| 47 nzdairy DAIRY PEOPLE » Leithlea Jerseys / Harvey and Heenie Verwaayen The last event, in January this year, attracted a good number of spectators. Hugh de Lacy With a Canadian genetics firm as its lead sponsor, Feilding’s annual New Zealand Dairy Event attracted more farmers and displayed more livestock than ever this year, the president of the organisation, Hennie Verwaayen says. With more overseas genetic influences coming into the New Zealand dairy herd all the time, it is appropriate that an artificial breeding (AB) company of Canadian origin, Semex NZ, has a major hand in funding the event. “It’s the biggest dairy show in New Zealand, and we had people from all round the country and overseas coming to view the best dairy animals in the industry,” Hennie says. “The event attracts exhibitors with about 400 dairy cows and young stock from all the major breeds, and has been held at the Mansfeild Stadium in Feilding ever since the stadium was built 14 years ago. The last event, in January this year, attracted a good number of spectators as well as over 2500 online viewers following the live-streaming of the show around the world. The show has renowned international judges from Australia, USA and the UK who sort through the best stock from the featured breeds, including Jersey, Ayrshire, Milking Shorthorn, Holstein and Brown Swiss. Other major sponsors so far confirmed to support next year’s Dairy Event in January include insurer Farmers Mutual Group (FMG), farm supply provider Farm Source, the NZ Holstein Friesian Breed Society and PGG Wrightson livestock, among others. The Dairy Event is an off-shoot of the Manawatu A&P Show which supplies the administration back-up. It’s entirely dependent on entry fees, sponsorship and grants, and the passion and enthusiasm for good well-bred dairy animals are the drivers for the committee of volunteers behind the organisation that Hennie chairs. More overseas genetics With wife Kerri, Hennie came to New Zealand in 1989 from a family dairy farm in Holland that had been taken over by his older brother. Hennie and Kerri arrived in New Zealand with just enough money to buy a car and household items, and began their Kiwi experience with a year working for wages on a dairy farm in Taranaki. This set them on the path to ownership of their own farm in southern Hawke’s Bay, going through the usual process of contract milking, for a year, then share-milking for five years with a herd that grew to 400 Holstein cows. In 1996 the couple sold off some of their best 250 cows to make a deposit on a 120ha property, and acquired a half-freehold, half West Coast leasehold 120ha on the slopes of Mount Taranaki, and were there about five years before trading it in for their current 145ha property at Oringa, Dannievirke, where they milk around 370 cows. Hennie and Kerri currently fill in the gaps on the farm for their son Harvey and his partner Zara van Hout who are responsible for running the day-today business, while daughter Lucy is farming in their former home country. “Cattle-showing is good fun, enabling breeders to get closer to the wider community,” Hennie says. Tony and Maureen’s 82-hectare effective farm is in Okato. Richard Loader When Taranaki dairy farmer Tony Luckin was a young man he was part of a group of farmers, all about the same age and all passionate about the business of dairy farming. The group used to experiment with different grasses and different ideas about crops, and met at the ‘local’ to discuss things - their own little farm discussion group. Now coming up for his eightieth voyage around the sun, Tony says his passion for farming is very much his beloved jersey cows and the Leithlea Jersey stud that his father started back in ’49. “My love of the Jersey cow is its temperament and ease of handling, and because it’s a smaller cow it has a much lower carbon footprint, which his kinder to the environment. And she is a most efficient cow. With our genetics we’re looking for good sized cows that can produce. I concentrate on udders and capacity. Because we’re not focused on the New Zealand BW system, we can source genetics from all around the world and mainly North America and Australia. We’re more focused on Australia now because I have visited there many times and they’re breeding the type of cow that we’re trying to breed here.” Tony adds that because many of the New Zealand jersey herds are mainly focused on BW, farmers are limited to New Zealand genetics if they want high BW cows. “I’m not saying there is anything wrong with BW, but we’re trying to breed a cow that’s a wee bit different, and while I can use BW bulls, I’m not limited to just New Zealand genetics.” Tony’s main focus is to breed replacements for the dairy herd. While he has bred bulls in the past for New Zealand companies, because of the direction he has gone the cows may not have a high BW and the bulls are not sourced. “That doesn’t worry us because our main mission is to breed cows that we like to farm, have good udders and have a lot of milk. Tony still passionate Some while ago we sold some young stock that were then sold again to an Ayrshire Holstein breeder. That was his first introduction to jerseys and he was just amazed; he didn’t know jerseys could milk like that.” Tony and Maureen’s 82-hectare effective farm is in Okato, coastal Taranaki. Turn one way on the farm and the outlook is Mount Taranaki, turn the other and you are greeted with the Tasman Sea. Part of the farm was bought by his father as a WW2 Rehabilitation farm when he returned from fighting in the Islands in 1945. Tony has been on the farm ever since, taking over the reins in 1969 when he married Maureen. These days, the couple’s eldest son Jay and his wife Kelly look after the day-to-day running of the farm, while Tony looks after genetics and works in the shed when there are calves to feed. “I’m milking in the morning and up until part way through October I was milking twice a day. That just gives Kelly an opportunity to get the calves fed. That’s her role and she does a pretty top job, so I don’t want to ruin that. Is your business performing as well as it could be? We can help www.velocite.co.nz Proud to support Leithlea Farms Learn more at Maize and Grass Silage Hay and Haylage Bulk Cartage and Quarry Metal Groundwork and Cropping On Farm Jobs 3 ton and 16 ton Diggers Proudly Supporting Leithlea Jerseys Dip.Ag., B.B.S., C.A. Phone: 06 374 7090 Email: scott@dannevirkehonda.co.nz www.dannevirkehonda.co.nz Proud to Support Hennie, Kerri and Harvey Verwaayen
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