| 33 nzdairy DAIRY PEOPLE » Matthew Bell The rolling to moderately steep coastal farm comprises free-draining volcanic soils, native bush, wetlands and waterways. Russell Fredric Matt Bell reckons profitable dairy farming starts with doing the basics well, then questioning every cost and management decision to see if it can be done better. Now in his fourth season as a 50:50 sharemilker near Raglan, Matt and his family milk 430 cows on a 161-hectare effective property. After previously managing much larger herds, he has no desire to return to that scale, instead focusing on a low-input, grass-based system designed around profitability, environmental performance and family life. The rolling to moderately steep coastal farm comprises free-draining volcanic soils, native bush, wetlands and waterways. While the contour presents challenges, Matt says the property is exceptionally well designed, with infrastructure that makes day-to-day management straightforward. The business is built around spring calving, although calving dates are being pushed back slightly this season to better match pasture growth and reduce feed risk after experiencing the variability of Raglan’s climate. “We want to be really, really low cost, high profit; everything we can without pushing really, really hard. We’ve done the high-input thing before and it’s just a disaster. We want to be environmentally friendly and work within what the farm can naturally achieve.” That philosophy extends well beyond feed. Every year Matt reviews the business line by line, challenging whether every expense is genuinely necessary. Rather than accepting traditional practices, he looks for practical alternatives that deliver the same or better outcomes. This season the business has changed its mineral programme, replacing conventional in-feed supplements with a loose-lick system, while also reviewing animal health treatments and trialling a different fertiliser approach aimed at improving soil balance and reducing reliance on synthetic fertilisers. “It’s just constantly going through stuff and looking at the costs and asking, ‘Why are we paying this? Do we actually need it?’ Not just assuming we need something, but properly justifying every cost or finding a better way.” Feed management is another area under constant review. With purchased supplements becoming increasingly expensive, Matt is introducing maize as a lower-cost feed option for late summer and early autumn while expanding the farm’s sorghum programme to provide extra resilience through dry periods. The objective is to reduce feed costs without compromising production or animal health. The farm produced about 145,000kg/MS last season, close to its production record, but Matt says All starts with doing the basics very well • House & Garden / Farm & Lifestyle / Industrial • Filtration Design & Installation - Farm & Lifestyle • Water Filter & UV Systems • Deepwell Lifting / 4WD Vehicles • Water bores/ Submersible pumps • FREE Domestic Loan Water Pump Available • Water Pump Sales / Service & Installation • Water Reticulation Design & Installation • P.E.S. Trenching Services - Pipeline & Cable • Pool Pumps & Filters / Bioguard Pool Care sales@pesltd.co.nz pumpandelectrical.co.nz Huntly - 07 828 7552 12 Main Street, Huntly Hamilton - 07 846 0678 25 Lincoln Street, Hamilton 24 HOUR SERVICE PUMPING SPECIALISTS PUMP & ELECTRICAL SERVICES YOUR ONE STOP SHOP FOR MILKING MACHINE, WATER PUMP REPAIRS & MAINTENANCE chasing higher output has never been the primary goal. Instead, the business focuses on maximising returns from every part of the system, including strong reproductive performance and livestock sales. Early calving helps produce sought-after beef calves, while high in-calf rates mean very few cows leave the farm for processing, creating additional income through stock sales. Winning the 2015 New Zealand Young Farmer of the Year title also continues to influence the way Matt farms, although not for the reasons some might expect. “It’s all the people I’ve met through it. Everyone’s good at something different, so I ring people and ask what they think. You don’t have to copy someone’s whole farming system, but you might pick up one idea that works for you. Unless you talk to people, you don’t know about it.” For Matt, continuous improvement is rarely about dramatic change. It’s about keeping an open mind, paying attention to the details and making sure the basics are right before looking for the next opportunity to improve.
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