60 | nzdairy Merits of Murray Grey Cautiously optimistic Hayden and Mara founded the Denali Murray Grey stud four years ago. Craig and Tania are hopeful their 24 year-old son Brad will be part of a succession plan. Richard Loader Russell Fredric North Canterbury dairy and beef farmer Hayden Fletcher says there is a misconception that Murray Grey dairy cross calves don’t grow, and are no good to rear as a beef calf; a misconception he would like to challenge. A well as farming in equity partnership with Craigmore Dairy Farms on a 950 cow dairy unit in Culverden, Hayden and his wife Mara own the Denali Murray Grey stud which is located 25 minutes away on the couple’s own 60 hectare farm in Hawarden. “All of our dairy cross calves on the dairy farm are sold at 100kgs to a buyer who then takes them through to finishing,” says Hayden. “He loves them and just can’t get enough. If you select your bulls correctly, Murray Grey’s are just as good as anything else and well known for natural marbling and a superior eating experience. Murray Grey’s are a good honest moderate beef cows that have a good disposition and genetically have superior carcass qualities and when it comes to using them across a dairy cow they are a marker, coming out a dark brown to grey colour, and easy to spot.” Hayden and Mara founded the Denali Murray Grey stud four years ago after stud cows were bought from Torrisdale in Southland, which Hayden says is the largest Murray Grey Stud in the country and has the longest history of performance recording. “That is also where we source most of our bull genetics from. Our main stud sire was born in 2020, Fonterra’s positive Farmgate milk price announcement late August along with the expectation of a decrease in bank interest rates is creating cautious optimism among some dairy farmers. Fonterra announced a 50 cent increase in the forecast Farmgate Milk Price midpoint for the 2024/25 season, alongside an uplift to the 2025 financial year (FY) advance rate schedule, and advised its FY 2024 earnings are forecast to be at the top end of the announced range of 60-70 cents per share. In an August 23 Fonterra media release, chief executive Miles Hurrell the cooperative was also pleased to be announcing an uplift in its advance rate payment schedule, which will see farmers paid more for their milk earlier in the season. Following strong performance during the 2023/24 season, Fonterra is also expecting its FY24 earnings to be at the top end of its forecast range, subject to the finalisation of financial statements and audit, which “puts us on track for a strong full year dividend.” However Taranaki dairy farmer Craig Rowe’s optimism is guarded. DAIRY PEOPLE » H&M Pastoral / Craig and Tania Rowe and we have collected his semen, and used him via AI across our dairy cows as well. I don’t breed specifically for the dairy industry but there is some cross over that makes them appropriate. I breed for a moderate, efficient, low maintenance and profitable beef cow. One thing that Murray Grey’s are known for is being relatively easy calving and that is what makes them appropriate to put over dairy cows.” Yearling bulls are available by private treaty on farm from October each year, and this year 15 – 20 bulls will be available to a mix of beef and dairy clients. “This year we will have some naturally mated bulls as well as some born by embryo transfer programme, which is why we have so many. There are a handful of regular clients who buy our bulls, and this year there will be a few new ones too. There is a couple of commercial Murray Grey farmers who use our bulls.” Hayden says his passion for farming is very much about the animals and in particular breeding cows. “I worked in Montana for a couple of years on a big beef cow operation and that is probably where the love for breeding cows comes from. I think it is the challenge of breeding good cows, because it is far from an exact science. It is very rewarding when you get it right.” While Hayden and Mara have been in equity partnership with Craigmore Dairy Farms on its 255hectare dairy farm for three years, the couple have been on the farm for eight years starting as Farm Managers and progressing to Contract Milker, a role which they continue in. “You don’t know what’s going to happen so just can’t count all those chickens until they’ve hatched really.” Craig also cites domestic inflation and global volatility as factors creating caution. “I mean it hasn’t been that great in the last 18 months to two years really; it’s been quite tough. Sheep farmers are the same; they’ve been doing it tough.” Craig and his wife Tania are the fourth generation on the family’s Tikorangi farm which milks 426 cows on a platform of 148 hectares effective, supported by a 40ha run-off used for calves, young stock and wintering along with growing maize and silage. The cows are milked though a 32 bale rotary shed with in-shed feed and the farm has a consent to effluent irrigate up to 30 hectares. Craig enjoys the genetics side of the farm and aims to breed Jersey traits up and Friesian traits down while looking for stature, capacity, milk production/solids and fertility. He is hopeful their 24 year-old son Brad will be part of a succession plan and the fifth generation to be on the farm, while Craig’s father, 82, still takes an active interest in the daily operations. Confessing to being quite old school in his approach, Craig likes to be hands-on rather than to default the extensive use of cow-related technology and believes this ensures he and the staff know the cows’ behaviour and demeanour intimately. “We are very fussy with stock. You do a job right and as best as you possibly can.” “Technology’s good on farm, I use Halo, we’ve got technology on our [effluent] irrigation systems and application rates and where it is and if something goes wrong, but animals are a little bit different I think.” He believes that using human knowledge and intuition keeps people on their toes and that they learn more about their stock, but also concedes this can create more room for error at times. This season the farm started calving on July 9 and was nearing the end late August. While Craig says July was very good with above average grass growth, this was followed by a wet spell and he was concerned about not having enough grass for the cow’s second round on the paddocks mid-September. 26 Lyndon Street, Culverden (03) 315 8470 | leodunneltd@xtra.co.nz | www.leodunneltd.co.nz LeoDunne Ltd. 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