26 | nzdairy DAIRY PEOPLE » Dayne Addison Dayne says the two big times in the yearly herd cycle where he sees Halter really coming into its own is calving and mating. Karen Phelps In our recent conversation with Waikato dairy farmers Dayne and Sophia Addison, based at Maihiihi, just south of Te Awamutu, the focus turns to their experiences in the first year of having introduced Halter Collars to the herd. Dayne says he did a great deal of research and gave careful consideration to the benefits vs cost analysis, however he’s also circumspect enough to see that the best analysis will take place after a full season using the technology has been experienced. “For the first six months with the collars on we were experiencing drought conditions here, but I can say that since then, it’s been a bit of a gamechanger,” Dayne says. The couple operate a herd of 1150 F10-F12 cows, across two milking platforms in the district. As a very good example of the benefits the collars have brought, Dayne points to a very recent situation with an elderly cow. “Her rumination was dropping and she was showing early signs of milk fever. Once there would have been a 90% chance of her going down however with Halter I got to her early and managed to prevent this happening.” The other big advantage over winter Dayne reflects is that there’s been a noticeable decrease in the hours put in on the farm by he and the staff. “We’re working less hours than we have ever worked connected to the herd and are getting more maintenance done. We can shift 7 or 8 mobs of cows from our phones before breakfast and its come to help me realise how much I was spending on paddock management.” Dayne says the two big times in the yearly herd cycle where he sees Halter really coming into its own is calving and mating; times when its traditionally very labour intensive. Calving was due to start on the 21st July and at peak, with the size of herd they have, upward of 60-70 calves will be born in a 24 hour period. “With Halter you can locate pause the collar on the calved cow. This way she can walk over the ungrazed grass and it makes it much easier to locate them and remove them from the paddock.” Having the support of a very good rep who has kept in touch with Dayne during these early months using the collars has also been a very positive and reassuring experience. Another example where Halter has proven its worth is in the uptake of magnesium efficiently by the herd. “I shift all the cows into a break 80% of their daily allocation, then when I get a chance I heavily dust the final 20% and extend the break. This way all the cows move to and eat the magnesium covered grass and get a better uptake of the magnesium.” Another constant improvement, Dayne and Sophia are passionate about is the ongoing native and riperian planting they’ve been committed to for some time now. Introduced Halter Collars to the herd So far 8500 natives have been planted with the intention next year of planting 5,000-6,0000 more to finish the river project. “I’ve been delighted to see how these plantings have established so well. They were idle for the first few months having been planted but now they’re really growing and its making such a difference to how the farm looks.” All this endeavour is firmly connected to the fact that Dayne and Sophia are very much committed to continuing an inter-generational dairy farming business and they’re keen to do their bit to hand over the farms in improved situation to the next generation. “If my mark 40 years from now on the farm is all this planting then I’ll be very happy indeed.” To help with what to plant and where, the couple have enlisted the help of native tree planting 683 Maihihi Rd, Otorohanga | 027 483 9052 | n.disher@yahoo.com.au DISHER CONTRACTING CULTIVATION • DIRECT DRILLING • EARTH MOVING FARM DRAINAGE / DRAIN CLEANING • HAY & SILAGE • MOWING • SPRAYER 07 871 4986 www.gibsonconstruc�on.co.nz “Where building quality is never compromised” I « nn ç È« J ! zÁ« !ÁXzJ z00(³ ( àXz xÈ(I «( ي הזבד בחג וא ˃˥ˢ˨˗ ˧ˢ ˦˨ˣˣˢ˥˧ ʷ˔ˬˡ˘ ʙ ˆˢˣ˛˜˔ ʴ˗˗˜˦ˢˡ specialists ‘Aotearoa Restoration’ who Dayne says have been invaluable in sharing their knowledge of what grows best and when. “I’ve probably got another 20-odd ha that I want to plant up in Natives, so there’s plenty more planting ahead.”
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