Less cows, more production, happy staff at Jenkins Road Dairies - page 20 Less is more SUMMER 2022 www.waterfordpress.co.nz
2 | nzdairy Contents These conditions are prescribed for the sake of understanding between the Company and its clients. Advertising is charged for on the basis of space taken up using a standard tabloid page. Actual space may be reduced during the printing process but this will effect all advertisers equally so no credit will be given for any reduction in size due to processing. The Company reserves the right to alter, change or omit entirely any advertisement or article that it considers to be objectionable or which may contravene any law. In the event of a failure on the part of the Company to insert advertising as instructed the Company may publish the advertisement at the first available subsequent reasonable date unless the advertisement features date sensitive material. Every care shall be taken to publish the advertisement in accordance with the advertisers instructions as to page and position but the Company reserves the right for whatever reason to place advertising in a different position and in doing so shall incur no liability whatsoever. Advertisers must advise NZ Dairy immediately of any error or omission in advertisements and shall work constructively to remedy the situation which in the first instance shall be a rerun of the corrected advertisement in the next available issue of NZ Dairy. Where advertisement proofs have been faxed or mailed to the client 48 hours prior to the nominated printing cut off time acquiesce shall be taken as confirmation and acceptance. Corrections made by telephone shall be accepted but the Company reserves the right to decide whether a further proof should be faxed or mailed to the client. Accounts for advertising are due for payment within seven days of publication of the newspaper. Accounts not paid within this time may incur a penalty of 3% per month until the account is paid. Any debt collection costs incurred by the Company will be added to the account of the debtor. Views and opinions expressed in NZ Dairy are not necessarily those of the editors, Waterford Press Ltd or publisher. NZ Dairy welcomes contributions from freelance writers & journalists. All articles published at editors discretion. NZ Dairy accepts no responsibility for loss of photos or manuscripts. #nzdairy #yourstory www.waterfordpress.co.nz Aiden & Jody Wards.................................................................... 03 Bernard Stachurski ..................................................................... 04 Ben Burmeister........................................................................... 05 Nick Gold & Sarah Vincent .......................................................... 06 Tharanga Senavirathna............................................................... 07 Burnside Farms: Mike & Raewyn Hills ......................................... 08 Bob Lawson................................................................................ 09 Aaron & Fiona Campbell.............................................................. 10 Alan & Sue Moore ....................................................................... 11 Wilith Farm: Miah & Jenny Smith ................................................ 12 Rogan & Michelle Borrie ............................................................. 14 Cleams Dairies ........................................................................... 16 Cleavedale Farms: Jersey Girl Organics....................................... 17 Broadlands Dairy ........................................................................ 18 Jenkins Road Dairies Ltd: Manpreet Singh Boparai ..................... 20 Darrell Trumper........................................................................... 21 Melrose Dairy Ltd: David & Lynley Ecclestone ............................. 22 David Wood Shorthorns............................................................... 23 Douglas Farming......................................................................... 24 Gralyn Dairy Farms: Graham Robinson ........................................ 26 John & Jill Bluett ........................................................................ 28 Tony & Lesley Landers ................................................................ 29 Joy Thomas ................................................................................ 30 Larissa & Scott Anderson ............................................................ 32 Maui Milk ................................................................................... 34 Shaun & Nikoia McKelvie: Maxnco Farms.................................... 35 May ower Organic Dairy Unit...................................................... 36 Michael Gilbert ........................................................................... 37 Mike Robinson............................................................................ 38 Myfanwy Alexander......................................................................... 40 James Matheson ............................................................................ 40 Mokoia Holstein Friesian Stud: Fred & Marilyn Blatchford ................ 41 Paul & Christine Ashton................................................................... 42 Paul & Robyn Williams .................................................................... 44 Stuart Honey eld ............................................................................ 46 River Edge Dairies: Pam & Jason Brock........................................... 48 Pamu Burgess Dairy Farm .............................................................. 50 Ryan McPherson............................................................................. 52 Shaydoc Holsteins .......................................................................... 54 Silvestre Ltd ................................................................................... 55 Tane Farms: Walter & Robyn Judd................................................... 58 Tawa Ridge Farms .......................................................................... 60 The Bartletts: George & Ellen Bartlett .............................................. 62 The Natural Dairy............................................................................ 64 Top Notch Calves ............................................................................ 66 Waka Dairies .................................................................................. 