and it is part of the Primary Growth Partnership R&D programme.  It is designed to run for 7 years and has a $151 million total investment (61% industry, 39% MAF).

Connecting the farmers and customers is seen as critical.

The process will be enabled through new technology: traceability, genomics and web based systems.

There is a value chain to be created between farmers and consumers, with market analysis/product development; processing, traceability, measurement and Improvement; genetics and genomics; farm productive capacity and technology transfer areas – all feeding into a central database.

The aim is:

– to produce the world’s best lamb, venison and beef – guaranteed every time. (i.e. the right product form, in the right place, with a consistent taste, tenderness and eating experience. As well, assurance that the product is safe, sustainably produced and animal and planet friendly.)

– for the farmer it will mean improved returns, a linkage to the customer, best practice learned from inputs across the group and from outside. Individual animal performance data will identify the performers and tell farmers why, so the top performances can be replicated consistently.

It begins on the farm with selecting the right breed, providing the right forage, keeping the animals healthy and using the right (sustainable, efficient) farming system.

Using world class technology and quality controls to produce desired meat/fat/bone ratio’s, size & confirmation, pH, colour and eating quality.

The projects are designed to run over 7 years:-

Year 1-3: Design and Research

Year 4-5: Pilot

Year 6-7: Refinement

Market Stream:

Market & consumer research

Product & market development

Consumer sensory evaluation (the “Bristol Taste Panel”, run out of Bristol University in the UK)

Value Chain Analytics:

Value Chain Systems

Tech transfer – web-based feedback

Tech transfer – communication system enhancement

Genetics & Genomic Panel Development

A pilot will be run on the effects of forage on taste and growth rates

Traits will be identified such as taste and flavour, tenderness, colour, yield, etc

Traceability:

Meat yield measurement

Meat quality measurement

Process optimisation – to maximise the value of each carcass

Meat quality improvement – individual muscle systems will be processed : shape/stretch/stimulate/pack and age

All plants will be EID capable, RFID tracking will be used through the plant and for boning room product tracking.

Objective measurement systems will be employed to measure yield, composition, pH, fat and odour. X-ray grading, microwaves and optics will be used to achieve this.

Farm Productive Capacity:

Farm management systems and animal nutrition

Animal health

Equipment & infrastructure design & development

Pasture to Plate demonstration farms

Focus farms will be used to:

– commercially test new ideas, eg. different forages

– benchmark best practice and provide online farm comparisons

The transfer of ideas will be encouraged using online transfer of information

Collaboration will be encouraged

The Database will be used to:

– collate and share data, such as live weights, treatments, forages, weights and grades

– the long term aim is to build a database via a technical development group providing linkage to other software

– there will be a request for proposal and a wide market search

The full database is planned to go live by 2013

The value chain managers will link the farmer to the market

There are currently 5 managers, providing the backbone for customer supply programmes, recruiting FarmIQ farmers and looking after farmers in the programme.

Interested parties can register at www.farmiq.co.nz.