Dairy Exporter April DIA 2022

HEAT AND HEALTH MONITORING YOU CAN TRUST.

Barry Flynn | Farm Manager 620Friesianson195Ha, Methven,Canterbury

“We trialled them because of Tru-Test’s reputation. We’re now running with them across the herd because of the results.”

12 Good trumps great, reckons

Pete Morgan

UPFRONT

13 Despite technology, Kiwi farmers will still need migrant labour

16 Market View: Stu Davison watches price records tumble

20 Global Dairy: Farmer flees tyranny of Putin’s war

51 Bay of Plenty Dairy TraineeThomas Lundman

52 Bay of Plenty Dairy ManagerHayden Purvis

54 Bay of Plenty Share Farmer - Scott and Rebecca O’Brien.

58 Central Plateau Dairy Trainee - Zoe Bryson

60 Central Plateau Dairy ManagerSatveer Singh

63 Central Plateau Share Farmer - Todd and Renee Halliday

68 Manawatu Dairy Trainee - Amit Sujit

69 Manawatu Dairy Manager - Joel Peterson

71 Manawatu Share Farmer - Callum and Megan Bates (Runner-up)

73 Hawke’s Bay Dairy Trainee - Jacob Stolte

74 Hawke’s Bay Dairy Manager - Amarjeet Kamboj

76 Hawke’s Bay Share Farmer - Jonathan and Kerri Robson

78 Taranaki Dairy Trainee - Kate Logan

79 Taranaki Dairy Manager - Nick Besing

81 Taranaki Share Farmer - Murray and Rachel Perks

84 West Coast/Top of the South Dairy Trainee

- Lisa Peeters

86 West Coast/Top of the South Dairy Manager - Robyn Mare

88 West Coast/Top of the South Share Farmer

- Kevin and Kyla Freeman

92 Canterbury Dairy TraineePeter O’Connor:

94 Canterbury Dairy Manager - Jaspal Singh

96 Canterbury Share Farmer - Will Green

100 Otago/Southland Dairy TraineeAidan Roe

102 Otago/Southland Dairy ManagerLaura Murdoch

104 Otago/Southland Share Farmer

- Hamish and Emma Day

WIN A SUZUKI DR200SE

Page 101

BUSINESS

109 Getting the best out of farm IT

STOCK

110 And then came more rain

114 A magic place to farm

118 Vet Voice: That cough may be pneumonia

BUSINESS

120 Monitoring helps hit targets

123 Opening doors to international dairy workers

WELLBEING

124 Food and sleep - Fuelling our bodies

DAIRY 101

126 Backup power - When the lights go out

SOLUTIONS

128 Control your feed costs

129 Piako Tractors adds dealerships

OUR STORY

130 50 years ago in the NZ Dairy Exporter

Page 114

DAIRY DIARY

April 14 – SMASH holds a Spotlight on the System field day near Hamilton which will discuss the hosts’ system 5 farm that winters 330 cows. The day also addresses lameness with Neil Chesterton. To register go to www. smallerherds.co.nz/smash-events/field-dayspotlight-on-the-system-hamilton-waikato. SMASH is also holding field days at Hokitika on April 20 with details to be confirmed and then Wyndham in Southland on April 21.

April 20 – The DairyNZ Farmers Forum Series looks at attracting and looking after dairy workers. The series is being run as webinars with recordings of past episodes. The final episode of the series runs on June 1 and looks at the bigger picture issues and challenges affecting dairy farming. For more information and to register visit www.dairynz. co.nz/about-us/event-activity/farmers-forumseries.

April 22 – DairyNZ runs a Lameness and Mastitis Management field day in North Taranaki between 10.30am and 12.30pm. Hear from farmers who have made improvements and from vets for the latest tips and tricks. Other dates/ locations: April 27, Coastal Taranaki; April 28, South Taranaki. Visit www.dairynz.co.nz/ events/taranaki/lameness-and-mastitismanagement-north-taranaki to find out more.

April 27 – DairyNZ’s FarmTune workshops continue, this time in Southland/South Otago. FarmTune is a lean management programme aimed at taking waste out of your business, empowering your people and growing your bottom line. Workshops in the southern region are also being held on May 11, June 14 and July 6. Contact Lynsey Stratford on 021 165 2004 for more information.

May 3 – The Good to Great Primary Sector People and Team Leadership Programme runs a workshop in Mid-Canterbury. Another workshop is being held in Southland on May 5. It is aimed at improving knowledge, growing yor skills and becoming more confident leading people. Contact Lynsey Stratford on 021 165 2004 for more information.

May 3-5 – Lincoln University Dairy Farm (LUDF) is holding focus days in North Canterbury on May 3, Mid-South on May 4 and at the LUDF farm May 5 about technology and cow management options. Find out more at www.ludf.org.nz.

May 14 – The Dairy Industry Awards culminates in the National Awards Dinner at Christchurch where the overall winners will be announced for the New Zealand Share Farmer of the Year, New Zealand Dairy Manager of the Year and the New Zealand Dairy Trainee of the Year. For more, visit www.dairyindustryawards.co.nz.

May 24-26 – DairyNZ holds a Mark and Measure course in Taupo to help you learn key business concepts and skills. A South Island course will be held in Queenstown on June 14-16. Find out more at www. dairynz.co.nz/business/mark-and-measure /?fbclid=IwAR0frOuVcILrhUa_ONaxxbC7_ F73RWzE4qSQrZhnjDko-HxxXR33L7d1T9w.

June 1 – Dairy Women’s Network with ASB runs a Quiet Leadership live webinar between 12.30pm and 1.30pm. It focuses on the brain-based rhythm and approach of quiet leadership, as well as the power of coaching in leadership. To register go to register.gotowebinar.com/ register/1984405602444783117.

June 8 – The Extension 350 project in Northland is holding a field day on the Giesbers’ farm at Okaihau to hear how farmers have benefited from the project. The farmer-led, farmer-focused project is coming to an end after five years. To find out about the field day visit www.dairynz.co.nz/events/ northland/extension-350-public-field-dayjune.

June 8-9 – The South Island Dairy Event (SIDE) is being held in the Oamaru Opera House. It combines industry experts, networking sessions and practical workshops in a revitalised format this year. To find out more and to register visit www.side.org.nz.

Please check websites to see if events are going ahead under the Covid-19 Protection Framework and what restrictions apply.

Staying strong onfarm portrays an innovative programme run by Reporoa dairy farmer and cancer survivor Sarah Martelli, who helps other women find their balance and build strength and wellbeing to be the best they can be.

Strong Woman is an online community for women to work on their fitness with a workout to do at home, find quick and easy healthy recipes, goal planners and to connect with other women on the same journey.

Her philosophy is to help women create healthy, sustainable habits around moving and feeding their bodies and their families.

EXPERIENCE: IT’S PERSONAL

If women can prioritise their own health and fitness, they can inspire their partners, their children and their community around them, Sarah says (p82).

She is an inspirational woman creating a moment of lift for many women.

In this issue we take a look at the regenerative agri journey some NZ farmers are already on, and that the government has signalled they want others to join in on, in our Special Report.

Throw open the windows and let in the fresh air. I’ve been sitting in the editor’s seat of the Dairy Exporter for almost six years now and every time we put together the Cream of the Crop, Dairy Industry Awards special I always second-guess my life’s journey and wonder if I should’ve pivoted early in my career to become a dairy farmer?

WIN!

(p42). We also cover the Heald family of Norsewood (p52) who have transitioned to organics, OAD and philosophies and are enjoying the less intensive more resilient system they have moved to, along improved profitability.

There is more research to be done in the NZ farm system context, says MPI’s chief scientist John Roche, figure out what will and won’t work, but he encourages farmers to engage and learn more, and to embrace regenerative as a verb - saying all farmers could work be more regenerative, more resilient, lowering carbon and building carbon storage.

The regen debate has divided the farming community in a big way - many scientists are affronted that NZ would need regenerative methods from overseas countries with highly degraded soils - would that then infer that our conventional methods were degenerative?

Growing up on a sheep and beef farm, I was all about the sheep and lambs and wool and riding horses - but I did actually do a couple of stints on dairy farms during my Massey Uni Bachelor of Agri Science degree. The first was milking about 100 cows in a small eight-bail walk-through shed in eastern Taranaki, with lovely young farm owners battling against interest rates in the early 20% range. I really enjoyed the cows, not so much the interminable fencing jobs on the doer-upper farm!

These young farmers are talking about looking after staff, going the extra mile for the environment, focusing on building equity but also on the advancement of their team and the health and efficiency of their stock. And many of them are women farming very successfully on their own account, which is exciting to see.

They say the methods won't work, and that research has already shown that, and also our farmers are already following regenerative practices. Others say that the methods are not prescribed and each farmer can take out of it what they want. It has been called a social movement rather than a science and the claimed benefits of improved soil and stock health and building soil carbon through diverse species, use of biological fertilisers and laxer and less frequent grazing practices along with less nitrogen is something that resounds emotionally with many.

While older and more cynical farmers are perhaps prone to complaining about too much regulation, new taxes and unworkable government initiatives, it’s refreshing that many of the younger award winners stating that despite the challenges faced, they see a path of adapting to changing rules and problem-solving to mitigate adverse effects as key to continuing creating their businesses and fulfilling their dreams.

We have taken a snapshot of thinking by scientists in MPI and DairyNZ (p46) and portrayed what farmers using the practices are finding, including ongoing coverage of the comparative trial work by Align Group in Canterbury

The next practical stint was on a larger farm which was great, but I did have a bout of glandular fever at the time, so I probably wasn’t the most dynamic farm assistant.

So having read this issue, I ponder how different life might have been if I had stayed in the ’Naki, embraced the gumboots and forged a path in the dairy industry.

A sliding door moment.

