82 | nzdairy ON FARM » Astra Farms / Faull Farms Making good gains A landmark year Karen Phelps Karen Phelps According to Cambridge farmers Allan and Toni Browne Lacaune milking sheep are not naturally suited to the New Zealand climate. But through genetic selection the couple have made good gains, turning their imported French sheep into hardy animals better suited to New Zealand’s outdoor farming conditions. The couple, who supply Maui Milk from their 570-hectare flat to rolling hill property, have seen their peak milk production jump from 1.74 litres per day per sheep last year to 2.08 litres this season - a significant 20 per cent increase. “I think it’s the increased resilience in the sheep,” explains Allan. “The original imported ones really battled in our winters.” The Brownes milk approximately 1,700 ewes in their sixth season of sheep dairying, alongside running a 50:50 sharemilking operation with 400 cows. The diversified system, which also includes fattening 3,500 lambs, produces around 500,000 litres of sheep milk annually. When the Brownes entered sheep milking through mutual contacts with Maui Milk’s then-CEO Peter Gatley, they were required to use the company’s Lacaune sheep. However the French barn-raised breed proved poorly adapted to New Zealand conditions. “We haven’t got a traditional milking breed here in New Zealand, and they were part of the Maui Milk deal that you had to use their sheep,” says Allan. “But we have changed them significantly from the original imported ones.” Since 2020, the Brownes have followed their own genetic path, operating independently from Maui’s breeding programme. The selection process focuses on survivability, constitution and conformation rather than pure milk production. “We select out of the top 20 per cent of our ewes on production, then we select for the traits that we’re looking for of survivability and ruggedness. All rams now come from within our own flock,” says Allan. The approach has paid dividends beyond expectations. Faull Farms is marking some of the most significant years in its long history after securing three major family business honours across New Zealand and the Asia-Pacific region. The sixth-generation Taranaki farming enterprise has been recognised with the Legacy Family Business Award New Zealand at the Family Business Association Excellence Awards 2023, the Legacy Family Business Award Asia Pacific at the 2024 ceremony, and most recently the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year 2024 New Zealand Family Business Award. The awards recognise excellence in governance, innovation, succession planning and long-term contribution to the economy. For Faull Farms, they also reflect almost seventy years of continuous development, beginning with a modest Four Square grocery shop opened by Wilf and Phylis Faull in 1955. “It is humbling and a great honour for my family, for the executives and associates of Swiss-Belhotel International and for the executives and associates of Faull Farms,” said Gavin Faull when he accepted the EY award. Gavin, who began his career at Ernst & Young in 1970, credits his wife Carol and their three sons for decades of commitment. “Carol started this journey with me when we flew to Hong Kong in 1973. Sons Matthew joined the business in 2012, Oliver in 2008 and Edward in 2014. What a team.” Gavin says that the company has evolved from 100 cows in 1970 to 1,300 cows today, and from a single rural shop to a global hotel portfolio, Swiss-Belhotel International, alongside the farm. “It has been exciting, rewarding, frustrating, happy and sometimes sad,” he says. “I thank my family for sticking with me through many challenges, especially through Covid. We would never have survived without the support and dedication of a loyal family which sticks by each other.” The farm has also earned recognition for its commitment to environmental leadership. It was highly commended for Environmental Leadership in Farming at the 2025 Taranaki Regional Council The company has evolved from 100 cows in 1970 to 1,300 cows today. “We felt we’d sacrifice some milk production for those other traits, but in reality, we haven’t,” explains Allan. “Our milk production has actually increased as these traits make them more suitable for outdoor living.” The flock, which varies from 50 to 75 per cent Lacaune with the balance being Coopworth, has become increasingly resilient. “It takes a while for the flock to change as such, to rotate the original sheep out of the system,” says Allan. “These are coming on now; we’ve got a lot of two-year-olds by that breeding.” Management changes have complemented the genetic improvements. The farm now lambs on 10th August rather than 20th July. “Just that little bit of later lambing, I think, has helped also,” says Allan. Further gains appear achievable. “With a bit of selection pressure on the milk yield, it may be possible to go to two and a half litres a day,” explains Allan. “There’s obviously a chunk of sheep in the flock that’s actually doing that.” The genetic focus has enabled a shift towards lower-input farming. “We originally started with quite a high input type system of crops, but now we’re tending to go to more traditional ryegrass clover pastures, more of a pasture-based system,” says Allan. “This transition makes genetic robustness even more crucial. The Lacaunes traditionally are very high-input sheep and need high-quality forage. If I can make good milk out of lower quality forage that’s better. Production’s vanity, profit’s sanity.” The operation has also benefited from using terminal sires over the milking ewes. “We need only a limited number of replacements, and that’s been quite a game-changer,” says Allan. “The male milking lambs are actually very slow to finish out on pasture. The terminal cross, particularly South Suffolks, have helped us to finish them earlier.” Allan sees continued potential. “There’s a lot of positivity in the Maui Group at the moment around the future. There’s been a change of CEO, shareholder investment and an improved payout for next season. Who doesn’t like getting paid more?” Environmental Awards, building on earlier success at the Taranaki Ballance Environmental Awards, which it won an accolade at in 2014. “It is good to show that you can farm in a sustainable way,” says Oliver Faull, who manages the farm. “It is rewarding for the owners and the team that works on the farm day to day to know they are doing the right thing - good for the land and for the community that surrounds the farm.” Faull Farms incorporates more than 30 years of mature riparian planting, extensive native restoration, solar installations on non-productive land, scientifically targeted fertiliser application and a sophisticated electronically controlled effluent irrigation system servicing over half the property. One QEII Trust block protect significant native bush, while heat-exchange systems reduce energy use. King Charles visited the farm on his last trip to New Zealand after hearing of its well-known riparian work. The 440-hectare milking platform milks 1,300 cows placing the operation in the top 5% of dairy production per cow and per hectare in New Zealand. The business also continues to act as a community hub, with the ‘Supershed’ - a rotary milking parlour with a 100-seat viewing theatre - used for school groups, industry training and public education. The family aims to continue to expand its enterprise: “We’ve built a powerful infrastructure which allows us to scale further,” says Gavin. “We feel we are a key part of the New Zealand economy and proud Taranakians. These awards reflect not just our past, but our future.” Mon-Wed 8am - 7pm | Thurs-Fri 8am - 5pm | Sat 9am - 12.30pm | Sun 9am - 12pm Empire Street 827 7099 or 0800 226 838 www.cambridgevets.co.nz Your Farm Animal Health Professionals Proud to support Astra Farms Strong partnerships grow strong businesses. We’re proud to be the agri-business advisors and accountants for Gavin and the Faull Farms team. Great relationships “Ongoing research & development results in superior products & performance advantages including; more yield, faster milking, no slip and no teat end damage.”
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