68 Pat & Shelley Schnuriger................................................................. 70 Bluegrass Contracting..................................................................... 72 Chris Perrett Electrical Solutions ..................................................... 80 Nevada Group................................................................................. 81 Refrigeration & Heating Systems..................................................... 82 Nicholson Contracting..................................................................... 85 Rural Building Solutions Ltd ............................................................ 86 BHL Feeds ...................................................................................... 88 Barry Bishop................................................................................... 89 Waikato Dairy Ef uent .................................................................... 90 Wairuna Agri-Services .................................................................... 91 Waitaki Dairy Solutions ................................................................... 92 12 | Less stress, more time - the joys of regenerative farming. 32 | A perfect match: Larissa Anderson followed her intuition and her heart to NZ. 64 | Real milk in glass bottles a real journey for Oamaru’s Glen Claridge. 05 | The support of his parents, staff and the wider community has been crucial for solo dad Ben Burmeister. OUR PARTNERS: Christchurch Of ce 112 Wrights Road, Addington, Christchurch Phone 03-983 5500 PO Box 37 346 www.waterfordpress.co.nz Queenstown Office 70 Glenda Drive, Queenstown 9300 PO Box 2581, Wakatipu MANAGING DIRECTOR James Lynch james@waterfordpress.co.nz EDITORIAL Editor Randall Johnston randall@waterfordpress.co.nz Paul Mein paulmein@waterfordpress.co.nz Journalists Ange Davidson, Kelly Deeks, Tracey Edwardes, Russell Fredric, Rachel Graham, Richard Loader, Kim Newth, Karen Phelps, Sue Russell, Virginia Wright. RESEARCH & MARKETING Adam Feaver, Chris Graves, Megan Hawkins Mandi King, Allan J Knowles, Lisa Moffat, Colin Morais, Chris Pearce, Alasdair Thomson. sales@waterfordpress.co.nz PRODUCTION DEPARTMENT General Manager Luke Lynch luke@waterfordpress.co.nz Graphic Artists Connor Gosnell, Anton Gray, Francesca Hildawa, Sophie McCleary, Liki Udam. art@waterfordpress.co.nz CONTENT COORDINATORS Ann-Marie Frentz, Andrea Benns. OFFICE AND ACCOUNTS Helen Bourne accounts@waterfordpress.co.nz Jill Holland reception@waterfordpress.co.nz Lyn Barlow lyn@waterfordpress.co.nz
| 3 nzdairy DAIRY PEOPLE » Aiden & Jody Wards Aidan Wards with children Melah and Beran (holding Gus). Organics a ‘personal health journey’ Ange Davidson It’s been a wet winter in Taranaki with an extra half of metre of rain falling in July and August compared to last year. Like many dairy farmers in the area, organic farmers Aiden and Jody Wards at Kaponga, inland Taranaki, are dealing with signi cant pasture damage from pugging, and delays to reseeding paddocks due to the water-logged paddocks. The couple recently hosted Dairy NZ’s Taranaki Organics Spring eld day, an event that attracted organic farmers from around the district plus consultants from Massey’s Veterinary Science School, Dairy NZ and numerous business reps. “It’s a great opportunity for organic farmers to get together and talk about problems you might be having with your cows and pastures. They get to have look around your place, enjoy a lunch together and learn something new,” says Aiden. “The biggest challenge for an organic farmer depends on where they’re at with their farm conversion so it’s great to tap into the knowledge around you and learn from each other’s experiences and industry knowledge.” At present, Aiden’s biggest challenge is winter mastitis. Having made the switch to organics seven years earlier, Aiden has tried many remedies to shift the mastitis, and the cows are regularly tested so Aiden knows exactly what he’s dealing with. Animal health issues are steadily improving and testament to this is an annual improvement of the herds AI submission rate which is now 91% in three weeks. It can be dif cult to buy good organic cows from other farmers, and Aiden is raising more cows and holding over more dry cows to provide more options for the farm. They have had a 77% six week in calf rate this year using AI for the rst four weeks of cycling, then bulls. Animal health starts from the soil up and Aiden believes that the key to farming organically is about preventing diseases before having to nd a cure. That comes down to good soils and Aiden has his soils and herbage regularly tested by IFert to grow quality grass. IFert will recommend a fertiliser plan using Bio-Gro approved products such as Phostak and guano and ef uent is applied over the whole farm. “We have to be really good grass farmers which can mean being more conservative with our stocking rate. We’re a bit more old-school in our approach and run 2.5 cows to the hectare and we Chartered Accountants who speak your language Proud to be working with Aiden and Jody Wards to help them understand their numbers and achieve their goals Phone 07 888-7089 20 Arawa Street, PO Box 192, Matamata | www.candygillespie.co.nz TALK TO THE EXPERTS FOR FARMING SUPPORT FARM SERVICES HOMEOPATHIC farmservices.nz info@farmservices.nz 07 858 4233 @HomeopathicFarmServices don’t send any of our stock away for grazing,” says Aiden. Aiden milks on 79 hectares of the 90-hectare farm with young stock on the remaining pasture. The milk goes to Fonterra’s Hamilton plant for organic milk powder and speciality products. Fonterra pay a premium price for organic milk solids and Aiden’s farm is averaging 74,000 milk solids a year. “You can’t grow as much grass organically as you would using urea, plus it’s harder to buy in supplement feed in times of drought or de cit,” he says. “The core reason to convert to organics was a personal health journey and we’ve experienced great improvements to our health by eating organically. We wanted to stop using harmful chemicals on our land and to improve our animal health naturally. We now produce a top-quality product because of these changes.” 06 278 4160 • 027 456 7875 141 Glover Road, Hawera
