68 | nzdairy A great achievement 50 years & counting Randall Johnston Kelly Deeks Morrinsville-based Fonterra-supplier Steven Pratt won the Dairy Manager of the Year Runner Up Award for the Auckland-Hauraki Region at the 2024 NZ Dairy Industry Awards, a big achievement among a large pool of talented farmers. While a lot of time and effort went into the awards process, it really helped Steven to evaluate how he operates and think about why he does things the way he does and reassure him that he is heading in the right direction. “It’s just showed me what I am actually able to do on the farm,” Steven says. As a second time entrant, he knew the process and what was involved. The most challenging thing according to Steven is communicating what you do on farm and why and presenting this in a clear and detailed way for the judges to evaluate. “The judges were happy with my knowledge of the farm and my ability to refer back to the history of the land and also my recent experimentation on the farm. “For example, we planted chicory instead of turnips for a summer feed, just to see how that would go. It didn’t work out as well as we thought it might, but you’ve got to try these things. We’ve gone back to the turnips now (about 8ha), mostly because the yield is a lot better and we feed that out in March and April.” The family farm has 430 cows on 160ha effective. Targeting about 170,000 milk solids per season, Steven says things were looking positive so far in mid-winter. The lead up to calving was also a busy time on farm for Steve, as it always is. Steven always enjoyed farming right through his school days and would be on the farm helping his dad normally every weekend. When he finished high school, he moved down to Canterbury to attend Lincoln University to study Reid & Harrison’s Yardmaster range of effluent equipment has been trusted by New Zealand farmers for more than 50 years with its integrated design approach producing systems that work for each farmer’s individual requirements, automated monitoring and management by Halo, and a strong nationwide network of certified dealers providing local support in 70 locations throughout the country. Uniquely still designed and manufactured in New Zealand, Yardmaster is Reid & Harrison’s flagship brand, starting with the original Yardmaster effluent pump then expanding into a range of products including effluent pumps, effluent stirrers, effluent separators, effluent management systems, and system accessories. Today Reid & Harrison provides full accredited effluent system design, effluent warrant of fitness checks, full effluent system installations, on-farm maintenance, equipment supply, and pond pumping and tanking. Reid & Harrison CEO Keith Cooke says the Yardmaster network of certified dealers is one of the pillars of his company, providing that essential local support from people that farmers know and trust. “We make sure our dealers have access to information, technical knowledge, and training that allows them to provide our customers with the same support they would get from the mothership here in Matamata,” Keith says. DAIRY SERVICES » Pratt Brothers 2000 / Reid Harrison (1980) Ltd Reid & Harrison provides full accredited effluent system design. towards a Bachelor of Agriculture, which also served as a good networking opportunity. Steven took on a number of farming jobs in the region. “Dad then identified an opportunity to expand the home farm back up north and if we were going to do that, I needed to come home to assist with that and I’ve been managing the farm ever since.” Steven’s father still works on the farm and they also have a full-time farm assistant to help keep things running as smoothly as possible. The herd is predominately Friesian (LIC). The team feed in-shed and buy-in meal all year round. The soil is mainly peat and the farm backs onto swamp land. “We are quite wet, so that’s a challenge at times when we have heavy, consistent rainfall. But the peat does tend to recover quite quickly, so you just run the roller over it a bit later when that happens,” Steven explains. “We just need to ensure our drainage is up to scratch and we do also rely on flood pumps to keep the flood waters down at times.” With the team on track to hit its targets in 2024 and Steven’s confidence given a boost from the award win, things are looking positive for the season ahead. HAURAKI PLAINS MOTORS LTD For all new and used farm machinery 1 Pipiroa Road, NGATEA - Ph. 07 867 7021 e: admin@hpmotors.co.nz www.haurakiplainsmotors.co.nz Miles Shelley 027 227 1121 Michael Duffin 027 440 4681 PROUD SUPPORTER OF REID & HARRISON ( 1980) LTD DAIRY SERVICES “Quality Solutions Delivered on Time” Covering Southland, Central & South Otago • to page 70
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