54 | nzdairy Investment in infrastructure pays off Sue Russell The original home-farm Peter and Karen Martin and his son and daughter inlaw Mel run at Kereone, near Morrinsville, goes back in the family two generations when Peter’s father bought the farm from former Member of Parliament Sir Stanley Gooseman. Stanley and Peter’s grandfather were great friends. “Dad bought the farm in 1969 and converted it. At the time he was the biggest supplier, milking 360 cows for Morrinsville dairy company,” Peter explains. Peter worked on the farm, eventually buying his own farm in 1982, milking 260 cows until eventually Dad suggested Peter buy the home-farm being 127ha which happened in 2002. In 2007 another 70 hectare farm was added to the farm’s footprint and in 2015 a further 112ha neighbouring farm came into the family business. Now another generation, in the form of Peter’s son Shane and family are working the land, cows and milking a total of 1250 Friesian. “Shane’s been on the farm 8 years and he runs the farm including 5 staff. I am doing a lot of the tractor driving which I enjoy.” One of the reasons the business has flourished have been prudent decisions to invest in infrastructure that would bring lasting gain. The farm is home to three 90m x 20m Smartshelter Sheds, enabling a larger number of cows to be milked from the land area. The sheds are used mainly for the winter milking herd and during summer they offer much needed respite from the heat, which Peter says, the cows really enjoy. “They would far rather stay under the shade of the sheds, which don’t get as hot as outside. There’s a lot less stress and they’re in much better condition for it.” The business has just invested in a new 70 bale De laval milking shed with all the latest technology, automatic cup removers, conductivity alerts, automatic drafting, and automatic teat spraying. One rotation takes 8 minutes to complete and Peter says the cows love it, to the point where they don’t want to get off. Two staff work in the milking shed at any one time, running three herds, of that one herd of 600 cows in the winter milkers. The shed took seven months to complete, merging the home farm of 127ha and the neighbouring block of 112ha being milked thought the new rotary. Shane, Peter, Adelene, Karen and Mel Martin with Olly and Carly Martin (in front). The business has just invested in a new 70 bale De laval milking shed with all the latest technology (below). DAIRY PEOPLE» Peter & Karen Martin The 70ha farm is still milked on its own, with a 20ashb shed. The rotary supplies two dairy companies Tatua and Fonterra. “We have also put in Cow Manager ear tags. It’s similar to collars and sends out information on the situation of each cow every 15 minutes, which could be a health alert or heat alert so when they get to the milking shed, they can be automatically drafted off if necessary. At the moment we are doing AB and we just plug into the computer and auto drafting takes over.” An additional 40 ha lease property is now used for growing maize silage and grazing young stock. “As for staff, we currently employ five full time, with Shane overseeing the whole operation. We also employ Tony who helps out with fencing and tractor driving, while Shane’s wife Mel takes care of the finances and administration.” Peter’s wife Karen helps out doing AB and feeding calves. “It works out really well. I always said to Shane that tractors don’t make the money, the land does and I think we’ve got a really good situation now in terms of the farming system and the infrastructure on board.” Peter says it’s great to see his grandson Olly showing signs of being the next generation. Olly (6) also has two sisters, Carly (4) and Adelene (2) also loving the farm life. www.piakotractors.co.nz PROUD TO SUPPORT PROGRESSIVE FARMING 40 Thames St, Morrinsville I 07 889 7055 Mike Kitching 021 735 665 I Glenn Greay 021 862 169 I Todd Hewitt 021 945 817 Proud to be a service provider for Mar�n Dairies Ph 07 889 5693 Ph 07 888 8245 24 Hour Service www.electrico.co.nz • New Cowsheds & Addi�ons • Milk Flow Controls • Implement Shed Wiring • Water & Effluent Pump Controls • Variable Speed Drives • Pump & Motor Repairs • New Homes & Altera�ons • Commercial Installa�on • Industrial 24 Hour Service - 7 Days PROUD TO SUPPORT THE MARTIN FAMILY Phone 07 889 0598 (Morrinsville) 07 888 8051(Matamata) Email service@mcgregorsfarmservices.co.nz 9 Ron Ladd Place, Morrinsville 3300 NFD21kwDon(Martin) Herringbone or rotary Silage bunkers Feed pads E luent systems Authorised licensee Call us today for a FREE on-site design consultation. www.chapmandairy.com 021 780 477 shanan@dcw.net.nz www.donchapmanwaikato.co.nz 07 889 6168 Congratulations to the Martins on their new dairy parlour. Don Chapman Waikato Ltd is your local specialist in farm design and construction. Thinking about amore e icient farm dairy?
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