4 | nzdairy DAIRY PEOPLE » Bernard Stachurski NZ farmers ‘still the best in the world’ The Stachurski farm near Inglewood is home to 280 cows of which 65% are purebred pedigree Ayrshires with the rest Friesians and a smattering of Shorthorns. Richard Loader With all that the Labour Government has thrown at farmers over the last ve years, fourth generation Taranaki farmer Bernard Stachurski nds himself increasingly asking what drives him to farm the land that has been in his family for a hundred years. The answer of course, is the same for many farmers no matter what they farm. They love their stock and they love their land – it’s their home. “I don’t look at it as a job, it’s our livelihood and it’s just what we do, and you get on with it,” says Bernard. “You do it because you enjoy it. Although money is important, money is not the main driving reason why you farm. “Farmers are not the sort off people who do it because of the glamour of farming, because there is no glamour in our game. At the moment, we’re most probably regarded as the scum of the country – for want of a better word – working our guts out and polluting the countryside. “If only people knew the true facts. In the big scale of things, New Zealand farmers are still the best in the world and a long way ahead of many other countries – and that’s because of what our forefathers did for us.” The Stachurski farm is nestled in the farming district of Waitui, just east of Inglewood. Part of the farm has been in the family since 1922 when great-grandfather Joseph Stachurski bought it. Encompassing 123 hectares of rolling farm land inclusive of native bush and creeks, the farm is home to 280 cows of which 65% are purebred pedigree Ayrshires with the rest Friesians and a smattering of Shorthorns. Seven years ago Bernard and his wife Robyn bought the family farm. At that time the couple also owned a neighbouring block of land and milked a total of 500 cows under a high input system to maximise production, because that was what the experts advised them to do. “We worked ourselves to the ground, but we weren’t going forward. Everyone was getting rich except us. So, we decided it wasn’t working, took the staff out of the situation, sold the bottom piece of land, reduced the herd numbers accordingly, and became a low input farm. Now Robbie and I are doing it as a team – and there’s no one else to blame but us if things go wrong – except I can’t blame Robbie too much as I get told off!” The Stachurski’s have four children – Charlotte (Charlie) 17, Grace 16, Joe 15 and Sam 13. Keen on farming, Charlotte is heading to university next year to do a degree in Ag. Science. Bernard reckons the lifestyle afforded to children growing up in the wide-open spaces is another big bene t of farming.“They have a country life, they have learned responsibility, learned life cycles and know how life works beyond the electronic devices. “They have the opportunity to make their own fun, make a tree house, make a cart and wreck themselves down the hill, and they know what it’s like to play in the mud, when they’re not supposed to.” “Farmers are not the sort off people who do it because of the glamour of farming, because there is no glamour in our game.” CLAASHarvest Centreare proud tosupport BurnardStachurski Proud to partner with Bernard Stachurski Hay & Silage Baling | Round & Square Bales | Maize & Pit Silage Hedge Mulching | All Cultivating Work | Effluent Spreading 067568066 | www.morattiagri.co.nz
| 5 nzdairy RURAL PEOPLE » Ben Burmeister Charlie (above) and Josh Burmeister survey the damage to the Taranaki farm after ooding in September. Support network key for solo farming dad Richard Loader When Ben Burmeister became a solo dad in May last year, a number of adjustments had to be made to enable him to look after his three young sons every second week, while still looking after his Taranaki dairy farm. Ben says he has been extremely lucky to have had the support of his parents, a very good network of friends and the wider community. “I also have a pretty good worker, Jamie, who has been with me for a few years now. The week that I have the boys, Jamie does the heavy lifting, and I’m there when I can. “I’ve installed automatic cup removers to make it a one man shed. We still have two in the shed during calving but basically I only do a couple of milkings when it’s my week with the boys. “I also dropped the stocking rate from 285 to 275 to take a little pressure off. It was only ten cows but I needed to make a little more room for error, because when you are not full time on the farm you can make mistakes. I’m quite lucky in that I have been on this farm for most of my life and know it very well. I know what problems are coming up and how I’m going to solve those problems.” Being highly organised, exible and making sure the boys – Ryan 12, Josh 9 and Charlie 4 – are prioritised over the farm’s needs has also been a key to managing the adjustment. “The weeks that I have the boys, I still get up at 5.00am, which is force of habit. I get the school lunches done, do some housework, get the kids breakfast, and into school. I go at tack on the farm from 9.00am till about 2.30pm when I pick up Ryan and Josh, do what jobs I can do with them, “It’s quite a pull if something needs doing on the farm, but the kids need me too. I have ti be organised. You have to think in two week blocks how you will get through and what jobs are coming up.” Charlie Burmeister held by dad Ben, with Josh and Ryan (front). S A G Contracting Ltd Earthworks, Drainage and Metal Supplies. Proud to support Ben Burmeister Phone Steve Gibson 027 475 2006 NZ Farmers Livestock and Livestock Specialist, Bryan Goodin are proud to be associated with NZ Farmers Livestock are 100% owned and operated, and have a long-standing and established history Bryan Goodin - Livestock Specialist - Coastal Taranaki - 027 531 8511 and then there is dinner to organise. Josh often has sport after school and I get to spend that time with him as well.” Charlie is in Day Care two days a week, with the rest of the time spent with his dad doing fun farm stuff. “I’m trying to spend as much time with Charlie as I did the two older boys,’ says Ben. “Those early years are just so important for bonding. Charlie comes feeding out with me, and feeding the calves after breakfast. But a full day on the farm is a bit too much for Charlie at the moment. It’s quite a pull if something needs doing on the farm, but the kids need me too. I have to be organised. You have to think in two week blocks how you will get through and what jobs are coming up.” Ben says the week he doesn’t have the boys is a struggle. “It’s a family home with no family, so I don’t stay at home much when I am by myself. It’s been hard for the boys with both parents not here too. Farm kids are brought up to have a close relationship with their parents, because we’re always there and now they only see us one at a time.”
