16 | nzdairy Wasted no time in securing more land Richard Loader DAIRY PEOPLE » Dayne and Sophia Addison This spring, Maihihi dairy farmers Dayne and Sophia Addison calved down just over 1100 cows. The industrious couple have wasted no time in accumulating more land to grow their business, with the addition two years ago of a further 108ha into the fold bringing their total land footprint to 450ha, of which the milking platform accounts for 350ha, with the balance in trees, buildings, tracks and unproductive land. “That’s meant we could increase our herd size accordingly and really start to get some great economy of scale coming into our business,” Dayne says. Asked how long it took the new parcel of land to come up to a good standard Dayne says it was quite surprising how quickly this occurred. “It grows a lot of grass and its been two years of hard work but now the land is performing to a high level.” This year an extra 50-60 cows have been added to the mix and the aim is to produce, at season end, 420,000kgMS. Maihihi is a well established farming district, just south of Te Awamutu. Helping on the farms are a mix of overseas and Kiwi farm workers and when NZ Dairy caught up with Dayne in November, AI had just been completed, with the bulls now out to finish the job. Dayne says things are going along well for this stage of the season, allowing he and the team to get into a few projects. Chicory and Maize had been planted and Dayne says with a busy young family, the introduction of Halter Collars later in the year will free up more of his time. “You could say that my priorities have shifted somewhat, with two young children. Halters are a real positive in terms of herd management. Toward the end of calving I had a realisation that with me as the main cog in the system it was going to be unsustainable trying to have any sort of work life balance and this was the final push to go ahead with it.” Having herd health data readily at hand has also meant that the farm staff are in a better position to make decisions which Dayne says in terms of sustainability is a good thing. His decision to purchase collars also coincided with a special deal from the suppliers saving him over 100k over a two year period. As it happened, before Halter Collars went commercial, Dayne’s farm was nearly a test farm for the new technology. The process began with mapping of the farm using drone that is fed back to the Halter app. This told Dayne where the towers needed to be positioned. Maihihi is a well established farming district, just south of Te Awamutu. Surprisingly, the cows accustom themselves to the virtual fencing readily. “Well they are intelligent animals and it doesn’t take them long to figure out where to graze and where to stop.” It’s nearly 94 years since Dayne’s great-grandad acquired the original farm, winning the farm in a ballot in July 1931. “It’s important I put the hard work in at this stage of my stewardship of this land, to ensure it can be sustainably run.” Describing this year’s calving as a ‘dream season’ followed by an excellent transitioning to mating, Dayne says as this year ticks closer to the end, he’s happy with how the farm and stock are performing. His father Bruce currently takes care of rearing all the calves and Dayne knows he will not have this luxury forever so in the future will need to find the time to do this task on top of everything else. “That’s what’s driving me to create as much efficiency as possible.” All the 2 year-old cows have been run in their own mob, on the best pasture near the cow-shed to give them the best start at producing well. Dayne says he gets a buzz by looking at the farm and identifying areas for improvement, with the ultimate goal that the whole farm is beautifully presented. He’s undertaking a significant river restoration project. “On the new block there’s about 2km of river, so we’re tidying up and planting on both sides. With the support of regional council, who contributed 50% of the cost of the project, we’ve planted 1300 already. It’s going to be a fabulous place to enjoy in a few year’s time when they’ve established.” In all, between thirty to forty thousand trees will be planted. Dayne is working closely with a · SILAGE · HAY · DIGGER · TRACKS · RACE ROCK · GENERAL CARTAGE · CROPPING · UNDERSOWING DISHER Agricultural Contractors m. 027 483 9052 RD2, Otorohanga Neville Disher company called Aotearoa restoration who, with their vast knowledge, are assisting with the planting, releasing, weed control and pest management. “This is a three to four year project but its going to be fantastic when its completed and everything is growing well.” Te Awamutu 2WVÞTWTW ĤVQTQJCPIC
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