34 | nzdairy DAIRY PEOPLE » Fraser & Amber Carpenter Beef rearing added income stream The Carpenter family. Richard Loader Over the last couple of years, Fraser and Amber Carpenter’s business, Amorangi Farms Ltd, has evolved into a contract farming operation that includes a successful 50/50 sharemilking operation near the Bombay Hills, and a beef rearing and finishing operation on land leased nearby. Contract farming is all part of the Carpenter’s pursuit of opportunities for diversification and new income streams, as dairy farm ownership becomes more of a distant dream. “We missed out on the contract milking part in the typical dairy farm ladder,” says Amber. “Fraser went straight from farm manager to 50/50 sharemilking, and we saw it as the next step towards farm ownership, or whatever the goal might be. “It provided the chance to increase equity in terms of stock and run our own ship a little bit more in conjunction with the farm owners. But there’s definitely an increasing gap between farm ownership and sharefarming. We’ve done eight seasons sharefarming now and we’re ready for that next step, but that might be equity partnership or ideally for us, leasee, while we work towards land ownership, whatever that looks like.” Fraser adds that the land could be a block that supports their growing contract farming operations, including the 50/50 contract, and any other farm activities undertaken off the dairy farm. “We have two major run-offs that we lease. There’s an eighty hectare one and a forty hectare one, which are within 10 minutes of each other and in very close proximity to the dairy platform. “Because we’re split calving, our whole autumn herd is in-calf to beef and we take those calves down to the 40-hectare block and rear them on milk powder. We rear enough calves for both blocks, with the idea that, in a good season, we will finish the calves before they are two years old.” Fraser and Amber aim to rear and finish about 150 calves a year, without stocking too heavily over the summer and winter. Store cattle are bought on a short-term basis in the shoulders of the seasons when the grass is growing well. • to page 35 “We didn’t want to make it too labour intensive, and we also wanted to do the animals really well, as quickly as we possibly could,” says Fraser. “We’re just finishing our second season now and we’ve ironed out a few kinks. We haven’t got it perfect yet but we’re getting there with a system. We bale and on-sell surplus grass to other farmers and could look at another crop that might utilise that “We didn’t want to make it too labour intensive, and we also wanted to do the animals really well, as quickly as we possibly could. We’re just finishing our second season now and we’ve ironed out a few kinks. We haven’t got it perfect yet but we’re getting there with a system.” SILAGE – FERT SPREADING – CULTIVATION – – REGRASSING – MERICRUSHING CARTAGE – PASTURE SPRAYING – MAIZE HAY 0800 4 VINING www.facebook.com/MIchealViningContrac�ng Proudly supporting Amorangi Farms Dairy Shed Installa�ons, Altera�ons and Upgrades. Dairy Maintenance and Consumables. Dairy, Commercial and Domes�c Water Treatment. Dairy, Commercial and Domestic Pumping. Pool & Spa Chemicals, Water Tes�ng and Valet Service. Pool and Spa Installations and Maintenance. 311 Pollen Street, Thames | 07 868 6214 accounts@thamesfarm.co.nz | www.thamesfarm.co.nz COME TALK TO THE TEAM AT THAMES FARM FOR THE BEST ADVICE ON THE PENINSULA
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