10 | nzdairy DAIRY GOATS » Finnerty Farms Dean and Ang Finnerty. Karen Phelps Farming can be a tough business but sometimes the hard times turn out to lead people on paths that benefit them further down the track. This was certainly the case for Waikato farmers Dean and Ang Finnerty who have managed to expand their cow dairy operation into a successful goat milking enterprise as well. A series of events jointly led to their decision to move to dairy goats. It was just a few years ago they knew absolutely nothing about goat dairy farming so Ang says they had to learn rapidly. They have a 138ha farm on Paeroa-Tahuna Road where they milk 285 dairy cows through a 32-a-side herringbone shed and decided to diversify into dairy goats when their son James was intolerant to dairy milk and the incredibly high price at the time of goat milk infant formula coupled with the environmental pressures farmers are facing got them thinking. When Covid-19 hit it had a negative impact on the price of goat milk infant formula internationally. The couple’s shares in Dairy Goat Co-op meant they could only supply a certain amount of milk so when their goats started producing twice that amount they needed somewhere to sell it to avoid animal health issues that would come with drying off lactating goats and to keep their staff employed. NIG Nutritional were looking for more suppliers at that time so Dean and Ang asked Ang’s parents Ray and Arna Curtin, who owned a dairy farm near the couple’s farm, if they wanted to get into the goat industry and further diversify. This saw Dean and Ang rapidly built another herd home and milking shed on the Curtins’ farm. The plan was once they hit their milk supply quota to ship the already milking does down to the new shed and for Ang and Dean and their staff to travel down and finish off the season. Then in June they could start supplying the Dairy Goat Co-op again by bring in the young stock which they had reared as replacements. “But we saw the writing on the wall as with Covid-19 we knew the downturn was going to last longer than we had hoped. With the shares we had in Dairy Goat Co-op our business simply wasn’t viable.” This led them to the difficult decision to sell their shares and to start supplying both farms to NIG Nutritional. “We had to pivot and they were hard decisions as we loved the co-op model but in the end it’s worked out really well and enabled us to grow quickly.” The goat herd numbers are approximately 900 on their 38ha farm (Ang’s brother Vince is a partner in Turning challenge into opportunity Goats are high performing dairy animals, with very specific nutritional requirements. Support this performance the right way. Give your goats the correct level of trace elements – no matter what feed system you use. Find out more about custom mineral supplementation by talking to your vet or the Agvance team today. NEW PRODUCT CONVENIENT EASY-TO-HANDLE SHAVINGS BALES Contact us on 027 495 0000 or email moorey@abscarriers.co.nz Our quality kiln-dried shavings are now available in 100-litre bales! 5 x 1 litre bales is equivalent to 1 wool pack but easier to stack and handle. JACK & SUE TESSELAAR | PH 07 884 7974 | 0800 956 106 • Maize Planting & Harvesting • Loaderwagon Silage • Baleage - Rounds & Squares • Cartage • Cultivation • Hedgecutting • Spraying • Crop Planting Accounting Services | Business Software Support | ACC Risk Management Business Advisory | Governance | HR Assistance Payroll Services | Tax Specialist Advice | Trust Admin & Trusteeships MORRINSVILLE | MATAMATA | THAMES | HAMILTON HELPING BUSINESSES THRIVE p] 0800 866 191 e] mail@cooperaitken.co.nz w] cooperaitken.co.nz Raewyn Cunliffe & Russell Murphy Ultra-Scan King Country 021 452 624 CALL US FOR YOUR GOAT DEHORNING Trusted Qualified Dehorning Specialist
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