90 | nzdairy Karen Phelps The history of Lawwal Holsteins, situated at Gordonton, just north of Hamilton is as engaging as the quality of their pedigree herd is exceptional. Founded by the Singh family, whose dairy roots in the district stretch back to 1972, when Karamjit and Mindy Singh bought 65 Jersey cows, the farm today extends across a 250ha platform, where a 1000cow free-stall barn is home to a Holstein Friesian herd of the highest calibre. Today, the operation is run by the third generation on that land, siblings Arjun, Anjena and Amreeta Singh, who each bring their passion and skills into enabling the business to flourish. When NZ Dairy spoke with Anjena late July, she said brother Arjun was the expert behind the breeding programme that has, today seen, pedigree families develop, sought after in New Zealand and around the world. Breeding Holsteins is more than just a hobby at Lawwal – it’s an addiction! “We thrive on the challenge of creating the next generation, whether that’s through careful sire selection, genomic testing, or sourcing outstanding maternal lines from around the world,” says Anjena. Serious research was put into planning and executing the build of the free-stall barn. Aman Singh travelled around New Zealand and overseas to see existing free-stall barns in action and it was by doing this research that he arrived at the design and fit-out of Lawwal’s barn, the longest in the Waikato, which opened in 2018. Spurring the decision to have the herd housed inside, were direct benefits to the environment, to animal health and comfort and to long-term sustainability. Not only do the cows enjoy resting on mattresses inside, they are fed a precise Total Mixed Ration diet centred on maize and grass silage, and tailored to different lactation stages. The milking herd is split into quarters. Herd one are the younger cows, given the best start in life Exceptional quality of pedigree herd Breeding Holsteins is more than just a hobby at Lawwal. ON FARM » Lawwal Holsteins Proud to support Dairy Farmers with their feed and animal nutrition requirements www.bhlfeeds.co.nz as they are not competing with older cows, while herd two are the high producers,. The third herd are incalf and at the end of their lactation cycle while herd four is, what Anj describes, as a kind of mixture, who have the opportunity to go out at night when the weather conditions allow. This final herd are the oldest cows. With such a considerable herd, there are three main calving times. Eight weeks through February and March, Spring calving lasting four weeks in September and Winter calving extending over 10 days in June. In 2023, Lawwal Holsteins won the Waikato Supreme title in the NZ Farm Environment Trust Awards, for their stewardship of the land and due diligence in creating a total farm system built around the principles of environmental sustainability, animal and people welfare. “We were very proud to receive this coveted award which recognised that everything we practice on the farm is designed to work in seamlessly as a whole production system.” Waste produced in the barn is captured within the farm’s eco-system, by being applied to the land, in the process eliminating the need to purchase in fertiliser. Anj says the cows love living indoors. “They tend to hang around in the same groups, sharing the same area. They’re creatures of habit and sleep in the same area.” Every two years Lawwal Holsteins presents an on-farm sale; an event the whole family and team look forward to. It’s at this event that people from all over the country and from overseas gather to view the animals put up for auction. The event affords an opportunity for Lawwal to present top-tier genetics for sale. “Land at Lawwal” sale achieved an average of $12,330 - an Australasian record for a single Vendor Sale, with the top seller being Lawwal A2P2 Miranda P-ET VG89 Max selling for $40,000. The sale also serves as a way to create meaningful funds for a chosen charity. “We put a charity animal up for sale and this year, at our sale held in April, we raised $16,000 for the Starship Foundation, which was a wonderful achievement.” The Singh family are extremely proud of what has been built from those pioneering years all those decades ago. Their herd today is highly regarded by commercial farmers and breeders alike. Servicing the Waikato since 1932 Milking Machines | Water Pumps | Effluent Systems hutchies.co.nz 12 Canada Street, Morrinsville 0800 HUTCHIES 57 Great South Rd, Taupiri 0800 488 244
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