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    Adopting New Zealand dairy farm principles and practices in Argentina : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Masters in Applied Science in Agribusiness at Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2005) Peluffo, Matias
    The dairy sector is important to Argentina because it creates genuine wealth and employment. The competitiveness of Argentine dairy farms is crucial to the endurance of the dairy sector. One way to increase the competitiveness of dairy farm systems is to incorporate beneficial innovations. New Zealand (hereafter NZ) dairy systems are internationally known for their competitiveness without the presence of subsidies. Argentine dairy farmers have been attracted to NZ systems for more than 40 years. Simultaneously. NZ researchers and extension agents have been interested in extending NZ knowledge to Argentina. Despite the fact that the NZ knowledge appears to be beneficial to Argentine farms, and after so many resources spent. NZ practices have been rarely adopted. This seemingly fruitless effort in extending this technology shapes the research question of the present study: Can Argentine dairy farmers benefit from adopting New Zealand dairy farm principles and practices? The main objectives of the research are the following: 1) Define a group of New Zealand ideas. practices and technologies that could be considered potentially useful innovations for Argentine dairy farmers. 2) Assess the adoption and rejection of the NZ innovations by a group of Argentine farmers. 3) Identify the reasons of adoption and rejection for each innovation. 4) Describe the impact of the adoption in the physical and financial performance of the farms. 5) Assess which have been the main causes of the non-spread of NZ innovations in Argentine dairy farms. Seven Argentine dairy farmers, who were aware of NZ dairy systems, were selected as case studies. The data was collected through interviews, farm physical and economic records, and a field visit to the farm. In order to investigate the Argentine socio-economic environment and the Argentine dairy sector, relevant literature was reviewed and two key industry informants were interviewed. Two frameworks were utilized to analyse the qualitative and quantitative data: the Diffusion Theory (Rogers. 2003) and the IFCN network (International Farm Comparison Network www.ifennctwork.oru), respectively. Ten NZ innovations were defined; they were principles and practices considered typical in NZ dairy farms and not common in Argentine dairy farms. The innovations were related to four areas of the dairy system: pasture management, herd management & genetics, farm structure & organization, and human resources. The seven farmers dillercd in the level of adoption or rejection of the innovations. The two innovations most adopted were: Focus on Production per Hectare and NZ Style of Milking Shed and Milking System; and the two least adopted were: Less than 15 cows per Set of Teat-cups and other innovations related to labour productivity and Utilization of Formal Pasture Budgets. Some associations were found between the level of adoption of NZ innovations by the case study farms, the most relevant follows: increments in Return on Investment (ROI); reduction of land costs per kg of milk produced and increments in labour productivity. The NZ principle Less than 15 cows per Set of Teat-cups was found to be the innovation most closely associated with increase in labour productivity. NZ Genetics cows were found to be necessary for the adoption of seasonal calving. An association was found between the adoption of NZ Genetics and higher milk yield per kilogram of live weight, and lower mortality and replacement rates, than those that had not adopted.
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    Sensemaking in small farming stories : knowledge creation in CREA groups in Argentina : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctorate in Philosophy at Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2010) Peirano Vejo, Maria Elisa
    Within the paradigm of practice-based knowledge, this thesis presents an in-depth study of a farming community in Argentina, the CREA (Regional Consortium of Agricultural Experimentation) Movement. CREA is a farming network consisting of 190 groups, with an average membership of 13 farmers per group. These farmers get together on a monthly basis, and with the guidance of an asesor, they exchange information and share experiences. I use the notion of knowledge as something flexible and changing, which is created in the actual practice of doing things, enmeshed in the everyday life of (in this case) farmers. By approaching knowledge from this perspective I used small, ordinary events to look at the organization. The methodology followed uses stories told by interviewees as central moments of sensemaking (Weick, 1995). I analyse stories as entry points to study how members belong to these CREA groups and how these groups work. I rely on sense making in a two-fold way throughout this thesis: firstly as the theoretical framework to understand how CREA members look for meaning in their practice; and secondly by reflecting on my approach as a researcher studying such processes. The primary data for this study was 27 in-depth interviews and ethnographically oriented observation of 26 CREA meetings. These data were complemented by archival data, which was also analysed. I observe that when the process of sensemaking is started, it is done within knowledge of the world that already exists, which sets particular boundaries to that exercise of sensemaking. Knowledge, in turn, is influenced and recreated by sensemaking. I conceptualise organizational change as the normal condition of organizing. In these circumstances, sensegiving and sensemaking stories were found to be important in handling and creating instances of stability. The analysis of dualities shows how tension can be functional and productive for the growth and development of an organization. Further, in my analysis of stories I discovered that old stories can be told in new ways and be adapted to the changing needs of its members. In this retelling, stories become effective tools for reassurance and collective identity building. Considering the (knowing) actors in their farming setting was found crucial in that it is their context that very much shapes the characteristics of their knowledge-related experiences. This study may serve as an exemplar in developing a favourable context to surround knowledge creation practices. AACREA has shown a remarkable resilience in surviving in a country with frequent economic and political turmoil. My results show that this organization’s survival throughout the years can be partly explained by the relational characteristics of the knowledge farmer members create and recreate.