6 | nzdairy DAIRY PEOPLE » Nick Gold & Sarah Vincent Wintering barn proves it worth Kim Newth Waikato dairy couple Nick Gold and Sarah Vincent are thankful they had a nice warm barn for their dry cows to go into when it was raining day after day through a very wet winter. The couple are in their third season contract milking 550 cows on a high input system ve farm at Kio Kio, near Otorohanga. They cannot speak highly enough of the farm’s clear-roofed Redpath shelter barn, saying it has been hugely bene cial for animal welfare and the farm environment. “We mainly use it as a wintering barn for up to 300 dry cows. We had a really wet winter. It has been tough, but we’re one per cent ahead on production and pretty happy with that as everyone else seems to be down a bit. If we didn’t have that barn, it would be a whole different story. Walking through there when it was pouring with rain outside, we were so thankful to have it.” The barn has a wood chip oor, with fresh sawdust regularly added through winter. When the barn is in use, the ooring material is regularly turned over to facilitate the composting process and to keep the top layer dry. The compost is cleaned out every few years and used on cropping paddocks. Cows in the barn are fed a mixed ration of grass and maize silage with some palm kernel and soybean hull, comparable to a percentage mix of the usual lactation diet to ensure they maintain rumen capacity at a high level and are ready to go come calving. “We keep them in the barn for 28 days, on average, until they calve. Having this barn is magic for calving down. A big positive for us is having full control over their diet. We know they are getting the right amount of magnesium, calcium and other minerals that really help animal metabolism. We don’t get much milk fever and, if they do get it, they bounce back quickly and are good as gold.” For this winter milking, split-calving operation, having the barn takes the off a lot of pressure at calving time. “Compared to calving in the paddock, outside in the wet and cold, calves born in the shed are so much healthier. They don’t get sick – they’ve got that head start for life. It makes calving a breeze – once you’ve mixed the feed, it only takes 15 minutes for two people to do the cows and calves every day and, if push comes to shove, you can do it with one person.” The barn has been a boon for pasture management too, as only the lactating cows are out in the paddocks in winter. “It gives them a bigger area – we don’t have pugging; it means the farm environment is in much better shape.” Nick Gold checks on the cows in the wintering barn. When the barn is in use, the ooring material is regularly turned over to facilitate the composting process and to keep the top layer dry. The compost is cleaned out and used on cropping paddocks. 83 Kio Kio Station Rd, RD4, Otorohanga Ph: 07 873 1800 Mob: 029 833 0011 Email: johnclarkcontracting@xtra.co.nz Meat work processing plants www.actionelectrical.co.nz Lactating cows use the feed pad off the cow shed, with less pressure than if the barn was not available. Nick and Sarah foster a positive work culture, shared by their 2IC Daniel Land. Their former farm assistant Ethan Thorpe has taken up a 2IC role on a neighbouring farm and the couple are proud to have supported his progression. Cage Wynd is now learning the ropes as their new farm assistant.
| 7 nzdairy Tharanga Senavirathna with wife Jilani Wijenayake and daughter Ivy Amelia. DAIRY PEOPLE » Tharanga Senavirathna Drive, ambition propel farming dream Richard Loader No matter how big the reach, dreams can come true if you have the ambition and drive to make it happen, as mid Canterbury farmer Tharanga Senavirathna can attest to. When Tharanga was a boy growing up in Sri Lanka in the ‘80s and ‘90s, his dream was to be a dairy farmer, and especially a dairy farmer in New Zealand with its rivers, lakes, the ocean, mountains and bush. Tharanga’s journey to realising his dream began by completing a Bachelor of Agricultural Science and Management degree, specialising in livestock production, the last six months of which involved practical work and research on a large Sri Lankan dairy unit. After graduation in 2012, two seasons were spent on another Sri Lankan dairy operation milking 300 cows through a small 8-aside herringbone shed. During this period Tharanga applied through Farm Source Jobs for a job on a New Zealand dairy unit and was eventually invited to join a team in Oamaru as a dairy assistant on an 850-cow farm. After a successful season there, Tharanga moved to a Collingwood farm as assistant farm manager, but the best part of all was being joined by his wife Jilani. “The next year I went to Hororata as herd manager, working under a Sri Lankan contract milker who taught me a great deal about managing a dairy farm,” says Tharanga. “The following season I progressed to 2IC.” Tharanga’s next step was moving to Mount Summers and a Farm Manager’s role working under sharemilkers Jared and Victoria Clarke. “I spent three seasons on this farm and it was a real turning point for me in my career. I was encouraged to enter the 2021 Canterbury/North Otago Dairy Industry awards in the Dairy Farm Manager category, and achieved runner up.” Now becoming well known as an achiever in the industry, Tharanga was offered a Farm Manager’s role with Williams Holdings, with full management responsibility on Ikawai, one of its Waimate farms. Williams Holdings have a number of dairy units both in Waimate, Ashburton and Ranfurly. “I was given the task of running the farm more technically than it had been previously and also improving the appearance of the property. Bordering the Waitaki River, Ikawai was 360 hectares effective with 1250 cows, and I had ve staff working under me. “During that season I had also been looking at my next step up the dairy ladder, which was contract milking. Pete Williams had been impressed with the progress we had made on Ikawai and offered me a contract milker’s role on one of his large Ashburton properties for the 2022 season, and that is where I am now. That is a 1600 cow farm, encompassing 405 hectares.” Through Tharanga’s company Milkyland Ltd, he now employs six staff and says leadership is one of the things about farming he loves. “I like to plan and implement those plans. I like to use my brain, and bring the staff along with me to achieve those plans.” Doing things the right way, never taking short cuts, working hard, looking after the farm owner’s property as though it was his own, and maintaining good relationships, have all been the keys to Tharanga achieving his dream. Peter and the team are proud to support – Dromore Dairies Hobbs and Banks Ltd T/a Hobbs & Banks Transport 244 Racecourse Road Orari, Geraldine Peter – 027 4373169 Phone : (03) 693 8352
