50 | nzdairy Organic system a process of trial, error Russell Fredric Pumice soils and a concern for the environment led to Pamu’s Burgess Dairy farm to develop a fully organic system. Manager Carol Cuttance says the 258 hectare farm, situated about 10 kilometres northeast of Taupo, achieved organic certi cation in October. “Because we have pumice soil, we found that we were leaching nitrates quite high and one of the other (Pamu) farms down the road was already organic and the nitrates had reduced there so it was a way of doing that,” Carol says. Burgess milks 600 mainly Kiwicross cows and has irrigation on 50% of the farm. “We’ve also got some more organic blocks down in Foxton, and Pamu had some trial farms and it had worked out, so then they are doing four more and chose the irrigated farms. It’s worked out better than they anticipated it would.” Before the conversion to organic, the farm carried 650 cows. The conversion process takes three years for the land and one year for the cows. Organics runs under a system of prohibited, restricted or approved products that can be used on the land or administered to livestock. Because this excludes the use of antibiotics, homeopathic and natural products are the only option for dealing with animal health issues. “I guess it’s survival of the t; we’re trying to breed cows that don’t get sicknesses. If they’re not up to being an organic cow, I guess they can be culled out.” “When you’re choosing your bulls for your breeding stock, you’d be looking for different traits, ones that would suit more your organic line.” Because there is no treatment available for mastitis, genetically it is important to breed for a low somatic cell count along with selecting for good udders. Burgess produces its own on-farm silage and baleage, as well as sourcing silage from Pamu’s dry stock support block. Organic grain is fed during spring, hay is made on the farm for drying off the cows and the farm also has lucerne on 47ha. “We’ve also got quite a bit of mixed species on our farm so one of the things we are doing is putting different varieties in the paddocks. We can get quite dry where we are; different species that will survive and for animal health bene ts.” In addition to ryegrass and clovers, species both Pamu’s Burgess Dairy Farm milks 600 mainly Kiwicross cows and has irrigation on 50% of the farm. Inset: The Burgess team. DAIRY PEOPLE » Pamu Burgess Dairy farm annual and perennial, include chicory, plantain, sun owers and others. Cows are milked through a 54 bale rotary shed and the farm has a four bay herd home which accommodates 170 cows per bay. “We winter cows in there overnight and we calve in the barn as well in the spring.” Last season’s total production was 189,000kgMS. “It wasn’t too great a season because the season before we were 220,000 from about 630 cows.” Taking into account the difference in the size of the herd, this equates to a drop in production of 9%. The conversion to an organic system has been an ‘interesting change” Carol says. “We’ve got a lot of support being that we’ve got the other farms going through the same process. It’s trial and error, you nd what works for your farm, you don’t have to take on what every (organic) farm does.” AGRICULTURAL CONTRACTORS Miers Contractors(1995) Ltd • Harvesting • Cultivation • Supplements for sale & supply • Undersowing (all pastures & crops) • Earth moving • Truck cartage • Balage & Hay • Effluent Management 198 Butcher Road, RD2, Reporoa Gordy 021 593 163 | Reece 021 240 5090 | Mark 021 948 472 E mierscontractors@farmside.co.nz 0800 436 723 | waterforce.co.nz PROUDTOSUPPORT LOCAL FARMERS. PUMPING SERVICES WATER MEASUREMENT ATER MEASUREMENT SERVICES IRRIGATION WATER FILTRATION 16 Miro Street Taupo office@mainlandeng.co.nz • Dairy shed milking plant and water systems • General engineering for the agricultural sector • Feeding systems for herringbone and rotary sheds
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