The Facilitation Of Learning Groups: A Study Of A Dairy Discussion Group Facilitator

The New Zealand dairy industry has been almost entirely a farmer-owned cooperative since the early 1900s. At the end of the 1998/99 season, it included over 14300 dairy farm businesses with an average herd size of 229 cows (Livestock Improvement, 1999). Some 95% of New Zealand’s dairy production is exported, accounting for 23% of New Zealand’s export receipts and some 25% of the world trade in dairy products (NZDB, 1999). The New Zealand Dairy Board (NZDB) is the single-desk seller of all exported dairy-based products and coordinates the activities of the New Zealand dairy industry. A wholly owned subsidiary of the NZDB is the Livestock Improvement Corporation (LIC), of which Livestock Improvement Advisory (Advisory) is the farm management extension and consultancy group. One of the primary foci of Advisory is the activities of the industry funded Consultancy Officer (CO) service (Livestock Improvement Advisory, 1999, 2000). (Continues ........)