NZ Dairy Summer 2020

46 | nz dairy admin@rainer.co.nz Tavendale and Partners are proud to support Daniel & Paula McAtamney We can deal to all your crop and pasture weed, pest and disease and liquid fertiliser needs with our great team and fleet of trucks with 24 m booms and self - propelled sprayer with 30 m boom. Spraying specialists but run in conjunction with a commercial mixed cropping farm with most equipment other Ag contracting available on request. Angus McKenzie Ph: 027366 0944 Email: angus@wairunafarm.nz Covering both Mid and South Canterbury • Ploughing • Cultivation • Min Tillage • Fodder Beet Planting • Conventional Drilling • Direct Drilling Contact James 027 464 5730 ON FARM » Daniel & Paula McAtamney C anterbury dairy farmer Daniel McAtamney says that it was a good decision on his part to take up dairy farming seven seasons ago, having been brought up on a sheep and beef property. In 2018 Daniel and Paula took out line-honours in the Canterbury/North Otago Dairy Industry Awards, an experience they gained immense value from. With aspirations to own their own farm one day Daniel took on a senior assistant role in 2014 and Paula a second-in-charge role, they have grown through the Dairy Industry to sharemilking near Hinds. “It felt almost like a backwards step the first year. I knew about farming but didn’t know dairy, but with Primary ITO and DairyNZ training I learnt fast. If I wasn’t working then I’d be away on a course, just to learn,” Daniel says. That phase of formal learning extended over five years and meanwhile Daniel was moving up through positions of responsibility. The couple both entered the Dairy Industry Awards for the first time in the Trainee of the Year category with Daniel receiving third-place and Paula being awarded a merit award. The following year the couple entered again together when Daniel was Unit Manager and Paula was Assistant Operations Manager on the same unit. “I think these experiences of each entering the awards really added to our journey together,” Daniel reflects. The farm they share-milk is at Hinds, mid- Canterbury and is home to 805 Friesian cross-bred cows. Daniel says the cows are producing well, given its his second season with the herd. “Last season we produced 505kgMS/cow and I don’t see why we cannot improve on that.” Calving this season went very well and the 54 bale rotary with cup removers and protract performs well. Working on the farm with Daniel are a team of Decision to go dairy the right one Sue Russell three farm workers and Paula takes care of the calves, kids, office and fits in anywhere when she’s available. Paula grew up on a dairy farm and studied nurs- ing and when her farming family moved back to the South Island from Hamilton decided to turn to farming herself. “She is actively in the business and quite capable of running the farm. At the moment with two young children that is her focus and she does a great job looking after the calves.” Asked how the unsettlement that came with COVID was experienced Daniel says that life carried on as usual. They just knuckled down and stayed home with the team. With the exception of implementing more safety measures and having a few channels to go down for getting supplies, they kept safe. “We were all one big bubble as I imagine was the case with most farming families at that time.” The property is fully irrigated making the summer months easily manageable. The herd is fed predominantly pasture and win- tered on fodderbeet, kale and straw, with a little bit of silage, wheat, palm kernel, and molasses. Looking ahead Daniel says that he and Paula are well settled on the farm, enjoying operating their business and improving the breeding and profitabil- ity of their cows alongside supportive farm owners. “Our team are great and I have full trust in them to run the farm without me all though I’m on farm and working along-side them I can disappear if needed, to tend to young stock or other things that need arranging behind the day to day farming agenda.” “I think these experiences of each entering the awards really added to our journey together.” Canterbury sharemilkers Paula and Daniel McAtamney.