44 | nzdairy Victor Rutherford’s life changing system Russell Fredric DAIRY PEOPLE » Victor Rutherford Three years on from having Halter collars fitted on his cows, Victor Rutherford still marvels at how life changing the system has been. Victor’s decision to fit the collars which has an associated virtual fencing system has revolutionised life on his farm’s 480 hectare farm which peak milks 675 cows once-a-day through a 48 a-side herringbone shed. The farm also annually rears 500 Wagyu calves that are supplied to First Light, consequently the overall operation requires a total of six full-time staff. Operated from an application on a portable device, the Halter system eliminates the need for fences, electric wires, motorbikes and gates by training cows to understand and respond to sound and vibration cues from the collar. The cows quickly learn to recognise these cues and the prompt to walk to the milking shed or to remain within virtual fences. If they have crossed over a virtual fence, the cues will gently guide them back. The collars also send a notification if there are any potential health issues as well as notifying when they are in-calf, although they are still scanned to confirm this. “The day you start mating you draft from Halter; it’s life-changing. A lot of my friends have got other wearables, but when you add in the virtual fencing as well, it’s just amazing.” “The cows are just so relaxed with it. They come to the shed at their own pace. We all just turn up to the shed at the same time and the cows meet us there and we just send them off to their paddocks. While you are in the shed you ask the second herd to come in and they arrive, and at the end you prompt for the special treatment cows to come in and they arrive.” Along with this considerable benefit, Victor especially relishes how amazing it is to have virtual fencing, both as a labour saver and for pasture management. He cites an example of how he was able to create a virtual pathway for his cows through the Victor started breeding Wagyu for First Light eight years ago. Create. Restore. Repair. Experienced machine operator and welding engineer. Delivering unmatched quality and customer satisfaction. 021977780 jusworx.nz Justin Hobson NORTHLAND Spreading Northland The precise way to grow Call us today: Jason Williamson 027 499 2530 Ravensdown Customer Centre 0800 100 123 • We apply what you need, where you need it • Ravtrak advanced guidance • Proof of placement maps • Application history stored online • Experienced local operator • Options for all terrain Proudly supporting Victor Rutherford Kaikohe 401 1536 Kerikeri 407 7354 Waipapa 401 6654 Kawakawa 404 0842 back of a paddock, while the front was cut off virtually by the Halter system for silage mowing without any fencing or feed break. Some passersby had difficulty comprehending what they were seeing. “There’s cows eating to a dead-straight line, eating to 1500 (kilograms of dry matter per hectare) on one side, and on the other side there’s a silage paddock with 2800 grass and there’s nothing in between. “A few people have just about had an accident driving past.” Victor started breeding Wagyu for First Light eight years ago and has three calf sheds on the farm, with the main shed having a robotic calf feeder which feeds up to 230 calves. “We were just using them for the first three weeks over our heifers and bobbying the rest to the calves, but we are trying to increase the amount of calves that we keep alive so we’ve gone to all AI, rearing 500 Wagyu calves to 95 kilos for First Light a year.” Victor not only receives a competitive price for these animals, but is also paid an additional $4 per kilogram for anything above 95kg which is a welcome bonus. “First Light are a very reliable company, they’ve been fantastic. I’ve never had a problem getting paid for my calves.”
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NDc2Mzg=