54 | nzdairy DAIRY PEOPLE » Jackson Farming Ltd Move to dairy worked for Jackson Farming Russell Fredric Dairy farming has provided a structured, progressive path that did not exist for Richard and Danielle Jackson in the sheep and beef industry. The couple are 50/50 sharemilkers on a 200 hectare Hedgehope farm as well as being 50% equity owners in partnership with Danielle’s parents, having moved to the property north-east of Invercargill on June 1. They own a 600 cow herd which is the same number of cows they sharemilked at their previous position near Riverton. “It is a better location and a better farm it was the next step to buy into our rst farm. It’s got really good infrastructure and a good location.” As well as being able to partner with Danielle’s parents, they were helped by selling three residential properties they owned, as well as through livestock trading to build their equity. Richard and Danielle’s journey up the dairy ladder involved contract milking for two years and 50/50 sharemilking for four years before moving to Hedgehope. They were both brought up on sheep farms and initially leased a dry stock property near Gore. “That’s what we would’ve liked to have done, but the progress wasn’t there, the return on asset wasn’t there, so that’s what made me become a dairy farmer. There’s a clear pathway, contract milking, 50/50 sharemilking then farm ownership which seemed like a far more lucrative venture.” While they could have bought into a smaller dairy farm, it was more appealing to go bigger in order to have the scale to have a good work/life balance. “We could have gone out and bought a 400 cow farm; we would have had less staff and less time off so it appealed to do an equity partnership and something a bit bigger with more economy of scale.” This scale means the Hedgehope farm can support two staff. The cows are milked through a 54 bail rotary shed with automatic cup removers and Protrack drafting and in-shed feeding. After being used to a herringbone shed, the cows were taking some time to adapt. The composition of the herd is smaller, ef cient animals that produce 110% of their body weight. The family photo has Richard and Danielle Jackson, daughter Hayley Jackson and dog Max. “To come here, we were potentially going to have to hold our [previous] sharemilking job so we bought another herd of cows because the farm where we were was getting put on the market and we had one more year on our contract. After the Riverton farm sold, they sold 250 cows at $2100 each and bought the same number at $1550 which created nearly $140,000 equity. “If we kept our old sharemilking job we would’ve needed more cows and we knew the price of cows was going to go up because of the [higher] payout so I signed up on the herd early. Once the farm sold we had too many cows so we had to sell some.” Danielle helps with the day to day running of the farm and is also kept busy with the couple’s two year-old. The Complete Financial Management Service for Agribusiness AgriFocus Limited is a financial management service & Chartered Accountants that provides specialist advice & offers a comprehensive range of services for farmers in the Southland/Otago region. At AgriFocus we will: • Put in place a financial management plan • Monitor progress • Complete annual accounts and tax planning AgriFocus Services Include • Coaching for first time farmers • Cashflow Budgeting • Proposal analysis • GST and Payroll • Monthly variance reporting • Annual accounting require ments • Accounts analysis • Tax planning and Ownership structure • Provide benchmarking comparisons Why AgriFocus? • Extensive experience in the rural financial servicing industry • Proactive approach to financial management • Strong relationships with industry specialists • Strong practical farming background • Personalised service with an excellent backup team who understand farming • Excellent rapport with associated government departments Jeremy Bekhuis B.Com CA M 027 681 5003 E jeremy@agrifocus.co.nz Effluent Ponds Farm Drainage Dairy Lane Maintenance Muck Spreading General Farm Earthworks Crushed Rock Bulldozing GEORGE’S HILL ROCK SUPPLIES All Sizes Available 100 Hedgehope Hall Road 022 430 5324 Jackson Ag Spraying matthew@jacksonagspraying.com Servicing South Otago & Southland
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