8 | nzdairy Health scare spurs rethink on farm Richard Loader DAIRY PEOPLE » Burnside Farms: Mike & Raewyn Hills Throughout life and when least expected, we encounter speed bumps that threaten to throw our world into a vortex, but as Manawatu farmers Michael and Raewyn Hills can attest, it is how you respond to those speed bumps that will ultimately determine the outcome. As a young faming couple in equity partnership in both the land and the farm’s operations just out of Feilding, Michael and Raewyn’s speed bump occurred in 2019, when a lump on top of Michael’s hand was diagnosed as Epithelioid Sarcoma, a rare, slow growing type of soft tissue cancer. The farm milks 830 cows under a split calving regime, with around 720 cows calving in the spring, and the couple are also the farm’s operations managers. Michael’s hand had become increasingly limited in operation and at the time of diagnosis he and Raewyn were right in the middle of spring calving, as well as balancing the needs of three young children, then aged 8, 6 and 2. “We had to work as a team in a different way to keep moving forward and focus on the positives, taking it day-by-day and dealing with what came at us,” says Raewyn. “Up until 2019, Michael had been 100% involved in the physical side of the farm, while I was doing more of the paper work, plus looking after the kids. Between the two off us, we had quite a good balance. But it got to the point where Michael could no longer use his hand and all of a sudden, I had to become the 100% physical one, while still doing the business side of the operation in the evenings.” With the bene t of medical insurance, Michael was able to speed up the treatment process and by Christmas 2019 was in the process of radiation, followed by extensive surgery early in the new year. Michael had two major operations, one of which was almost twelve hours long. Manawatu farmers Raewyn and Mike Hills. Inset: The farm milks 830 cows in a split calving regime near Feilding. • to page 9 Everything in his hand had to go back to the bone, with tendons taken from his arms, then reconstructed on his hand. Learning to regain some use in his hand was followed by tidy-up operations with all veins being replumbed. While Raewyn’s role had switched to the cowshed and all things farming, Michael found himself in a world that he had not previously experienced. “He had never had to deal with getting the kids to school in the mornings, the lunch box hour, trying to get them moving. While he had some movement in his hand there were many times when kids needed things done and dad only had one good hand. So, I might be in the cow shed, while also doing ‘hair up’ for the dancing after school. “There was a lot of juggling and we took extra DAIRYVET THE Phone 0800 MOO VET Proud to provide Veterinary services to Burnside Farms Ltd PEDLEY SLURRY SERVICE LTD Pedley Slurry Service offers a complete range of options to eliminate your waste problems: liquid or solid, as well as being able to assist you with bulk liquid and bulk solids transport. • Solid Spreading • Effluent Pond Spreading • Klip Tank Emptying • Sumps Cleaning • Bulk Liquid and Solid Cartage Proud to be associated with Burnside Farms Ltd 0800 OH POOS 53 Kawakawa Road, Feilding, 4475 06 323 0101 CLAAS Harvest Centre Central Districts The team at CLAAS Harvest Centre Central Districts, are very proud to support the three generations of families that make up Burnside Farms Ltd. #onlyCLAASforgrass
| 9 nzdairy Asked how this past season has been on the farm Bob says its been the toughest one yet. “It’s been so wet and cold. It was just 2°C this morning with snow on the hills. They don’t perform so well when its miserable which you can understand, however our grass situation is reasonable.” The in-shed meal system has only been in since the beginning of September 2022. Proof of the value of the in shed feed was seen when it ran out of meal and the cows dropped 500 litres in one day. When the feed was lled up again the cows lifted to 450 litres by the second milking of when the feed was re lled and the cows kept on lifting to about 1500 litres from when it was rst installed. Bob’s proud of the fact that some of his genetics actually goes back to the original 1964 herd. “We’ve milked Jersey, Kiwi-cross, Black & Whites J.L. PEDLEY TRANSPORT LTD RD3 Palmerston North Ph (06) 324 8401 or (06) 324 8646 FULLY ACCREDITED LIVESTOCK CARRIER DAIRY PEOPLE » Bob Lawson / Burnside Farms ‘There was a lot of juggling’ • from page 8 Breeder proud of top Ayrshire herd Sue Russell Bob Lawson just loves Ayrshires. He’s been around the breed since 1964, long enough to understand just what makes them so special. “They have real presence about them. They are great to handle and on the farm they are very calm. Their milk production is second-to-none. We’ve had all sorts of breeds in our herd but the Ayrshires just shine,” Bob says. Bob and wife Nikki have been on their Woodville farm they lease six seasons now. The farm has very good quality soil underfoot and at 132ha is a good size for the herd. At the back of the farm is a run-off. Before Woodville the couple farmed for four years at Bulls, leaving that farm with 130 of their own cows and leasing the balance for a couple of years. Milk production has increased dramatically since stepping on to the farm, with top performer, Sunshine Burdette Dale producing in 272 days last season 8217 litres of milk, 298kg of fat, 270kg of protein from 568 total milk solids. And for much of Bob’s journey with the breed, he’s taken them to shows so that other breeders and the general public can see their stature, conformation and quality. “We participated in the North Island show at Levin and came away with Champion and Reserve Champion cows. Actually we did two shows in just 10 days, also entering the Dairy Event shows and it was really hard work,” Bob explains. Having the animals ‘on the road’ so to speak for 10 days, took some planning. When they show cows arrived in Levin, they went on straight dry food, so having all the necessary supplies to feed, care for, and prepare them for showing takes some organisation. “We over-extended her in terms of holding on to her milk up to 30 hours and she handled it beautifully. She looked wonderful. Good cows, with good centre ligaments can do the distance.” Come January, Bob and Nikki will be on the road again, going to Levin on 21st and 22nd followed straight away by a trip to Feilding for further judging. staff on. In the process of all of this we probably created very resilient kids, because we weren’t there to deal with their every needs.” Three years on, Raewyn is still involved with milkings and the farm. Cancer free, Michael still needs regular check-ups. His hand can’t open up enough to hold a set of cups and he will always be limited in what he can do on farm. “Michael still looks after the family side, but for me I still don’t want to be absent from that either. You have to navigate the non-negotiables that you cannot miss. When Michael was 100% involved in the farm he would miss a lot of the kids’ stuff, so the positive is that he does get to spend more time with the kids as they grow up. We live and breathe farming. Michael’s illness took our blinkers off – there are so many ways to tackle things.” and my cows now are the easiest you could want to milk. We very seldom get kicked!” And Bob’s still a senior judge, an achievement he’s earned from long years learning the skills and subtleties that go into being a great judge of form. “When you’re a registered judge you have to renew your ticket, so I have to go and do a day’s assessment. You’re given six cows to judge and you have to provide the reasons why you selected each one.” Bob has a lot of time for overseas genetics, in fact he rates it well above what is offered locally. He’s used semen from the top bulls in the world and doesn’t intend to change his breeding philosophy any time soon. “I’ve been using overseas genetics since 1993 from Canada.” Semen was taken off Dales Gentleman’s brother with friend Merv Livingstone taking 300 of the 400 straws, leaving Bob with the balance for private use. The full brother to Dale Mr Burdette has to be genome tested to see just how good he will produce offspring. “If he’s good enough he’ll be submitted to a breeding company for possible marketing.” Bob says he has some breeders chasing him for bull semen from Sunshine Mr Burdette. He’s also looking forward to the next Dairy Event show as the judge will be the World President of the Ayrshire Breeders Association, from South Africa. “I’m looking forward very much to seeing how our girls do. Sunshine Burdette Dale is in great condition.” Top producer Sunshine Burdette Dale is one of the stars in Bob Lawson’s Ayrshire herd. WOODVILLE SERVICE CENTRE Lower McLean St - Woodville | 06 376 5232 | Alister - 027 248 3282 W.O.F, Engineering Tractors & Parts, Mowers Diesels, FarmMachinery & Parts (06) 323 5997 www.advancedaccounting.co.nz Well done Bob & Nicky on all your hard work and success.
