| 7 nzdairy Giles ‘farmed their way south’ Alan, Danielle, Debbie, Chris, Andrew and Desiree Giles. DAIRY PEOPLE » Chris & Desiree Giles about 100 cows and in-calf heifers. Now those 100 lighter cows, our in-calf heifers, and our calves are on all grass and bailage,” explains Chris. The rest of the herd spend the winter on a big loafing pad they installed with their initial conversion, alongside a concrete pad which holds their winter silage and to which the cows can help themselves whenever they like. Their original consent included the need for Riparian planting and the Giles partnered with local Marae and Environment Southland to establish a nursery. They worked together to grow seedlings which they then took back to plant out the two kilometres of Charlton River running the length of the farm. The stream walk along the river and the wetland area they’ve created provide an important focus the Waimumu Downs Project and the work Chris and Desiree do in the community with schools. The publicity around their various awards spread their story far and wide throughout the region meaning schools from as far afield as Queenstown were coming through before Covid made things logistically difficult. While Covid may have impacted on their community work their work on the farm continues to bring results. “We’re doing well over 100 percent of liveweight,” says Chris, “the Jerseys are very efficient cows doing about 440 – 450 kg’s per cow.” Their eight years of hard work are paying off and while the plan is ultimately to buy out the other equity partners, there’s no rush for Chris and Desiree, who are happy to keep going as they are and see what the future brings. BETTER BEET LTD Contact Erik 027 204 8019 • betterbeetltd@gmail.com Fert Wholesale Direct Ltd Farmers, are you concerned about improving your fertiliser efficiency and environmental footprint? Then Fert Wholesale Direct Ltd can help, as we have helped Chris and Desiree Giles. The ONE System which through independent trials shows a doubling of response to N. And more recently, our Revolutionary Compound Urea/SOA product where every granule contains both forms of N. Contact Shane Harold on 021 0235 6491 or shane@fertwholesale.co.nz 0800 SGTDAN (748326) Gorton Street, GORE Ph: 208 3965 E: admin@sgtdan.co.nz Your electrical and refrigeration specialists in Southland and South Otago • Farm vat refrigeration and pre cooling • Heatpumps • Dairy services • All electrical maintenance and installation Hayden Baxter 027 765 8427 or Hamish Heaslip 027 215 0362 contact@handh.co.nz Contracting Limited • Farm Drainage • Track Maintenance • Silage Stacking • Conversion Work • Root Raking • Rock & Gravel • General Maintenance Phone: 027 435 8236 • Email: dyneskatrina@gmail.com Proud to support Chris & Desiree Giles Earthmoving & Drainage Contracting Throughout West Otago/Eastern Southland
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NDc2Mzg=