| 35 nzdairy DAIRY PEOPLE » Michael and Lindy Bennett The couple are in their fifth season of 100 per cent farm ownership and milk 520 cows on 80ha and lease another 70ha across the road. Karen Phelps For Te Awamutu dairy farmers Michael and Lindy Bennett technology is helping create a more sustainable way of running the farm. The couple are in their fifth season of 100 per cent farm ownership and milk 520 cows on 80ha and lease another 70ha across the road. They also have the use of a 10ha support block for maize and grass silage and winter grazing. As their business has grown the Bennetts have also recognised that being successful cannot mean Michael having to be on the farm seven days a week. A major change has been bringing in a farm manager and senior farm assistant, with the manager now taking much greater responsibility for the day-to-day operation. “We were really struggling with staff. My daughter Olivia was saying to me, ‘Dad, why do you work all the time?’ Now, by bringing in someone more senior, I can spend more quality time with my children,” says Michael. Having a senior person taking responsibility has made the operation run more smoothly and efficiently. During calving the manager completed about 90 per cent of the night checks on cows and calves compared with Michael previously doing all of them. “It’s given me a chance to step back and work on my business, not just in the business,” says Michael. That extra capacity is allowing the Bennetts to focus more closely on efficiencies and making better decisions. Technology is another part of that shift. The Bennetts began using smaXtec boluses in April, giving them access to real-time information about rumination, animal health and calving. Data from individual cows is sent to the cloud with notifications alerting the couple to changes such as an increase in temperature. “That’s really helped us to be one step ahead with picking up animal health rather than two steps behind,” explains Lindy. “The technology can help identify a cow that may need checking for issues such as mastitis or retained membranes before the problem develops further.” The results are already showing. The Bennetts’ average somatic cell count has improved from about 164,000 a few years ago to 125,000 last season. They are also using their Mastatest machine more frequently to identify the bacteria causing mastitis and determine the appropriate treatment. Reducing lameness and mastitis has been a major A more sustainable way of running the farm John Austin Ltd are proud supporters of Michael and Lindy Bennett. focus with a flood wash system installed on the feed pad and rubber matting added to the yard to provide cows with a more comfortable surface when they are stood off. The Bennetts have stood the cows off just three times this year and are seeing fewer lame animals. The rumination data is also changing how they manage cows between mobs. “We’re learning the time you transfer the cows between these mobs is really critical. Their milk might be okay but not their whole body, so we can now see when their rumination has turned a corner,” says Lindy. The technology is also helping identify cows ready for mating through changes in activity, flag cows that have not cycled and determine the best timing for artificial insemination. For the Bennetts, learning how to make the most of that information is an ongoing process and they are still at the beginning of what the technology can offer but are confident, that alongside changes in management, it is already helping them build a more efficient farm and a life that leaves more room for family as well.
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