10 | nzdairy DAIRY PEOPLE » Aaron & Fiona Campbell Farm improvements set in concrete Photos: A new concrete entry and exit to the feed pad and new maize bunkers have improved the day-to-day operations on the farm. Aaron Campbell (left) with long serving staff members Dave Olsen (middle) and Amy Harris. Kelly Deeks A smooth running system at Aaron and Fiona Campbell’s Manawatu dairy farm has the couple nding the balance between work and family, as they also balance the milk cheque with their Production System 5 operation. The Campbells are now in their seventh season of ownership of their 93ha farm at Bunnythorpe, near Palmerston North, and although they were willing to do whatever it took to get from sharemilkers to farm owners, they were also mindful of making time for family life with their three sons, now 15, 17, and 18. They struggled to achieve this while employing two full time staff as they found after rostering days off, there were really only ever two people running the farm. So now they have six casual and part-time staff for whom milk harvesting at the Campbells’ place is their secondary job. There is always someone to call on if an extra hand is required, and Aaron even gets to have most Sundays off work. With their HR running smoothly, Aaron and Fiona turned their attention to the farm’s infrastructure, and what they could do to improve day to day operations. “Concrete, concrete, concrete,” Fiona says. “We already had a feed pad, but its entry and exit were both metal and caused a lot of bruising and uneccessary lameness. So the rst load of concrete went to adding an entry and exit to the feed pad, keeping the stones away from the shed, and it makes it a lot easier to scrape every day.” A further 2000sqm of concrete was used to build new maize bunkers which are now helping the Campbells to reduce wastage and retain the quality of their silage before it is fed out. They have also increased their herringbone shed from 24-a-side to 34-a-side, cutting half an hour from each milking. “Then we decided our house was a bit small and we needed a bigger living area and a new kitchen,” Aaron says. “I said to Fiona ‘I’ve done all this concrete work on the farm, you can project manage the house’, and now we have a nice house to come home to at the end of the day.” The Campbells’ 370 cows milk all year round for Open Country Dairy, with 270 spring calvers and about 70 autumn calvers plus carry overs. They are fed with approximately two tons of maize per cow on top of palm kernel with DDGS and molasses A&F CAMPBELL Forage Services is proud to be associated with A&F Campbell in the production of grass and maize for silage. For all your Electrical, Heat Pump & Refrigeration needs Office/showroom: 7 Gladstone St, Feilding www.apbelectrical.co.nz e: sales@apbelectrical.co.nz Ph: 0800 272 363 Call the professionals combined. With supplement prices having increased up to 50%, the current high milk payout is welcome, but also needed. The Campbells have planted 10.5ha of maize on the dairy platform for the past two seasons, and another 10ha on their nearby 70ha lease block this season. They are saving on fertiliser by using liquid urea at half the rate they used to use in granules.