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    Simulation of cow-calf systems in the Salado Region of Argentina : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Animal Science, Institute of Veterinary, Animal and Biomedical Sciences, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2004) Romera, Alvaro Jorge
    The Salado region of Argentina covers 9.5 million ha, is located in the centre-East of the Buenos Aires Province, and concentrates about 6.9 million cattle. Cow-calf systems are predominant in the area. A simulation model was developed with the purpose of assisting in the design and evaluation of cow-calf systems in the Salado Region. The model was designed to produce long term simulations of the dynamic interactions between herd structure, climatic variation and farm management over periods of several decades using daily weather data, real or simulated. Existing models were used to describe soil, pasture and animal components of the farm, linked with management actions in a dynamic framework. The model was driven by decision rules entered by the user, which allowed the representation of management options that respond to changing farm conditions according to a predetermined policy. An object-oriented approach (OOA) was used in the design and implementation of the model. In the OOA, objects in the real world (e.g. cows, paddocks) are represented as objects in the computer program. The simulation of individual cows and individual paddocks made it possible to distribute feed resources flexibly among animals and provided many other points of flexibility in management strategies. The management strategies simulated in trying to improve cow-calf systems in the Salado region were based on Reserva 6, an experimental cow-calf farm located at the INTA-Balcarce Experimental Station. Every spring-summer, 30% of the area is devoted to make low quality hay (by cutting at high herbage mass), most of which is destined to provide maintenance feed for pregnant adult cows in winter. Cows are kept on a small paddock from weaning (March) to calving (August-September), during which time they receive 6-9kg DM of hay per day. A set of decision rules was developed to represent (on a 100ha farm) the management applied in Reserva 6 and, using this as a base system, a series of simulation experiments was conducted. Firstly, three preliminary experiments, aimed at gaining insight into the system and testing the model, were carried out. In the first of these, the effect of delaying the breeding season 15 and 30 days was analysed. The model was run over 30 consecutive years using a real weather sequence, 1970-2000, from INTA-Balcarce, for each scenario. It was found that, when the appropriate management variables (i.e. weaning and sale dates) were adjusted accordingly, changing the calving period had little effect on the productivity of a cow-calf system. In the second experiment, the dynamic consequences of three different heifer replacement policies on the production outcomes of the system were explored. The policies produced different patterns of oscillations in key farm outputs as a result of periodic behaviour in the age structure of the herd, and the differences between strategies were shown to be dependent on the environmental variability being simulated. The third experiment analysed different policies for hay use during the autumn-winter period, including a control strategy in which no hay was harvested or used. The results suggested that, provided hay was utilized on the farm, the pattern of use did not make much difference to liveweight production. Secondly, the long term performance, in terms of annual liveweight sold, of a range of hay quantity-quality combinations was compared. Each policy was simulated across a range of cow numbers (170 to 350, cows plus heifers in a 100ha farm) and was replicated 20 times. Each replication consisted of 50 years of random weather sampled from the real sequence (1970-2000). The benefit of using hay and the contrasts between the effects of different haymaking strategies on animal outputs increased as the cow numbers increased. The long term analysis suggested that the liveweight production of cow-calf farms, under a calendar-based haymaking policy like that followed in Reserva 6, would be maximized by harvesting 40-50% (but not more) of the total farm area and aiming to harvest hay at medium herbage mass (therefore medium quality). Therefore, the policy currently followed in Reserva 6 of allocating 30% of the farm to haymaking could be considered as conservative, and its productivity might be increased by making hay at lower herbage mass. Thirdly, the possible advantages of incorporating flexibility into the haymaking policy used in Reserva 6 were evaluated using the same experimental design. The results indicated that controlling haymaking in a flexible fashion, basing the decisions of closing, releasing and cutting paddocks on a simple pasture budget, would give the system productive advantages (i.e. increases in productivity and reductions in variability) in relation to a calendar-based approach. Using a flexible haymaking policy allows the manager to make more hay than required for the next winter, providing a buffer for the system. A flexible haymaking policy permitted significantly greater levels of herbage utilization by making large amounts of hay without negative effects on the carrying capacity of the system. A preliminary analysis of risk and costs highlighted major advantages in using hay in cow-calf systems, especially when a flexible approach to haymaking is implemented.