44 | nzdairy DAIRY PEOPLE » Sofus and Jacqui Hahn Multi-generations with dairy, sheep and beef Bernadette Cooney Jacqui and Sofus Hahn’s farming operation near Rangitoto, east of Te Kuiti, has grown into a multi-generational enterprise with dairy, sheep, and beef all part of the mix. What began as Jacqui’s parents’ sheep and beef property has, under her and Sofus’s stewardship, become four dairy units in Rangitoto and Benneydale - milking around 1600 cows across 590 hectares. In addition, a 290-hectare sheep and beef block running dairy-beef and 300 ewes. Jacqui and Sofus have spent nearly thirty years building the farm business and it remains very much a Hahn family endeavour today, with the fourth generation actively involved, including the couple’s daughter April and her husband Troy who have recently taken the step into 50/50 share- milking, now owning close to 480 cows. Their youngest son, Finn, has also returned home, stepping in as 2IC to Sofus. “If Sofus is the operations manager, then Finn’s his 2IC,” says Jacqui. “He jumps into milk when Sofus can’t and helps all over the place on the different farms. Finn’s fiancée Emylee, a trained nurse, has taken charge of calf rearing this season, adding another set of hands to the family effort.” Sofus and Finn are supported by managers across each dairy unit, while Jacqui oversees the farm finances, which her daughter Emma handles from Denmark, where she studies toward her Masters in Cognitive Science. Controlling rising farm costs while managing debt repayments is the current focus within the farm’s economies. “Employment costs have gone up and inflation is making everything we do on farm cost more,” says Jacqui, “Electricity costs just keep going up, so although dairy is doing well, we are in debt repayment mode, so the priority is maximising efficiency.” The Hahn’s dairy herd is predominantly KiwiCross, leaning to Friesian, while April and Troy are pushing towards Jersey genetics on their hillier block. Calving has dominated recent months, with about 380 replacement calves expected this season. “The last four weeks were flat out, but we’re over the hump now with a few remaining in coming weeks,” says Jacqui. A cryptosporidium outbreak had hit some early calves and medications were in short supply, but milk production has lifted since they got on top of a staph aureus outbreak that had threatened the herd with mastitis. “Now the herd’s sitting under 150 cell count, which means fewer treatments and much healthier cows.” Milk production across the business has increased 5 to 10 percent in the last two milking seasons, helped by better pasture utilisation and supplementary feeding during dry spells. The breeding program sees all heifers artificially inseminated from late October using LIC genetics to achieve a cross breed with a slightly larger calf, balancing growth and fertility. Since ending her 3-year tenure as Waikato Federated Farmers chairperson, Jacqui remains engaged at a local level but has stood back from the political frontline. Despite many of the issues facing farmers then, remaining unresolved at a policy level, Jacqui remains positive about the future of dairy in New Zealand which upholds a strong animal health and environmental track record. Emylee and Finn on the farm.
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