34 | RURAL PEOPLE » Limestone Downs Weather patterns forge new milking regime Limestone Downs is a large sheep, beef and dairy property owned by the C. Alma Baker Trust. Karen Phelps Fluctuating weather patterns have seen Limestone Downs experiment with the optimum milking regime leading it to a new system. “We milk at 5.30am one morning, 3pm that afternoon and then the next day at 9.30am. Then we repeat the pattern,” explains farm general manager Paul Mahoney. “The aim is to try and take stress off cows. It’s also good for staff as they get a sleep in every second day starting at 8am and brings costs down a bit too as we’re not running the shed as often.” Previously the farm was twice a day, dropping to once a day for a year. Paul says the new regime has only seen production drop minimally. Limestone Downs is a large sheep, beef and dairy property owned by the C. Alma Baker Trust. The 520ha dairy farm is comprised of a milking platform of 300ha along with a support block, about 70% of which is flat land with the rest gentle to rolling. A new solar powered water system is another recent change that pumps out of a stream that runs through the farm. The new system is triggered by the sun and supplements the farm’s main gravity fed water system giving added security. Although this year it’s been a case of too much water rather than not enough with the farm flooding twice over a two week period. The result was a lot of silt on the ground so around 80ha had to be worked up and undersown. Paul says there is not much that can be done to mitigate heavy rain events; there are stopbanks on farm but with the • to page 35 volume of water that comes down from the hills the stopbanks can be breached. “There are a lot of hills around us and the water has to come through the farm to get to the ocean. Plantings would be good to give trees for shade for cows but not too close to the creek as we want the water to drain out as quickly as possible when it rains,” he says. The soil type on the dairy unit varies from peaty ground and sandy soils to a lot of clay mud soils, which means they can get very dry over summer but also very wet in the winter/spring months. Management tweaks are the main strategy to combat the weather, for example ensuring cows don’t walk too much during the daytime during hot weather and utilising a 500 cow feed pad adjacent to the dairy shed, which makes a big difference for standing off and feeding out, taking pressure off the pasture and ensuring it’s not over-grazed. Typically around 150 tonnes of palm kernel is bought in and the rest of the feed is grown on the farm and run off: 30ha of maize and 11ha of rape. Silage is made when there is surplus. Paul says the fact the farm made a lot of supplement last spring helped get the Limestone Downs through the flooding this year. All calves are reared on Limestone Downs and anything not kept on the dairy farm heads to the drystock units resulting in no bobby calves and a closed system. Paul says this helps to safeguard the farm against risk such as mycoplasma bovis. Paul says profitability is the target rather than milk solids. He would like to eventually achieve 350kgsMS per cow. About Limestone Downs Situated in close proximity to Port Waikato on the West Coast of the North Island, Limestone Downs spans 3,200 hectares. It encompasses a diverse terrain, featuring rolling hills, expansive flats and the occasional basin, with approximately 1,800 hectares dedicated to sheep and beef farming. Within its boundaries, Limestone Downs also harbours roughly 800 hectares of native bush, fenced off to facilitate natural regeneration and long-term preservation. A small section of the property is allocated for forestry purposes. The story of Limestone Downs traces back to its acquisition by Charles Alma Baker in 1926. Back then, the property lacked direct road access, rendering it accessible primarily by horseback or on foot throughout much of the year. Under Charles’s stewardship, the farm underwent substantial development until his passing in 1941. SILAGE – FERT SPREADING – CULTIVATION – – REGRASSING – MERICRUSHING CARTAGE – PASTURE SPRAYING – MAIZE HAY 0800 4 VINING www.facebook.com/MIchealViningContrac�ng Proudly supporting Limestone Downs Station Proud to support Limestone Downs Station Rural Supplies Pukekohe Dairy Shed installations & upgrade work. Service & parts for all types of milking machines. Milking Machine Testing, Rubberware. Agents for Waikato Milking Systems. E-mail: admin@ruralsuppliespukekohe.co.nz 101 Manukau Road, Pukekohe. Tel: 09 238 8989 WAVE200784 CELEBRATING RURAL LEADERS WWW.AFFCO.CO.NZ | 0800 233 2669 TE AKAU TRANSPORT LTD 07 825 4805 / 07 826 3666 office@teakautransport.nz Livestock & Bulk Cartage Fertiliser - Metal - Aglime - Animal Feed
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