28 | nzdairy DAIRY PEOPLE » Kevin and Nicole Oppert Trying cutting-edge calf technology Karen Phelps It has been a year of extraordinary growth for Nicole and Kevin Oppert. The past 12 months has seen the Ngawarobased dairy couple add a new farm to their partnership, trial cutting-edge calf technology, welcome a third child, take on a new lease block and complete a prestigious industry development programme, all while pushing their herd to record production levels. “It’s certainly been a busy year, “ says Nicole with a laugh. Past Share Farmers of the Year, the Opperts have just completed their first full season as equity partners with Don and Andrea Hammond, milking a 750 cow crossbred herd through a 60-bail rotary shed on the partnership’s 91-hectare effective property situated between Rotorua and Tauranga. The results speak for themselves: a farm that previously peaked at 320 kilograms of milk solids per cow has now reached 489 kilograms per cow, an improvement achieved in just two seasons. Now the equity partnership has taken a further step, purchasing a second dairy property in Mangakino. The 308-hectare total/240 hectares effective farm will milk 600 cows through a 50-aside herringbone with in-shed feeding and automatic cup removers. They have plans to introduce Cow Manager and Kevin will act as operations manager across both properties with Nicole hands on farming on the original unit. Technology has been central to the couple’s progression. The existing farm already runs Cow Manager and has been operating as a trial farm for the company’s new calf tag system, fitted to the herd around August last year. The ear sensor tags monitor calf health in real time, alerting the team when an animal may need attention and tracking behavioural changes often missed through visual observation alone. “It will help us hugely in mating when we will put some first-time calvers to AB instead of a bull and it will monitor when they are on heat,” says Nicole. The results from Cow Manager on the main herd have already been significant. The Opperts AB for ten weeks, closing with short-gestation semen to maximise days in milk. Their six-week in-calf rate has climbed from 63 per cent to 76 per cent in two The past 12 months have seen the Ngawaro-based dairy couple add a new farm to their partnership. seasons and the empty rate has dropped by three per cent, all without using a bull. “Using Cow Manager has helped us change our systems in the mating period,” says Nicole. “More accuracy and saves time.” The couple has also taken on a 41-hectare lease block nearby, which they will use to rear Charolaiscross calves, bred over the bottom 30 per cent of the herd to reduce bobby numbers, to 100 kilograms liveweight. The 91-hectare support block will continue to be used as a wintering platform. Alongside all of this, the Opperts were named recipients of the Milking It 2.0 programme in 2025, a collaboration between the Dairy Women’s Network, CMK Chartered Accountants, Figured, Rural Exchange and MediaWorks. The programme, which concluded on 1 June, provided a year of accounting support, financial modelling, and business development. “You can do so much on the outside of your business but you also need to work on the inside,” says Nicole, “so this has helped us immensely to get to where we are today.” The couple’s longer-term goal remains farm ownership. And with a newborn daughter, Riley, now four months old already out on the farm alongside Nicole the next generation appears to share their enthusiasm. She is the new sister of Kaleb, 9, and Kaitlin, 7. “She comes with me in a backpack and loves it,” says Nicole. “Born and bred, I tell you.” Proudly supporting Kevin and Nicole Oppert 100% independent herd improvement consultancy 027 270 2403 www.yourwingman.co.nz fertify™ is a regenerative biofertiliser produced by Ecogas, made from recycled organic materials. It improves soil health, supports plant growth, and returns valuable nutrients back to your land. Better for your soil. Better for your farm. Better for the future. To nd out more contact: Andy Beford. Call 021 353 324 or email andy.bedford@ecogas.co.nz www.fertify.co.nz www.ecogas.co.nz Grow stronger pasture, naturally. 06 765 6178 | WWW.CMK.CO.NZ
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