In terms of building a business and a career, this magazine is overflowing with go–getters and cow-lovers and people dedicated to making it in the dairy industry. Their stories of starting with nothing (many of them totally new to the country, the industry and the language) and building assets and careers are inspirational.

Impressive too, is their dedication to the health and wellbeing of their cows and of their co-workers and staff. Gone are the 12:2 rosters, skinny cows and high empty rates - bobby calves are on their way out too.

“We see ourselves as the new generation coming through and strive to be leaders in the industry who will drive it forward in the most sustainable and ethical way possible,” said Jono and Kerri Robson, 2022 Hawke’s Bay/Wairarapa Share Farmers of the Year.

They are also blessed to have record high payouts to support their initiatives.

Whether it’s wide-eyed innocence or youthful positivity, it’s refreshing to see.

The world is changing, we have to evolve - many of the winners in this year’s Dairy Industry Awards will show it is not only possible, but also profitable.

If you are interested in getting into farm ownership getting out but retaining an interest, read about Moss’ innovative idea for a speed-dating weekend potential partners (p11). We think it could be a winner!

Sneak peek

JULY 2021 ISSUE

In the next issue:

May 2022

• Special Report: Farming/business investment – if you are starting out or bowing out.

• Wildlife onfarm

• Ahuwhenua winners

• Greenhouse gases - How are mitigation options shaping up?

• Sheep milking conference coverage

• Bobby calves - What’s happening in markets, the products, the regulations?

• LUDF: Wrap up of this season’s research programme into 10 in 7 milking and plantain.

• 500kg/MS/cow – The Journey. A discussion group founded from interactions within a closed Facebook group during the first Covid lockdown has helped steer a significant boost in production.

Congratulations to all the winners and good luck for the National Awards, @YoungDairyED

ONLINE

New Zealand Dairy Exporter’s online presence is an added dimension to your magazine. Through digital media, we share a selection of stories and photographs from the magazine. Here we share a selection of just some of what you can enjoy. Read more at www.nzfarmlife.co.nz

IRRIGATION IMPROVEMENTS CREATING RESILIENCE

The Woodhouse family’s irrigation improvements are creating resilience. Good data and investment into spray irrigation that allows lower rates to be applied at shorter return intervals will help maintain pasture production levels as nutrient inputs reduce with regulation.

Take a look:

https://youtu.be/bivsGOWbM9Q

ASB RURAL INSIGHTS

- Succession Series Podcast

Canterbury farm manager Barry Flynn has 100% confidence in collar technology for picking cows on heat. It means he can get off the vet stand and focus on managing pasture, easing staffing pressure. The Trutest Datamars collars are giving him other key data on individual cows that’s helping in other ways too. Check out NZ Dairy Exporter’s special report on reviewing mating to read Barry’s story.

Take a look:

https://youtu.be/jQOeNaMG4DA

NZ Dairy Exporter is published by NZ Farm Life Media PO Box 218, Feilding 4740, Toll free 0800 224 782, www.nzfarmlife.co.nz

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Reporters

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Welcome to the ASB Rural Insights

- Succession Series podcast, where we’re talking about farm ownership transition from all sides. Thanks to the ASB Rural team for partnering

NZ Farm Life Media on this four-part series, Each week Angus Kebbell will be profiling farming families, talking to experts from the advisory sector and investigating new opportunities for farmers thinking about diversifying their farming business. When it comes to ‘what’s next’ for the farm, there’s a lot to think about, so we aim to share success stories, provide useful tips and help you understand more about the many facets of succession planning in the food and fibre sector today.

To listen:

https://nzfarmlife.co.nz/podcasts-2/

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www.nzfarmlife.co.nz

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ISSN 2230-2697 (Print)

ISSN 2230-3057 (Online)

Time to take a break FROM THE FARM

Getting out to the beach, going for a family walk or a day at the lake can do wonders for your mental health, leaving the farm behind just for a few hours, Jessica Lea writes.

To say the season has been a roller-coaster is an understatement, we’ve had crazy weather, staff shortages, a pandemic and inflation soaring. One thing that has been consistent is farmers have kept trucking on.

It is very sobering to see that we are looking at a record payout, that the hard yards should be worth it.

We’ve had our most testing season for Cam and myself. With taking on the neighbouring farm, it has had its challenges, running two sheds, two herds, calving down both farms, finding everything is double the costs and costs have risen.

Hiring staff has been challenging especially when you are looking at mid-season. Our previous manager we employed when we took over next-door had a pre-existing injury that became more detrimental to his health as the season unfolded. This left Cam and me having to do a lot of the work ourselves and relying heavily on casual help. This gave us no time away from the farm as one or both of us were in the sheds.

Fortunately, we were able to hire someone in January making a huge difference and taking some of the stress off. It has been a common thread - staffing issues have been consistent throughout the industry.

Reading posts on social media or talking to other farmers, finding staff has been challenging and a lot of people were also doing everything themselves. We also find when you live in a small town, it can be hard for people new to the area to integrate into the community.

We offer a competitive salary, upskilling and perks with the job, as staff are essential to our business running smoothly. Like the opportunity we have had, we encourage our staff to grow and further themselves in the dairy industry, setting goals and working towards reaching them. Although we are a few hours away from any major city, our area in the Bay of Plenty offers a lot of great off-farm activities. I can attribute taking time off the farm to being able to carry on, especially having three kids in tow.

We ensure the weekends are low maintenance (when we’re not in the midst of calving).

Getting out to the beach, going for a family walk or a

day at the lake can do wonders for your mental health, leaving the farm behind just for a few hours. Spending your weekends at home, it’s easy to nip down to do something on the farm and end up home a couple of hours later.

Having employed a new staff member has freed us up to be able to have a bit of down time on the weekends and spend time with the kids. We also encourage our staff to ensure their weekend on is low maintenance, so feeding out is done prior to the weekend and all you have to do is milk and move the cows.

We also go to once-a-day milking as soon as it starts getting dry around Christmas. This takes some pressure off, we find at this time of year we don’t drop a huge amount in production. This also allows us and our staff to enjoy a bit of lifestyle around summer.

Farming can be tough at the best of times, you will have your hard days and it takes its toll especially when there’s always something to be done, but ensuring we have happy staff and taking the time to get off the farm keeps us thriving.

Above: Ayla, 9, and Kensi, 7, enjoying some family time off the farm.

Following the cows.

Left: Weekends are minimal work only.

QUESTIONS

of risk

What would you consider to be your main business risk? Was this your main risk six months ago? Do you think it will be your main risk in six months’ time?

Because of our business setup, we have a risk register which is reviewed each month with our shareholder reporting. Not only does this process get us to think about what we would do in a situation before it arises, we also benefit from other shareholders imparting knowledge if they have experience that can help.

Risk-register or not, we can probably measure our biggest risks by the main topic of conversation at the dinner table. For a while, this was dominated by work bubbles and what to do if we catch Covid-19. Now staffing and consistency is very much the main discussion. Staffing has been on our radar for some time now, but until recently it was more of a niggle than our top risk.

Duncan is also a dab hand at fixing things, so this is a risk we are prepared to take on. Perhaps it is time to think about the risk of booking a holiday abroad over the winter?

We are fortunate that our location makes it possible to employ people who can travel in rather than live-in. After a big recruitment drive, we now have eight casual team members, seven of whom come in only for milking. As with many solutions there is a knock-on effect, in this case, it is the risk of inconsistency. The first area of inconsistency is the yard wash. The yard always gets cleaned, but how much water and time that takes depends on who is doing it – I will embarrassingly confess to having run us out of water recently in my enthusiasm!

Secondly there is the plant wash. This is not a simple process, and we feel it is best done by staff who are here more often, which limits the number of people trained to carry out the task. How the cows are milked differs with

each person in the shed. We have automatic cup removers but prefer to have someone at cups off to keep an eye on whether cows have milked out properly or look like they may be developing mastitis. Someone experienced at cups off makes very different decisions to someone who is new or not often milking.

Our solution to achieving consistency in these areas is automation. Thanks to a good year of production and milk price, it was an easier decision to make some investments.

Over the last two weeks, our shed has been a hive of activity with the installation of an automatic yard wash and automatic plant wash. In the coming few weeks, in-bail milk meters will also be installed.

Both automatic washes are simple to use and achieve consistent and quality results. The list of advantages keeps building – less water, less electricity, less time, removing the health and safety risk of handling chemicals at each wash, less training, less experience needed.

It was not quite as clear cut making the decision to install milk meters, especially given we are considering using collars in the not-too-distant future. Meters provided a less expensive stepping-stone towards understanding more about the production and udder health of each cow, and we can also use it to identify possible cluster faults, enabling a less-experienced eye at cups off.

By relying on automation, the conversation at the dinner table moves to the “what ifs” of machine failure. Well, the yard hoses are still in place, the plant wash can still be done manually, and we still usually have someone at cups off.

Duncan is also a dab hand at fixing things, so this is a risk we are prepared to take on. Perhaps it is time to think about the risk of booking a holiday abroad over the winter?

Automation of a range of tasks has helped solve some of the potential risks of dairy operation.

By Anne-Marie Wells.

Top: Yard wash before and above, yard wash after.

Good trumps great

Ultimately,

Give me good any day. Payout, weather, stock prices, public opinion and even staff. We hang out for the perfect ones but are they realistic or good for us?

Payout will cycle through the years under the influence of exchange rate, surplus dumps from other nations, droughts and now pandemic and war. High payout distorts expectations and drives up costs.

many expressions Shakespeare left littered in our everyday language, I find myself using words and concepts in my farming life that they seeded.

We don’t need to be great to run a sound, profitable, robust business. Or to have good mates, a family that loves me and to live a meaningful life.

We do need a mindset necessary for managing risk, a resilience for change and a clarity or direction. We get security in controlling what we can by running consistent cashflow and feed budgets. Financial feed surprises are rarely good. Managing feed surpluses are often more difficult than a deficit.

