40 | nzdairy Volatile weather impacts production DAIRY PEOPLE » Fabish Brothers Poor weather led to crop damage, as well as culvert damage and wash-outs this winter. Kim Newth Dairy farmers in Taranaki are feeling the effects of tricky weather conditions this year that slowed pasture growth and hampered production. Dairy siblings Paul and Bryant Fabish, of Fabish Brothers Farms, are among those facing disappointing production results, but say they are con dent of managing their way through the challenges. The Fabish family has deep roots in the Taranaki region. Paul and Bryant’s grandparents rst started farming in the area back in the 1920s. Paul and Bryant, who returned home to farm at Tariki in the 1980s, each oversee their own farm operation, together milking around 900 cows. The herd is predominantly Friesian though Paul and wife Heidi have also got a small group of Jerseys. Bryant is based on the original home farm comprising 149ha effective while Paul looks after a 108ha farm on higher ground, (at around 350m altitude). A smaller farm of 68ha and two run-offs complete the operation. (Paul and Bryant’s brother Stephen and his wife Faye also used to part of Fabish Brothers Farms but began farming on their own account several years ago). Dairy farm reports out of Taranaki are that it has been a mixed bag on the weather front. A very wet spring was followed by a ckle summer characterised by periods of dry sandwiched between bouts of heavy rain. That led to crop damage, as well as culvert damage and wash-outs. None of it has been good news for pasture growth. At Tariki, Paul and Bryant have not been immune from the impacts. “During summer and autumn, when it did rain it rained quite a bit at once,” says Bryant. “We’d get two or three weeks between downpours. The weather has not been what you’d expect in a normal year – it has been fairly changeable. “From a production perspective, it’s disappointing for sure. Last year was better. We hope to have a more settled spring and summer moving forward.” In recent years, Paul and Bryant have been exploring options for managing their farms into the future, such as involving lower order sharemilkers and managers. Now they have shifted to running the farms with contract milkers. “It just takes more pressure off us and lets us focus on over-sight and the bigger picture, as well as doing more relief milking. It frees up more time for us to think about farm infrastructure and what needs to be done around the place.” Bryant has employed Sri Lankan-born Anura Subasinghe as his contract milker. Anura and his family are in their rst season on the farm, having moved to Tariki from Opunake in June. “It’s working out ne so far.” Rising input costs for essentials like fuel and fertiliser is something that Bryant and Paul are both very aware of. Bryant says the impact has been manageable so far but they expect the in ationary environment to start biting harder as the year progresses. The farm operation has always had a focus on ef- ciency and precision grass management. They’ve had to bring in a little more PKE than usual – “but not a large amount; we’re still very much pasture based.” Calving starts on the home farm at the start of August, with the higher altitude farm tracking a week to 10 days later. Bryant says a close watch is being kept on cow condition in the lead up to calving. The team (as at 2020, must update) For all your Accounting and Management Advisory Needs and Taxation Services Contact us today Phone: (06) 756 8189 Email: fintaxltd@xtra.co.nz PO Box 7, Inglewood 4347 28 Brown Street, Inglewood 4330 Taranaki, New Zealand TEACH YOUR CHILDREN ABOUT TAX EAT 30% OF THEIR ICECREAM www.energyvets.co.nz enquiries@energyvets.co.nz ENERGY VETS TARANAKI LTD Inglewood Clinic (06) 756 7228 Waitara Clinic (06) 754 8791 Home: 06 756 6167 Email: wbusbycontracting@gmail.com
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