Dairy Futures CRC
Need or issue:
The Dairy Futures Cooperative Research Centre (CRC), is a $128 million partnership between Dairy Australia, Australian and Victorian governments, pasture and cattle companies, dairy companies, industry bodies, universities and the CSIRO.
It will address the major industry challenge – a return to 2% total factor productivity gains that drove expansion of the industry through the 1980’s - 1990’s. The medium to long-term outlook is for a massive un-met global demand for dairy products, expanding export opportunities. The project also addresses the need to maximise the value of on-farm transformation through the entire value chain, and to expand in a sustainable manner that meets community expectations.
Project objective:
Deliver research-based productivity gains that directly benefit farmers, the industry and community, ie: More productive pasture
- Rapid progress in the selective breeding of cattle for profit
- Reduction in methane production
- Improved water use efficiency
- More efficient processing of milk
Project scope:
R&D and practice change activities include new approaches to selective breeding of both pasture and cattle, and farm systems evolution achieved through supply chain and end-user engagement.
Outcomes in pastures, cattle and production systems will be delivered in three integrated research programs as outline below. Major outputs will include a 'toolbox' of molecular breeding tools for key current forage species and incorporation of genomic selection into existing animal breeding systems, alignment of genetic improvements with farming systems and cross-functional studies of environmental footprint, health and nutrition and milk processing efficiency.
Outcomes/benefits:
Program 1 - a high level of utilisation of molecular breeding technologies in key temperate forages; applying molecular plant breeding technologies in new target species; applying molecular plant breeding technologies for new traits; and, sustaining innovation in plant biosciences.
Program 2 - increasing the reliability of genomic breeding values; extending genomic Australian Breeding Values to new and valuable traits; and delivering new approaches to selecting sexed semen.
Program 3 - entitled 'Value Capture', this program takes commercial partners, the technological innovations of Programs 1 and 2 and converts the technological promise into value within the dairy chain. Program 3 differentiates this CRC from many previous CRCs in its focus on value capture.
More information:
For more information, contact Mick Blake, Dairy Australia Animal Performance Manager