48 | nzdairy Consistency a gain from genetics Kim Newth DAIRY PEOPLE » Hayley Hoogendyk Manawatu dairy farmers Craig and Raewyne Passey have built a high performing herd to be proud of at Kairanga, just outside Palmerston North. Farm manager Hayley Hoogendyk says the results of their hard work can be seen in the consistent quality through the herd. “Craig’s father started using AI as soon as it was available in New Zealand, and it has been used every year since, which shows with the quality of the herd,” says Hayley. “Every herd will have its primo cow but few would have this level of consistency, where we know what to expect from the whole herd.” Favoured traits in the Aron-Amy herd include strong udders and good capacity. The Aron-Amy Stud is named after Craig’s grandparents who rst started farming in the Manawatu in 1919. Today, the 180ha property is milking some 500 cows through the farm’s 44-bail rotary shed. Hayley is one of the industry’s high achievers, having been named NZ Dairy Manager of the Year in 2017. She grew up a city girl, completed a business degree at Massey University and worked in events management before applying for her rst milking job. Both her people skills and willingness to work hard to upskill have stood her in good stead in her dairy career. Over her ve years as farm manager at Kairanga, Hayley says she has learned a lot about genetics and breeding with Craig’s guidance and support. “I red a lot of questions at him to start with but I can do it all now as I’ve learned what he wants in his herd. It’s all about breeding from the right animals for both longevity and production. If we have any cows that don’t have strong udders then we’ll breed them to beef.” Working with Hayley as a farm assistant is Craig and Raewyne’s son Tyler, along with 2IC Conrad Schreiber. Tyler is combining farm work with raising a family while Conrad enjoys an active social and sporting life. Hayley says they work well as a team to create a good work-life balance. Milking is twice a day all season, but milking times move to align with conditions. For example, in hot spells the cows at milked at 5am and 11.30am to ensure they are back out in the paddock before it gets too hot. “It’s better for both cows and the staff.” The farm runs a split herd system with the two- and three-year-olds going into the shed rst to ensure the younger cows get into a good routine with milking. Hayley likes to spend time observing the cows in the paddock between milking, saying it’s a good way to spot potential health issues early. Heading into calving, this becomes even more of a priority. It has been a tough season in the Manawatu, with drought conditions then followed by a month Mark 021 273 7805 Kairanga, Manawatu office@mcdermottcontracting.co.nz • Round bale services • Ground work • Maize planting • Direct drilling • Roller drilling DAIRYVET THE Phone 0800 MOO VET Proud to provide Veterinary services to Haley Hoogendyk Grain, Seed and Feed Merchants We are a proud supplier of Pasture and Crop Seeds to Hayley Hoogendyk 3 Tiki Place, Palmerston North office@wenhamgrain.co.nz 06 356 3665 Fax 06 356 7821 of extremely wet weather. Rising input costs are another pressure, but Hayley says having a consistent and reliable herd means there is exibility to readily move between System 2 and 3 input. “The cows can handle that just ne. They don’t need a whole lot of supplement to do their liveweight in milk solids – that’s our target. For the coming season we have dropped cow numbers by 20, due to the rising cost of brought in supplements, and will be predominantly pasture fed this season. Due to the quality of the herd, we feel the cows will still produce the same per cow with more pasture and less supplements, and nancially the bottom line will be better off overall.” Hayley Hoogendyk with one of her own R2 cows named Lindy.
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