| 79 Growing Guernsey herd a big focus Some guernsey heifers. Stuart checking out the grass. Daughter Margaret with her calves (above). Rachel Graham For Sara Russell there is nothing better than seeing a good heifer calf that has come from one of her top-quality cows. Sara and her husband Stuart are 50/50 sharemilkers on Sara’s parents 283-hectare farm at Longbeach in South Canterbury. They milk 760 cows which are a mixture of pedigree Jersey and Guernsey. Sara says the stock are self-contained – all the young stock are grazed on farm – which they prefer because it gives them more control over the way the calves are looked after and their condition. She says they are passionate about breeding, and so far, things are going pretty well. “They do about 117 percent of their body weight in milk solids at the moment, so they’re not too bad,” says Sara. “It is an ongoing process to constantly improve them.” Sara says breeding is particularly a major focus for her. “The breeding side of it is sort of my area, and we’ve just started doing genomic testing with Semex with Elevate which hopefully will make it easier to line up the right bull with the right cows to improve the quality of our replacements.” Sara says they have recently started increasing their Guernsey herd. A prospect she is excited about. “I just think they are absolutely beautiful,” she says. “They milk really well and have a wonderful temperament. Pretty much exactly what you are looking for in a dairy cow.” She says the work is full on, with her and her husband milking every day, and with the 4.30 am starts. However, she says they both really enjoy the work. The pair supply milk to Synlait, and she says the support they receive from the company is fantastic. “They have a brilliant team of people that you can call on to get help with things and for advice,” says Sara. Sara deals with most of the farm compliance issues and says, while the requirements are increasing, she finds it manageable with the good support and programmes to help out. The couple and Sara’s parents take part in SynDAIRY » Sara and Stuart Russell Take time for the small things lait’s Lead with Pride programme. Lead with Pride recognises and rewards suppliers who achieve dairy farming best practice. She says with Lead with Pride she primarily needs to ensure they keep good records, and her parents are making constant improvements around the farm with things such as tree planting and fencing off waterways. “Everyone can always contribute more to the incremental progress,” says Sara. “Individually, businesses, everything, we all have an obligation to try and do a bit better.” Sara’s long-term dream is to set up her own niche buttery using her growing herd of pedigree Guernsey and Jersey cows. “I really think there could be a great market for it,” says Sara. “There is a drive to understand more about where your food comes from, and an interest in the passion and the quality behind the production of your food. But it’s a wee way off. It’s a long-term plan.” For today she and Stuart are just making the most of getting to work with cows each day. • from page 78 crunch points and triggers are we can think ahead how to mange them,” says Dana. She is an advocate of the Farmstrong nationwide rural wellbeing programme that was launched in 2015 by the founding partners Mental Health Foundation and rural insurer FMG with support from the Movember Foundation. ACC is also a strategic partner. Farmstrong.co.nz has plenty of tips for farmers on how to take care of their mental health. One tip Tony likes is to take time for small things you enjoy. “That might be fishing or reading a book. They seem like really small things but they make a difference. I know one guy, every evening at dusk he turns off his phone and drives or walks the farm and watches the sunset and connects with nature for 15 minutes. “It’s possible to be working on a farm but not connected with nature when you get really busy. It’s easy to forget why you’re doing it and love it.” “If you don’t make time for wellbeing you’re making time for illness so you have to do it,” agrees Dana. “It’s looking at the bigger picture. There is so much coming at us these days with regulation and so much uncertainty but there is a way through it. You can’t eat an elephant in one bite so you take it in small bites.” RD2 Leeston 027 534 9161 e: chris@chrisswanson.nz CULTIVATION & EXCAVATION CONTRACTORS • Cow Track Lime Supply & Lay • All Shingle Supplies • Truck & Trailer Hire • Direct Drilling • Hedge & Stump Removal • Farm Tracks & Driveways • Fodderbeet Planting • Cultivation • Pivot Rut Filling • Grader & Digger Work • Reversible Ploughing • Supply & Installation of Irrigation Pipe Proudly supporting Sara & Stuart Russell • SURRY OPERATION • MUCK SPREADING • ROUND & SQUARE BALING • RUT BUSTING • CARTING & HEAVY HAULAGE • FEED SALES & SAMPLING 027 439 3936 www.tacontracting.co.nz 186 Winslow Road, Winslow, Ashburton www.ashburtoncanam.co.nz James | 021 517 151 | james@ashburtoncanam.co.nz 03 669 4938
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