72 | nzdairy DAIRY PEOPLE » Lynwood Dairies Kate was raised on a sheep and beef farm in Te Anau. High-performance farm, highly skilled team Anne Boswell South Otago dairy farmers Scott and Kate Burgess are proving that behind every high-performing farm is a high-performing team. With a clear goal of continual improvement, the Burgess’ are laying the foundations for long-term success through thoughtful management, innovative training and a commitment to sustainability. “We want our people to be as good as they can be,” Kate says. Kate was raised on a sheep and beef farm in Te Anau, and when she was 16 her parents purchased the original part of the property she and Scott now run. After school, she studied at Lincoln University and worked on a dairy farm in Ireland before returning to New Zealand to work for Farm Source and Elanco. Scott’s journey into dairy was less traditional. With parents in the trucking industry, he left school at 16 and began milking cows before building a career in quarrying and mining across New Zealand and Australia. Eleven years ago, he returned home to pursue dairy farming - and it was then that he met Kate. In 2018, a new opportunity arose when Kate’s parents purchased a neighbouring block of land. They split the two properties into separate dairy farms and in the 2019/20 season, Scott and Kate began their own dairy farming operation. Today, they winter 643 cows on 219ha effective, with the herd averaging around 490kgMS / cow - and a target of 500kgMS/cow. Their System 4 farm focuses on pasture with strategic supplementation: 3kg of in-shed feed / cow / day year-round, silage during the shoulders of the season, and summer turnips. Cows are wintered in Central Otago, a key step in ensuring a successful spring for their animals. Spring calving begins on August 10, and they aim to keep 25% replacements - though Scott’s high standards for herd quality often make that a challenge. Mating spans 9.5 weeks of AI, with Scott selecting for high fertility, good udders and capacity. His excitement when the bull catalogues arrive is, Kate jokes, “almost as good as duck shooting season”. The couple’s passion for sustainability is evident, too, with environmental care a shared family value. Kate’s parents have established the Waipihi Wetland next door, and Kate and Scott have riparian planting on their own farm. Next season marks a new chapter as the couple transition from leasing to farm ownership: they will take over ownership of their current property, in addition to forming an equity partnership with Kate’s parents to purchase a new dairy farm at Mabel Bush, Southland. PHONE CRAIG: 027 210 4590 GENERAL EXCAVATING | LANE MAINTENANCE | TIP TRUCKS MUCK SPREADING | DRAINAGE AND SITE WORKS Covering Otago & Southland 0800 227 226 www.advance-agriculture.co.nz Proud to support Lynwood Dairies Specialist Suppliers of Agricultural Chemical, Seed, Spray Equipment & GPS Precision Ag Your go to experts for newbuilds and renovations. JARROD HOPE m. 027 497 0029 e. jarrod.hope@jsquaredbuilding.co.nz Owner / Licensed Building Practitioner JARED CLARK m. 027 814 2170 e. jared.clark@jsquaredbuilding.co.nz Owner / Licensed Building Practitioner New Builds Farm Buildings House Extensions Room Renovations Proudly Supporting Lynwood Dairies With three staff members and a calf rearer coming on board, Kate and Scott are focused on team development. Struggling to find suitable training options locally, they’ve pioneered a monthly in-house training initiative. Staff take turns choosing topics, with expert guests invited to deliver informative sessions. From lameness with Clutha Vets to agronomy with Advance Agriculture and farm bike maintenance with Agricentre Yamaha, the sessions are varied and practical. They also surround themselves with rural professionals who share their vision. The goal, Kate says, is simple: to get 1% better every day. “It’s a bit cliché, but it means you get the little things right,” she says. “If you miss the little things, they become big things down the track.”
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