38 | nzdairy DAIRY PEOPLE » Mike Robinson New loafing barn proves its worth The new loa ng barn (top) at the Robinson’s Taranaki farm. A family affair: Sheree, Tyler, Raigan and Mike holding Lucia. Sue Russell Mike Robinson and his partner Sheree own and operate a successful, simply run, dairy unit near Inglewood, close to Mt Taranaki. Today, the farm is home to 630 mainly Jersey cows and when Mike bought into the herd just over a decade ago it was a herd of 530. He puts his success down to sticking with a very simple, nofuss farming system, growing hay and silage and with an in-shed feeding system. “I’m trying to go back to straight Jersey but it’s just a slow process to get the last mix of genetics out of the herd.” Calving went well and AI was just about to get underway when NZ Dairy caught up with Mike toward the end of October. He says that grass has been somewhat scarce. Milk is produced through a 50 bail rotary with protrack, and now All ex collars have been installed on the herd. “It’s about trying to make sure we are accurate with our records. Everything is so important these days. We’re hoping to pick up on the one to two per cent who slip through mating.” Two people work in the milking shed and Mike says it takes about two and a half hours to put the herd through. This year a loa ng barn was installed which came into its own during calving which Mike says the cows enjoyed. It prevents pasture damage by taking cows off in wet conditions. “We wanted them to go into calving in the best possible condition and the loa ng barn was a big part of this” In the future splitting the herd into a younger and older mob is another way Mike says they’ll get that extra few kilos, just needs the right staff to make it work. The district is mainly dairying and Mike says his farm, at 210ha is pretty typical for this area. He’s proud of the fact that his herd has longevity and his oldest cow at 15 years of age is still fertile and producing. Asked where he cut his teeth in farming Mike says the Taratahi course he undertook when he left school was an amazingly valuable experience. “Getting all the theory and realising just how much I didn’t know really helped set me up.” He has also taken on a ‘new to farming’ worker in his early 30’s who, he says, just seemed to have the right attitude and enthusiasm. “He wanted to be here and his partner is very supportive. I think farming is one of those jobs where you need the support at home.” This season Mike’s aiming for milk production of about 280,000kgMS. Last season, he says was a bit lighter, with a drought impacting pasture growth. Proud to support Michael Robinson with their feed and animal nutrition requirements He’s also not into intensive farming. “My philosophy is if it works, don’t x it. I aim to keep things very simple.” Mike is also very fussy about his farming an attitude he says he inherited from his father. “If you’re not fussy, you’re lazy. This is my home farm. I’ve put a lot of sweat and tears into it and I have improved it so much.” And as a busy family man, with three children and another one on the way, Mike says his philosophy of consistent simple practice and maintaining high standards pays off. He’s kept 190 heifer calves as replacements with the surplus sold as in-calf heifers. Mike says farming is a hard job but the bene ts of working outside and with the stock make it a very satisfying lifestyle. “You’ll get as much out of it as you put in.” Mike chooses to use short-gestation semen to tail off mating to ensure the calving span is as compact as possible. Since inducing cows stopped they haven’t used bulls on the farm. There’s 10 weeks of arti cial insemination, four of which is jersey for replacement calves and ve and a half of short gestation crossbred. “That’s another reason we went to collars. I could see it was a good use of the additional income through the higher payout to help achieve our goals.” Proud to partner with Michael Robinson Hay & Silage Baling | Round & Square Bales | Maize & Pit Silage Hedge Mulching | All Cultivating Work | Effluent Spreading 067568066 | www.morattiagri.co.nz
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