Election cycles, social consciousness and trends see our standing as farmers kicked up and down the field. We must always earn the right to farm as the New Zealand public have the dual role of voters and consumers so their perception of us counts.

As an industry we have never been keen on dairy company buffering of payout. I can hedge if I want but weathering and learning from the tough years and being prudent in the good ones is the lesson reality gives us.

There’s no chance of the weather staying the same particularly as we witness the effect of climate change. We are having amazingly mild and dry winters now. Great for dairy farming but the more extreme cyclone events and brutal summer dry periods are unfortunately also normalising.

There are many great farmers. They inspire us and trail blaze with performance, leadership or innovation. They become so often by circumstance and their influence varies for all of us and so by focusing on being good at what we do, chance may see others benefit from our actions.

“Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and others have greatness thrust upon them.” William Shakespeare, Twelfth Night.

First bosses have an enormous influence on building your skills and experience as well as imprinting expectations and farming philosophies. My first two employers, Gordon and Ken were exceptional. Good farmers that gave me the time to grow and the responsibilities to learn from. Just like the

Ultimately we, as farmers, just have two main roles. Caretakers of the land and animals and providers of their food. Proving we are good at it maintains that trust. Visitors to ours and other farms often voice surprise that they didn’t expect we cared so much for that which we are responsible for. That we love working with our cows, tend the land carefully, value our people and have great belief in the quality and value of our milk. Food security is vital to the stability of a society.

Staff turnover is very costly to us and impacts the industry. Select carefully, support their learning, review constructively their job performance regularly and be happy to be a stepping-stone for them in the industry. Constantly good staff performance is always linked to alignment of expectations.

We always turn the table and have our people assess themselves and how well the job is living up to what they expect. It is powerful to be known for encouraging them to move up, within or beyond your farm. Train and retain good people. The great ones will only be with you briefly so wish them well.

Being a good farmer is a great legacy to leave.

farmers just have two main roles. Caretakers of the land and animals and providers of their food. Proving we are good at it maintains that trust, Pete Morgan writes.

Pete Morgan and his wife Ann Bouma milk 630 cows at Pokoru in the Waikato.

We don’t need to be great to run a sound, profitable, robust business. Or to have good mates, a family that loves me and to live a meaningful life.

Struggle to fill the job gaps

Amongst the wave of challenges facing the dairy sector, farmer advocates have recently stuck closely to pressuring the Government into creating exemptions for migrant dairy workers to address the wellcharted problem of industry staff shortages.

Not all farmers are feeling the same pain on this, but it is likely to be affecting all to some extent, even if through difficulties in accessing off-farm contractors. In light of this unresolved workforce deficit, are there realistic opportunities for farmers to reduce their labour needs by adopting new technology?

The dairy industry workforce is undoubtedly stretched and has been for a number of years. The 2021 Federated Farmers Farm Confidence Survey pinpointed the sector’s struggle to fill workforce gaps as a huge issue, with nearly half of respondents stating it was harder to recruit skilled and motivated staff.

The most recent version of the survey published in March this year reported no change in the proportion of respondents who

specifically identified the difficulty in recruiting staff as a major challenge.

The degree of concern in the farming community that there are not enough people willing to take on available jobs is backed up by DairyNZ research that has indicated the industry is short of more than 4000 workers.

The general shortfall is not new, and its underlying causes are well documented. But they have been exacerbated by the Covidera’s border closures and resulting inability for migrant workers to enter New Zealand to address skill shortages. The ever-declining NZ unemployment rate has also continued to decrease the pool of potential workers, who have a much wider range of job opportunities than in the past.

In the current context, DairyNZ expressed ‘bitter disappointment’ that in March the Government decided to allow only 300 international dairy farm workers into NZ to help address the immediate shortage, despite being asked for 1500. This comes after the Government created a temporary class

While technology can fill many of the gaps, New Zealand dairy farmers are likely to have an on-going need for migrant labour.

By Phil Edmonds

.

As with any sector, there is a need for a backup workforce that may well be transitory or part-time. This is particularly important for dairy farming as it enables employers to offer the kind of conditions necessary to attract good workers.

exemption in November 2021 for 200 dairy workers to enter the country.

These (albeit modest) exemption spots had been hard fought for, and there has been some surprise that after the first 200 were enabled, farmers were slow in coming forward to accept the offer (particularly given the rhetoric from DairyNZ and farmers via the confidence surveys).

The Government indicated the latest exemption would be the last before July when the new visa regime takes hold.

After July, employers wanting to bring migrant workers into New Zealand will have to be accredited and meet minimum standard requirements and commitments, which will include a labour market test to ensure New Zealanders get the first chance in the job market ahead of migrant workers, and employers will have to pay the median wage (currently $27 per hour). Could the initial slow uptake of entitlement to migrant dairy workers signal the problem is not as chronic as has been argued?

Possibly, although there are also some reasonable explanations for the hesitancy. The 2020-21 season was well underway by November and most farmers who had been short of labour are likely to have already stitched together a means to get through it. In addition, those migrant workers that were sanctioned to come into NZ to work on dairy farms would still have needed to go through managed isolation for two weeks, at the employers’ expense, and

have their availability delayed. Beyond that, there may be wider factors that have made farmers think twice about recruiting offshore dairy workers.

Part of the shortfall identified by DairyNZ is unlikely to be just about advertised jobs not being filled. As with any sector, there is a need for a back-up workforce that may well be transitory or part-time. This is particularly important for dairy farming as it enables employers to offer the kind of conditions necessary to attract good workers. Where there is a lack of people on hand to do casual milkings, for example, there is not the same opportunity to offer a favourable work roster and more days off. It is possible that other sectors are ‘pinching’ dairy farming’s back-up.

In terms of wages, there should be less concern than in the past about escalating expectations of pay rates and conditions (and now median wage mandates) as a reason to be cautious about taking on new staff.

The revenue gains dairy farmers are making with record high milk prices will have eased those qualms. However, given what farmers know about milk price volatility, they will also be thinking about higher wage costs in seasons ahead when prices inevitably fall. International milk prices are not determined by a function of farmers’ ability to service their fixed onfarm costs. Wages don’t fall in line with prices. There may be a proportion

of farmers who are vocal about staffing deficits but in the same breath not as eager to add higher costs to their business.

Understanding why the initial quota of migrant workers was not filled on day one (despite the reportedly dire need) requires a more nuanced consideration of what the vacant jobs are within the industry, and where they are located rather than simply accepting the industry is short of a bald 4000 workers.

DairyNZ says its data indicates “the greatest need is for farm assistant positions, which is the most common role onfarm. There are also a number of herd manager positions available. Highly skilled roles of assistant managers and farm managers are also vacant on some farms”.

Looking at the pinch point though, DairyNZ says “as calving approaches, farmers will be looking to fill fixed-term calf rearing positions”. This suggests the most sought-after workers are those who would be ‘temporary’ farm assistants. They are also workers that might previously have been paid closer to the minimum, rather than the median wage. The elevated (effectively regulated) wages that will need to be paid to migrant workers filling farm assistant roles (before July at 1.5 times the median wage, and at the median wage from July onwards) could be considered an imposition by some.

In terms of where those jobs are, and what type of farm operations are most in need of workers, DairyNZ says “farms in

all regions have been affected by staffing shortages, regardless of whether they are close to towns or cities.

eliminating specific tasks, some of which are seasonally specific – essentially feeding calves, spraying weeds, putting up fences and putting cups on cows.

transition from season to season.

Scott Townshend, chief executive of onfarm

“While all farm sizes are affected by staff shortages, larger farms with more staff are more likely to have vacancies. Larger farms tend to be located in Canterbury, Otago and Southland, and farmers in these regions have reported being more likely to have vacancies.”

There will of course be exceptions, but the above suggests that for established farmers with average sized operations based in the traditional North Island dairying regions, worker shortages might not actually be top of their minds.

It also suggests that if technology is to play a role in de-escalating the industry’s need for supplementary international workers, it would need to be focused on

Suppliers of robotic milking machines would argue they’ve got the latter covered, and that their technology has been developed specifically to help farmers working with labour uncertainties and shortages. The promotion of DeLaval’s VMS milking system includes a pitch to farmers who want to have a normal family life and their employees to have normal working hours.

But uptake of robotic milking in NZ has possibly not reached a level that reflects an unsustainable dependency on hardto-attract farm assistants. Among other things, including business investment priorities, this is likely due to farmer perception that it requires a whole-farm system change that they’re not prepared for.

Technology is, however, readily available that is helping farm teams become more efficient, and within that, farm businesses to adjust to what has become a fluid labour market as staff (at the assistant level)

Scott Townsend, chief executive of onfarm data company Trev, says that while a tool like Trev doesn’t directly reduce the farm head count, data tools can be used by anyone regardless of their tech literacy, which helps mitigate the challenges of rotating staff.

“Our farmers are using Trev to provide business continuity by storing all necessary information in a structured way so when there are personnel changes, they can understand how your farm operates, and manage your data before the next person steps in to pick up where they left off.”

The prospect of reducing the number of assistant roles on NZ dairy farms still looks like a long-term, rather than a short-term goal.

Without farm system changes, migrant workers are still going to be required to fill seasonal gaps for some time, particularly in the South Island.

Technology will increasingly ease the disruption that transitional staffing creates, but at this stage there’s no immediate danger that gumboot makers are going to go out of business.

data company Trev.

Dairy commodity prices are traversing the high section of the commodity cycle, with record prices being broken across the complex. New Zealand cheddar prices have never been higher, and butter continues to be in hot demand, hitting prices not seen before.