| 11 nzdairy DAIRY PEOPLE » Alan & Sue Moore Shorthorns family’s breed of choice Richard Loader At 68 years young, people have told North Wairarapa dairy farmer and Shorthorn breeder Alan Moore that he could consider retirement, but he says the fact of the matter is that he enjoys the fruits of his labour every day of the week. “It’s my hobby. I like my cows – especially the Shorthorns. Our stud name is Waiwera Milking Shorthorns. We do a bit of showing at the local A&P shows and the dairy event in Feilding. My daughter is right into it and so is my granddaughter. It’s a great way to meet likeminded people.” Alan and Sue farm in Konini, a small rural community 12 kilometres south west of Pahiatua. They arrived on the farm in 2001, forming a company called Four Way Farms Ltd and went into equity partnership with friends, who they bought out two years later. Today, the dairy farm encompasses 200 hectares, along with 100 hectares of nearby run-off blocks that are used for wintering and three cuts of silage/ hay each year. Four Ways Farms also owns a 350 hectare sheep farm east of Pahiatua. Over the last couple of years Alan and Sue have been going through a structured succession planning process with their two daughters and their husbands. While Alan hopes the process will be completed by Christmas, he says it has not been without its challenges to get things right. “Up until June this year, Carla and Stephen were equity partners in the dairy farm,” says Alan. “As from the 1st of June they now own that farm and animals, and make all the day-to-day management decisions. Our other daughter and son-in-law, Lesley and Nick are on the sheep farm, and will take that over. We also have a son who is in Wellington, and we have set aside a piece of land for him.” Alan says the involvement of an accountant and a professional succession planner have been key to the success of the process, along with good communication and working through what each party considers fair. “Sue and I are really happy to know that two of our children will carry on farming where we have left off. If it wasn’t for my father I wouldn’t have got to where I am and I’m sure it was the same for his father. “Sue and I will remain on the farm and we are going to build a new house on it, which we hope to get started before Christmas. We’re both still actively involved in the farm on a daily basis. I don’t milk very often anymore, but I do AB with my daughter, a bit of fencing, tractor work, feeding out and generally help out as required.” With 100 registered pedigree shorthorns in the milking herd, Alan confesses that he has always had a fetish for the breed. “My father had them before me back in the old days. We breed for production and all the good conformation traits. “We had a bull in the breed scheme about ve years ago named Waiwera Turbo Charge. He had the highest Shorthorn BW in New Zealand of 110. He still has about 90 daughters in herds around the country.” Proudly supporting Alan & Sue Moore Milking Shorthorn calves at Alan and Sue Moore’s Wairarapa dairy farm. Palmerston North Branch 160 Fairs Road | 06 357 7723 Pahiatua Branch 149 Main Street | 06 376 7770 e. macdougalls.co.nz info@macdougalls.co.nz Palmerston North Branch 160 Fairs Road | 06 357 7723 Pahiatua B anch 149 Main Street | 06 376 7770 e. macdougalls.co.nz info@macdougalls.co.nz Palmerston North Branch 160 Fairs Road | 06 357 7723 Pahiatua Branch 149 Main Street | 06 376 7770 e. macdougalls.co.nz info@macdougalls.co.nz Palmerston North Branch 160 Fairs Road | 06 357 7723 Pahiatua Branch 149 Main Street | 06 376 7770 e. macdougalls.co.nz info@macdougalls.co.nz Palmerston North Branch 160 Fairs Road | 06 357 7723 Pahiatua Branch 149 Main Street | 06 376 7770 Palmerston North Branch 160 Fairs Road | 06 357 7723 Pahiatua Branch 149 Main Street | 06 376 7770 e. macdougalls.co.nz info@macdougalls.co.nz Palmerston North Branch 160 Fairs Road | 06 357 7723 Pahiatua Branch 149 Main Street | 06 376 7770 e. macdougalls.co.nz info@macdougalls.co.nz Palmerston North Branch 160 Fairs Road | 06 35 7723 Pahiatua Branch 149 Main Street | 06 376 770 e. macdougalls.co. info@macdougalls.co. Palmerston North Branch 160 Fairs Road | 06 357 7723 Pahiatua Branch 149 Main Street | 06 376 7770 e. macdougalls.co.nz info@macdougalls.co.nz Palmerston North Branch 160 Fairs Road | 06 357 7723 Pahia ua Branch 149 Main Street | 6 376 7770 e. ma dougalls.co.nz info@ma dougalls.co.nz Palmerston North Br nch 1 0 Fairs Road | 06 357 7723 Pahi tua Branch 149 Main Street | 06 376 7770 e. macdougalls.co.nz info@macdougalls.c .nz Palmerston North Branch 160 Fair ad | 06 357 7 23 Pahiatua Branch 149 Main Street | 06 376 7770 e. macdougalls.co.nz info@macdougalls.co.nz Palmerston North Branch 160 Fairs Road | 06 357 7723 Pahiatua Branch 149 Main Street | 06 376 7770 e. macdougalls.co.nz info@macdougalls.co.nz
12 | nzdairy DAIRY PEOPLE » Wilith Farm: Miah & Jenny Smith ‘It’s a time saver, a Kelly Deeks Regenerative dairy farmers Miah and Jenny Smith are now taking part in a 10-farm testing project, Rere ki Uta, Rere ki Tai, led by AgriSea New Zealand to determine whether farming methods that enhance the mana and mauri of the soil are more resilient, more pro table, more able to withstand environmental, societal and regulatory pressure, and healthier for all. Miah and Jenny started using AgriSea ve years ago on their 260ha effective Atiamuri forestry conversion in a bid to improve the condition of the degenerated post-forest soil. “When we got here, there was very little topsoil because all the pine trees had been pretty harsh on the soil,” Miah says. “I put a lot of fertiliser on but we found it didn’t make too much difference, and after 10 days of dry, the grass would stop growing.” After about four years of doing the recommended thing of conventionally applying more fertiliser, Miah and Jenny on dug a few holes and found three to four inches of root depth. “That told me straight away why the grass would stop growing when we got dry. All the fert levels were where they needed to be, but we seemed to be putting more on every year.” Two years into their AgriSea trial, the Smiths had double the root depth in the AgriSea paddock, and in ve years the pH went from 5.4 to 6.2, with no lime, just Agrisea product. Miah and Jenny rolled out AgriSea across the whole farm, reducing fertiliser and adding biology, then reducing a bit more and adding a bit more. They have also put in seven or eight different species of grasses and herbs, the diversity helping to activate essential bacteria and fungi and keep the soil working more ef ciently. Miah and Jenny have dropped their N use by 60%, and their animal health costs have dropped from $80 per cow to $27 per cow. “It’s more stress-free farming,” Miah says. “It’s a time saver, a stress saver, and a money saver. We still have problems of course, but now we have more tools to x those