62 | nzdairy New Zealand Dairy Industry Awards » JRC Farm Ltd Works better being dried off during the heat Virginia Wright JRC Farm is collectively owned by three generations of Olivia Sutton’s family. She and her husband Craig Dobbe bought it three seasons ago together with Olivia’s parents and grandparents. Next door on one side Olivia’s uncle is now on the farm which 20 years ago was run by Olivia’s grandparents, Joyce and Trevor Lang. Another uncle runs the dairy farm on the other side. They’ve been one third equity partners in the Waerenga farm near Te Kauwhata since 2024. JRC Farm is 200 hectares, 165 effective, running 500 autumn calving cows which they co-manage with the help of one staff member. “We’ve gone for autumn calving because we’re in a summer dry region so it works better being dried off during the peak of that hot summer period,” says Olivia. They dry off most of the herd in mid-December and are back in full swing by March 1st. They carry between 50 and 60 empties through the summer, keep milking right through, and make the most of the usually better prices at the works in April and May. They also lock up about 40 hectares of pasture from November for use later in summer. “It’s like a way of banking grass,” says Olivia. “We use it for deferred grazing in the summer so we’re able to carry on milking sustainably without damaging our pasture cover.” They supplement the not particularly high-value feed with maize, silage and minerals, and save money knowing the pasture will reseed itself with no need for seed-tillers. The autumn system runs a 90-to-100-day round through the winter working with half paddocks and shifting the cows morning and afternoon to ensure a constant supply, Olivia explains. “The herd’s consuming a lot, the growth rate is slow and the weather conditions are quite unpredictable so it means we can manage heavy rain or a prolonged frost more easily. Grass is the highest quality cheapest feed we have on farm so we want to use it before anything else.” They’re averaging 422 kgs milk solids per cow which as Olivia says isn’t much more than the benchmark, and the fully Freisian herd with their large frames take a lot of feeding but, thanks to their system, it all makes sense when you look at the bottom line. “We’re really cost-effective,” says Olivia. Our feed costings are $1.92 per kg of milk solids compared to the benchmark of $2.46 and the other return is that we have no bobby calves in our system. Being fully autumn means there’s a lot higher demand when we sell and we get a really strong return selling into the beef market.” JRC Farm ranks among the lowest 20% of farms for emissions in the region. JRC Farm is 200 hectares, 165 effective, running 500 autumn calving cows which they co-manage with the help of one staff member. Everything they do aligns with best practice as well as whole system profitability. That’s one of the things commented on by the judges earlier this year when Olivia and Craig were named the 2026 Auckland/Hauraki Share Farmers of the Year at the New Zealand Dairy Industry Awards where they also took home multiple merit awards including the DairyNZ People & Culture Award and the Farm Environmental Sustainability Award. New Zealand Dairy Industry Awards where they also took home multiple merit awards including the DairyNZPeople & Culture Award and the Ecolab Total Farm Hygiene & Innovation Award (farm environmental sustainability award.) Craig and Olivia have adapted their system to make the most of what’s available and found a healthy and rewarding balance that pays off for them, for their farm and for the environment. Takanini Feeds Limited (1987) makers of good quality StockFeed - Meals and Pellets. We proudly support and congratulate JRC FarmLtd on this fantastic milestone. Takanini Feeds value Craig and Olivia's continued partnership with us, and wish the family all the best for the future. www.takaninifeeds.co.nz 0800 225 333 Call Tim 027 493 2115 Email admin@broughtoncon.co.nz Diggers Trucks Bulldozers Draglines Excavation & Drainage Farm & Commercial
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