In March 2006 the Northland Dairy Development Trust (NDDT) was formed in response to difficulties by the NARF committee in sourcing funding to continue with its research programme. The Trust is a joint initiative between NARF and Fonterra working together to provide the following outcomes:

• To raise the profile of Northland as an innovative and progressive dairying region
• To promote the dairy industry in a positive fashion to both existing suppliers and members of the public outside the dairy industry
• To utilise resources better by sharing personnel and technology involved in research and extension
• To showcase leading edge dairy technology with a particular focus on managing current and emerging regulatory (product safety, traceability), environmental and animal welfare issues.

On the NDDT website you will find an introduction to NARF’s current trial in addition to comprehensive details of the major trials that NDDT and NARF have undertaken over the last twenty years

The Northland Agricultural Research Farm (NARF) located just 4 km west of Dargaville township was originally established as the Northern Wairoa Experimental and Demonstration Farm in the 1920’s. The aim was to lead the way in showing new techniques and to provide training opportunities for young farmers and bursaries to local students studying agriculture. The farm was owned collectively by all the greater Dargaville district farmers and run as an incorporated society.

In 2001 the farm name was changed to reflect the Northland-wide focus it had developed over the years and membership and ownership was expanded to all Dairy farmers in Northland. It is still set up and operated as an Incorporated Society, and managed by an executive committee of Northland farmers and rural professionals.

The Northland Agricultural Research Farm has an 84 effective hectare milking platform which is of predominantly flat contour. Currently the farm is milking 260 cows with an average production over the last three years of 1,150 kg MS/ha. There is a modern 30 aside herringbone shed with Protrack and feedpad  with the capacity for three working vats for farmlet trials.