NZ Dairy Winter 2020

| 79 nz dairy DAIRY PEOPLE » Owl Farm: St Peters School individual intervention when required. Summer milking management is flexible too. Once the days heat up they shift to 3-n-2 milking, which means the cows are milked when conditions are cooler, and paddocks are selected to provide shade. Flexi-milking has the added benefit of decreasing staff hours in the shed. All of these changes have helped, not hindered, the bottom line. A final focus is on their connections with the wider community. The farm is a valuable teaching tool for St Peter’s School, not just for the students who wish to learn about farming, but also for other classes, such as geography and maths. A stream of outside visitors come through the gates too: the public during farm open days, farmers during field days, and rural professionals to advise and learn. So Owl Farm provides both a learning experience and a positive showcase for New Zealand’s dairy farming industry. The results of these efforts show in the improving community perception side of the wagon wheel. When reflecting back on the last five years, the team has a lot to be proud of, and looking ahead there are plenty of new targets to aim for and challenges to overcome. The wagon wheel is going to remain an important tool in the process of planning for the future, monitoring progress, and ensuring Owl Farm in on the right path to meet an evolving set of targets. Proud to learn with Owl Farm Proud supporters of Owl Farm | dairynz.co.nz PROUD TO SUPPORT OWL FARM EMAIL: ENQUIRIES@OWLFARM.NZ WWW.OWLFARM.NZ : @OWLFARM