12 | nzdairy DAIRY PEOPLE » Scott Aitchison Scott Aitchison is wearing many hats Bernadette Cooney Morrinsville dairy farmer Scott Aitchison has had a busy year. Since May, he’s taken on the dual roles of Federated Farmers Morrinsville Branch Chair and Waikato Vice Dairy Chair, adding leadership responsibilities to an already demanding dairy operation on State Highway 27. “I’ve always believed that if you’re going to make a living in this industry, you should also help shape it,” says Scott. “Dairying is where I want to be for a long time and for my kids if they want to as well.” Scott and his wife Emma, raise their four children on the home farm just East of Morrinsville and milk around 750 cows across two platforms. The Aitchison’s home farm spans 82 hectares, where they milk 250–300 Friesians, while the adjoining block runs 480–500 cows. They also rear about 1000 calves each season, a side venture he describes as “a job nobody else wants to do, but one that helps keep the income steady.” He describes his operation as mid to high input, with herds predominantly fed 3 to 4 kgs of a palm kernel-based blend daily all season, alongside two bales of grass silage and five hundred kilos of maize silage per cow some bought in, and some grown on farm. Milk production averages 450–500 kg of milk solids per cow across both platforms. Raised on a dairy farm in Tatuanui, Scott left to pursue an accountancy route, which at its peak saw Scott become CEO of a multi-million-dollar clothing retail company with 65 staff based out of Sydney. But when he and Emma started a family, the pull of the land proved stronger. “We’d always planned to come back once we had kids,” he says. “My parents were incredible in helping us get established, and we bought our farm in 2017 through some very clever succession planning on their part.” As a Federated Farmers leader, he’s vocal about the challenges facing local dairy farmers, despite current market conditions that many may interpret as a “dairying boom.” “There’s more confidence in the sector again,” he says, “but most farmers I talk to aren’t splashing out. As a result of high costs and interest rates in the last few years, a lot of farmers are more focused on debt reduction.” Federated Farmers is an impressive organisation that just doesn’t shout about its wins enough he says, and he encouraged more people to join the rural advocacy group, particularly as politically a lot had changed in the industry over a short time. “If we had more memberships Fed Farmers could do even more, and faster.” One big example locally, Fed Farmers has been actively involved in debating the Waikato Plan Change (PC1) which seeks a 20% improvement in water quality across the Waikato and Waipa Milk production averages 450–500 kg of milk solids per cow across both platforms. Photo: Dianna Malcolm. “Most farmers I talk to aren’t splashing out. As a result of high costs and interest rates in the last few years, a lot of farmers are more focused on debt reduction.” Contact Mike 027 291 2046 mike@nwlivestock.co.nz Agricultural contracting company based in the Waikato Grass silage | Maize silage All forms of cultivation Bailing | Digger work 027 450 0125 walling.contracting.ltd@gmail.com @wallingcontractingnz Walling Contracting Ltd catchments by limiting nutrient discharges. “PC1’s been in the works for 12 years,” he says. “Fed Farmers have been fighting to make it practical for farmers and ensure their voices are heard in Environment Court processes all the way.” 07 8888 158 (ext 225) | 027 702 5462 glen@wtcl.co.nz GLENCLOTHIER Proudly supporting Scott Aitchison
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