Dairy Farming

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Dairy Farming

• Lilian Lee (13) S6A
• 2001-2002
• Tak Oi Secondary School

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Livestock ranching areas
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Characteristics

• Farm Size. The farms are small.
• The area of farms is between 30
• and 60 hectares.
• Inputs. a) Physical Inputs
• b) Cultural Inputs
• Output. a) milk
• b) milk by-product
• e.g. cheese, butter
• c)beef
• Summary Chart

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Climate

• Total annual rainfallgt1000mm
• Mean annual temperature 12.5ºC
• Warm summer and mild winter
• Suitable for grass to grow

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• Demand big, for exporting
• Labour farmer and his family
• Technological level high
• Mechanization level high
• As the farms are small, farmers are to
  practise intensive farming. Special breeds of
  cows for more milk, machines such as tractors,
  refrigerators, milking machines are used to help
  enhancing yields.

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Dairy Farming an economic system
Total annual rainfallgt1000mm
Farmers
Mean annual temperature12.5?

• Milk
• By-products
• Beef

Dairy Farming
Money
Warm summer and mild winter
Grassland
Market for bartering
Machines
Technology
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Example New Zealand

• In the North Island around the city of Auckland
• Warm summer and mild winter
• 80 to 90 percent of its dairy produce is for
  export
• Most are exported to countries like Japan,
  Singapore and Britain

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Dairy Farming an ecological system

• Biotic components
• Producer grass
• Primary consumer cows, insects
• Secondary consumer man
• Abiotic components
• Land of flat to rolling contour with highly
  fertile soils
• Reliable rainfall
• Predominant pasture growth of ryegrass or white
  clover pastures

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Dairy Farming an ecological system

• Energy flow

Solar energy
grass
cows
milk
men
men
Nutrient cycle
milk
cows
grass
manure
soil
Plant litter
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Efficiency of this farming system

• a. Ecologically speaking
• As compared with nomadic herding, dairy
  farming is less ecologically efficient as cows
  are not directly eaten by men. Instead, energy is
  transferred to men through the product of cows
• i.e. milk

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Efficiency of this farming system

• b. Economically speaking
• It is very efficient. Most of the milk
• are for barter, for example, the
• New Zealand Dairy Board exports
• more than 800 product lines and
• developed numerous products
• suitable for end users.

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Selection of livestock

• a. Ecological considerations
• With warm summer and mild winter, it is
  best for ryegrass to grow. Thus, keeping cows for
  dairy farming is the best alternative.

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Selection of livestock

• b. Economic considerations
• The milk and dairy products are
• exported or bartered at market,
• this provided farmers money for
• their daily necessity.

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Selection of production method

• a. Ecological considerations

The dairy farming system is based predominantly
on the use of a renewable resource, pasture.
Farmers try to match feed demand and supply, i.e.
how much the cows require to eat and how much
grass is grown on the farm.
Due to the suitable climate, farmers are only to
add fertilizer to maintain soil fertility for
high production, and re-grassing to maintain a
dense pasture.
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Selection of production method

• b. Economic considerations
• Due to the perennial pasture
• growth, keeping cows for
• dairying fully can utilize the
• geographical predominance.

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Revision

• What is the climate like in areas where dairy
  farming is carried out?
• Why is dairy farming less ecologically efficient
  than nomadic herding?
• How does dairy farming fully utilize the
  geographical predominance?

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The End