Milk powders are moving in the right direction, with skim milk powder prices streaking higher over the first three months of 2022. Whole milk powder prices have surged, with a few bumps in the road, but in very favorable territory. From dairy commodity prices we know that the farm gate milk price for the 2021-22 season is relatively baked in, which means the risk has shifted strongly into the coming season. So, what are the chances commodity prices can remain high for another season, and deliver another high farm gate milk price in NZ?

As I’m sure you’re aware, while we deal with winter in NZ, Northern Hemisphere farmers are delivering peak milk flows.

Dairy price records

The level of milk flows across United States and European farms has a serious impact on global dairy prices, which we as Kiwi farmers are directly exposed to. So, for insight into what the coming season’s milk price is likely to be, it’s important to get a good handle on what milk flows are likely to be, so let’s take stock of how Northern Hemisphere milk flows are likely to track this year.

Basically, is the current imbalance of supply and demand going to persist throughout the coming season?

The easiest place to explain this is with the European Union, where uncertainty in all markets is still rife, and milk flows tracking below last season’s figures, which were below the season before.

What’s driving these low milk flows? Onfarm costs are pushing higher than milk prices, with the things impacting in NZ hitting the Europeans in the same way.

Fuel costs are proportionally a larger part of a European farmer’s operating costs, due to the way they farm; tractors and machinery are used far more for their milk production than in our pasture-based systems.

Fuel costs have streaked higher over the first three months of 2022 and look unlikely to settle in the near term. Feed costs have tracked the same path, shifting sharply higher, with constrained feed supplies likely to persist.

But you’ve read this sort of discussion about six times over the last three months, and you’re asking “surely if supply and demand is out of kilter as much as you’re saying, why would EU farmers not just ramp up milk supply as dairy commodity prices drag farm gate milk prices higher and then make the most of high prices?”

Well, something that can’t be measured on a commodities market, or via crude oil prices, is the impact of changing

Stuart Davison.

As external pressures impact world dairy commodity prices, New Zealand producers have never seen prices so high. By Stu Davison.

Trusted for decades and proven to perform, you can always rely on Boehringer Ingelheim products to keep your stock at their best. And to help get everything else done right, we’ll throw in these DeWalt tools.

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environmental regulations on European farmers. The EU has for many years been very vocal about the changes required, especially by European dairy production.

Over the last two years, herd sizes in the Netherlands alone have been dramatically reduced to be able to comply with these environmental regulations. Simply put, if you have fewer cows, there’s an upper limit of how much production can be extracted from each cow and thus each farm.

The Dutch are world renowned for being sharp dairy operators, so being restricted on cow numbers has directly restricted their potential milk flows; Dutch cows were already producing at high levels prior to the restrictions, with little potential for more capacity to be extracted in a short time frame. The Dutch, with their vulnerable soils, some recovered only over the last century, are at the pinnacle of environmental restrictions, but similar limitations have been placed across all other EU dairy farmers. What this means to world dairy supply, is that the environmental regulation enforced has created a ceiling on cow numbers, which has directly impacted EU dairy farmers’ ability to ramp up milk production quickly, even if they wanted to chase prices.

So, EU farmers have regulations stopping them from chasing milk production at any cost. Yes there is an associated economic impact to the EU from these restrictions, but the EU population pays for this via subsidies. The upside is that Kiwi farmers are likely to see the dairy market remain supported in the short term.

Meanwhile in the US, a massive force in the world of dairy, environmental regulations are not as restrictive just

YOY growth, weekly milk production

Superior design for comfort and safety

yet, but they will undoubtedly be in the pipeline. Their milk flows are being driven by restrictively high and very variable onfarm feed, fuel and fertiliser costs, with milk prices not keeping up with these rapid market changes.

So, the same question needs to be posed, will US dairy farmers respond to high global prices? Not in the short term. Do they have the capacity to ramp up production? Yes. Why are these two factors not aligning? US processors are struggling with factors greater than milk prices or commodity prices. Logistics and packaging in the US are having massive issues in the processing side of the equation – if processors can’t get product into a bottle or on a ship, it becomes very hard to keep

pushing prices higher when you can’t sell the product. So, the US market is restricted by factors off farm. This adds to onfarm issues, creating real downward pressure on milk flows out of the US.

Altogether, it seems very unlikely global milk flows will be able to respond in the short term, leading to an expectation that dairy commodity prices will remain supported. The supply demand imbalance is unlikely to be resolved in the short term, at least from the supply side of the equation. The risk of demand falling is always real, but it would seem the biggest factor to impact demand right now is further geopolitical tensions.

• Stuart Davison is an NZX Dairy Analyst.

Pasture & Forage News

April

Picking winners

There is a huge amount of variation in new pasture performance right across New Zealand – between regions, between farms, and even between different paddocks on the same farm, in the same year.

What’s the fuss? Why pampering baby pasture pays off, big-time

Anyone can sow and grow an average pasture. For new grass to make your neighbours green with envy, however, you need to go just a little further.

A bit of tender, loving care at this early stage works wonders when it comes to lifetime pasture growth and longevity. You’ll be happier, and so will your cows.

Why bother?

Seed sown this autumn holds the power to fuel your business for years to come. It’s packed with genetic potential, ready to deliver hundreds of tonnes of cost effective, renewable, home grown feed, season after season.

The only way it can do this is with your help. But here’s the good news – you don’t have to do much, and the payback is generous.

Space invaders

Right now, weeds are poised to pounce and take a big bite out of your new pasture’s future performance. Weeds are fast, super-competitive and hungry for space, sunlight, nutrients and moisture.

They’re also stealthy! Especially from the seat of a farm bike zooming down

the race. So turn off the motor, and get your nose (close) to the ground in those newly sown pastures. The sooner you spot any invaders, the faster you can get rid of them.

Ready to eat

Once they’ve got their little roots firmly in the ground, grass seedlings in particular need to be grazed. Not too heavily – just enough to take the tips off. This tells the young plant to make more tillers, and you need lots of tillers for thick, healthy pastures.

A light nip at the right time saves clovers and herbs from being shaded to an early death, too. Clover grows slower than ryegrass, and suffers without sunlight.

Feed me

New pasture isn’t always yet equipped to source enough nitrogen from the soil to help it re-grow after grazing.

Some new pastures seem to be winners from the get-go; others never hit their straps. What can we learn from this? Quite a lot. For a start, it’s helpful to note what might have led to a good outcome, so hopefully this can be repeated in future.

Just as important, however, is finding out what might have led to a poor or disappointing outcome. What went wrong; when, and why? What could be done differently next time?

If you can record these observations, so much the better. They might be clear to you now. But next autumn’s pasture renewal is nearly 12 months away, and by then it’s easy to forget the detail. Working out what went wrong –or right – with new grass can be tricky. There are many interlocking factors at play. If you’d like a hand, book a free Pasture Health Check at www.barenbrug.co.nz today.

Farmer flees tyranny of Putin’s war

he world is at war! Don’t think just because Ukraine is far away from New Zealand that the horrendous atrocity there will not affect you. It can and will.

On February 24 an idiotic, unstable little despot president in Russia decided to unleash a war of terror on the innocent people of Ukraine.

As that war continues thousands of innocent Ukrainian men, women and children have lost their lives, and for what?

While the fighting continues in Ukraine the aftershocks are being felt worldwide and are hitting people’s pockets as energy and food prices escalate.

Dairy farmers, especially, around the world are bearing the brunt of increased input costs on top of what already were high costs. One dairy farmer in Northern Ireland has reported his electricity bill alone has almost doubled from £1500 to £2800 in one month!

The hearty, courageous Ukrainians are fighting for their lives, their country, their freedom and democracy, goals taken for granted by most people.

Farms in Ukraine are being torn up by the Russian army’s tanks and other military vehicles. The main sowing season for grain crops starts at the end of March but for many farmers this will not be possible.

The Russian soldiers are fast running out of food and fuel, and are raiding farms to replenish stocks. Ukrainian farmers are hiding fuel in the fields and processing as much food as they can from stocks and delivering it to their soldiers. The one big plus stalling the Russian advance, and something Vladimir Putin did not figure into his masterplan, is that land in Ukraine is very muddy and sticky in spring. Tanks, armoured personnel carriers and missile launchers are being swallowed up by what the Ukrainians call “the mud of spring” and are subsequently bogged and abandoned by the Russians, or blown up by the Ukrainian army. Some farmers in the besieged regions are fleeing as the Russians take up positions in their fields. Other farmers are evacuating before the Russians turn up.

For the past 20 years Dutch

As the Russian army gets bogged in ‘the mud of spring’ in its assault on Ukraine, Chris McCullough reports on the effects on one farm in ‘the breadbasket of Europe’.

farmer Kees Huizinga, with his two business partners, have run their large 15,000-hectare crop, dairy and pig farm near Cherkasy, 200km south of the capital, Kyiv.

Their farm TOV Kischenzi runs 2000 Holstein Friesian cows as well as 450 sows, and has been performing very well over recent years with excellent commodity prices.

When Kees heard about the invasion he immediately sent his wife Emmeke and their two young daughters home to the Netherlands via Romania. One week later Kees followed his family to be a voice in the west for Ukrainian farmers, leaving his farm in the capable hands of the 400 staff.

“We started out there with 1000 hectares and grew that up to 15,000 hectares, mostly leased, as foreigners cannot own land there,” Kees, who is also fluent in Ukrainian and Russian, says.

“When I became a farmer, I knew I would have to wage a figurative war against the traditional enemies of food production such as pests, weeds and disease, but I didn’t expect to be in a real war zone with a deadly enemy.

“The Ukraine Agrarian Association has around 1100 members farming a total 3.5 million hectares in Ukraine,” he says. “They asked me to go to the west and be their voice in case we lose internet connection in Ukraine.”

Work on the farm continues and the 2000 cows still need to be milked, although a big review of the cropping programme is under way.

