| 41 nzdairy DAIRY PEOPLE » Mokoia Holstein Friesian Stud: Fred & Marilyn Blatchford: Breeding top cows a labour of love Sue Russell Woodville dairy farmer and top Holstein breeders Fred and Marilyn Blatchford have enjoyed a life full of hard-work and great reward, producing some of New Zealand’s top Holstein Friesian cows in the process. Their farm currently measures 110 effective hectares. Back in 1965 when the couple married, they settled into their shared farming life with a herd of just 60 Jersey cows as 50:50 sharemilkers with Marilyn’s father, Jim Hutchinson. Jim also operated a sheep farm. Jim made Fred use a Friesian bull over the Jersey’s and that policy remains to this day. Corrective mating underpins choice of bull for breeding. If, for instance, a cow has high pins a bull with lower pins is used to correct the imbalance. “We collected 18,000 pounds milkfat (8000kg milksolids today) in our rst year. We had a great living just on this number. Now it is all very different with herd sizes, breeding, farm operating costs. There’s no way a herd of 60 cows would work today as an economic unit you could live off,” says Fred. He recalls his rst introduction to the mighty black and white at a calf club day in Woodville. That was when the seed was sown that would grow into a great love and respect for the animals, a feeling that hasn’t left Fred to this very day. The herd today numbers 260 fully registered pedigree Holsteins. As the most prominent breed in the world Fred feels he’s done his bit to improve genetic worth generation on generation through his long farming journey; something he is rightfully very proud of. The couple’s work with the breed has been honoured, not only in many national titles, but in 2008 being awarded a Distinguished Service Award. Fred has a lot to say about what makes a great Holstein. “I use the word ‘dairyness’ to describe the attributes I’m looking for in a champion cow. The ideal dairy cow, Fred explains, should have a wide chest, at rib and a smooth, straight backbone, referred to as the “top line”. The Mokoia team (top): Becky (holding Piper), Darren, Marilyn, Fred and Kevin with Jess. Breakfast time for the calves. The pin bone placement should be slightly lower than the hip bones and wide-placed for easy calving. “And most important is the udder which should be level, with all teats well-placed for ease of milking, and strong fore and rear attachments.” He also says a dairy cow shouldn’t be over-muscled, like a beef cow. “The fat goes in the bucket rather than stays on the animal.” Last season the herd was paid at 40c above the Fonterra average, something the couple are very proud of. Son Daren is their farm manager and along with him a Philipino workers assists. A 40ha runoff is used to grow supplementary hay and silage. In the early days the herd comprised mixedbreed Jersey-Friesian but in 1976 when visiting the Royal Show in Palmerston North, Fred encountered the biggest Holstein-Friesian cow he had ever seen, called Tahora Linmack Lara. From then on, he was hooked on the breed. Pivotal to establishing the herd was the purchase of three pedigree in-calf heifers, who all produced heifer calves. “We had early help from Palmerston North breeder Lawrence Satherley, of Joyclas Holsteins among others.” The days of showing cows are over but for many years the Blatchford’s would present heifers and cows in shows at Palmerston North, Feilding, Levin, Dannevirke, Pahiatua, Masterton and Hastings. They also attended the NZ Dairy Expos in Hamilton and won the All-Breed Champion twice. “After that we’d truck all the stock back in the old Dodge truck all the way back to Woodville. It’s just what you did in those days.” The couple were part of the pioneering wave of breeders in New Zealand to use American Holstein genetics back in 1989. They bought semen from well-known American bull Walkway Chief Mark, changing the dynamics of New Zealand HolsteinFriesian breeding. Their Mokoia Holstein Friesian Stud was established in 1977. Giving back to the breed has also been important for Fred who served as a senior Holstein Assn judge and as an association councillor for 14 years. successful farming I’m all about trying to encourage other people to get into farming and getting people to respect farmers for what they do.” During the course of James’ journey he has bought, and then sold his own herd of cows, and bought a block of land neighbouring the farm he manages. That land now forms part of the 300-hectare milking platform. “At one stage I owned up to four hundred cows – half the milking herd,” says James. “This will be the rst year that I haven’t actually owned any cows since I was nineteen.” With a herd of 700 cows and rearing 400 calves, James employs a team of eight staff, including some part timers and calf rearers, and says managing people is probably the most rewarding thing that he does. “I realised a long time ago that people were the key to farming. When I rst started, I found that trying to doing everything myself doesn’t really work, and the bigger your operation gets the less it works. “In 2015, I was lucky enough to do DairyNZ’s People Lift course. My wife, Steph, is very good in that area too and has helped out a lot with the HR, Health & Safety and compliance side of the business. “My thing is building a really good team culture, and that’s what makes it really rewarding. I try to treat people who work for me like part of my family.” While passionate about farming, James has concerns about what impact the Government’s agricultural methane pricing plan will have on Kiwi farmers. “They’re going to tax us for methane but not reward us for our sequestration. The science the Government is using doesn’t include growing grass, all the riparian zones, and trees. I would say we’re easily carbon neutral on this farm but the Government won’t consider those things.” FARM MACHINERY & AUTOMOTIVE SALES & SERVICE # Proud to support our locals PARTS & RETAIL STORE 1 Barr Street, Balclutha 9230 PHONE (03) 418 0555 SALES (027) 575 3885 EMAIL sales@agandauto.co.nz GENERAL XP 1000 CFORCE 520 EPS # Proud to support James www.wollandcontracting.co.nz rvices / Spraying • Cultivation Se • Grass & Maize Silage vation • Exca • Solid Muck / Slurry Spreading • Hay & Balage • General/Livestock Cartage 027 444 2000 027 446 0087 Maurice: Jamie: 06 376 8857 Office: AGRICULTURAL CONTRACTORS PAHIATUA Devlin Cameron & Hayes Limited Level One 165 Broadway Avenue PO Box 1595 Palmerston North 4440 Phone: 06 357 0746 Email: office@dch.co.nz Our Firm has provided Mokoia Holsteins with a range of services including financial, business advisory and taxation advice Proud to support Mokoia Holsteins
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