NZ Dairy Summer 2020

48 | nz dairy B.J. Bishop Transport For Metal, Fert and Palm Kernel Contact: Barry Bishop Owner / Operator 1914 Mountain Road, Inglewood P. 06 756 7354 | M. 027 447 9232 Billy & team proudly support Donald McIntyre Chartered Accountants www.tandemgroup.co.nz Call Tom Butler on 06 758 5273 Support and empowering business Proud to Support Donald McIntyre ON FARM » Donald McIntyre D rought and now Covid-19. It’s been a chal- lenging year for farmers in Taranaki, says im- mediate past president of Taranaki Federated Farmers, Donald McIntyre. Donald and wife Linda, who works as a rural real estate agent, own a 140ha farm at Ratapiko, between Stratford and Inglewood. They milk a herd of 320 cows and Donald says Covid-19 had minimal effect on their operation apart from the fact that a medical procedure their contract milker needed was postponed. This meant a full recovery only just took place to coincide with the start of calving, putting on the pressure. Donald says that as Taranaki is not so reliant on immigrant workers the effect of border restrictions has not been too bad for the region. Drought has had a larger impact and neces- sitated the McIntyres having to buy in feed and put cows on 16 hour milkings to get through. Crops destined for feed struggled to come to fruition so cows were dried off earlier than usual. “We got there in the end but there were certainly some challenges involved. We had reserves and bought in feed but that was also difficult due to feed shortages in the country.” Despite the challenges Donald remains prag- matic saying farming always has its challenges and a good dairy payout the year before offset the worst of the financial impact. “The climate is always changing so you have to have strategies to cope.” The focus as ever remains on improving perfor- mance and production through small incremental changes across the business along with trimming costs where possible. This has included trialling new grass species that might work better on the land and tweaking the fertilizer regime. “Nothing is set in stone – we are continually trying things science tells us we should to see if it improves outcomes,” he says. One example is using an LIC heat detection camera in the cow shed. “While we still need good people to pick up cows in heat we now don’t need as many highly qualified labour units on call as intensely. This gives staff a better work-life balance.” The farm’s 50 bail rotary shed also comes equipped with milk meters, automatic drafting and automatic cup removers to further lessen the burden on staff. Ending his role with Federated Farmers has freed Donald up to get the farm back into order after some busy years with his off-farm role. It’s also Drought adds to challenging year Karen Phelps been a time to focus on getting the farm compliant with the National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management, continuing with things such as fenc- ing and riparian planting. But his off-farm roles still continue as Donald is involved in the dairy section committee and as a regional councillor for Taranaki Regional Council. While Donald takes a hands-on role on the farm, Linda is busy with her real estate career. The couple also runs a wedding and events venue business from the farm called Lake Farm Garden. Situated on the dairy farm and man-made hydro lake, Lake Farm Garden extends into several acres of country garden nestled into the landscape of Ratapiko, Taranaki. Since Linda and Donald purchased the farm in 1994 they have further developed the garden and take great joy in opening it to the public hosting weddings, family events and work gather- ings with a difference.. Ending his role with Federated Farmers has freed Donald up to get the farm back into order after some busy years with his off-farm role.