“Just before I left the cows were yielding

34 litres each per day,” Kees says. “We milk them in an 80-unit rotary parlour twice per day. Cows are fed a mix of corn silage, alfalfa hay, soybean, sunflowers, sugar beet pulp and the minerals, most of the ingredients we grow ourselves.

“Our milk goes to Molikija where it is processed into liquid milk, butter, cheese and yoghurts. We are on a premium with the factory receiving around 43 euro cents per litre, as we produce high quality milk all year round. Thankfully, the trucks collecting the milk are still running for now, but I do not know what will happen.

“For the world market we grow corn, wheat, barley and sunflowers that are exported out of the Black Sea ports, but the Russians have closed those ports now. Incidentally, Ukraine is the biggest sunflower exporter in the world and accounts for over 50% of global sunflower

production.” While the area Kees farms in is relatively quiet, some of the farm staff have gone to fight the Russians.

“Around 25 of our staff have gone to fight the Russians. Some others are working as local security to keep an eye out for saboteurs. Our farm, like most farms and local villages, are preparing food and sending it to the Ukrainian army and to Kyiv.”

So just imagine, what would you do if you woke in the morning and found a hostile foreign army platoon setting up a base there and barbecuing your cows?

Slava Ukraini!

• Read more about the Dutch farmer Kees Huizinga in Ukraine: https://www. dutchfarmerinukraine.nl/en/blog/what-aweek-it-was

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Dutch dairy farmer Kees Huizinga in his Ukrainian dairy farm barn.

CREAM OF THE CROP | NZ DAIRY INDUSTRY AWARDS 2022

RISING TO THE challenges

of the crop

Welcome to the season’s much-anticipated edition of ‘Cream of the Crop’! On behalf of the NZ Dairy Industry Awards and the NZ Dairy Exporter, it is my honour to introduce to you our 2022 National Finalists.

As we move into our third year of running our programme through the disruptions and challenges that a global pandemic has brought, it is incredible to look back and see how far we have come. We have learnt to be nimble, adaptable, and open-minded as we continue to navigate this challenging time in our history.

But as they say, “The bigger the challenge, the bigger the opportunity for growth” and with that in mind it was exhilarating to roll out some substantial changes this season in our Dairy Trainee of the Year and Dairy Manager of the Year programmes.

Although early days signals show these changes have been well received and over the next few weeks, we look forward to gathering feedback on how we can improve again for next season.

Our programme would not be what it is today without the support and dedication from our national sponsors, regional and national judges, our large family of volunteers and our management team who together enable us to deliver a thriving and successful programme each year.

In a few short weeks our regional winners will come together in Christchurch to take part in the highlight of our programme “Nationals Week”. The week is an opportunity for all of our finalists to continue their journey of learning, connecting and growing. We are thrilled to be heading down south this year and to be able to host our Nationals week in Christchurch for the first time since 2008.

The National Awards dinner will be held at Te Pae, Christchurch, on Saturday, May 14, I extend a warm invitation to join us in celebrating some incredible people of our industry. I look forward to seeing you there. (At the time of writing Covid-19 restrictions prevent us from holding our National Awards dinner so we wait in eager anticipation for these restrictions to lift).

AMBER CARPENTER Executive Chair NZ Dairy Industry Awards

A farming team that has got your back

Our rural consultants and agri-business advisors are proficient in driving on-farm profit. Our expertise in onfarm management, linked with our deep knowledge of the financial and technical aspects of running a farming business, will help support you and your aspirations.

Have a yarn with one of the team if you’re keen to understand what we can do for your farming business.

Now, for tomorrow

Philip Macey

Taranaki

06 757 3155 021 275 8096

philip.macey@bakertillysr.nz

Steve Vollebregt

Waikato

07 834 6814 021 220 0282

steve.vollebregt@bakertillysr.nz

The Baker Tilly team has become a strategic partner in our diverse farming business, supporting us with various financial processes and strategic decision making — enabling us to continue to grow. We only deal with #goodpeople and this team fits into that bracket.

Ed Whiting Airport Farm Taranaki

A KIND HEART WINS THE DAY

DELWYN DICKEY

Having just taken out the 2022 Northland Dairy Trainee of the Year award, 18-year-old Macee Latimer, sees dairy farming as her future.

Raised on her parents’ dairy farm at Mangakahia, west of Whangarei, it’s hard to get past Macee’s enthusiasm for dairying at such a young age.

After a long involvement with Young Farmers TeenAg at school, Macee recently joined Whangarei Young Farmers, unfazed at being one of the youngest at meetings. She also completed a Farming A&P Internship course last year, seeing her studying and learning practical level 3 agriculture skills. She hopes to continue this year with the level 4 agriculture studies.

Now employed on a farm on the Wairua River, “just over the hill” from home, working with the stock is where Macee shines, recognising what is good for the animals is often also good for business, like reducing lameness by letting the cows walk at their own pace to and from the milking shed.

But a shift in farming is needed, she says. Higher animal welfare standards, more sustainable practices and lowering greenhouse gas emissions is where dairy farming in New Zealand is heading.

She is frustrated with farmers who don’t treat their stock well, who don’t care about sustainability or the environment.

“Some farmers shouldn’t be farming,” she says.

Reducing nitrate runoff into waterways with more riparian planting is needed, she says. We need to look at cropping alternatives that will survive the increasing dry and heat as Northland is impacted by climate change more, along with being more water-smart.

She’d like to see trees incorporated into farming more, not just in riparian

planting, but also to reduce heat stress in cows.

And while she would love to see zero methane cows she is also frustrated at the costs of being more environmentally minded and at the small number of options available for farm equipment – like electric farm bikes and quads - needed to achieve this lower emissions future.

Better animal welfare, sustainability and the environment will help change the public’s perception of farming, but farmers should take care not to add to the negative views, she feels.

“Don’t put sick cows in paddocks next to the road,” she says, as most people don’t understand that no matter how well you treat your stock, every farm is going to have sick animals.

Macee has always loved the freedom and adventures that came from exploring her parents’ farm with her siblings.

But it is possibly her love of animals that has been behind her decision to look at dairy farming the most. Knowing their behaviour well has seen a strong empathy develop.

She has also tried her hand at handrearing hurt birds, had a pet possum as well as a pukeko. Her current menagerie includes Marty, a wild kitten she found on the farm, a boisterous dog Digger - too noisy around stock to work on the farm, and a handful of chickens.

Her collection of very healthy carnivorous house plants should end any notion Macee is a complete softie.

MERIT AWARDS

RUNNERS -UP

DairyNZ Practical Skills Award: Bill Hamilton

Northern DIA Emerging Talent

Award: Shaniah Flood

MilkBar Farming Knowledge

Award: Michael Everitt

Piako Tractors Northland

(Bryant Tractors 1983 Ltd)

Communication & Industry Involvement Award: Macee Latimer

WORDS & PHOTOS BY

Dairy Trainee Macee Latimer with her cheeky chicken Karen.

Michael Everitt from Kaitaia and Bill Hamilton from Titoki was third placegetter.

CHANGING DIRECTION

WORDS BY DELWYN DICKEY

Winner of the 2022 Northland Dairy Manager of the Year category is 35-year-old Phillip Payton.

When Phillip Payton was 20 years old he injured his back, and at that moment his future changed. Surgery would be needed to fix the problem properly.

With no heavy work during rehabilitation, his engineering apprenticeship ended.

Instead he found himself working for a year as a security guard in Hastings, mostly at the local freezing works. While he enjoyed it up to a point, sometimes working 12-hour shifts from 6pm to 6am could be tough.

With his future uncertain Phillip thought of his father.

Phillip had grown up in Te Awamutu on the dairy farm his father worked on. His father had loved working on the land but had also suffered a back injury and was never cleared for full-time work again. But he stayed as a relief worker - as his rehabilitation. Soon after Phillip left home at 18, his father went back to just milking.

Phillip had loved growing up in the countryside and his pathway now became clear again.

A dairy assistant job in rural Napier came up, he moved to farms in the Waikato for seven years and then secondin-charge jobs in Taranaki. While he enjoyed the work, the hours were long.

Then back to the Waikato and a move into dairy goat farming for 18 months. It was all in-house with shed feeding and a cut-and-carry operation and Phillip enjoyed doing a bit of everything.

Wanting to be closer to his partner Leef’s family saw the couple move north a year ago on to Greg and Ingrid McCracken’s farm at Te Hana, Phillip taking on the farm manager’s role.

He is enjoying a good work/life balance here and feels he has a good working relationship with Greg, both having a fairly easy-going style.

“Calving is the most stressful time of year and everyone’s tired. A more laid back approach is needed then,” he says. “You have to stop and think rather than being reactionary.”

The farm has only just come back into dairy production after a 10-year break when the previous owners removed the milking apparatus and instead ran cattle, young animals and grew maize.

A refurbished 40-head rotary milking system has now been installed for the herd of 350 cows.

Maize is no longer being grown on the property with supplements being bought in instead. Greg has put a lot of work

‘WITH GLOBAL RESTRICTIONS COMING ON FARMING EXPANSIONS GENERALLY, THE AMOUNT OF MILK BEING SUPPLIED WILL DECREASE. BUT THE DEMAND WILL STAY THE SAME OR INCREASE SO PRICES WILL GO UP.’

Above: A move north to be closer to family sees Phillip Payton managing a farm at Te Hana.

getting elements back into the soil, Phillip says.

In response to a changing climate, they are looking at moving away from ryegrass pastures. Next summer, they will be using alternative pasture mixes like tall fescue and cocksfoot for persistence over the hotter, drier months.

Fortunately, with two dams on the farm, along with a connection to the Te Hana water supply, water has never been an issue on the farm even during the last big drought.

In an effort to lower greenhouse gas emissions, stocking rates are being kept low – just over two per hectare. This reduces the amounts of nitrates they use, which should keep nitrate runoff to a minimum. Phillip sees this as an inevitable trend in New Zealand.

