Higher Milk Solids, Lower Nitrogen Input
Doug & Caroline — West Coast Dairy Farm, New Zealand
Across three seasons, milk-solids production increased from 96,000 to 120,000 kg MS while historical programme records report approximately 55% less applied nitrogen. Client-reported animal-health expenditure also fell from approximately $90 to $48 per cow.
The Result at a Glance
Milk solids
96,000 → 120,000 kg MS
+25%
Applied nitrogen
~55% lower
Animal-health expenditure
~$90 → ~$48/cow
-47%
Farm Snapshot
Farm type: Pasture-based dairy
Location: West Coast, South Island, New Zealand
Period: Three seasons
DCT involvement: Soil and pasture performance programme
Products used at the time: Turbo N and Lazerhume
Evidence: Historical farm production figures, programme records and farmer observations
Historical commercial farm case based on farm and DCT programme records and Doug and Caroline's experience.
The Farm and the Challenge
When Doug and Caroline began working with DCT, they weren't looking for a single-product fix.
They had taken on a dairy farm with pasture and animal-health issues they believed could hold the business back. Animal-health expenditure was running at approximately $90 per cow, and they wanted to improve pasture performance while getting more from the inputs already being used on the farm.
The objective was practical:
Improve pasture and cow performance while making the farming system more efficient.
What Changed on the Farm
DCT introduced a soil and pasture programme using Turbo N and Lazerhume, the products recommended for the farm at the time.
The programme focused on pasture and root performance, soil function and nutrient use within the existing farming system.
But DCT wasn't the only thing that changed.
As the programme developed, Doug and Caroline brought in an adviser with a nutrition background. A feed plan was introduced, greater attention was given to home-grown feed and pasture utilisation, and additional feed was used strategically when required.
That context matters.
This was a developing farm system in which pasture, nutrient management, feed utilisation and cow nutrition were increasingly being considered together.
The Results
Milk Solids: 96,000 → 120,000 kg MS
Milk-solids production increased across each of the three seasons recorded in the historical case.
Season 1 — 96,000 kg MS
Season 2 — 109,000 kg MS (+13.5%)
Season 3 — 120,000 kg MS (+10.1%)
From Season 1 to Season 3:
+24,000 kg MS
A 25% increase in milk-solids production
The increase occurred during the wider farm programme, which included both DCT and changes to feed planning and management.
Applied Nitrogen: Approximately 55% Lower
Historical programme records report that applied nitrogen was reduced by approximately:
55%
The commercially important relationship is straightforward:
Substantially lower applied nitrogen occurred alongside increasing milk-solids production.
The case doesn't establish that DCT alone caused that relationship, but it gives us a strong reason to look more closely at how efficiently the wider farming system was using its inputs.
Animal-Health Expenditure: ~$90 → ~$48 per Cow
Doug and Caroline reported animal-health expenditure falling from approximately:
$90 → $48 per cow
That's a reduction of approximately:
47%
During the later seasons they also reported very few cases of mastitis, practically no milk fever, no assisted calvings during the period described, little lameness and stronger-looking hooves.
Historical case information also recorded an average somatic cell count of approximately 70,000 during the second season.
Doug and Caroline didn't attribute these changes to DCT alone.
Their view was that the reduction in animal-health costs reflected a combination of better-quality feed and better management.
Doug & Caroline's Experience
The production and cost figures tell one part of the story.
Doug and Caroline were also seeing changes around the farm.
During the first six months, they reported roots extending to around 200 mm, compared with approximately 50–100 mm previously.
Doug also reported more earthworms, pasture beginning to thicken and changes in the appearance and smell of the soil.
During dry conditions, he noticed that non-irrigated pasture remained reasonably green compared with neighbouring farms. When rain returned, Doug and Caroline felt the pasture recovered particularly quickly.
They were also paying close attention to the cows.
“The cows seem to be eating less but still very happy, production is also up which is the key.”
Doug and Caroline were equally clear that farm performance could never be reduced to one input or one variable.
