24 | nzdairy Mineral mix key for top Ayreshire breeder Hugh de Lacy DAIRY PEOPLE » Brookview Genetics Vince Steiner has his own special recipe of supplementary minerals in his feed mix, and that’s one factor in the on-going success of the Brookview Genetics Ayrshire herd he farms just south of Tokoroa. Vince is a 50/50 sharemilker on a challenging 150ha farm milking a herd of 360, 250 of them registered Ayrshires, plus 60 Holstein Friesians, 25 Jerseys and a few crossbreds. The farm has just 25ha of flats on the 145ha milking platform, with the rest rolling-to-very-steep. The land rises from 420m above sea level at the front to 485m at the back, giving the cows a hilly walk to milking that burns an extra five megajoules of energy compared to a completely flat farm. “It takes three kilograms of dry matter a day just to get them to the shed from the hills,” Vince says. That’s a key element in Vince’s supplementary minerals mix, comprising Mag C, gypsum, salt, lime flour, biotin and a toxin binder. The herd facing towards the Kinlieth Mill (top). Vince Steiner taking a well deserved nap on his veteran show cow Napes Huron (photos by Gabrielle Steiner). The farm’s flats produce 200t of maize silage and Vince buys in 500t of palm kernel and 130t of tapioca, supplemented by a whey product in place of molasses. The whey comes from the OCD plant at Waharoa, and off-farm supplements from Nurtinza. The whole farm gets three dressings a year of Ammo 31, a blend of sulphur of ammonia and urea, which has to be flown on by helicopter. Milking is twice a day year-round, limited to 80-100 cows in winter to meet a seasonal contract with the Maori-owned Taupo factory Miraka which, thanks to its geothermal energy supply, has the lowest carbon footprint of any dairy processor in the world. About 50 of Brookview Genetics’ cows calve in the autumn and the rest in the spring, with the late calvers being milked through to mid-July. Production has been as high as 178,000kg/ms but four years ago Vince reduced his cow numbers by 40 to reduce bought-in supplements, bringing production back around the 155,000kg/ms mark. Vince’s father Kevin Steiner started the Ayrshire herd back in 1973, and today Vince has animals that can trace their female line back to the original herd. Kevin Steiner got young Vince involved in Ayrshires at the tender age of nine, when he gave him two cows, and three more the following year. “I’ve still got animals that can be traced back to those five cows,” Vince says. Vince’s standing in the Ayrshire breeders’ community was recognised last year by his election as chairman of the breed society, and as a scion of the breed he’s unusual in sticking to sharemilking rather than buying his own farm. Brookview Genetics has been notably successful in breed competitions with no fewer than 11 wins as the most successful exhibitor at the 12 annual New Zealand Dairy Events held so far. A Brookview cow is also the only one to have won four North Island breed championships, and Vince has had more cows classified Excellent in the past five years than any other Ayrshire breeder in the country. 33 Coles Crescent PO Box 72-016, Papakura 2244 T 09 299 6596 E reception@robbix.co.nz • Business Advisors • Rural Specialists • Chartered Accountants Proud to be associated with Brookview Genetics Empowering freedom, clarity and purpose in business
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