NZ Dairy Winter 2021

84 | nz dairy DAIRY PEOPLE » Ajax Dairy Unit Smart tech systems part and parcel of Virginia Wright H ead south from Taupo on State Highway 5 for about 20 kilometres and you’ll find the 380 hectares of free-draining, flat and roll- ing land known as the Ajax Dairy Unit. It’s a Pamu (formerly landcorp) farm, a company for which Jesse Craig has worked for seven years, the last of those being on the Ajax Dairy Unit where he’s had a very rapid series of promotions. “I was a 3 IC, then I was the 2 IC for approximately two months, and I’ve been the manager for about four weeks,” says Jesse. Jesse’s been farming since he was 16, apart from a stint of around 18 months for a company making pellets for pellet fires, time which allowed him to work out where he really wanted to be. “I missed it,” says Jesse. “I missed the cows and being outside, and just the lifestyle.” He’s never looked back, and with his latest promotion he’s settling in to learning the necessary techno- skills to make best use of the various computer programmes they use on farm to keep track of their systems. “I know how the systems work ,” says Jesse, “but the software helps keep track of everything within the systems, like what the cows are doing, or precision tracking for fertiliser, or the programme with everything you need to know to stay on top of the budget and accounts and so on.” The effluent system “Harvest” has built-in monitors for where the effluent is being spread and the application rate; it has built-in sensors which means it will automatically shut down if its pressure is too high or too low: in short it’s a system designed to self-monitor in order to shut down automatically where necessary to avoid the perils that can bring a hefty fine in their wake. “All those safety switches save us from getting ponding or huge puddles on the paddock without us having to go out and check the irrigator all the time. I just get a text alert on my phone with what’s happened and why,” says Jesse. With around 830 cows to milk when they’re all on farm, using a database like “Minder” to keep track of everything there is to know about a cow, from its ancestry to it’s a somatic cell count, helps Jesse keep things running smoothly – a false positive for a cow on heat or a mistake in the calving records are quickly recognised and corrected to the benefit of all. Proud to support Ajax Dairy Unit Yamaha Sales & Service • Repairs Parts/Accessories • YMF Finance and YMI Insurance We Service/Repair all Makes & Models of Motorcycles 41 Nukuhau St, Taupo Phone: 07 378 2453 • Fax: 07 378 2451 A/H: 021 465 833 • E: sales@promoto.co.nz 16 Miro Street Taupo office@mainlandeng.co.nz • Dairy shed milking plant and water systems • General engineering for the agricultural sector • Feeding systems for herringbone and rotary sheds T.E.D. – Your agricultural specialists 0800 833 669 campbell@tedltd.co.nz www.tedltd.co.nz 973 Rakaunui Road, Taupo Their split calving means the winter season sees 380 cows grazing on another farm until their calving starts on August 1. The 430 cows still being milked on farm settle into a routine which, thanks to a recently installed feedpad and an invention of the previous manager Mason Smith, includes a nightly trek from paddock to feed pad which they manage under their own steam. “The cows come onto the feedpad twice a day,” explains Jesse. “For the night feed they walk themselves to the feedpad around two in the morning and we get them off around four to take them to the milking shed. They’re eating a mix of corn, silage and apple so they love all that. “Our tape-gates hook onto a backlatch which has a set-timer. When the timer goes off that spins around and flings the bungee cord open and they hear that and they know what it means. They’ve had five years of training by Mason so it works really well. “ Now that he’s the boss Jesse is making the most of having cows that make the first move of the night on their own by pushing the start time out to allow Cow 147 grazing at the Ajax Dairy south of Taupo, part of a herd of around 830 cows. New manager Jessie Craig is settling in to learning the necessary tech-skills to make best use of the various computer programmes used on farm. everyone an extra hour of sleep. It’s important to him to be able to spend time with his wife Annabel and two children, Amelia (10yrs), and Jack (6yrs). “Having the kids means I can’t just go to bed at six o’clock even if I want to so it’s been good to be able to change our start time to 4.30 instead of three in the morning, with a rotating roster for one person to start at four to check the paddock and make sure the cows are all okay. I’ve just employed another person with a family too, but it works for everyone.“ ADVERTISING IS GREAT FOR BUSINESS! Get new clients with regular print media Phone: 03 983 5500 Fax: 03 983 5552 waterfordpress.co.nz ISING IS EAT FOR BUSINESS! Get new clients with regular print media one: 03 983 5500 Fax: 03 983 5552 waterfordpress.co. nz