“The reality is that in our industry there are a number of variables that need to fall into place — weather, floods, snow, drought plus all the issues that come with those situations.”
Their view of DCT's role was similarly practical:
“We feel Turbo N and the DCT Programme helped us through the ups and downs and grow pasture and crops that seemed to bounce back quicker.”
These are Doug and Caroline's observations and experience rather than controlled measurements. They provide important context around the recorded commercial results.
Understanding the Result
DCT looks at farm performance through four connected areas:
Root Development. Soil Function. Nutrient Efficiency. Plant Performance.
The results on this farm don't point to one simple mechanism. They show several parts of the farming system changing during the same period.
Root Development
Doug and Caroline reported roots extending to around 200 mm within the first six months, compared with approximately 50–100 mm previously.
Greater rooting depth can increase the volume of soil available to pasture plants for water and nutrient acquisition.
That provides useful context for Doug's observations of greener pasture during dry conditions and rapid recovery following rain, without assuming that root development alone caused those changes.
Nutrient Efficiency
Applied nitrogen was reported to fall approximately 55% while milk-solids production increased 25%.
The case doesn't isolate the mechanism responsible for that result.
What it does show is that substantially lower nitrogen input and higher milk production occurred within the same developing farming system.
That makes nutrient utilisation an important part of understanding what changed.
Plant Performance
Herbage testing was undertaken during the programme, and the historical case notes record changes in the herbage results. The original laboratory reports are no longer held by DCT.
Doug also reported thicker pasture, better performance during dry conditions and faster recovery after rain.
The herbage information and farmer observations provide supporting context, rather than controlled evidence of a particular plant mechanism.
Soil Function
Doug reported more earthworms and visible changes beneath the pasture during the programme.
However, soil physical, chemical and biological function weren't directly measured in a way that allows us to establish a particular soil mechanism behind the wider farm results.
The observations remain useful — but we don't turn them into measurements that weren't made.
Why This Matters on Farm
The significance of Doug and Caroline's case isn't any one result.
It's what happened to several commercially important measures at the same time:
+24,000 kg milk solids
~55% less applied nitrogen
~$42/cow lower animal-health expenditure
Production increased while nitrogen input and reported animal-health expenditure moved in the opposite direction.
The historical assessment prepared at the time estimated that the additional milk income and animal-health savings, after allowing for additional feed costs, resulted in approximately a:
20% improvement in net profit
The original financial calculation is no longer held by DCT, so the 20% figure should be treated as a historical farm estimate rather than a currently verifiable financial analysis.
But the commercial principle behind it is important:
More production is only a better result when the inputs and costs required to achieve it also make sense.
About This Case
This is a commercial farm case, not a controlled trial.
DCT was one part of a wider programme that also included changes in feed planning and farm management. Results are drawn from historical farm and DCT programme records and Doug and Caroline's observations. Some original supporting records are no longer held by DCT.
The case therefore documents what occurred on this West Coast dairy farm over three seasons. It does not claim that DCT alone caused every change or demonstrate the individual mechanisms responsible.
Better Farming Starts With Better Understanding
Doug and Caroline's farm didn't improve because farming suddenly became simple.
Their experience reflected the opposite.
Weather. Pasture. Nutrition. Animals. Inputs. Management.
They all had to work together.
That is why DCT starts by understanding the farming system rather than assuming one product is the answer.
Could Your Farm Be Getting More From What You're Already Putting Into It?
Your land, inputs, equipment, money, time and management are already committed to producing a result.
The question is whether the farming system is making the most of them.
If you're looking to improve pasture performance, nutrient efficiency or the return you're getting from your existing farming programme, talk to DCT about what you're seeing on your farm.
Continue Exploring the other foundations:
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Root Development
Understanding how plants explore the soil for water and nutrients.
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Soil Function
Understanding the environment where roots, water, nutrients and living processes interact.
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Nutrient Efficiency
Understanding how farming systems capture and use available nutrients.
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Plant Performance
Understanding how plants convert available resources into productive growth.