Regrassing trends and drivers in the New Zealand dairy industry

Pasture renewal is an important strategy for farmers to improve the productivity of home-grown forage. This paper quantifies long-term national and regional trends in regrassing within the dairy sector and links these patterns to major drivers. Dairy farm financial data relevant to regrassing expenditure were sourced from annual dairy sector economic reports and DairyBase, while regional potential evapotranspiration deficit data were sourced from climate records. The correlation between these variables over the last two decades was examined. Real and relative expenditure on regrassing has increased over this period, and appears to be positively associated with farm revenue, productivity and drought severity, particularly in some North Island regions. Recent climatic trends appear to be strongly affecting pasture performance in the Upper North Island, drawing attention to the need for pasture persistence solutions to protect the investment of dairy farmers in regrassing.