NZ Dairy Spring 2021

| 5 nz dairy DAIRY PEOPLE » Clovalley Farms: Donovan Croot & Sophie Cookson dependency and now addicted to farm life Like father, like son. Donovan and Thomas Croot compare their rides. Thomas (in Donovan’s arms), Penelope and Estelle love being out on the farm. Photos: Rebecca Inns. They consider themselves “very lucky” to be in their current position with Neil and Helen Walker after a tip-off from a consultant. The property had been under the same management for 35 years, it’s self-contained, and it has a modern 30-a-side herringbone. Production focus Their next goal was production. In their first season they didn’t feed grain, relying on grass, silage and a bit of Palm Kernel(PK) through the drought. It yielded a 400kg Milk Solids (MS) per cow average production. It was a record for the property with 83,000kg total MS (previous best 55,000kg MS under different management).This season they produced 112,000kg MS (600kg MS a cow). They knew they had the genetics to do it. They just had to align their management decisions with the genetic ability in the herd. To bridge that gap they employed MilkMaP’s senior consultant, Rensi- nus Schipper, who they met through Jim Webster. They also added software CowManager (which measures ear-temperature, activity, rumination, eating and resting time). “We decided we wanted to push the system. We wanted to break records, and if we were going to spend a lot of money on concentrate feeds we wanted to do it properly, and get it right.” “Neil and Helen have a green ethos which we’re aligned with as well so we wanted to move away from PK feeding as much as we could. We feed some, but it’s only one quarter of our total concen- trates.” Challenging their thinking Their other concentrates include maize grain, tapioca, distillers grain, soy meal, soy hulls, vitamins and minerals. Their stocking rate is 3.1, as they happily respond to industry pressure to run less cows and to expect more of them. “Rensinus has definitely challenged our thinking and our theories a lot. We do things a lot differently now that we have him on-board,” Donovan said. “We are much more in tune with what our cows want and need. It’s early days yet, but I’m hoping to see improvements in our business performance as well, so we will have happy cows and happy people. Every time Rensinus comes to see us he sees something new. He’s definitely a key part of our business nowadays.” Donovan said their animal health and reproduc- tion had initially been compromised in the chase for production. However, this year there has been a dramatic improvement and they are transitioning through calving much better. “We can build on things year-on-year. Our production target this year is 120,000kg MS (630kg per cow), but I’d love to get to 700. That would be the ultimate for us.” The herd is a mix of crossbred and Holstein Frie- sian with some Jerseys. They are proactively now breeding the herd back to Holstein Friesian. “We don’t enjoy looking at the Jerseys in the paddock as much and they just don’t have that lovely temperament that we love about the Friesian. Sophie is also very much into conformation and she looks at each cow as an individual. ‘We’re just started our breeding journey. But we have sold some bulls into AI companies and there is such demand for the crossbreds. We hope to get to a stage we can diversify our income to include elite genetics.” The total end-game remains simple. “Farm and land ownership and a place to call our own. We are always looking for new opportunities,” Donovan said. “I think since Covid-19, it’s become more important to have your home, your security and somewhere for your family to fall back on.” Clovalley Farms have never sat on the fence. They’ve invested in their business working with our agri-business specialists. Congratulations on your 10 year business anniversary. www.bakertillysr.nz ACCOUNTANCY HR INSOLVENCY MARKETING IT AUDIT TAXATION Conan Rowlands Contracting Phone Conan on 027 415 7017 or email conan.rowlands@xtra.co.nz For all grass and maize harvesting, round and square baling, wrapping, cultivation, maize planting, drilling, hedge mulching. 0800 662 667 | milkmap.nz MilkMap Consulting are proud to assist Clovalley Farms in maximising their farm productivity and pro tability. Revolutionising Pasture Management Freephone: 0800 400 365 · Small foot print · No storage ponds · Fully automated · Low running costs · 0.25mm application/24 hrs · Low man hours to maintain · 60% fresh water savings · Fully patented system