38 | nzdairy DAIRY PEOPLE » Peirce Family Farm Gilchrist Road Dairy, in the Waikaka Valley just north-east of Gore, milks 600-cows and produced 410,000kgMS last season. Karen Phelps Over recent years the Peirce family has had a real push to find smarter and more efficient ways of working to help drive both production and profitability on their Southland farming operation. Gilchrist Road Dairy, in the Waikaka Valley just north-east of Gore, milks 600-cows and produced 410,000kgMS last season and the family is aiming to match or better that figure this season. Richard and Debbie Peirce built their farming business from scratch by buying, selling and leasing land depending on the market. Today their daughter Bridgette Smith, 35, and son Alex, 33, have taken over the day-to-day operation A major change came in March last year when Halter was introduced across the herd, changing the way the family manages its cows. With two roads running through the property, a river along one boundary and multiple creeks, the farm has always had awkwardly sized paddocks. “We used to spend three hours a day putting up break fences and moving cows because of the paddock sizes,” says Alex. “Halter has freed up that time and allowed us to fence our paddocks more accurately. It’s helped us produce more milk off less input. We have been able to drop a labour unit and it paid for virtually the whole cost.” The family has also been investing in land to create a more self-contained farming system. It has purchased neighbouring blocks that were previously held under long-term leases, adding a total of 35 hectares, as well as acquiring a 60ha run-off three years ago and another 40ha run-off this year. The additional run off land is being used for young stock and growing supplement, reducing the need to graze stock elsewhere and purchase as much feed in. The long-term goal is to become fully self-contained. “We like to have the control over our stock so we can finish them the way we want,” says Alex. “We also like to have control over the quality of silage.” Another significant investment has been an 800sqm calving shed completed last year. Built around a wood-chip and straw-based system with a full concrete feed lane it has now been used for three calvings. The shed has dramatically reduced the workload during what is traditionally one of the busiest and most demanding times of the farming year. “We used to calve in the paddocks and were forever out in bad weather checking cows, bringing them in and putting colostrum in,” says Alex. “As soon as we moved indoors there was no stress at all. They produced 410,000kgMS last season Stock Cartage, General Cartage & Fert Spreading admin@waikakatransport.com 032072885 Offices now located in Riversdale, Gore and Winton | Phone 03 202 7508 | www.hammonddavidson.co.nz Peter CORCORAN & CAIRNSCONTRACTING LTD We’ve got the experience & the equipment to do the job right. We pride ourselves on top results. Maitland, No 5RD, Gore 0274 318 148 / 0276 237 440 petercorcorancontractingltd@outlook.com www.petercorcorancontracting.co.nz Sales: Paddock & Shed Stored Hay & Balage, Standing Grass, Conventional & 4x4 Rounds We have had no down cows this year and it’s stopped the majority of calving issues.” While Alex and Bridgette manage the day-to-day operations sister Melissa, a trained veterinary technician and pregnancy scanner, provides animal health expertise and brother Simon, a lawyer in Dunedin, assists with legal matters. Richard and Debbie remain actively involved with Richard helping with the breeding and farm maintenance and Debbie with errands and childcare. Alex says the family’s approach is straightforward: streamline where possible, reinvest profits and keep building a business that is productive, efficient and sustainable. “Halter has freed up that time and allowed us to fence our paddocks more accurately. It’s helped us produce more milk off less input.”
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