Hay bale grazing a game-changer for Hororata dairy farm
Four years into switching from conventional winter cropping to hay bale grazing, Deane Parker and Melissa Scarlett are seeing transformational results.
The couple are operating a 200-hectare irrigated dairy farm in Hororata, central Canterbury. Aside from buying in their high-quality hay, they are self-contained with 360 cows.
Motivated to improve soil health — and avoid muddy, churned up paddocks post winter — they started experimenting with hay bale grazing.
This spring, a month after cows finished grazing for the winter, grass shoots were emerging from the bale patches scattered across the paddock. Beneath the hay litter and new growth lies layers of roots, and below that, moist, healthy soil — showing their new system is not only working but thriving.
“Soil health is one of the most underrated parts of farming. It blows my mind how few farmers put a spade in the soil and look at life underneath the ground,” Deane said.
What is hay bale grazing?
Hay bale grazing is a regenerative agriculture practice coined from the coldest climates in North America. Where practical, the method offers an alternative to traditional crop grazing in Aotearoa New Zealand.
Beginning in early autumn, paddocks are put aside to allow pasture to grow to pre-grazing cover (around 3000 to 4000 kilograms of drymatter per hectare) by winter.
Shortly before winter starts, bales are spread across the paddock in a checkerboard formation and cows feed on hay and pasture in breaks, typically moved every three days.
Litter left behind from the hay bales and established pasture helps protect the soil from pugging and decreases leaching by providing a filter for dung and urine. The hay litter also provides seeds for pasture regrowth.
The system requires more area per cow than cropping to further help reduce pugging. The benefits for well-drained soils will be higher than heavier wet or clay soils.
Pastures regenerating naturally
While many farmers will be in the middle of drilling and repairing paddocks post-cropping, Deane and Mellissa have been watching their pastures regenerate naturally.
Photos from last November showed how much grass had grown over bale patches. Five months after stock had finished grazing, the length of the grass was so long it buried a large adult gumboot. Grass growth was much higher over bale patches compared to areas without due to the bale seed germination.
Of the 50 hectares used for hay bale grazing, only five hectares required renewal after stock finished feeding for the winter, compared to all winter cropped paddocks.
This system change has also unlocked a significant operational advantage — providing an additional three months of grazing potential to make milk from as paddocks don’t need to be taken out of rotation for renewal.
With a cropping system, paddocks were typically set aside for drilling in November to allow time to establish crops for the following winter. Now, thanks to the resilience of the hay bale grazing system, they remain productive until March.
Lowering stock intensity and improved productivity
Another key success has been lowering stock intensity, from 410 to 360 cows over the last four years, to help avoid pugging and compaction. In the process, productivity has improved.
Cow production has risen from 405kg to 456kg of milk solids per cow in the last two years, a result Deane attributes to the high-quality grass and careful hay selection.
“We are going out there trying to acquire the best quality hay, ideally, from multi-species pastures that have that have been left to set so that we gain the seed,” Deane said.
Five months after stock finished hay bale grazing (last year), the length of grass buried a large adult gumboot
Substituting a portion of the hay out for silage and straw bales could increase energy input or decrease cost. If doing so, he recommended grass straw over cereal straw for feed quality and seed re-population.
Reduced environmental impact
Our land management advisor Evelyn Murray said it was great to see farmers adopting alternative wintering methods to lower the environmental impact.
“Hay bale grazing can help minimise nutrient leaching and maintain cover during high-risk periods. Protecting soil structure by reducing pugging and compaction is essential for lowering the risk of contaminant loss to waterways,” Evelyn said.
Research from the Bioeconomy Science Institute showed that nutrient leaching from hay bale grazing was significantly lower than cropping wintering systems — just 0.6 kilograms of nitrogen per cow over winter compared to 2.4 kilograms per cow in the kale grazing.
Less urinary nitrogen was excreted by cows that were fed a high proportion of hay, and the nitrogen that was deposited was spread around more.
There weren’t as many patches per hectare as there were in more densely cropped paddocks.
As soil was covered most of the time, there was less potential run off, Critical Source Areas (CSA), wind erosions and use of chemicals.
For curious farmers
For farmers curious about hay bale grazing, Deane suggested starting small. Trial the system with young stock and compare it side-by-side with conventional methods.
“We’ve had people visit our farm who couldn’t believe the difference in soil health."
Ultimately, Deane believes success lies in mindset.
“Whilst Melissa is a fifth-generation dairy farmer with roots in Karamea, I’m not. This made it easier for us to shift away from generational farming habits and change the mindset to include regenerative principles,” Deane said.
The farm has been in family ownership since the mid-90s and has grown from 51 hectares and converted to dairy in 2012.
“As custodians of the land we’ve had the space and support to be able to trial stuff. To be able to look at the bigger picture of how to leave the land in a better place for the next generation.”
Learn more: Read our news story about the process and benefits of hay bale grazing.