“Stocking rates are coming down – it’s just how it is.”

They have also doubled the effluent area so that’s not so condensed in one area, which will also help reduce nitrate leaching.

A wetland has been fenced off and will be allowed to regenerate at its own pace.

Shade trees which should combat heat stress in stock have been planted in some areas of the farm, and Phillip is planning on planting up some unproductive areas in trees for carbon sequestering and financial carbon rewards.

“We should look at the positives and move forward,” he says, “Change what you can for the better, but you have to adapt to what you can’t change.”

“With global restrictions coming on farming expansions generally, the amount of milk being supplied will decrease. But the demand will stay the same or increase so prices will go up.”

Work-life balance, appropriate pay, a safe and supportive work environment for staff especially around mental health, along with adequate housing should be seen as investments in any farming operation’s future, he says. He is pleased to be on a wage now so that when he works long hours, he is paid appropriately for them.

Milking platform area: 175ha

Silage/hay

Nitrogen: 96kg/ha.

DeLaval Livestock Management Award:

Phillip Payton

Fonterra Dairy Management Award: Phillip Payton

NorthTec Environmental Sustainability Award:

Brant Julian

MERIT AWARDS

Northern Wairoa Vet Club Association Ltd Pasture & Feed Management Award:

Daniel Richards

Webb Ross McNab Kilpatrick

People & Leadership Award:

Phillip Payton

Northland DIA Personal Planning & Financial Management Award:

Daniel Richards

Pacific Motor Group Emerging Talent Award: Daniel Richards

Perhaps because of the missed opportunity of his own apprenticeship, education for farm workers is also important to him, and he is supportive of his own farm assistant going through agricultural ITO training.

With plenty of experience but no qualifications Phillip is also looking at doing a level 5 ITO course, recognising this is becoming more important to farm owners.

PHYSICAL FARM

Cows: 350-400 next season

Production: 601.1kg

MS/ha to date

Pasture eaten: 8.5t

Milking supplement:

Cows/labour unit: 175/1

Farm Dairy: 40 bail rotary shed Dairy Automation: Auto cup removers and teat spray

Ultimately Phillip and Leef are aiming at farm ownership. Along with calf rearing they’d also like to incorporate teaching and education, and have a viable contracting business providing short-term relief staff capable of running the entire operation.

“We’ve encountered many challenges these past few years and some have altered the path, but we have reassessed, overcome what was within our abilities, made peace with what wasn’t, and kept ticking off our goals.”

Left: Phillip’s future pathway includes farm ownership and a business able to connect farmers with relief workers.

CHASING THE DREAM

WORDS AND PHOTOS BY DELWYN DICKEY

Antje and Soenke Paarmann from Okaihau have been named winners of the 2022 Northland Share Farmer of the Year.

The win continues a successful dairying career that has seen them move from their first position in Rotorua where they had just a farm bike to their name, to being 50/50 sharemilkers in the Bay of Islands with 450 cows.

But there is more to their story than a progression up the farming ladder.

Antje and Soenke arrived in New Zealand in 2006 with all their belongings packed into 24 boxes. They were young, not long out of university and had left their families behind in Germany - a pretty daunting step for anyone.

But they were coming back to a country

$FINANCIAL FARM DATA

Sharemilking: 50/50.

Gross farm income: $3.96/kg MS

Operating expenses $2.91/kg MS

Operating profit: $1.05/kg MS

Farm working expenses: $2.24/kg MS

Animal health: $0.17/kg MS

they had fallen in love with and had a dream that was unattainable back hometheir own dairy herd, and ultimately their own farm.

German farms usually stay in a family, says Antje, passed on from generation to generation. So while you can work on a farm you’ll never own one if your family doesn’t already have one.

“A manager’s position would probably have been the highest we could have achieved,” she says.

Both Antje and Soenke have agricultural degrees, Antje majoring in animal welfare and Soenke in business and economics.

Before they met, and while a university student, Antje travelled to New Zealand with a friend. She worked on several farms for a six-month practical semester for her degree, as well as seeing the country, She remembers them as some of the best days of her life, she says.

Soenke, meanwhile, had to make a choice young Kiwi men no longer face. Conscription still applied in Germany at that time, and saw young men having to serve nine months in the army.

Instead, Soenke chose a community service option, becoming a relief farm worker, but for 12 months. The scheme was aimed at helping farmers, who were hurt or recovering from illness, to keep their farms running.

That summer he ended up working on a cropping farm, and hit it off with a young woman finishing her degree – Antje, back from NZ. They soon became a couple.

Soenke then also headed off to university, coming to NZ for his practical, working for a family Antje had worked for and kept in touch with.

But they soon realised if farming was to be their future there would be limited options in Germany.

In hindsight Antje wishes they had told their respective families of their plans differently.

Left: Antje and Soenke Paarmann are working their way toward farm ownership.

It was really tough on them when, on the same day they told their parents they were engaged, they also told them they were looking at emigrating, she says. A year later and a couple of weeks after Soenke finished university, they left for NZ.

But three children later and having farmed at Hunterville, Otorohanga, Clevedon and now five years at Okaihau, they have few regrets. They have owned their own herd for eight years now, and a farm of their own is likely just a few years away.

Both their parents, now retired, will soon be regular visitors again, coming to stay for two or three months at a time, as they had before Covid-19.

Their first step into self-employment came with a low order – 25%, three-year sharemilking stint in Hunterville, between Marton and Taihape, milking 240 cows.

Then they moved on to a contract milking position with 540 cows. It was a big move but gave them more equity and cash flow, and proved to be a good stepping stone to get into the 50/50 sharemilking position they wanted.

At the Bay of Islands they are on a standard Federated Farmers contract – 50% of milk price, everything else standard. Investing in property to increase capital had been suggested and in hindsight that could have been a good idea, Antje says, but for them it was always about growing through stock.

Buying some budget cows to grow their herd worked well early on.

“The Hunterville farm had very good cows – the top 5% of BW’s (breeding worth) for New Zealand,” she says.

“Because they had so many heifers coming in they needed room and would send some cows to the works. There was nothing wrong with them – just a bit older.”

So instead of sending them off as cull-cows, they bought them at cull-cow prices. “They had good solid genetics and

were in-calf so there were no pregnancy problems. Leasing them out but then getting their calves back really helped us build our herd,” she says.

They did the same thing at Clevedon with another local farmer selling off good quality cows to make way for heifers.

Over the years both their degrees have stood them in good stead with Antje able to supplement their income as an AB technician with LIC for some years, although she only inseminates their own cows these days.

Soenke’s area of expertise is pasture and effluent management.

Production has increased from 158,000kg milksolids (MS) the first season, to 199,000kg last year. While a bit of this is from genetics a lot of effort has gone into regrassing.

Every area had its challenges and in the north it was the heat and dry spells over the warmer months.

A natural spring on the property for stock water has proven very reliable, with no problems even during the worst drought in a hundred years, two summers ago. The free-draining soils on the farm means the pasture really struggles after two weeks without rain, so the pasture took a hammering that summer.

Soenke uses ryegrass and clover mixes in his renewal programme and was trialling some of the more palatable tetraploids in with diploid varieties when the big drought came. They didn’t survive and he is now only using diploid varieties.

“On top of that we are under-sowing 1520% of the farm each year with hybrids,” he says.

Milking platform area: 186ha

Cows: 450

Production: 1070kg

MS/ha, 442kg MS/cow

Pasture eaten: 9.7t DM/ha

Milking supplement: 1.5t/cow

Nitrogen: 178kg/ha

Cows/labour unit: 180

Farm Dairy: 36 aside HB Six-week in-calf rate: 68%.

Empty rate: 11.5% last season (21/22)

Weeks of mating: 6.

Wintering: All grass, all cows on platform.

Proud Sponsors of the Northland Dairy Industry Awards

Left: Welfare and genetics of the dairy herd is Antje’s focus.

They direct drill chicory as a summer crop and Soenke has sprayed off half of next year’s cropping paddocks, and directdrilled Italian ryegrass in for winter and early spring growth.

“In winter each year, about 20% of the farm is (boom) sprayed off with 2,4-D, in paddocks that need it most,” he says.

In an effort to reduce nitrogen runoff into waterways, and reduce nitrogen use overall, Soenke uses a liquid fertiliser spreader.

“We do regular farm walks to produce a ‘feed wedge’ and allocate paddocks accordingly. We drop out supplements when pasture quantity is sufficient and topped about 80ha of the farm this year.”

Generally they have found there is no surplus for balage. They tried it once when they first moved onto the farm but then started feeding it out three weeks later so decided it wasn’t worth the money and effort. They now buy it in.

Wild pigs in the area also put an end to efforts to grow maize. The pigs invaded the maize paddock with 10-15% of the crop lost. Land off-farm is now leased with a contractor growing it for them.

Slips from heavy rain are another northern issue and Soenke is helping the farm owner – a retired fencer – to fence off steeper areas and gullies to reduce this sediment loss.

Focus on animal health

Antje’s focus has been animal health and the herd. Being proactive with hygiene is important, she says, and why they always have good somatic cell counts, although this wet spring did affect the cell counts

a little. The whole herd and new heifers coming in are teat sealed. Older cows with over 150,000 somatic cell count (SCC) get antibiotics and teat seal at drying off as do two year olds if over 120,000 SCC, with all quarters treated. Any that are under are just teat sealed.

“Our strength is we are animal people,” Antje says. “Because we keep a close eye on our animals we pick up things early, and are able to treat them early.”

They metricheck the whole herd and do ‘after calving’ themselves.

Any cows that show signs of lameness are pulled out of the herd the same day. Soenke puts them in a headbail then like a farrier puts their hoof on his knee and checks their hoof with a double-edged knife.

“It’s often just a bruise or a stone – not needing antibiotics if you get to them early,” Antje says.

