2026 Nuffield NZ Farming Scholarship. Apply by 17 August 2025. Read More...

Apply for 2026 Nuffield NZ Farming Scholarship by 17 August 2025. More details...

genetics

Anna Vaughan

27 and Ewe: Evaluating the Case and Appetite for Genotyping the NZ Commercial Sheep Flock

This report by Anna Vaughan evaluates if genotyping NZ ewes delivers enough genetic, market, and sustainability benefits to justify cost and adoption challenges.
  • December 2025
  • Kellogg 54
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Juan Giacomozzi

Understanding GMOs and NBTs: A New Zealand perspective

This report explores the evolving landscape of gene technology in NZ, focusing on the implications of genetic modification (GM) and the New Breeding Techniques (NBTs) for the agricultural sector.
  • 2024
  • Kellogg 52
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Kate Kellick

Changing the path of New Zealand Sheep Farming.

This report explores New Zealand's shift to shedding sheep, highlighting economic, environmental, and welfare benefits. It emphasises reduced costs, improved productivity, and sustainable practices, with solutions for drench resistance. The report advocates for innovation, collaboration, and ongoing research to ensure long-term farm resilience and market viability of New Zealand's sheep farming sector.
  • 2024
  • Kellogg 52
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Lisa Lunn

Understanding a future with genetic technologies in New Zealand agriculture.

This report examines the integration of genetic technologies into New Zealand agriculture, focusing on their benefits and risks, the regulatory changes needed, and the support required for adoption by the public and farmers.
  • 2024
  • Kellogg 51
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Sophie MacAskill

Navigating genetic technology – supporting dairy farmers through regulatory reform and adoption.

This report aims to identify possible actions and strategies to support New Zealand dairy farmers as modern genetic technology becomes permissible on farms.
  • 2024
  • Kellogg 51
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Esther Donkersloot

The power of stakeholder engagement to establish a social licence to operate – perspectives from dairy technologies.

This project aims to bring attention to the importance of stakeholder engagement during the research and development phases of a dairy technology or product.
  • 2024
  • Kellogg 51
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Nicholas Jolly

Genetic technologies. The next steps for modernising New Zealand’s policy framework.

This report outlines the principles that should underpin the development of a new regulatory regime and provides suggestions on how to proceed.
  • 2023
  • Kellogg 50
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Scott Armer

Genetic Technologies and the Effect on New Zealand’s Dairy Farmers

This report examines how genetic technologies could boost New Zealand’s dairy industry, assessing opportunities, risks, and regulatory needs to enhance productivity, sustainability, animal welfare, and regional economic benefits through improved plant breeding for animal feed.
  • 2023
  • Kellogg 50
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Sarah-Jane Powdrell

Barriers to Genetic Potential Through Sire Selection in New Zealand Sheep Farms

This research focuses on understanding the barriers to genetic potential through sire selection on New Zealand sheep farms. Do commercial farmers have the capacity and capability to understand the opportunity that these low methane-emitting genetics bring?
  • 2022
  • Kellogg 47
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Trudy Bensted

Projection of beef forward marketing; building partnerships between dairy farmer and beef finishers.

It is time for the dairy industry to stop sweeping the bobby calf issue under the carpet. Approximately 2 million calves are surplus to dairy requirements intended for human consumption and pet food (MPI, 2015). The bobby calf numbers are trending upwards since 2000 and is causing a lot of welfare concerns from animal activists. … Read more

  • 2019
  • Kellogg 39
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Andrew Savage

Genetic gain opportunities: a trans-Tasman comparison.

My findings suggest there needs to be better education and more information from industry bodies around the financial benefits of herd testing, more so the implications of not herd testing.  Tight margins and cost cutting at the farm level are partly to blame, but the immediate monetary savings of not testing are well outweighed by the production losses bought about by losing genetic gain and efficiency.
  • 2019
  • Kellogg 40
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Kate Boyd

Viability of establishing a sheep dairy platform on North Canterbury dry land.

Is now the time for bovine dominance in the milk market to be challenged? There are variable and questionable milk alternatives more readily available both locally and abroad and our New Zealand sheep dairy history would suggest the current spike in popularity will be short-lived. I disagree. In my opinion New Zealand is the ideal … Read more

  • 2017
  • Kellogg 34
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Johanna Scott

What Value do commercial farmers place on their animal genetics.

