| 31 nzdairy DAIRY PEOPLE » Lighthouse and Beacon Dairies Karen Phelps An upgrade to irrigation infrastructure is helping a Canterbury contract milking couple save time, reduce water wastage and grow more grass as they continue to build a farming business without pursuing traditional farm ownership. Operating from Hororata, Ruwan Wijayasena and his wife Niranjala Gamlath manage two contract milking operations for Theland Farm Group, overseeing 2,200 cows across 600 hectares and two dairy sheds. After relying on roto rainers for the past four to five years the farm now has now shifted to centre pivot and K-lines with the new system installed over winter. The change is already making a difference to the amount of labour required for irrigation. “Roto rainers are not as efficient because they can be time and water wasting with the potential to over or under-water,” explains Ruwan. “The centre pivot is automated so we can press a button and it irrigates automatically. The K-line is a manual shift that takes about 30 minutes whereas we used to spend a couple of hours shifting the roto rainer. The new system should also help us grow more grass.” Better pasture utilisation is also behind another change to the farming system this year with the company introducing palm kernel (PKE) into the operation for the first time. Half of the silage normally fed during spring has been replaced with PKE, with the aim of helping maintain cow condition and production as well as reducing wastage as the PKE can be fed in the dairy shed. The changes form part of a wider approach to running the business as efficiently as possible. The couple’s cows currently produce around 380 kilograms of milk solids each season with this season’s target across the two farms set at 790,000 kilograms of milk solids. For Ruwan and Niranjala, however, success is not ultimately about owning a large dairy farm. “We are not planning on owning cows or owning a farm,” says Ruwan. “We plan to continue contract milking and invest in property.” The couple already have a Queenstown holiday home and a four-hectare lifestyle block at Tai Tapu, Upgrade to irrigation infrastructure helps After relying on roto rainers for the past four to five years the farm now has now shifted to centre pivot and K-lines. Today’s beauty tomorrow’s legacy www.easybigtrees.co.nz Experienced Dairy Vets Focused on whole farm performance Rakaia and Ashburton o ces Dedicated to dairying - we provide a dairy only veterinary service Excellent personalised service tailored to your farm system Competitively priced products and services O ce: Ashburton (03) 308 0493 Rakaia (03) 302 7818 418West Street, Ashburton 7700 9 Railway Terrace East, Rakaia 7710 Email: info@dairyvets.co.nz Web: www.dairyvets.co.nz FERTILISER SPREADING | FARM MAPPING GPS TRACKING | VARIABLE RATE SPREADING LIVESTOCK CARTAGE | DAILY FREIGHT CONCRETE SUPPLIES | GRAIN CARTAGE SHINGLE SUPPLIES | FERTILISER SUPPLIES Leeston: 03 3248 070 | Dunsandel: 03 3254 039 reception@ellesmere.co.nz where Niranjala is based with their two children Senuli, 16, and Methuli, 15. Their Queenstown property is currently a long-term rental and they hope to gradually add more properties through their separate company DDSM Holiday Homes. The strategy reflects a deliberate decision to build wealth in ways that fit with their values and continuing to grow their farming business through strong performance and efficient systems. DDSM Farms Limited has been recognised as the best business performance farm across Theland Farm Group for two consecutive years, following the couple’s earlier success as 2019 Canterbury/North Otago Dairy Industry Awards Share Farmers of the Year. “It’s a great achievement to be recognised out of the large number of farms in the group twice now,” says Ruwan. With improved irrigation now reducing labour and helping maximise pasture growth, and property investment providing another avenue for future growth, the couple are continuing to carve out their own unique path in the dairy industry.
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