4 | nzdairy Decreased Productivity? Low body condition scores? Reduced milk yield? DRL can help. Ask about our expert testing services for Johne’s disease. Test. Manage. Control. Don’t let your stock fall through the cracks... www.drl.net.nz 03 489 4832 drl@drl.net.nz DAIRY PEOPLE » Everbrook Dairy Goats Allergy to cows’ milk leads to goats Rosa Watson What started as discovering an allergy to cow’s milk has led to a successful goat’s milk production business for Nelson woman Tracy Hay. “It started when I was milking (dairy cows) and I realised I couldn’t drink cow’s milk anymore,” she explains. She had discovered in 2009 she was allergic to the proteins in dairy milk. “I had been drinking it, but one winter when the cows dried off, I went back to store brought milk and I started to get really bad indigestion. “I thought, I may as well try to get some dairy goats and see if I can drink goat’s milk.” She needed a friend for a feral goat that some pig hunters found, and started milking. She was pleasantly surprised to find not only that it tasted good, but the milk did not affect her at all. “I also found my allergies reduced. I still get them, but I don’t need to take antihistamines at all. My health in general improved a lot.” When she was successful in producing milk for herself, a local suggested increasing her herd size to supply others. Nelson woman Tracy Hay has a herd of 100 goats on five hectares that she leases near Wakefield. “The herd just sort of grew from four to 10 to 20. Then, because they have multiples (kids), it grew exponentially.” She now has a herd of 100 goats on five hectares that she leases near Wakefield, with a Totalspan shed that she operates an eight-goat milling stand and “old-style”-cup milking plant. She hopes to increase that capacity as the business grows. There are two milk vats in a processing room to store the milk and keep it chilled. She milks the herd once a day, which can take up to three hours, but she hopes to modify the stand to take 10 to 12 goats to “speed things up”. When she first started out, she was bottling and supplying some supermarkets and cheesemakers. But the bottling became too much for the one-person operation. “The workload was just too much for me to run the farm and do the processing side of things.” She now supplies two South Island cheesemakers – one in Christchurch and one in Blenheim – and is eagerly awaiting the opening of a powder drier plant in Ashburton. It will be capable of processing 400kg per hour. This would be a game changer as, at the moment, the dairy goat milk industry was small in the South Island with the wider industry dominated by large corporate operations in the North Island, Tracy said. “Hopefully, that will provide another outlet for the milk.” There was also the added bonus that the plant – due to open in the 2024/2025 season – would collect the milk, taking away the headache of transport. Tracy has found goats very different to work with than cows. “Goats are not cows. They don’t flow like cows do in a shed.” She has found they do not need to be pregnant every year. For some it can be every other year. Goat’s milk is very versatile and could make a wide range of cheeses. “It’s got a slightly different texture because it’s a different milk, but you can still make the same style of cheese.” She sees a lot of opportunity in product development. “If the economy improves, hopefully the industry will catch up.” GAIN The Advantage Fresh cut lucerne and freshly kibbled barley with a vitamin and mineral supplement Develops bigger, healthier, productive calves and other ruminants No weaning check High energy: ME - 12.2MJ/kg GAIN® encourages full stomach development and improves enzyme activity, establishing correct gut microflora. In seven weeks, calves are physically developed and ready to graze, while other ruminants advance quickly. The digestible fibre contains superior protein and is highly palatable, providing sustained growth and optimal health.
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