62 | nzdairy DAIRY PEOPLE » Tocker Farm Future farmers. The Tocker children at play on the Tiakitahuna farm. Richard Loader Zac Tocker reckons he and his brother Russell got into the milking shorthorn breed just at the right time but the secret might now be out of the bag. He says as a breed there have been record sales of milking shorthorn bulls around the country with demand growing for the breed and the sorts of calves they produce. “Milking shorthorns get into calf much easier than other breeds, have good ease of calving and a quiet temperament in the shed. We sold a handful of bull calves to people this year and there’s increased demand for people wanting to buy 18-month bulls for mating with autumn or spring calvers.” Zac and Russell’s dad Jerry always had a few milking shorthorns in a mixed herd that include Friesians, Jerseys and Ayrshires, while they were growing up on the family dairy farm in Tiakitahuna, 10 minutes south of Palmerston North, About 10 years ago with the purchase of additional land the herd was increased from 400 cows to 700 including a number of milking shorthorns purchased by Zac and Russell from a retiring farmer. Both passionate about the breed, after one season Zac and Russell joined the local Milking Shorthorn Association. “Russell is also board member of the World Wide Red Breed Federation. He’s heavily involved in red breed genetics that is run through our Association and is involved in encouraging the breed through Semex.” This season the Tockers milked 735 cows of which about 100 are purebred milking shorthorns with another 100 cross breds. The farm has been in the family since Zac’s great grandfather got it as a ballot farm just after the First World War. “The original piece of land was 40 acres,” says Zac. “Jerry has been milking cows for forty-nine years and over that time he’s grown the farm to 450 hectares, so that’s pretty impressive. Good on him for holding on to it for so long. It’s very important to Russell and me because we’ve both got kids and we would like one of them to keep it going, if they want it. I’ve seen it happen all around the area, families sell their farms and once it’s gone it’s gone. There are not so many small guys getting into farms any more.” With good views of the Tararua Ranges and, on a good clear day Mount Ruapehu, the Tocker’s farm borders the Manawatu River for about three Milking Shorthorn the right breed for kilometres, with what Zac refers to as a river berm of willows, blackberry, wattle and old man pine providing a natural boundary catching debris when the river is in flood. The aesthetics of the farm are further enhanced by a couple of hectares of fenced off remnant native bush that includes giant kahikatea and totara trees that Zac says would be easily a couple of centuries old. “Some of our original planting has acted as a canopy to keep the grass down and it’s now getting to the stage where those beautiful big trees are self-seeding.” The farm is jointly managed by the two brothers and their dad, and Zac says the key is being easy KP Contracting Manawatu Agricultural Contractors • Ploughing • Cultivation • Drilling & Direct Drilling • Hay & Baleage made into Conventional, Rounds & Medium Squares • Harvesting – Wheat, Barley & Maize • Spraying Pasture & Crops • Hay, Baleage & Straw for Sale Peter: 027 447 7345 Jason: 027 242 8555 Office: 06 329 6882 Working with Farmers for Farmers NZ FARMERS LIVESTOCK Richard Trembath - Livestock Specialist / Auctioneer MyLiveStock Website | Mobile | App 41 Thames St, PO Box 14, Rongotea 06 355 0550 | 027 499 3992 06 324 8135 | richard.trembath@nzfll.co.nz going guys, modest and humble. “If you get mad with each other, get mad and get over it.” This year three young Massey University students have helped out in the shed during holidays, and provided relief milking when back at the books. “I like milking cows, but this time of year you get to the end of the season and you get a bit of the late lactation blues — you’re just waiting to dry off. I’m looking forward to May; once duck shooting is on the cows will be on once-a-day and I’m already getting very excited.”
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