| 55 nzdairy DAIRY PEOPLE » WWUG Maximum value from supplementary feed Karen Phelps A newly completed composting barn at one of Koromiko Dairies’ Tauranga properties is set to optimise how the family-owned operation manages its pastures, protects paddock health and extracts maximum value from supplementary feed. Koromiko Dairies runs three dairy farms milking around 3,000 cows across Tauranga and Te Puke and also includes dairy support, cropping and kiwifruit operations. The new barn, located on the company’s 295-hectare Tauranga farm that milks 800 cows, is the first composting barn it has built. The farm sits at 450 metres above sea level on the edge of the Kaimai Ranges, an area that receives considerable rainfall. Managing director Rory Bragg says the barn will house 400 cows full time or function as a feed pad for up to 870 cows. The operation has shifted to a more intensive system around three years ago, giving cows their full 24-hour grass allocation at night before returning them to paddocks after morning milking to clean up any remaining feed. The challenge, says Rory, has been hitting desired residual targets without overgrazing. “The composting barn gives us the ability to take the cows off the paddocks when they hit residual,” he says. “By not overgrazing paddocks we’ll grow more grass throughout the season, and the cows should produce more as well. As a lot of feed has previously been fed out in the paddocks we aim to eliminate any wastage as well.” Protecting pasture quality sits at the heart of the strategy. The barn will also prevent pugging during the wet weather. In addition to PKE and maize fed through the inshed feeding system during milking, the operation adds distillers dried grains and other concentrates at different times of year, with grass silage and maize silage used to top up the cows’ diet. “We are trying to keep the cows as full as we can for as long as we can to slow the throughput of feed through the cow so it can extract the maximum amount of nutrition,” explains Rory. The approach is delivering results. Milk production has grown from around 300,000 kilograms of milksolids to 400,000 kilograms with the same number of cows, reaching the operation’s target of 100 per cent of liveweight in milk production last season. The barn will house 400 cows full time or function as a feed pad for up to 870 cows. Rory says the new barn will also make calving easier and it will provide shade for cows during summer heat. Environmental gains are also anticipated, with reduced leaching expected as a result of better manure management. The compost produced in the barn can be returned directly to paddocks as a nutrient source. NumatAGRI constructed the barn and delivered a turnkey solution that covered consents, design and construction. The design promotes cow comfort through warm, dry and well-ventilated conditions, according to the NumatAGRI website proven to increase lying times to between 10 and 12 hours per day, which in turn improves blood flow to the udder and supports milk production. Rory sees potential to develop the farm system further utilising the barn. “We may be able to use the barn to fully house the cows during the day between milkings, effectively lowering the stocking rate by doing that as they are not on the pasture.” Sheely Enterprises Earthmoving Services We Offer: 20 Years Experience in Earthworks General Earthworks Farm Work Industrial Work Environmental Services 027 430 3747 msheely@xtra.co.nz www.earthworkservice.co.nz Matamata
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