Business Rural Winter 2021

| 17 Karen Phelps Awards win opens farm gates for couple DAIRY PEOPLE » Sam & Karen Bennett Milking shorthorns favoured • from page 16 and are an easy calving animal with good feet as well as having good marbling and good meat flavour for beef producers,” he says. Because shorthorn are slightly slower maturing than other cattle common in New Zealand, their breeding worth is “downgraded” which does not help with the demand for them, he says, but they have longevity. The small New Zealand genetic pool has meant the Association has been sourcing bloodlines from Photos: Sam & Karen Bennett at the 2021 National Dairy Industry Awards in Hamilton on May 15. The couple were invited to attend, along with the other entrants from 2020, due to last years event being cancelled because of Covid. CowScout collars on the Bennett’s milking herd in Brydone. PH: 03 312 9844 MOB: 027 205 5724 163 Stokes Road, Balcairn • farmbikesnc@orcon.net.nz www.farmbikeservices.co.nz OVER 20 YEARS EXPERIENCE FARMBIKE SPECIALISTS FOR ALL YOUR SALES, SERVICING, REPAIRS & DISMANTLING • All makes & models • Qualified motorcycle engineers (NCME, Tradecert) • Quality 2nd hand farmbikes • Offroad bikes • Side-by-sides • Tyres • Parts & accessories • Wrecking of all makes • Electrical & mechanical fault testing • Insurance repairs Proudly supporting the Bailey family overseas including Denmark, Australia and Canada. There are concerns that dwindling numbers of milking shorthorns in New Zealand might put their future in this country in jeopardy but Chris is buoyed by the recent interest. The Baileys certainly are convinced of the merits of the breed and only have a component of friesians as they sought to increase their herd rapidly and that was the only option available. Their herd pro- duces around 90,000kgMS on an all grass system and Chris says the production capability of milking shorthorn is comparable with any other breed. Karen says this gives them flexibility – they may utilise them for passive income one day or use them to finance themselves into a farm if they decide farm ownership is for them further down the track. The couple also won the Ecolab Farm Dairy Hygiene Award and put this down to establishing a range of good shed policies and procedures. Karen says anyone could come into the shed and understand how their systems work. They have greenwash systems to recycle and save on water and a heat recovery unit to save on electricity. The 30-aside herringbone shed on the 50:50 position has no automation but the farm has a wintering barn. Sam says this will help them to have more days in milk hopefully as it will be easier to look after the herd in the wet Southland weather. The home farm is the opposite and is chock full of technology including milk meters, walk on scales, automatic drafings. The herd also has CowScout collars and the couple utilise the data to base their decisions, particularly around mating and animal health. They say they will focus on tweaking the systems on both farms to enhance milk production targets, which are to produce the equivalent milk solids on average liveweight of the herds. This equates to around 450kgs/MS on the 50:50 position and 500kgs/MS on the homefarm. The couple has two children- Leo, six months and Alexia who is nearly two and a half. Their aim is to keep building their equity – both in their farming business and their investment properties – and then decide what their next goal will be. 2 020 Southland-Otago Dairy Industry Awards Share Farmer of the Year Karen and Sam Ben- nett have just taken another big step in their careers, thanks in part to their award win. The couple has just entered their first 50:50 sharemilking contract on a 105ha effective 350- cow farm in Brydone for owners Sue and Fraser Mansell. The Bennetts say their recent success and obvious determination to get ahead made them frontrunners for the position. They purchased the cows, which they refer to as “our girls” due to the huge input they had into breeding them, from a previous contract milking position when that farm was sold. They will also continue with their contract milking position on a 630-cow farm where they live, which is located nearby, for Andrew and Jenny Calder. The couple say the 50:50 position has also pro- vided opportunities for their staff to advance their careers. Second in charge Rod Gamutan will step up to a manager role on the new unit. Great staff was one of the keys the Bennett’s mentioned as an important factor in their award win. “We have really great staff, we’re very lucky, and we certainly couldn’t do what we do without them,” says Karen. Diversification was another key ingredient in their business success and helped win them the Westpac Business Performance Award. The couple has also invested off-farm in six investment properties. We supply • 12 & 20 tonne diggers • Loader • Grader • 6x4 tip truck & trailer • Bulldozer • Transporting • Suppliers of Wood Chips • Supply of Quality Rock/Gravel Grades • Log cartage • Flat deck cartage • 5T digger for gardens & plumbing/drainage work • STMS • Class 2 Load Pilot • Terex Rock Crusher • Resource management planning • Cow Lanes • Building sites • Conversions • Wintering Sheds • Southland Wide • Water Systems 027 231 9631 021 160 5977 nathanmcdermott81@icloud.com