PhD Studentship (36 months funding)
Why do block calvers do what they do? A socioeconomic analysis of low-input dairy farming in England
Harper Adams University (HAU) offers the above research studentship, available in the Department of Animal Health, Behaviour and Welfare, and starting in September 2022. The project will be supervised by Dr Philip Robinson (Director of Studies), Dr Daniel May and Mr David Gilbert (Co-supervisors).
Applications should be made through the HAU website: https://jobs.harper-adams.ac.uk/ where further details of the project can also be found.
The deadline for uploading completed applications is 23.59 h UK time on Monday 2nd May 2022.
The studentship only covers fees for Home PhD students (UK, Ireland, Isle of Man & Channel Isles students).
Further information can be found on the HAU website at www.harper-adams.ac.uk and on the research training provided and PhD progression requirements in the Postgraduate Research Students Handbook at:
https://www.harper-adams.ac.uk/documents//MPhil-PhD-Handbook.pdf
For informal enquiries on the project, applicants may contact the Director of Studies, Dr Philip Robinson [Email Address Removed]
The studentship includes tuition, bench and writing up fees and a tax-free stipend at the UKRI rate for 2022/2023 (£16,062 per annum).
All applicants must have a minimum of an upper second class (2:1) UK honours degree, or equivalent, in Agriculture, Animal Science, Veterinary Medicine, Veterinary Bioscience or a related discipline. A MSc degree in a related subject is desirable. Applicants are expected to have a good knowledge of livestock farming in the UK. A good working knowledge of statistics will be an advantage. Excellent communication and organisational skills are essential. The applicant must hold a UK driving license for travel during fieldwork.
A minimum level of competency in English is required. Where necessary, applicants need to be classed as an overall IELTS grade 6.0 with a minimum of 5.5 in each component. Please see the following link with regard to English Language requirements:
Job Description.
Increasing pressure is being exerted on dairy farmers to ensure that milk production is environmentally, socially and economically sustainable. One approach which can contribute to this future sustainability is to rely more on grazing, ensuring that cows spend more time outdoors, with less reliance on concentrate feeding and housing provision. In addition to grass being a low-cost feed, there may also be added benefits for cow health and welfare, milk quality and the environment.
Despite the benefits of grazing, an increasing global trend is for dairy cows to be housed more and grazed less, with more use of concentrate feed and total mixed rations to maximise milk yield and output per cow. One exception to this trend in the United Kingdom (UK) is the increasing prevalence of seasonal block calving, low-input dairy farming systems in certain regions of England where the land and climate is suitable for cows to be grazed exclusively or almost exclusively all-year-round, resulting in a reduction in fixed costs per cow. In addition to economic efficiencies, milk processors and retailers in the UK are becoming increasingly aware of consumer demands for grass-based dairy systems, and low-input farming systems could play an increasingly important role in the UK dairy sector of the future.
This research project will utilize a combination of both qualitative and quantitative methodologies from the social sciences to investigate and analyse low-input dairy farming in England and to discover why block calvers do what they do. Using interviews with dairy farmers and other key industry stakeholders involved with low-input systems, and the modelling of economic data collected from a series of case study dairy farms, the primary objectives of the project are as follows:
· To analyse the defining features of the farmers and farms who are attracted to, and operate, block calving systems;
· To further develop the definition of low-input dairy systems in a national and international context;
· Evaluate the future potential contribution to the UK national dairy industry’s economic, environmental and social sustainability.
The supervision team brings together academic and practical expertise in veterinary medicine, dairy consultancy and behavioural economics to support this exciting project. The research will enable the successful candidate to become an expert in seasonal block calving dairy systems, preparing them for a career in either the dairy industry or academia.