48 | nzdairy STRONG PARTNERSHIPS HELP OWL FARM TO MEET GOALS Demonstrating excellence in farm performance to create a sustainable future is the cornerstone vision underpinning the way Owl Farm operates. Fundamental to achieving that goal are its relationships with, and the expert input of, its industry partners. The demonstration farm is situated near Cambridge in the Waikato, and is run as a joint venture between St Peter’s School Cambridge and Lincoln University; however, it also relies on its connections to its partners: Ballance Agri-Nutrients, DairyNZ, Farmsource, PGG Wrightson Seeds and Westpac. Jo Sheridan, Owl Farm’s Demonstration Manager, believes the rural professional network is a source of knowledge all farmers should tap into. “Building strong relationships with your rural professional contacts can link you up with a wealth of knowledge, allow you to keep up with industry innovations, and help you to troubleshoot on-farm issues. We use them extensively on Owl Farmwhere they are a big part of our journey towards excellence.” First up, she recommends farmers make the most of the information they receive from their processor. Owl Farm supplies Fonterra, and the Farm Insights Report has given themmuch food for thought. “The Farm Insights Report summarises a lot of valuable information in one place,” says Jo. “It allows you to compare your business with other similar farming operations and can highlight focus areas.” The Owl Farm team use it in tandemwith their “wagon wheel”, a tool for structuring and visualising their farm goals and KPIs (for more about the wagon wheel see the Owl Farmwebsite www.owlfarm.nz). The 2020/21 Farm Insights Report, broken down into the key areas of Environment, Milk and Animals, gives an excellent overview of how the farm has been performing. • Utilising innovative fertiliser products, like SustaiN, PhasedN, and Smartfert. • Monitoring soil moisture and growth rate data so that fertiliser applications are timed to gain optimal results. This has meant less nitrogen is applied in May (and to new grass only), and there are no applications in June and July. • Carrying out annual block soil testing, and Total N tests, to determine which nutrients will limit pasture production the most in each area, so they can be applied first. Ballance’s software tool, My Pasture Planner, alongside soil testing, are used to decide when and where to apply the targeted maximum of 120kgN/ha annually: 30kgN/ha in August to grow pasture to fill the spring feed deficit, 30kgN/ha in October/November during crop establishment and silage making, 20kgN/ha in December to extend the rotation length and push feed into summer, and 40kgN/ha in April/May to help the pasture recover from summer dry conditions and after new grass has been grazed. The advice and tools DairyNZ provide play a big part in helping Owl Farm to meet its goals as well. They aim for their operating profit to sit in the top 20% of Waikato owner/operator farms while still achieving their environmental, animal and workplace goals. DairyBase helps them to monitor their progress by benchmarking them against other similar farms in the region and allowing them to compare their financial and physical data between years. It also allows them to monitor the impact of their management changes on their biological greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) (methane and nitrous oxide), as does their Farm Insights Report and Overseer. Their wagon wheel goal is to ensure their biological greenhouse gas emissions trend down over time. In the six years between 2014-15 and 2020-21 they have reduced their biological GHG by 7%. Their Farm Insights Report indicated their emissions sat at 10,887kgCO2e/ha in 2020-21, which is well below the average of the other farms in their benchmark group. Animal wellbeing goals make up a section of Owl Farm’s wagon wheel KPIs and the Animal section of the Farm Insights Report estimated the costs of heat stress ($8,900 - $13,700), lameness ($15,750) and mastitis ($11,700) on farm. The Owl Farm team has been investigating DairyNZ’s use of cow breathing rates to indicate the extent of heat stress. The results have been illuminating, and together with the advice provided by DairyNZ (you can find this on the DairyNZ website) they are tackling the issue by utilising a variety of strategies, including: ensuring cows have access to plenty of clean, fresh water; using sprinklers on the yard; adjusting their milking times; and making sure cows have access to shade in the heat of the day. 1716 CAMBRIDGE ROAD CAMBRIDGE, 3283 PH: 07-827 9817 Its purchased N surplus dropped from 169kgN/ha to 110kgN/ha over the last three seasons and sits slightly below the average for its benchmark group of Waikato farms. It also meets their wagon wheel goal which aims to curb their purchased nitrogen surplus per hectare so it sits below that of 75% of the Fonterra suppliers in the district. Their partnership with Ballance has been crucial to ensuring they gain the most value out of their nitrogen inputs, and Ballance have worked alongside the Owl Farm team to identify and develop targeted strategies to minimise the farm’s nitrogen losses, including: • Reducing the total annual amount of nitrogen fertiliser used from 161kgN/ha to 138kgN/ha.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NDc2Mzg=