NZ Dairy Autumn 2021

48 | nz dairy DAIRY PEOPLE » Cleams Dairies: Owen Clegg & Hollie Wham High empty rates prove challenging Owen Clegg and Hollie Wham have taken on a 50:50 sharemilking position on a 56ha farm near Hawera as well as taking on an additional, lower order position, milking 195 cows nearby at Hurleyville. Russell Fredric F arm ownership is a big motivator for Taranaki couple Owen Clegg and Hollie Wham, but they have discovered the road less travelled is not always an easy one. The couple took on a lower order sharemilking position in 2013 before moving with their new herd of 180 cows to a 50:50 position for Murray and Edna Saxton on 56ha effective at Manutahi, near Hawera, Taranaki. In 2018 they were named the Dairy Industry Awards Share Farmer of the Year winners. While the Manutahi farm is a small opera- tion, the couple saw advantages in having the opportunity to develop themselves and to learn to run a dairy operation on this scale before they took on more, despite having experience on a larger farms. However their quest to work towards farm own- ership prompted them to take on an additional, lower order position, milking 195 cows nearby at Hurleyville. The two farms carry friesian/friesian cross cows which were carefully selected for their quite temperament. “We employed a manager. He is on one farm, I’m on one farm and Hollie floats between the two of them depending on where she needs to be,” Owen says. Both herds have had challenges with relatively high empty rates of up to 19%, predominantly in the first time calvers and the older cows. Despite advice from veterinarians and consult- ants, the empty rate is not reducing, a situation that has been rather perplexing and concerning, as well as impacting on the ongoing value of their herds as an asset. “You work hard to try and get them in calf and when they don’t hold or get in calf it’s pretty gutting.” “This year, instead of doing artificial insemina- tion the whole way, we’ve decided to put bulls out to see if that changes something. We decided to put in a bit of molasses through that period of time to try and increase the energy levels on “You work hard to try and get them in calf and when they don’t hold or get in calf it’s pretty gutting. This year, instead of doing artificial insemination the whole way, we’ve decided to put bulls out to see if that changes something. We decided to put in a bit of molasses through that period of time to try and increase the energy levels on the cows.” • to page 49 Rural, Domestic &Commercial Electrican. O ering 24/7 services, 7 days a week. 022 413 9236 @prestidge.electrical prestidge.electrical@gmail.com Conan Rowlands Contracting Phone Conan on 027 415 7017 or email conan.rowlands@xtra.co.nz For all grass and maize harvesting, round and square baling, wrapping, cultivation, maize planting, drilling, hedge mulching. “Congratulations Cleams Dairies on your success” Peter Laurence 027 252 2174 CLASSHarvest Centre are proud to support Cleams Dairies