Family moves

They weren’t fussed about “where” they lived to start with, it was more about finding the right job. But they acknowledge the fun of moving has worn off a bit for the kids as they have gotten older. The move from Clevedon five years ago - where they had made good friends –had been tough.

While it may still be a few years away, farm ownership could well see a move to a different area, and they will have to deal with that, as a family, when the time comes.

But the dream that brought Antje and Soenke halfway around the world, is very close now.

RUNNERS -UP

Stuart and Deana McGregor from Hikurangi.

DairyNZ – People and Culture Award: Stuart & Deana McGregor

Ecolab Farm Dairy

Hygiene Award: Antje & Soenke Paarmann

MERIT AWARDS

Federated Farmers Leadership Award: Anthony Boyce

Honda Farm Safety, Health and Biosecurity Award:

Stuart & Deana McGregor

LIC – Animal Wellbeing, Recording and Productivity

Award: Antje & Soenke Paarmann

Meridian Environmental Sustainability Award: Antje & Soenke Paarmann

Ravensdown Pasture Performance Award: Antje & Soenke Paarmann

Northland DIA Business Performance Award: Stuart & Deana McGregor

CALVING:

BRINGING NEW LIFE INTO THE WORLD

WORDS BY ELAINE FISHER

Calving is among the favourite parts of Jamie McDowell’s job, but the long hours outside in often unpleasant weather, are in stark contrast to her early years growing up in Lower Hutt.

“I couldn’t see myself in an office or doing anything other than farming now,” says the 22-year-old who is the 2022 Auckland/Hauraki Dairy Trainee of the Year.

“I love being outside with cows, no matter the weather. Calving is my favourite time because you are bringing new life into the world and helping the cows when needed. I love the cows and in general the lifestyle dairying brings.”

Family connections helped her into dairying. “My uncle was farming, and my brother went to work for him which got my interest. When I finished college, I enrolled in a Taratahi Agricultural Training Centre sheep and beef course. However, I couldn’t find a job as a shepherd when the course finished, so went to work as herd manager on a dairy farm at Karapiro owned by a family friend.

“It was challenging to live by myself and move six hours away from family.” Despite that challenge, the experience confirmed for Jamie that dairying was the career for her.

Today she is farm assistant working for Olivia Sutton on Joyce Laing’s 164-hectare Rangiriri West property, milking 326 Friesian and Friesian cross cows.

It was Olivia who encouraged Jamie to enter the awards for the first time and Jamie says taking part was a chance to meet new people, gain new knowledge and test her theory and practical skills. Winning was a bonus. Olivia has also prompted Jamie to continue with her Primary ITO qualifications.

So far, Jamie has completed four New Zealand Certificates of Agriculture (vehicles, machinery and infrastructure; farming systems; milk harvesting; livestock husbandry and dairy) while working full-time and is studying towards a qualification in livestock feeding.

“Being able to maintain quad bikes and tractors is a very important part of my job.

“Olivia encourages me to be the best I can, and I am grateful that she trusts me with the responsibility to look after the cows, the shed and effluent when she has a weekend off.”

Jamie enjoys working for a woman boss but doesn’t think the feminine approach to dairying is markedly different from that of men.

“We all have the same mindset and goals, to get the job done to the best of our ability but I like to think women do have a softer touch in some areas.”

Jamie’s farming goals include a farm manager role with further goals of contract milking and eventual farm ownership. “Herd ownership would be

RUNNERS -UP

Shavaun McLean from Aka Aka was named runner-up in the 2022 Auckland/Hauraki Dairy Trainee category and Joel Mansell from Papakura was third.

MERIT AWARDS

DairyNZ Practical Skills Award: Jamie McDowell

Auckland/Hauraki

DIA Emerging Talent Award: Dawn Ranui

MilkBar Farming Knowledge Award: Jamie McDowell

Auckland/Hauraki DIA

Communication & Industry Involvement Award: Shavaun McLean

nice but getting there will require a lot of hard work, and saving.”

When time allows Jamie likes to go hunting with her partner. “We enjoy hunting rabbits, and when we can, getting out into the hills to hunt deer. I also enjoy travelling back to Wellington to see family and catching up with family and friends closer to home.”

Jamie McDowell: Calving is my favourite time because you are bringing new life into the world.

Photo by Malcolm Pullman.

‘OLIVIA ENCOURAGES ME TO BE THE BEST I CAN, AND I AM GRATEFUL THAT SHE TRUSTS ME WITH THE RESPONSIBILITY TO LOOK AFTER THE COWS, THE SHED AND EFFLUENT WHEN SHE HAS A WEEKEND OFF.’

Don’t build new. Refit your old rotary with us. Call us today

PROOF IN THE PASTURE

WORDS BY CLAIRE ASHTON

Auckland Hauraki Dairy Manager winner Jimmy Cleaver is in his second season on rolling farmland close to the Waikato River at Rangiriri for Grant Clune, who headhunted him to work as his farm manager.

He grew up in the district and his parents are drystock farmers, but school holidays spent at his grandparent’s dairy farm in Waiau Pa, Clarks Beach, grew his interest in dairying. He would get in the pit and see what was happening and help feed the calves and this early experience, combined with the clear career progression of dairying is what attracted him into the industry.

Jimmy holds a Telford Certificate in

Milking platform area: 125ha

Cows: 360 Jersey, Cross, Friesian

Farm Dairy: 40 bail rotary

PHYSICAL FARM

Production: 142,000kgMS, 394kgMS/cow, 1136kgMS/ha

Pasture eaten: 22t

Milking supplement: 1.5t

Nitrogen: 170kg/ha/yr

Cows/labour unit: 120:1

Dairy Automation: ACR inshed feeding, auto drafting, yard wash, feed pad

Six-week in-calf rate: 65%

Empty rate: 11%

Weeks of mating: 14

Wintering: Cows wintered on farm

Runoff: leased

Agriculture (with Distinction), from Lincoln University which he considers to be very valuable. There he picked up three awards for shearing, engineering, and best overall dairy student. He also has completed courses with Primary ITO; Milk Quality Stage 2, and Effluent Level 3 and 5. A Dairy Masters course in New Plymouth with Milk Map Consulting continued Jimmy’s professional development and knowledge base. He is also part of North Waikato Young Farmers.

For his work experience he went to a farm in Gore owned by James Matheson, who placed second at the National DIA Awards in 2019, and who inspired Jimmy to enter the awards and taught him about the numbers side of farming.

“It was after meeting James that I clicked that I could actually be a farm manager at a young age, (19) because he was young as well. He also threw me in the deep end, and when I was half-way through the course, he left me to look after the farm in the weekends, in a ‘sink or swim’ kind of style.”

Jimmy entered the DIA in 2021. That first year he went in with an open mindset and to see what he could learn and improve on, with the aid of the judge’s perspective. He decided to enter again this year as the farm had a very good production year and being in his second season, he could make

Jimmy Cleaver onfarm at Rangiriri.

Photo: Malcolm Pullman

comparisons and track changes. Pasture management was his area of greatest improvement and he received the merit award for Franklin Vets Pasture & Feed Management.

“Due the clay soils and irrigation system, after we dry off we draft, and put the lighter stock on the hills over winter to avoid pugging.”

Consented irrigation (being alongside the river) means they grow grass all year round, and Jimmy acknowledges, “Sure there is time spent moving K-lines but that time would be spent feeding out otherwise.”

Monitoring of pasture growth rates, and regular pasture walks are routine. Jimmy admits occasionally he can get it wrong but will always learn from that.

Runner-up in the Dairy manager award was Sam Waugh, farming at Whitford.

MERIT AWARDS

RUNNERS -UP

DeLaval Livestock Management

Award: Jimmy Cleaver

Fonterra Dairy Management

Award: Jimmy Cleaver

Auckland/Hauraki DIA

Environmental Sustainability

Award: Sam Waugh

Franklin Vets Pasture & Feed Management Award: Jimmy Cleaver

BlackmanSpargo Rural Law Ltd

People & Leadership Award: Jimmy Cleaver

Nick Hoogeveen & Associates

Planning & Financial Management Award: Lucas Beeler

Auckland/Hauraki DIA

Emerging Talent Award: Michael Young

He hosted his Young Farmers group on a Farm Tour, and his non-traditional pasture management was questioned, particularly around rotational grazing. The proof, however, was not only in increased production, (up by 40kg milksolids (MS)/ cow last season) but overall, with robust animal health - all without any extra feed input.

“Offer them 120% of what you think they will eat in order to keep the cows fully fed which will leave a higher residual,” Jimmy says.

The system 4 farm uses in-shed feeders, feeding maize and palm kernel on the feedpad.

“The owner, Grant, is looking for a good Kiwi Cross sort of cow - we have Jersey, Friesian, Crossbreds and everything inbetween. “ It is a closed system, buying in four Jersey bulls to put over the heifers and using AB.

Every cow is reared onfarm, with a beef run-off up the road which also helps to prevent biosecurity issues.

Jimmy has connected up with someone in his Young Farmer group interested in genetics who is sharemilking and Jimmy is keen to learn from him. At Telford, he spent a week with a farmer who pointed out the breeding traits handpicking bulls can provide to breed for a good teat placement for example. He is a trained AI technician too which helps with breeding - they do six weeks of AI then Herefords, then the Jersey bull goes in.

Milking through a herringbone shed with just 17 rows made milking a real

challenge, so the farm purchased a second hand 10-year old 40-bale rotary shed from Te Kauwhata and shifted it to Rangiriri. Jimmy was able to have some input on the set up of the shed and is thankful Grant is open to his suggestions.

The shed was commissioned in December 2021 with three days to get the cows adjusted from the herringbone. To manage this Jimmy kept the gates’ entry and exit points consistent. A fortuitous opportunity has come Jimmy’s way, as soon after Grant purchased an additional 20ha, a retiring farm owner and neighbour wanted to sell his herd, so with a combination of savings, a loan, and a business plan, Jimmy at 22 years old will be the proud owner of 66 cows.

