48 | nzdairy Winter a lot easier than other breeds Martin and Lisa say the specialness of the Ayrshire breed is they go through winter easier than any other breed. Richard Loader One of the key distinguishing traits of the Ayrshire breed is their ability to transfer food to condition, says Mid Canterbury dairy farmer Martin Williams. “For Lisa and me, the specialness of the Ayrshire breed starts with wintering. They go through the winter a lot easier than any other breed we’ve ever had. Yes, they are good foragers, but they also have the ability to transfer that food into condition. You could argue that some breeds are better milkers, but they don’t have the ability to put condition on, given the same amount and quality of dry matter.” That ability to transfer food to condition also transitions through to the end of calving, says Martin. “For the last two years we’ve calved down five hundred cows and of those only one in a hundred might get taken into the dairy shed for a hand with calving. You can’t put a price on that - ease of management is what we’ve bred into what we do. It’s pretty cool knowing that you don’t have to spend too much time at night time with them.” Adding to the virtues of the breed, a somatic cell count averaging 32,000 for the Williams’ 270 Ayrshires was achieved for the season just finished. “That’s exceptionally low when you realise that in this area Fontera averages 130,000 to 145,000. I’m not sure where we rank with that, but four years ago we were ranked the 48th lowest herd across all farms in New Zealand for Fonterra.” This season 475 cows will be calved down, with 60% pure bred Ayrshires and the balance Friesian or Friesian/Ayrshire cross. Ayreshire semen comes from Semayr. The Williams’ dairy farming business, Willmor Pastures, is located 25 minutes south of Ashburton, with a dairy platform that encompasses 123 hectares effective, in addition to 3 hectares of irrigation ponds, and about 3 hectares of shelterbelts. While the farm is considered flat, there is a 16 metre fall from one side to the other, which provides natural drainage. An 81 hectares run-off block about 9 kilometres up the road has recently been purchased and will be used for young stock grazing and supplement for the dairy unit. “Half of our in-calf cows will go there, with the balance at our neighbours. We won’t be quite self-contained, but not far away from being so.” DAIRY PEOPLE » Willmor Pastures Ltd Martin and Lisa bought the farm 15 years ago, after sharemilking down towards Hinds on Alan Hubbard’s own personal farm. Martin acknowledges that it has been a hard road going from being a comfortable sharemilker to a highly indebted farm owner. “You work like hell to get somewhere, and then all of a sudden age starts catching up. But it has been an enjoyable road, and I would not want to change what I have done. I actually love farming; it’s what gets me up every morning and out there. It’s the coolness of working with stock that we’ve bred, and we’re pretty passionate about that. Over the years we’ve worked with some pretty good staff. At the moment we have three people working for us, including our son.” The Williams’ dairy farming business, Willmor Pastures, is located 25 minutes south of Ashburton.
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