New Zealand’s animal genetics industry started when two sheep were imported, and they both died within four days, (NZ Rural Press Ltd, 2007). Since then, with the expertise of passionate breeders, scientists, farmers and advisers it is has significantly expanded and will continue to do so. By 2021, animal genetics is expected to be a … Read more

  • 2017
  • Kellogg 34
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Sophia Clark

Maximising your asset.

50/50 Sharemilking as a path to farm ownership is a tried and true journey in the NZ Dairy Industry. Often, sharemilkers have to grow their herds quickly over a short period of time. For example, moving from a 270 cow farm up to a 500 cow farm. A sharemilker’s herd is their biggest and most … Read more

  • 2017
  • Kellogg 35
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Andrew Jolly

Bobby calves: The game changers within New Zealand’s supply chain.

There is significant potential for New Zealand to increase its ability to utilise more bobby calves therefore making them a more valued product. It is important that we have a sustainable, viable, ethical and PR friendly value chain. It is also important that NZ Inc. gets this right to maintain farmers/producers’ ‘social licence’ to farm … Read more

  • 2016
  • Kellogg 33
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Bede O'Connor

China Dairy: the growth of an industry.

China is currently the most important market to the New Zealand Dairy Industry. I first visited in 2014 and soon realised there were some large differences to the information New Zealand Dairy Farmers believed to what was actually happening on the ground in China. Rapid development was occurring in the Chinese Dairy Industry and the … Read more

  • 2017
  • Nuffield 2016
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Alan Cook

The hunt for the missing billion: NZ’s dairy beef opportunity.

Purpose:  To analyse and investigate the opportunity to develop a stronger Dairy Beef Industry from New Zealand ’ s growing Dairy Industry. Method: To understand the existing Dairy Beef industry in New Zealand and identify the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats within the existing framework Identify and analyse the existing value chains Identify opportunities to … Read more

  • 2015
  • Kellogg 30
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Penny Schulz

Building a successful extension framework for livestock data link.

Livestock Data Link (LDL) is a new initiative from Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA) that aims to enhance the exchange and utilisation of carcase performance information by businesses within the red meat industry. LDL is a web-based application that links slaughter data from the National Livestock Identification System (NLIS) database with analytical tools, benchmarking reports, … Read more

  • 2015
  • Kellogg 30
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Natalie Pickering

Proof of Concept: Farm Genetic Plan for Commercial Enterprise.

The New Zealand government wishes to double exports by 2025. To do this they wish to increase exports from agricultural sectors to $64 billion. To help, the government has invested in Primary Growth Partnership Programmes to advance science and farm system changes. This includes improving farm management systems. The genetic and genomic potential in the … Read more

  • 2014
  • Kellogg 34
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Paul Olsen

Global potato production: Helping feed the world.

New Zealand potato growers produce on average 50tonne/hectare in the current farming system which on a global level within the potato industry is within the top spectrum. (www.fao.org) For New Zealand to move up the ladder and raise the bar in terms of production, further investment into technology and advanced farming systems not commonly used … Read more

  • 2014
  • Nuffield 2014
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Michael Tayler

New technologies in arable farming.

Due to rapid advances in equipment, software and expertise, the Precision Agriculture industry will continue to progress and evolve helped by a greater uptake from farmers. The ever increasing environmental pressure now on farming means the ability to accurately apply, record and map any inputs will become more important than ever.
  • 2012
  • Nuffield 2012
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McDonald, Grant

New Zealand maize grain production – where is the future?

The Maize grain industry in New Zealand has remained relatively static over the last 5 years in both the human and animal food sectors. The domestic market in New Zealand presents limited opportunities to expand in both the food and animal sectors. In addition, New Zealand’s internal market which is 80% driven by demand from … Read more

  • 2012
  • Kellogg 28
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Irvine, Angus

Firstlight venison value sheet: yield based payment system enabling carcass optimization through identification of high value traits

The traditional New Zealand meat industry payment system has historically benefited farmers for through-put of livestock with little incentive to improve carcass quality or meat yield. This existing kill payment structure reacts to short term market signals and encourages farmers to “chase” higher seasonal returns, and, as is the case in the venison industry these … Read more

  • 2012
  • Kellogg 28
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Allan Jane

Angus pure: a New Zealand branded beef programme

Angus Pure is a branded Beef program owned 50 percent by the New Zealand Angus Association, the remaining 50 percent is privately owned. New Zealand Angus Association has 325 active members supplying Angus genetics to commercial beef farmers as part of their branded program. The objective of this program is to create a greater demand … Read more

  • 2012
  • Kellogg 28
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