28 June 2011

The Scottish Agricultural College has announced it will take part in a five year, £5 million research project which will, among other aims, investigate soil compaction, the production of grass with reduced fertiliser inputs and how lucerne, a crop fed to cattle in the USA as alfalfa, might best play a role in Britain’s dairy industry.

The SAC will lead a study of soil, forage and grassland, in partnership with Harper Adams University College and Reading University, supported by NIAB, Ireland’s Teagasc (Moorepark), British Grassland Society and AFBI Hillsborough. A second project, focusing on cows’ welfare and nutrition, will be led by the University of Nottingham with partners Harper Adams University College, Royal Veterinary College, Bristol University, SAC and University of Aberystwyth.

As part of the project, partner institutions will train a total of 12 new PhD students, a number of whom it is hoped will continue their careers in applied dairy research. The results of the research will feed directly into DairyCo’s own technical guides and key messages to dairy farmers, as well as being promoted for wider within the industry.

SAC’s Head of Dairy Research Dr. Dave Roberts expressed his delight at taking part in the project, “SAC is particularly pleased to be leading the research partnership on soils, forage and grassland. Improved soil management is crucial to increase grass and other forage yields.”

Ray Keatinge, Head of Research and Development at DairyCo. also commented on the opportunities the new partnership would bring, “We recognise the importance of continuing technical development to maintaining an efficient, globally competitive and consumer-friendly dairy industry.”