| 11 nzdairy DAIRY PEOPLE » Clydesdale Dairy The property carries a peak herd of between 700 and 800 cows, with an additional 150ha leased across two runoff blocks. “We do feel pretty confident, but I suppose it’s been in a good place for a period of time.” That confidence comes after what Francois describes as one of the toughest periods the industry has faced in recent decades. The 2014-2015 downturn saw global dairy prices fall sharply, leading to significantly reduced payouts for farmers across New Zealand and widespread financial pressure throughout the sector. “It took a period of time for us to get out of that,” he says. “It’s easy to forget. You keep working through it for a number of years and then you wake up in a pretty good place. You do take a knock, but you do forget.” For the Tillards, the downturn was made even more challenging because it coincided with major farm development and their transition into equity partnership. However, Francois says the business is now in a much stronger position. Another ongoing challenge for the industry has been attracting and retaining skilled staff - an issue being experienced globally, he says. office@sscontracting.co.nz www.scottsimpsoncontracting.co.nz CONTRACTING LTD LANE MAINTENANCE • EFFLUENT • EARTHMOVING • CARTAGE BALEAGE • SILAGE • STRAW • HAY • GRAIN • FODDER BEET Quality service with quality results. 021 607 957 The Tillards, who currently employ four full-time staff and two part-time, consider themselves fortunate to have retained a stable team. “We are pretty lucky, we’ve had the same people for a period of time.” As a Fonterra shareholder, he says New Zealand’s dairy structure is another reason for confidence. “We don’t know how lucky we are, really. It’s not always been perfect, we have had tough times, but if you look at it from an unbiased point of view our overall industry is in a very good place, even compared internationally,” he says. “That strong cooperative ethos, along with our grass fed competitive advantage are the keys of our success, I think the dairy farmers would agree.” While increasing regulation and compliance requirements can create uncertainty, Francois says it is part of the evolving nature of the industry. “It doesn’t mean it’s a bad thing, but when you see it coming, there’s apprehension about what’s next.” 0800 65 55 45 www.bayirrigation.co.nz ® Pivot and Lateral systems, Hard Hose irrigators, Fixed Grid systems, Motor Pumps, Electric Pumps, PTO Pumps and Generator Sets.
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