Open AccessCost-benefits of supplementing ewes with willow and poplar foliage on a model hill country farm in Wairarapa
Author(s) -
S. Orsborn,
P.W. Gawith,
D.J. Cameron
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
grassland research and practice series
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2463-4751
pISSN - 0110-8581
DOI - 10.33584/rps.10.2003.2990
Subject(s) - willow , pasture , agriculture , domestic sheep reproduction , biology , agroforestry , sowing , agronomy , agricultural science , zoology , botany , ecology
An estimate of the financial benefits from feeding willow/poplar, was attempted by applying results from a three-year trial at Massey University's Riverside Farm, near Masterton, to a typical Wairarapa hill country farming situation using computer modelling. The model assumed poplar and willow planting started ten years ago, and results for Year 10 and Year 20 were compared with a control where sheep were grazed only on pasture typical of Wairarapa farms in late summer/early autumn. After repairs, maintenance and wages were accounted for, the difference in gross margins was $4,755 between the ten-year model and the control model, and $10,236 between the twenty-year model and the control model. While a drought will always affect costs on a hill country farm, protecting the following year's income is crucial. Feeding willow and poplar foliage to ewes during mating can help to sustain lambing percentages and is a drought management option available to farmers having this supplementary feed resource on their properties. Keywords: economic analysis; financial benefits; poplars; willows; feed supplementation