problems. Miah is the AgriSea farm advisor on the Rere ki Uta, Rere ki Tai project team and has taken part in the soil testing on 10 farms, including his own, then provided recommendations for biologicals to be used alongside the normal rate of conventional fertiliser, and reducing this over the next three years. “We’ve also done visual soil assessments and put together some seed mixes for farmers who want to change their cropping regime to include multi-species pastures as a way to fast track their biology. We’ve seen some farms with beautiful soil right from the start, but they are still reliant on that nitrogen as well. We learn something from every farmer, whether they are conventional or not.” Miah and Jenny Smith have added multi-species pastures to their regenerative farm to fast track their soil biology. The couple have dropped their N use by 60%, and their animal health costs have dropped from $80 per cow to $27 per cow. Atiamuri Dion 027 2911 269 Hayden 027 277 8626 SPECIALISTS IN: Livestock Cartage • General Cartage • Excavator & Bulldozer Hire
| 13 nzdairy DAIRY PEOPLE » Wilith Farm: Miah & Jenny Smith stress saver and a money saver’ Dylan and Taylor Smith in healthy pasture with farm dogs Tui (border collie) and Toby. ELECTRIC OR COMBUSTION? Powerful 15kW electric motor; Up to 220kms on a single charge; Huge 1.6m x 1.4m of deck space; Low, low, low running costs; Equipped with 2WD/4WD, diff locks; Regenerative braking for control on steep inclines; Battery repowering; Powerful 1,000cc, 3cyl. Engine, 69HP; All steel construction; Manual 5 x speed transmission; Electophoresis anti-corrosion treatment; Equipped with 2WD/4WD, diff locks; Huge towing & carrying capacity; Equipped with a catalytic converter for low emission operation; www.tuataraatv.com info@tuataraatv.com Tel. 027 477 0070 Machinery Limited ELECTRIC ENQUIRE NOW! INTERNAL COMBUSTION NZ’S LOWEST EMISSION COMBUSTION ENGINED SIDE BY SIDE THE MARKET LEADING EV SIDE BY SIDE Stock available now! ELECTRIC OR COMBUSTION? THE MARKET LEADING EV SIDE BY SIDE NZ’S LOWEST EMISSION COMBUSTION ENGINED SIDE BY SIDE
14 | nzdairy Developing farms Virginia Wright Farmers themselves, Rogan and Michelle Borrie like to see land used to its full potential and have an eye for a farm that could bene t from some development. They’re the fth generation to live on the Borrie family farm in the Waitaki Plains. Formerly a sheep, beef and cropping farm, it’s now a 248 hectare irrigated run-off for their dairy farms, and one of a number of farms they own thanks to years spent developing and adding value to farms both dry and dairy. In 2003 Rogan and Michelle started their farming journey with the purchase of a 450 cow dairy farm. To help fund it they also lower order sharemilked a 650 dairy farm. In 2005, recognizing the potential of the North Otago Irrigation1 scheme, they bought a 130 hectare dry farm which they spent the next couple of years converting to dairy, complete with irrigation. In 2007 Rogan’s parents Peter and Adrienne sold them the home farm. Having himself taken over the farm at a young age Peter believes a farmer’s best decisions are made before he’s 50 and wanted Rogan to have the same opportunity he’d had. Rogan and Michelle sold the newly converted dairy farm to fund the purchase of the home farm. Around the same time they purchased and developed another farm with Rogan’s parents, recognizing an opportunity to add value that has proven sound time and again since. “I enjoy developing farms. Just setting them up so that they’re easily run really. We’ve bought and sold a lot of farms over the years. We’ve got our own earthworks gear and other equipment so we can do all the work ourselves to add value and sell them on,” explains Rogan. Fencing, earthworks, agricultural work, baleage, environmental planting are all done in-house. Having a solid team of staff who know their job and work well together makes their work a lot easier. DAIRY PEOPLE » Rogan & Michelle Borrie Partners: Doug Harvie, Craig Wyatt, Brett Challis, Robyn Friedrich and Tom Saul. Software solutions, including Xero, Figured and Focus Harvie GreenWyatt is here to help you maintain and grow your agri business. Our rural business accounting, business and planning disciplines. MAKE THE MOST FROM YOUR LAND. Our team of agronomists combine proven science, business thinking and an understanding of the nuances of South Island soil and conditions to help you achieve higher yields and enhanced livestock performance. Our solutions focus on your commercial objectives and consider your unique land and environmental circumstances. We grow extraordinary outcomes. Get in touch to find out how we could help you make the most from your land. catalystag.co.nz Proudly in support of Rogan Borrie. Rogan and Michelle Borrie. “We have an outstanding team of individuals who work as a collective extremely well, and none of this would have been able to happen without them. For this we are extremely privileged,” says Michelle. Making a farm easy to run generally involves putting tracks through the farm allowing easy access to all the paddocks and any re-fencing that entails; replacing older stock water pipes with something bigger, along with the water troughs when needed; and upgradingcattleyards and accommodation as and when required. The Borries typically install or upgrade the irrigation on the farms, usually drawing water from the Waitaki River. “The lower Waitaki Irrigation Scheme brings good price-effective water which is 100% reliable. The Waitaki River’s probably the best river in the country to irrigate out of and with the Meridian Dams up above us always letting go water, we’ve never not been able to irrigate,” says Rogan. Having the river running alongside it was one of the reasons behind the purchase of a 900 hectare sheep and beef farm in Kaura Hill, inland from Maheno a few years ago. They put four pivots on its bottom end and a four kilometre track down the middle, refenced it, renewed the cattle yards and did up the houses. “It’s a really nice farm now. I’ve always liked sheep and beef, and it’s good to have eggs in a different basket,” says Rogan. These days the home farm runoff winters up to 1400 dairy cows, 500 bulls and is used in summer to make silage. Aware of the increasing pressure environmentally they’re seeking to future proof their farms. “We’re putting in a silage bunker and we’re building a big loa ng pad at the moment on one farm so we can trial wintering our cows on a pad. A couple of years ago we put in a purpose-built calfrearing shed on another where we’re trialing more automation,” says Rogan. With one farm just sold and another about to be signed up it doesn’t look like the Borries will be slowing down their future-proo ng or the development of farms in and around the Waitaki Plains any time soon.
waterfordpress.co.nzRkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NDc2Mzg=