| 11 nzdairy DAIRY GOATS » Finnerty Farms Goats can deliver a huge amount of milk solids. this goat operation) and on 40ha of the 182ha dairy farm of the Curtins they are milking around 1000 goats through the new 50-a-side double up milking shed. There is also a 96m x 65m covered goat barn, with pens and feeding units. Dean’s sister in-law, Sharon Finnerty, is the farm manager and Ang and Dean employ a team of four full time and two part time staff over both farms as well as being hands on themselves. They have three breeds on their farms: Saanen, British Alpine and Yorkshire. Ang says dairy goats are very different to dairy cows. “Someone once said to me there is just four hours between a live goat and a dead goat and they were right. Goats tell you with their eyes and ears when they’re not well and you need to react on the spot.” Ang says that goats are very curious animals with a lot of personality – super cheeky. She says feeding is another big challenge as goats are fussy eaters. But get their nutritional needs right and they are also super producers. “Goats are like Ferraris. In terms of milk conversion they can deliver a huge amount of milk solids. A 500kg dairy cow might deliver 500kgs/MS if fed right but an 80kg goat will deliver 160kgs/MS. To achieve this they need high octane feed so nutrition is key.” The farming operation is a real family affair with all parties aware that succession planning must be at the forefront of any decisions made in their individual operations. “We make decisions jointly as a family,” says Ang. “We also share equipment and staff as needed and generally help each other out.” Ang says the aim is to get each goat dairy operation to 1000 goats and to maximise production. “We are learning all the time and having a change from cows has been so exciting. We just want to continue to optimise our production and do even better.” McLarens Rural Services McLarens Rural Services has been proudly serving the Morrinsville community for over four decades. When it comes to dairy farming plant, e luent systems and outdoor power equipment the team at McLarens Rural Services have a wealth of knowledge to share with customers. With around 20 sta , the longest of which have served over 20 years, McLarens Rural Services is ready to assist. McLarens Rural Services are the agents for GEA o ering Milfos and Westfalia equipment and Houle e luent systems. It is also dealers for DAB and Lowara pumps. McLarens Rural Services o ers team members with engineering quali ications ready to advise on new dairy plants and upgrades to existing plants. McLarens Rural Services supplies and installs equipment as well as servicing any brand of plant. With ive registered NZMPTA testers on sta , McLarens Rural Services can complete annual dairy machine checks for farmers to the QCONZ testing standard. It also o ers a 24/7 emergency breakdown service to get farmers’ plant up and running again as soon as possible in the event of an unexpected issue. With a retail store supplying all the consumables farmers’ need, McLarens Rural Services o ers a one-stop-shop solution. There’s not much the team at McLarens Rural Services can’t tackle. A good example is the recent supply of automatic cup removers for the Finnerty Farms goat dairy operation. The other side of the business is outdoor power equipment and McLarens Rural Services is a Stihl dealer. It o ers the full Stihl range plus Masport President and Rover lawnmowers and Cub Cadet ride-on mowers. The highly quali ied McLarens Rural Services team can service all makes and models of outdoor equipment including chainsaws, line and hedge trimmers, post hole borers, concrete saws and waterblasters to name but a few. McLarens Rural Services also o ers a small outdoor power equipment hire leet. McLarens Rural Services is still family owned and operated. Started by Graham and Jenny McLaren in his double garage in Morrinsville in 1980, their son Tony and his wife Jan took over the business in 1993. Tony had been working there for many years and is proud to be carrying on the family business. McLarens Rural Services loves supporting the local community that is the backbone of its business. This includes sponsoring sports teams, schools, the local A & P show and Piako Triathlon. Based at 8 Allen Street in Morrinsville, McLarens Rural Services o ers a showroom, retail store and workshops. The business is growing as Morrinsville expands and customers also include residential and commercial clients. With a focus on always delivering customers a top quality sales and service experience that they can rely on, McLarens Rural Services looks forward to supporting the Matamata and Piako regions into the future.
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