Associate Professor Sergio (Yani) Garcia
Director, Dairy Research Foundation
Faculty of Veterinary Science
Ph:+61 2 9351 1621
Fax:+61 2 4655 2374
Mob:+61 401 984 091
E:
C04 - M C Franklin Lab, Camden Campus
Werombi Rd, Camden NSW 2570
The University of Sydney, NSW 2006 Australia
Qualifications
Agr. Eng (B.Ag.Sc), MSc (Universidad de Mar del Plata, Argentina), PhD (Massey University, NZ)
Research
Assoc. Prof. Sergio (Yani) Garcia is an internationally recognised leader in the field of dairy production from pasture, particularly in relation to grazing, forage utilisation and management and the integration of pasture and crops for dairying.
Yani was closely linked to agriculture since childhood and through a crop and beef family farm. He completed bachelor studies in Agriculture and worked as a private consultant in beef and dairy pasture-based system in Argentina for several years, gaining invaluable practical experience in all aspects of farm planning and management.
He obtained an MSc in ruminant nutrition whilst working with research position at the National Institute of Agricultural Research in Argentina, developing experience in research with fistulated ruminants and whole system studies of beef production from pasture and forages.
Yani then obtained a scholarship awarded by the NZ government to complete a PhD in New Zealand comparing calving pasture-based dairy systems. He was appointed Assistant Professor of Dairy Science at the University of Buenos Aires in 2001 to develop full undergraduate and postgraduate programs.
In 2003 he was offered a Post-doctoral position at the University of Sydney to develop a research program in dairy production systems and innovations. Since then, Yani has continued to develop his career at the University of Sydney and is currently Director of the Dairy Research Foundation and the Dairy Science Group at Camden. He is also Project Leader of FutureDairy, an industry driven national project investigating combinations of pasture and forages to boost productivity on farm and automatic milking for the future.
Yani is particularly interested in the integration of dynamic modelling and field experiments involving pasture, forage crops and animals to investigate the interactions of system components within the whole farm system of production. His research interest expands from the production and utilisation of forages to ruminant nutrition and feeding of the dairy cow. Currently he supervises several Masters and PhD students from Australia and overseas, including Latin American countries.
Yani’s work aims to develop sustainable pasture-based systems that will ensure the perpetuation of the Australian dairy industry and its international competitiveness.
Selected Publications
Kaur, R.; Garcia, S. C.; Fulkerson, W. J.; Barchia, I. (2010). Utilisation of forage rape (Brassica napus) and Persian clover (Trifolium resupinatum) diets by sheep: effects on whole tract digestibility and rumen parameters. Animal Production Science, 50: 59-67
Kaur, R., Garcia, S. C., Fulkerson, W. J. (2009) Feeding time and sequence of forage rape and maize silage does not affect digestibility and rumen parameters in sheep. Animal Production Science, 49: 318-325
Garcia SC, Fulkerson WJ, Brookes SU (2008). Dry matter production, nutritive value and efficiency of nutrient utilization of a complementary forage rotation compared to a grass pasture system. Grass and Forage Science 63, 1-17.
Pedernera M, Garc'a SC, Horagadoga A, Barchia I, Fulkerson WJ (2008). Energy Balance and Reproduction on Dairy Cows Fed to Achieve Low or High Milk Production on a Pasture-Based System. Journal of Dairy Science J. Dairy Sci. 91:1–12
Davies KL, Fulkerson WJ, Garcia SC, Dickeson D and Barchia I M (2008). Premilking teat preparation for Australian pasture-based cows milked by an automated milking system.. Journal of Dairy Science, 91:2604-2609.
Fulkerson WJ, Davison TM, Garcia SC, Hough G, Goddard ME, Dobos R, Blockey M (2008). Holstein-Friesian dairy cows under a predominantly grazing system: Interaction between genotype and environment. Journal of Dairy Science, 91: 826-839
Garcia SC, Fulkerson WJ, Nettle R and Kenny S (2007).
FutureDairy: a national, multidisciplinary project to assist farmers to manage future challenges-methods and early findings. Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture, 47, 1025-1031.
Garcia SC, Pedernera-Romano M, Hordadagoda A, Fulkerson WJ, Nandra K (2007). Feeding concentrates based on individual cow requirements improves milks solid yield in dairy cows grazing pasture. Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture (47, 502-508).
Garcia SC, Fulkerson WJ (2005). Opportunities for future Australian dairy systems: a review. Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture, 2005, 45, 1041–1055.
Garcia SC, Holmes CW (2005). Seasonality of calving in pasture-based dairy systems: its effects on herbage production, utilisation and dry matter intake. Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture, 45: 1-9.
Garcia SC, Holmes CW (2001). Lactation curves of autumn- and spring-calved cows in pasture-based dairy systems. Livestock Production Science 68:189-203.
Garcia SC, Holmes CW, Hodgson J, MacDonald A (2000). The combination of the n-alkanes and 13C techniques to estimate individual dry matter intakes of herbage and maize silage by grazing dairy cows. Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 135, 47-55.