NZ Dairy Winter 2021

98 | nz dairy DAIRY PEOPLE » Tony & Fran Allcock Cows enjoy the good life at ‘moo-tel’ Cows relaxing on sawdust at the Allcock’s ‘moo-tel’. Kim Newth T ony and Fran Allcock are used to seeing parts of their 97-hectare effective Waikato dairy farm, beside the Waipa River at TeRore, disappear under winter rain but the sight of cows huddled together against the conditions is a thing of the past. In 2013 they built a shelter barn for the cows, which has since evolved into a year-round ‘moo-tel’ offering all-season shelter, feed and a compost waste collection service. It was Fran’s idea to build the barn originally; she realised everyone else had a house on the farm, bar the animals making the money! The American-style barn is comprised of two 18m wide bays that are 60m long, with a 5m feed lane through the middle and troughs either side running the length of the barn. Initially, they only envisaged the barn being used as winter shelter. “But as we started using it and feeding in it, we realised it was really good,” says Tony. “We could see the benefits and how much the cows loved it, so now it is used every day of the year, regardless.” The barn is also used for calving. “In the morning we go out and the calves are there in the barn, warm, dry and happy – the staff love it too because they’re not having to be out in the mud looking for calves in drains!” Not only has the Moo-tel improved cow comfort and welfare, it has also reduced pasture damage and boosted production. Before building the barn, the couple got 100,000kgMS from 275-280 Friesian cows. They have since achieved production of 163,000kgMS with the same number of cows. “Our biggest gains in production have been in summer. On hot, humid days, the cows will often be in the barn before their midday feed ration and will spend the afternoon in there until milking time, starting at 3.30pm. The water troughs are outside to prevent bossy cows stopping others drinking … Throughout the winter period the cows are in the barn every night and some days are only on the paddocks for two to three hours, weather depend- ing; in the moo-tel they are fed their ration of maize and straw.” One observed downside is that well-fed, content cows don’t necessarily want to go anywhere. “Hence, we’ve started the meal feeder in the milk shed and have also added cup removers.” Sawdust used for moo-tel bedding stays nice and warm as it slowly composts down. New sawdust is CALL US TODAY 0800 118 111 engineering@agfirst.co.nz agfirstengineering.co.nz SPECIALISTS IN DESIGN/SUPPLY/BUILD PROUD TO BE ASSOCIATED WITH TONY AND FRAN ALLCOCK WATER & EFFLUENT Specialists in Accounting, Tax, Audit, Xero, Business Valuations and more 1026 Victoria Street, Hamilton 3200 PO Box 187, Waikato Mail Centre, Hamilton 3240 Phone: 07 839 2106 Email: office@pkfh.co.nz 027 222 3130 or 07 871 9929 put down in June and what comes out is stored on a concrete pad by the barn until October and then spread as fertiliser over the farm’s maize paddocks, (27ha in total) and pasture. Drainage from the pad is treated through the barn’s effluent system, made up of a weeping wall and green-water storage. Nitrogen leaching is undoubtedly much less of an issue with this composting system, which has also brought down fertiliser costs. No conventional fertiliser was used for four years straight and soil testing results held up well. With no cows pugging up paddocks when wet, the farm is naturally grow- ing more grass too - and it keeps growing through winter. “We’ve had hundreds of people through our composting barn. Quite a few are being built around the country now because people can see how cow friendly and environmentally friendly they are.” Meanwhile, the couple’s son Lucas is a share- milker and now the fourth generation in the family making a career on the land.