58 | nzdairy DAIRY PEOPLE » Array Holsteins Massive win for Array Holsteins team Russell Fredric Holstein Friesian breeders the Ray family have won both this year’s Royal Agricultural Society southern district in-calf dairy heifer competition. The competition was based on judging a line of more than 97 heifers, with the winning heifers being from Stephen and Judith Ray’s stud, Raymac Holsteins and their son Richard’s stud, Array Holsteins which comprised a third of those entered. Richard is the manager of his parents 200 hectare farm at Clydevale, South Otago which peak milks 490 pedigree F16 Holstein Friesian cows. These are spring calved and milked twice a day through a conventional 38 a-side herringbone shed, with the farm supported by a nearby block of 150 hectares. Richard is chairman of the Otago Holstein Friesian New Zealand branch. The competition entrants do not know the exact criteria for the judging, but the award was recognition that the family “were doing something right”, especially knowing the high quality of other competitors’ stock, he says. “When you win, you do feel like you have achieved something.” In recent years, the Ray’s have focused on increasing the amount of overseas genetics in the herd which is now about 50% New Zealand and 50% North American, with a greater focus on putting lower performing cows to beef bulls. “Probably 35% of the herd is going to beef because we don’t have the options to [live] export like we used to. If we had a lot of surplus heifers we could send 30 or 40 away. We still have some surplus we sell in the local market.” Richard is pleased with the cows’ overall performance, with this year’s total production reaching about 270,000kgMS or 95% of their body weight in milk solids , underpinned by a system 5 operation and the introduction of irrigation five years ago. The irrigation comprises three centre pivots and 60 hectares of K-line irrigation, sourced from the Clutha River, which enabled the herd to be In recent years, the Ray’s have focused on increasing the amount of overseas genetics in the herd. awamangucontracting@gmail.com Dairy Nutrition & Management Solutions Ltd OPTIMIZING GRASS BASED SYSTEMS www dnms co nz | 027 280 0435 peter dnms@gma l com | howard@dnms com Monthly on farm consultation Optimising pasture based dairy systems to maximise profitability Annual plans modelled to ensure maximum profit Monthly body condition scoring & monitoring Qualified nutritional advice Independent annual milking machine check
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