42 | nzdairy DAIRY PEOPLE » Jody Malcolm Busy life on and off Karen Phelps Jody and Greg Malcolm have got their wish and daughter Aliesha has headed off the family farm to gain experience. Aliesha and her partner Kruz are in partnership with a friend and are in their first season of contract milking 600 cows in Te Awamutu. Jody says she’s missing Aliesha’s help: “Everything takes longer,” she says with a laugh. “But we wanted her to get off-farm experience. So if they ever come back to run this farm it’s good for her to know how other farms and farmers work. Every older farmer is set in their ways – this is how we do things. So it brings in new ideas.” The family’s farm in Whakatane milks 220 cows on 68 hectares and is located two minutes out of Edgecumbe. Greg has worked off-farm as a co-operative services area manager for Fonterra while Jody runs the dairy farm, soon with the help of a farm manager who is due to start 1 June. Since installing an in-shed feeding system three years ago the empty rate has lowered and cows are holding condition better through the season. “We haven’t seen a rise in production yet as our grass species have really depleted since the awful weather last year with huge rainfall which caused pugging. We are renewing pasture – spraying out paddocks and undersowing.” The 2017 floods also submerged a third of the farm for a week forcing them to evacuate their stock and themselves. The paddocks had recovered and it took a lot of work but when the ground was re-sodden the dampness caused the paspalum and yellowcress to gain a foothold again. “It’s very hard to control. We try to keep on top of the paspalum with cows. FARMit Accountants are proud to support Jody and Greg Malcolm (07) 307 7245 team@farmit.net.nz www.farmit.net.nz GOLD PARTNER Company Restructures Succession Planning Financial Accounts Tax Planning Equity Partnerships Budgeting and Forecas�ng Jody runs the dairy farm herself but will soon have the help of a farm manager. Whakatane 2 Mill Road, Coastlands 0800 77 88 99 Dan Benjamin 021 599 087 Peter Rust 027 634 3622 Bruce Donald 027 454 2255 Proudly Supporting Jody Malcolm Whakatane 07 307 0766 admin.whakatane@thinkwater.co.nz www.thinkwater.co.nz The yellowcress needs to be sprayed. It’s about having a good handle on what’s happening in the pastures and being proactive.” Another challenge is yellow bristle grass, a fast-spreading weed that lowers pasture quality as cows avoid eating it. It spreads mainly through its seeds, which can move via dung, water, animals, or contamination in hay and maize. So even the irrigator can contribute to the issue as the seed can be spread in the effluent, says Jody. “We used to pick the seed heads so it wouldn’t spread but at that point it’s too late as there are thousands of seed heads. I’ve tried spraying two paddocks this year with a product called Dockstar and the result was very good.” She says upgrading the effluent system over the past two years, now with a 90-day storage pond, has been a game changer. “With the ability to take from the pond and apply to paddocks when we want to. It takes a lot of pressure off and gives us more options than simply applying after each milking.” Production last season was 84,000kgMS and are targeting 80,000kgMS this season due to grass quality and putting the cows on once a day for the first time. This was so Jody could finish the season on her own due to a staff member leaving. Jody is busy off farm with numerous roles: she is a Justice of the Peace, a Sponsorship Manager for the Bay of Plenty Dairy Industry Awards and is the Registration Manager for local running events. Jody grew up on a farm but hasn’t studied farming formally: “I’m a doer not a leader in that way so I’m looking forward to the manager starting to take over that role. I’ll be rearing the calves as usual, assisting with mating and general work on the farm.”
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