46 | nzdairy DAIRY PEOPLE » Scott Galletly Third-generation farmer, born and bred in Waiau Scott recognises the advantage of being self-contained and responsible for the cows all year round. Karen Phelps Proudly supplying Don & Scott Galletly, Lochness Farms with qualitymachinery. For Scott Galletly, self-sufficiency combined with industry support creates a strong pathway forward. The third-generation farmer was born and bred in Waiau, North Canterbury. After farming at home, and in the UK, Scott recently formed a working business partnership with his parents Don and Donalda. Loch Ness Farm, which sits on the north bank of the Waiau river, was converted from sheep and beef to dairy in 2009. “I oversee the general running of the business including re-grassing, cropping, silage and hay to working with our Dairy Manager Manpreet Singh, and Will Rushton, our Run Off Manager,” says Scott. “My partner, Rachel, loves her horses, and works on the farm helping milk, feeding calves and office work among other things.” After severe damage caused by the 2016 Kaikoura earthquakes, the Loch Ness dairy shed had to be replaced. “The new 64 bail shed with a 60 bail rotary has fold-down vet stands, an underpass, cup removers and in-shed feeding which we are very pleased with.” Scott recognises the advantage of being self- contained and responsible for the cows all year round. “We are fully self-sufficient, growing our own winter feed. This provides a smoother operation with flexibility in decision making for cropping and variations in season. Our winter crops are fodder beet, kale and rape, and we’ll be growing more barley in future. Crushed barley is used to maintain feed levels when grass supply is low. Platform pastures are diverse with species such as lucerne, white and red clover, plantain and chicory to avoid monoculture and improve soil health. The river flats farm with both heavy and lighter soils now has over 400 hectares irrigated using mainly centre pivot irrigators. Work is underway to upgrade silage pits to a permanent, environmentally sustainable standard. The Galletlys have always used Strautmann Hopkins forage wagons and their on-farm servicing. This year they purchased a nearly new Strautmann “Giga Vitesse 4401” silage wagon. “Growing and making all our own silage is a huge part of the efficiency of our operation. We make 500-600 tonnes annually – a mixture of grass, lucerne, and oat silage” said Scott. “We have dealt with Conor Hopkins, Strautmann Hopkins National Parts and Product Manager, for the past couple of seasons, finding him a pleasure to deal with. Their local sales and servicing team, Northern Tractors Service, based in Rangiora, is quick and competent at sorting parts and issues. Scott and Don balance father and son generational differences to their advantage. “We can disagree on a few things, as I’m still the new kid on the block,” laughs Scott. “All Dad’s valuable knowledge, such as spray records, is now in digital format, so I don’t have to dive inside his head to know what was planted in a certain paddock six years ago.” “There are many rewarding areas for my generation to branch into in agriculture, such as plantings, water or air quality, new developments in technology. We are always trying to move forward economically and environmentally. The support in the agriculture sector is vast and ever expanding and we try to make full use of it. “I’m in a fortunate position being in an ownership partnership in the wonderful Waiau community. It’s a pretty positive time to be a young farmer.”
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