| 19 nzdairy DAIRY PEOPLE » Bruce Eade The farm has a 5,100 square metre cow barn. 021 468 954 MurrayEarthworks | Proudly supporting BRUCE EADE for all your farm/fencing needs The Jersey’s, numbering about 30, have been added in the past eight years “as a side project.” The farm has a 5,100 square metre cow barn. Built 12 years ago, it is large enough to house the entire herd when necessary, including during the shoulders of the season and has had a De Laval robotic feed pusher since 2019. “We put GEA collars on the cows last year so we are twelve months into those. I thought collars were a bit gimmicky originally when the technology rst arrived, but come mating time there’s a massive difference, instead of tail painting the staff just have to draft out the [cow] numbers.” Bruce is passionate about genetics and has sourced embryos for the Friesians from Canada and Australia. “We’re lucky to have a slice of a couple of internationally renowned cow families which include the Alicia’s, the Jodie’s and the Ambrosia families. They’ve bred well and they hold a special place in the herd for us.” “Our foundation ‘Alicia’ cow is 14 years old now, she came from Australia and her mother came from Canada so it’s quite an international cow family. Their great-grandmother was one of the most famous Holstein cows ever bred. When it was converted in 1995, the farm continued with the Ayrshire herd because of Ken and Nancy’s love for the breed, but increasing the herd size could not be achieved with them alone because of their low availability nationally so the Friesians, which now comprise about 60% of the herd, were regarded as the next best option. Both Ken and Bruce have invested considerably in genetics and have taken a lot of pride in showing “Our foundation ‘Alicia’ cow is 14 years old now, she came from Australia and her mother came from Canada so it’s quite an international cow family. Their great-grandmother was one of the most famous Holstein cows ever bred.” their cows over the years. At the 2016 South Otago A & P Show, Ayrshire Fairleigh Bur Peach was named South Island Ayrshire champion and supreme animal at the South Otago A&P Show at Balclutha. “She joined several other cows in the herd which have won the award over the years.”
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