| 87 nzdairy DAIRY PEOPLE » Scott and Ann Henderson Scott and Ann Henderson are currently in their third year of 50/50 sharemilking on the semi self-contained property. Eighth year on farm for Scott and Ann Virginia Wright For the last eight years Scott and Ann Henderson have been farming on 490 hectares effective just south of Milton, 40minutes from Dunedin. They are currently in their third year of 50/50 sharemilking on the semi self-contained property, wintering all youngstock and half the cows on farm. The Hendersons love training and progressing the four full time staff they work alongside. “We get so much reward out of it and at the end of the day they are the future of the industry, we couldn’t do what we do it without them,” says Ann. Their 820 Kiwi-X Fresian cows are all DNA tested and A2. Their milk goes to the Danone Milk Factory 40 minutes down the road to be used for baby formula. This season they’re on track to achieve a farm record of 345,000kgs of milk solids up from 320,000 kgs last season, and that’s despite the decision they made two seasons ago to drop the bottom cows out of their herd from the 860 cows they’d been milking to the current number, knowing it would have minimal impact. Their bottom line improved with fewer cows to feed, and, as they had hoped, they not only maintained but improved their overall milk solid production with more milk solids per cow. “The farm production is very much driven by weather, and this season we’ve had great weather to help us reach out farm target,” says Scott. Being a Danone provider means not using Palm Kernel Extract (PKE) in their System 3 farm, instead feeding the herd a mix of locally grown wheat and barley in shed. This year they lifted their daily feed which they think is another factor helping them hit their farm record target. The goal of 345,000 kg’s (420kgs milk solids per cow) isn’t new, but their true target is to build their herd up to have cows producing their liveweight in milk. The herd is currently 60% Kiwi-X, 30% Fresian and 10% Jersey with the goal to head towards more Fresian cows,”explains Scott. The Hendersons are sourcing semen straws from all over the country and overseas to get the genetics they want for their herd, selecting bulls for different traits such as longevity, good udders, good feet, animal health, milk component % and high fertility. The Hendersons nominate their whole herd and make targeted decisions for each cow. They breed the bottom 20% of their herd to beef so they are only breeding from the best cows to improve the herd every year. They are actively looking to achieve their next big goal which is farm ownership in the next 1 to 2 years. Their ideal farm will be located in South Otago or Southland milking 600-800 cows. That gives them plenty of time to settle in before their now two and half year-old daughter Mackenzie is ready to start school. “The farm production is very much driven by weather, and this season we’ve had great weather.” Covering Otago & Southland 0800 227 226 www.advance-agriculture.co.nz Proud to support Scott & Ann Henderson Specialist Suppliers of Agricultural Chemical, Seed, Spray Equipment & GPS Precision Ag PROUDLY SUPPORTING SCOTT & ANN HENDERSON www . w i l k i n s f a rmi ng . c o . n z FOR MORE INFO For pricing & contracts: 03 201 6246 or 027 249 9317 GRAIN, BLENDS AND CUSTOM STOCKFEED After 13 years of working their way up from their first job as dairy workers they’re very excited to be able to own their own farm and operate it exactly the way they want to. It’s a dream come true for the Hendersons bringing their family up on their own farm.
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