| 3 nzdairy DAIRY PEOPLE » Ad and Anita Hendriks Increasingly complex compliance requirements Russell Fredric South Canterbury dairy farmer Ad Hendriks says increasingly complex compliance requirements are continuing to frustrate farmers trying to stay focused on running productive businesses. Ad milks 800 cows across a 250-hectare property on the edge of Geraldine, supplying Fonterra and producing about 414,000kg of milk solids this season. The farm recently shifted to a 50-50 sharemilking arrangement after several years of contract milking, with production steadily increasing during the past three seasons. The business irrigates most of the property under pivots and sprinklers, while also wintering about 300 cows at home and grazing the remainder of the herd off-farm on a dryland block over winter. Favourable autumn conditions this year also helped maintain strong feed levels following a relatively dry spring. While environmental responsibility remains important, many consent processes have become overly complicated and expensive, with some compliance documents are now so detailed farmers struggle to complete them independently. “The regulatory side has still been quite frustrating. If you need a professional to fill in the forms just to stay operational as a dairy farmer, then I think something has gone wrong.” “You should be able to fill the forms in yourself, but after five minutes you give up because there are so many references to laws and bylaws that most people don’t know by heart.” He points to consent costs as another major issue, saying some dairy farmers have spent in excess of $100,000 simply trying to continue farming under evolving rules. The Hendriks property sits partly within a Geraldine water protection area, requiring additional scrutiny around environmental management and farm consents and there has been considerable investment into environmental improvements, including planting natives along waterways and maintaining careful irrigation management. The farm runs a predominantly pasture-based system with supplementary feed including maize silage, grass silage and in-shed feeding. Ad milks 800 cows across a 250-hectare property on the edge of Geraldine. “We grew about 18 tonnes of dry matter on dryland kale this year, then followed it up with oats and made silage off that, which was pretty good.” Production has lifted progressively during the past three seasons, climbing from about 385,000kgMS to more than 400,000kgMS this year. “The sharemilker we’ve got now was our contract milker the last couple of years, and production has gone up every season. We’re up another 10,000 solids again this year.” Good management and cow care continue to drive the farm’s performance. “Knowing what to feed your cows and looking after your cows is the biggest thing. We do buy in some feed if need be, but we seem to get the rewards too.” Through his involvement with Federated Farmers and advocacy for sharemilkers and contract milkers, Ad believes succession will become one of the dairy industry’s biggest challenges during the next decade. With the average age of farm owners now sitting around 59, creating viable pathways into contract milking and sharemilking is becoming increasingly important as more farmers move towards retirement. Stronger milk payouts and the Fonterra brands payout are helping ease financial pressure on farm owners, making it easier for some to take on sharemilkers and create opportunities for younger people prepared to step into the industry, work hard and build their own businesses. “If people want to go into contract milking or sharemilking, the biggest thing is budget, budget, budget. Get all the information because numbers don’t lie.” Ph: 03 687 4790 www.mainfert.co.nz Mainfert, Turning knowledge into action to build stronger farms Proud to support Ad and Anita Hendriks with better nutrient solutions EXCAVATION, DRIVEWAYS, LANDSCAPING, SEPTIC TANKS, DRAINAGE AND MORE! CALL US TODAY jARED - 027 277 9519 DENYS - 027 686 2237
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