62 | nzdairy Award-winning couple still building Karen Phelps Surround yourself with good people and just get out there and do it, is the advice of Charlie Adair for farmers wanting to grow their business. Charlie and wife Emma, who were the 2020 Northland Dairy Industry Awards Share Farmer of the Year winners, have moved at a mind blowing pace to expand their operation with still more plans for growth on the horizon. In the past year the couple had entered a ten-year equity partnership venture on a 360ha technograzing bull farm at Titoki. This has seen them have part ownership of the land plus lease the farm back off the company that owns it giving them full control of the day to day running. The unit will run replacement heifers and bulls in a highly intensive system. As if this wasn’t enough in October they bought a 50ha run off grazing block at Knight Road with a consented quarry they hope to one day get operational. They have been busy clearing gorse and installing fencing and water to support their 211ha dairy farm on the same road, which milks 600 cows. They lease a second farm at Rapid Road, which borders this farm but is accessed ten minutes drive away due to a river and road, totalling 167ha milking 500 cows through a 36 aside herringbone shed. In the past year they have also leased a 200ha block and are contract growing maize. With over 1400mls of rain since November, when the yearly average is 1200mls it’s presented challenges with108 days from when the first seed went in to the last meaning a late harvest on some of the crop. The couple has also just purchased another dairy farm at Kokopu Road, 182ha that will milk 550 cows through a 50 bail rotary. They will take possession on 1 June. The Adairs’ business also includes a calf-rearing unit on a 60ha lease block where they buy in 2000 calves each year and rear them to 100kgs. They do most of their own contracting work including cropping, fertiliser and digger work. They also do a small amount of contracting digger work off farm for clients. Charlie takes on the day to day running of all the various farms and land holdings while Emma completes the administration side of their business as well as being a full time mum to William, 4 1/2 and Oliver, 3. Charlie says the rapid growth of their business is possible due to a great team of eight full time plus one part time staff members. An additional four full time staff will start on 1 June. Charlie and wife Emma Adair were the 2020 Northland Dairy Industry Awards Share Farmer of the Year winners. DAIRY PEOPLE » Rapid Road Farm “Emma and I try and have one night a week where we bring everything up and have open conversations to keep us both in the loop,” says Charlie explaining how they manage such a large rapidly expanding business. It was in 2015 the couple moved to New Zealand. Charlie, who holds a Diploma in Agriculture (UK), had been managing a 300-cow dairy farm in the UK and they moved countries because they saw better opportunities to progress in the dairy industry in New Zealand. “Expansion is still on the horizon,” says Charlie. “We continue to look at every opportunity that comes our way.” Office 09 433 1733 Eden 021 0842 6587 Warren 027 391 4777 vcon.office@gmail.com HAY · SILAGE • SPRAYING • FENCING CULTIVATION • SEEDING • FEED SALES Proudly supporting RapidRoadFarm “Expansion is still on the horizon. We continue to look at every opportunity that comes our way.”
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