| 19 Farm ownership goal near fruition Rory and Julie Kennedy. Virginia Wright PH ALEX 021 277 5308 HOME 03 225 5377 www.alexreidcontracting.co.nz Paddock Cultivation from Ploughing to Sowing Dry Hire available Aerating Direct Drilling Ridging Mulching Dairy Lane Maintenance Tip Trailers • Vibrating Roller • Effluent Services Large Skid Steer for calf shed cleaning, loading Muck Spreaders etc 4 Muck Spreaders • 16,000 litre Slurry Tanker • Pond Stirrer • Umbilical Slurry System Sheep Conveyor Drenching, Vaccination etc • 3 way draft DAIRY » Moir Farm: Rory & Julie Kennedy • from page 18 Smart technology a focus “We are trying our best to keep our cows full all the time, and we have a hue insurance strategy of summer crop every year which takes the pressure off. As soon as we start feeding summer crop, the cows won’t drop off production, they will hold or even improve.” As contract milkers, Manpreet and Jaspreet are running a small business inside a bigger business, and they have to deliver on both fronts. They are lucky to have a good farm supervisor and farm consultant, and supportive farm owners who all work together as a really good team. Manpreet and Jaspreet have both immersed themselves in the small local community of Tuatapere, and are filling integral roles outside the farm gates. “Wherever we go we participate in the community and try to help in whatever way we can,” they say. Accountant Jaspreet is working as treasurer for Tuatapere Community Pool, and Manpreet is part of Tuatapere Volunteer Fire Brigade. While Rory and Julie Kennedy’s current situation is somewhat complicated, one thing that’s clear is that they’re close to achieving their shared goal of owning their own farm and milking their own dairy herd before they’re 40. They’ve been working their way towards this since well before they first started working with Moir Farms in the Maimai Valley in Reefton 12 years ago, but that’s what really gave them the opportunity to work hard and reap the rewards. “We just did the little farm to start with, 330 cows,” explains Rory,” which we were already on when they bought it. Five years ago we went to a 500 cow farm of their’s as well, and now we’re on their 850 cow farm.” The 500 cow farm involved a 22% contract on top of their 50/50 share-milking on the 330 cow farm, which they took on knowing they would put whatever was left over from the 22% milk cheque towards buying their first farm. Then two years ago they moved from the 500 cow farm on to a 20% contract milking 850 cows, still for the Moir Family. By Christmas 2021 their plans seemed to be well in hand. “We’ve just signed up on a farm for next season,” says Rory, “so we’re leaving the Moirs and going out on our own.” The purchase of the farm at Inangahua Junction means they’ve hit their goal of owning their own farm before they were 40 in good time, and Rory’s the first to admit that it’s been a busy time getting there including having two children along the way, Brooke (16 yrs), and Riley (13 yrs). “The kids have always enjoyed the farm,” says Rory, “especially Brooke, she’s always tagged along. When we just had the one farm it was pretty easy,, then when we had two they were a bit older and could manage themselves a bit more.” The purchase of the farm at Inangahua Junction means they’ve hit their goal of owning their own farm before they were 40. More recently both children have been away at boarding school leaving Rory and Julie to work as hard as they liked to achieve their goal with two years to spare as they’re both now 38. They’re true West Coasters having both attended Inangahua College (now Reefton Area School) where they first got together: Julie’s parents were share-milkers before they bought their own farm and Rory’s dad was a coal-miner with a small hobby farm running sheep and deer. By the time they were 21 they were married, looking forward to their first child, and 50/50 sharemilking for the first time on 80 hectares, with 180 cows of which they owned 100, had 20 loaned to them by Julie’s uncle for free, and leased a further 60 from the farm owner Jyn Properties. “It was a pretty low-cost system,” says Rory, “so that was our first step into share-milking.” Selling 130 of their 330 cow herd gives the Kennedys the finance to purchase their 100 hectare farm where they’ll be milking 240 of their own cows by the time their heifers come through to make up the numbers. “We like it because we can afford it,” says Rory with a laugh. “There’s nothing really special about it but it’s a good first step in the door. We’ll run it on our own which will probably feel like a step down from what we’ve been doing running close to 500 hectares, but we’ll get back to quality farming not quantity while we pay off a bit of debt over the next five or ten years.” The plan is to build the farm up and eventually sell it for a profit as they work towards the next goal of owning a farm without having to work on it themselves every day to make it pay. Meanwhile, as well as being 100% their own bosses, the Inangahua Junction farm has the added bonus of bringing them that much closer to Nelson where their two children are both at boarding school. “We’ll run it on our own which will probably feel like a step down from what we’ve been doing running close to 500 hectares, but we’ll get back to quality farming not quantity while we pay off a bit of debt over the next five or ten years.” PROUD TO SUPPORT RORY KENNEDY & MOIR FARM WE DESIGN AND BUILD NEW DAIRY SHEDS • Plant & yard upgrades • Backing gates • Water pumps & tanks • Teat spray systems • Farm ef uent systems • Registered machine testing • Galv pipe & steel • Rubberware & hose OR COME IN AND SEE US AT15 HAU HAU ROAD, HOKITIKA E westlanddairysheds@xtra.co.nz
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