The research, funded by DairyCo and totalling more than £5m, will focus on two main areas – Soil, Forage and Grassland; and Health, Welfare and Nutrition.

Harper Adams is partnering with the Scottish Agricultural College and Reading University in the delivery of the first project.

For this, the University College will investigate grassland management including the use of cattle slurry and anaerobic digestate during the grazing season, soil compaction and aeration, out-wintering systems for heifers, the feeding value of lucerne and whole crop legumes for milk production and precision farming for grassland.

The second partnership is with the University of Nottingham and the Royal Veterinary College. Harper Adams will research improved diet formulations, trace element supplementation, dietary protein levels, and grazing management for high yielding cows.

Professor Liam Sinclair, Professor of Animal Science at Harper Adams, said: “This work will build on the national and international dairy cow research already conducted at Harper Adams.

“It also reflects on our ability to transfer this research and knowledge to dairy farmers and others in the industry.”

The results of the research will feed directly into DairyCo’s technical guides and knowledge transfer activities, as well as being promoted for wider use by other industry stakeholders.

Ray Keatinge, Head of Research and Development at DairyCo, said: “We recognise the importance of continuing technical development to maintaining anefficient, globally competitive and consumer-friendly dairy industry.

“The partnership approach will not only provide new information for dairy farmers, but will help build the UK industry’s capacity to deliver more of this type of research in the future.”

“By developing this kind of relationship with leading institutes we can access a wider range of expertise, much of it of international standing.”