30 | JJJ Farms seen significant upgrades Cows are milked once a day through a 38 a side herringbone. Gavin Davie. Kelly Deeks West Coast family dairy farm JJJ Farms is continuing to grow despite its owners’ ever-increasing uncertainty about what new regulations will mean for the future of the dairy industry. Near the small rural settlement of Hari Hari, Steve, Karen, and their son Gavin Davie have owned JJJ Farms since 2002. They work together in the family business with one full-time and one part-time staff. Gavin says they could do with one or two more staff, but they are hard to come by. “Especially the ones who are passionate about farming,” he says. “The type of person we need on this farm would have to be into their outdoors - fishing, hunting, tramping, kayaking. We are in between Franz Joseph and Hokitika which is an hour away, so we’re not close to any towns. “ Still the pressure is off on the working environment at the system one JJJ Farms, where 530 cows are milked once a day through a 38 a side herringbone which has had some significant upgrades in the past five years, including a circulatory system from Read Industrial, automatic cup removers, a WETIT walk over automatic teat sprayer, and Protrack herd management system. “We try to make things a bit easier. We would like to put in a bigger shed but with the way things are with the dairy industry and not knowing where it’s going to go, it might be too expensive.” Gavin says new regulations on the horizon look like they are going to make compliant dairy farming harder, and he feels like he is losing control of his farm as more and more people start looking over his shoulder. “We have to do what these other guys want us to do. We just keep chugging along until all these rules and regulations come through - unless we have a change of government and a change of mind. It’s all up in the air at the moment.” One of the Davies’ biggest concerns is around wintering. JJJ Farms currently winters the herd quite successfully on swedes, but this may need to change in the near future for compliant management of environment and critical source areas. “Southland has done a amazing job of this, and we can learn a thing or two from their wintering practices,” Gavin says. “On the West Coast it gets pretty wet in the winter and we have no other options. It will be interesting to see where those regulations go for the West Coast.” He says combined with land prices and rising farm working expenses, this uncertainty around regulation has put young people off from joining the industry, especially in the past three years. He knows how lucky he is to be able to carry on the business with Steve and Karen, who built it up from nothing to farm ownership. So the Davies continue to grow and improve their operation despite any uncertainty. Mating is now solely AI and the empty rate has dropped from 10% to 7.7% this season with nine weeks’ mating. “We have to do what these other guys want us to do. We just keep chugging along until all these rules and regulations come through - unless we have a change of government and a change of mind. It’s all up in the air at the moment.” DAIRY » JJJ Farms Ltd An additional 100ha next door was purchased two years ago which eventually allowed for an increase in cow numbers from 400. The block was very run down and the Davies had a mission on their hands, but with a new water reticulation system, new races, and new fences, the farm now has the ability to extend the grazing round from a 21 to 22 day round to a 30 to 31 day round. “With a longer round, we are using less nitrogen and fertiliser and the grass has time to grow.” SERVICING We deliver nationwide however we specialise in: • Greymouth • Westport • Hokitika • Christchurch • South Westland DISTRIBUTORS FOR Mainfreight West Coast, Aramex Couriers, Refrigerated & General Freight, Bulk & Livestock Specialists • BP Oil NZ Ltd – Bulk Fuel Delivery • BP & Castrol Lubricants Phone Greymouth: 03 769 9081 | Phone Hokitika: 05 756 8012 Phone Mainfreight West Coast: 03 769 9081 | Email: freight@aratuna.co.nz 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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