| 61 nzdairy ON FARM » Anita and Joel Courtman More flexibility with feed and grazing helps Russell Fredric Sharemilkers Joel and Anita Courtman have developed a business that has diversified their income stream in addition to offering flexibility with feed and grazing. The couple are 50/50 sharemilkers on Anita’s mother’s 270 hectare farm at Waiotira southwest of Whangarei. Their 430 cow Kiwicross herd which they have owned since 2019 is milked on a 160 hectare platform of which 90 hectares is irrigated. Adjoining this is a 110 hectare support block where the cows are wintered and some calves reared. Joel and Anita own a 56 hectare block nearby for grazing dairy replacements – rising two year-olds and calves once the R2’s are moved off, and a year ago they added 110ha/90ha effective for rearing beef cattle out of their herd. “We put them there and fatten them for diversification and it’s good rearing the calves and seeing them go through and eventually being able to realise that income,” Joel says. “There is a bit of wriggle room there; sometimes the beef animals graze behind the herd to clean up paddocks in the flush, or the dry cows graze on the support block if there is extra grass there. Joel and Anita have owned their Kiwicross herd since 2019. They have four children, and Anita helps with rearing of around 330 calves from July to September. The herd has been milked once-a-day for the past seven seasons and Joel believes this has contributed to an excellent empty rate of just 4%. “I think once-a-day helps and putting the cows up [for mating] at the right time helps. Our technician comes at about lunchtime so it gives us time to pull the cows out that we think are on heat and monitor them and then put them up or not. You’ve got to monitor them quite closely.” The low cow wastage also makes it easier cull lower performers from the herd. “When you’ve got extras you’re not buying stock. You make the herd better because you can pick and choose what you want to keep.” The farm runs a system two operation for pasture and supplementary feed with eight hectares of maize grown on the 56 ha runoff block, fed to the cow herd to extend their milking season. This year about half of this was able to be carried over from the last season. “With all the other blocks, we can use bales of silage from the run-off or the beef block or whatever if we need them. We needed them this year, we actually fed most out of what we had leftover. It’s actually quite diverse; it’s quite good being able to grab extra that you don’t make on the platform.” Their 430 cow Kiwicross herd which they have owned since 2019 is milked on a 160 hectare platform. Brady and Jack with the first calf of the season. Business Advisors & Chartered Accountants Proudly supporting Anita & Joel Courtman www.yhpj.co.nz (09) 470 0400 Welcoming new clients - contact info@yhpj.co.nz for a complimentary initial meeting Jared Rountree 027 439 4411 contourfencing.nz@gmail.com No job too big or small. We do it all. • All farm fencing - Conventional & electric • Lifestyle block fencing & maintenance • Livestock yards and containment • Residential fencing • Subdivision fencing • Waterway fencing • Security fencing • Retaining walls • Post and rail “Depending on the season we also could use 60 tonnes of palm kernel extract.” Joel and Anita like the fact they are their own supplier of beef stock off the dairy unit. “With all the other blocks, we can use bales of silage from the run-off or the beef block or whatever if we need them.” “That’s why it made it work for the beef block because we’ve already got the animals. With the farmgate milk price for last season and the opening of the current season at around $10 per kilogram of milk solids and the beef schedule equally buoyant, Joel is justifiably upbeat, while still being conscious of how markets can change. “It’s pretty positive, but you look at the past and we’ve probably been seven years up and down in the cycles.”
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