The cows come from a 50-year-old herd, and Jimmy is excited to be well on his way to building his herd come June 1.

The herd size will then total 426 on twice-a-day milking, with two full-time farmworkers. Six of the cows are already in the herd.

Riparian planting is a goal due to the high volume of waterways onfarm, and thus far they have achieved about 80%. “We had three guys out here for three weeks planting.”

Getting off-farm for Jimmy usually involves a hunting, fishing, or diving expedition and he has ranged as far afield as Stewart Island, Wanaka, and Lake Tekapo (where he shot a notable Tahr stag). He is looking forward to the week at Nationals in Christchurch and will fit in a hunt while he is down there.

FARMING ON HER MERITS

WORDS BY CLAIRE ASHTON

Danielle Hovmand not only won the Dairy Industry Share Farmer Award for the Auckland-Hauraki region but also took out six of the merit awards.

“I was really stoked, I have been working on it for a long time - and it carried on from my entry last year, so I thought this season I would give it a really good crack, so I knuckled down and focused on it.”

She had to settle for watching the awards online as she was self-isolating onfarm in Patetonga, with her partner Harry, a builder and ex-farmer. Danielle did have a celebratory dinner with her parents in Katikati a couple of nights later and is hoping that the DIA Nationals in Christchurch will be on in May so she can get dressed up and attend. In general, Covid hasn’t affected her farming practices significantly.

“There was a time in summer I was waiting a month for an irrigator part, and I am now trying to get the effluent pond level down as I couldn’t use it in summer when I needed it due to that supply chain delay.”

It was the socialising and going to events that she missed the most during lockdowns Danielle is very involved with

Young Farmers in Morrinsville since she moved to the district two years ago and this year is on the committee as the new member liaison.

sharemilked by Carl Williams she was offered a job as farm manager. Wanting to be more in the hub of dairying though, after two years, Danielle set her sights on a job in the Waikato, and after a round of interviews, landed a contract milking job on the Patetonga farm owned by Sue Broomfield.

“I have been very lucky in my four years of dairy farming that I have worked for two employers who are exceptional people who have given me the opportunity to take on these new things that I may potentially not look ready for on paper.”

It is Katikati where Danielle first became interested in farming, as her grandparents had a 60-hectare Hereford stud drystock farm and going out onfarm with her grandad on the horse is how she decided farming was for her. Massey University in Palmerston North is where she obtained a degree in Agricultural Science over three years. Placements were part of that degree and after a summer on a Katikati farm

This is Danielle’s second year entering the awards, after being encouraged by Sue and says, “The Awards really made me analyse everything that I am doing and seeing where improvements needed to be made, especially areas where I needed to upskill so it was very beneficial for myself and my business.”

Health and safety was a big focus for Danielle and she did win the Honda Farm Safety, Health and Biosecurity Award, however it was the Ravensdown Pasture Performance Award that really meant a lot. Being a low input System 2, she uses imported maize only during the summer/ autumn period to extend lactation.

‘THERE WAS A TIME IN SUMMER I WAS WAITING A MONTH FOR AN IRRIGATOR PART, AND I AM NOW TRYING TO GET THE EFFLUENT POND LEVEL DOWN AS I COULDN’T USE IT IN SUMMER WHEN I NEEDED IT DUE TO THAT SUPPLY CHAIN DELAY.’

Milking platform area: 106ha

Cows: 270 crossbreed

Production: 891kgMS/ha

350kgMS/cow

Pasture eaten: 11.5tDM/ha

Milking supplement: 100t maize silage, 0.37tDM/ cow

Nitrogen: 90kg/ha/yr

Cows/labour unit: 245

Other ideas Danielle has had around breeding are to put beef cattle like Herefords or Charolais over the herd to produce a nicely marked calf for beef stock so that reduces the number of calves going on the bobby truck.

“I would like to have a 0% bobby calf rate within five years of owning my own herd, and aim to achieve this by introducing beef genetics, sexed semen,

Farm Dairy: 24 aside herringbone

Six-week in-calf rate: 80%

Empty rate: 5% Weeks of mating: 10

Wintering: 80 late calvers grazed off at graziers from 1st June – 7th August. No winter crop

and using AB on heifers. I see reduced stocking rates as being a factor, and would like to have a majority of top-performing, efficient cows in the herd so that we wouldn’t need as many stock as we have now.”

The herd is a Jersey/Friesian cross, and the nature of the clay soil defines the farming system and the breed, which have been Jersey crossed over the years to

Buying or refinancing a farm?

Danielle Hovmand. Photos by Malcolm Pullman.

lighten the load and impact onfarm.

Reducing heat stress is a passion for Danielle.

“I am fortunate that there is a lot of established kahikatea onfarm and we use a batt latch to let the cows move around onfarm at their own pace, or shift them to sacrifice paddocks that have shade. We also use sprinklers over the yard in summer, and grow and feed chicory which has a cooling effect on the rumen. Being on once-a-day milking helps reduce heat stress too, and keeps condition on the cows.

“I want to be in the industry for a long time, so once a day makes it more enjoyable and sustainable, and there is less stress on the animals.”

Early evening is a good time to use the feed pad as at that time of the day, cows will focus on feeding.

“My goal for the near future is to go 50/50 sharemilking. Being a young

woman who farms by herself, it can be hard to be taken seriously and those jobs are quite sought after so being able to say I won a Sharefarmer of the Year title and having that on my CV will help people take me more seriously - showing I can get the job done and do it to a really high standard.”

Danielle says a big focus is sustainability, as new legislation and restrictions will make farming tougher, so preparing for that now will ensure she is ahead of the game. Nitrogen use will be a big issue. “We use 90kg per ha so are well under the 190kg/ha Ncap and the pasture is given a set amount of nitrogen and uses that efficiently and evenly as possible. Technology improvements such as GPS to target where the nitrogen is being put on and accurate data recordings will be helpful in the future. Flying the flag for good dairying practice is important, especially as her current farm is right on

the main highway in Patetonga next to a cafe. “I love a tidy farm,” she says.

“That is my reputation and the New Zealand dairy industry reputation on show. Everyone can see what I am doing on farm.”

Next for Danielle is a similar farm in Springdale with the same owner, Sue Broomfield, but with higher production, and the goal of 50/50 sharemilking after that. With a future plan for 50/50 sharemilking, Danielle found that looking at the financial side of things and having meetings with accountants and bank managers really clarified where she was at - and where she is heading.

“Sue is very supportive, but she lets me get on with the job and has let me implement a few new things and is open to change and moving forward with the industry. Sue is great, every year she does something to improve the infrastructure of the farm and accommodation.”

One of the big challenges of the presentation for the judging was to fit everything into that 1 hour 45 minute time frame and get the key information across while also including a few X-factor details to provide a point of difference. A booklet was created for the judges that she referred to during her presentation.

“I was quite happy with it, but I thought the preliminary round had gone better than the final round. The feedback from the judges from the first round was amazing and really inspiring.”

This motivated Danielle for the second round - though that did mean she was trying to squeeze even more into the final presentation. Having the judges onfarm was a real thrill for Danielle and a good excuse to show off the farm. In typical Murphy’s law fashion though, a storm had wreaked havoc the day before the first judging round. Two huge oak trees fell over the driveway, which meant Danielle had to detour home in her little Corolla via the paddocks.

“You think you’ve got it under control and then Mother Nature throws a curveball in there.”

“I would absolutely encourage other people to enter the Awards. I think being able to analyse your business is a really big factor - just going through everything and seeing where you can improve.”

“Potentially without the Dairy Industry Awards, I may not have delved into those aspects in depth so that has really helped me in a big way. You need to look at the ‘why’.

Being a young woman in farming has meant Danielle encountered some negative attitudes when interviewing for onfarm roles.

“A few of the farm owners, including couples, focused on how I was a girl and how I was really going to struggle in the industry - I think we have moved on from that and if someone perceives me that way there would be no point in going to work for them.”

“I hope that other women look at me doing it and think hey, she did it, so I can too.”

Danielle’s future plans include buying her own herd, farming sustainably and looking at current practices to try and futureproof for upcoming legislation.

MERIT AWARDS

DairyNZ – People and Culture Award: Danielle Hovmand

Ecolab Farm Dairy Hygiene Award: Danielle Hovmand

Federated Farmers Leadership Award: Virgilio Gamotea

Honda Farm Safety, Health and Biosecurity Award:

Danielle Hovmand

LIC – Animal Wellbeing, Recording and Productivity

Award: Joseph Braybrook

Meridian Environmental Sustainability Award:

Danielle Hovmand

Ravensdown Pasture Performance Award:

Danielle Hovmand

Auckland/Hauraki DIA Business Performance Award:

Danielle Hovmand

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LOVING THE TECHNOLOGY

WORDS BY ELAINE FISHER

Not many 18-year-olds receive 60 job offers, and then interview prospective employers, but that’s exactly what Edward Roskam has done.

“I put an advert on Facebook and 60 people offered me jobs which was pretty overwhelming,” Edward says. And that was before he won the 2022 Waikato Dairy Trainee of the Year.

“I made a short list of 12 and visited them all over a weekend to decide where I wanted to work. I’m super interested in technology and the farm I have chosen is a system 3 to 4, with cup removers, automatic drafting and uses Allflex cow collars.”

Edward, who left school at 16, is a farm assistant on his parents’ JR Torrens Ltd 65-hectare property at Okauia, milking 230 cows. His next job is as 2IC on a 500-cow farm at Roto-o-Rangi near Cambridge. Dairying was not the career his parents

or teachers initially encouraged him to pursue, and it was a challenge to overcome the perception that he should attend university.

“I was one of the top students in class and getting good grades and the pressure to prove myself as a top student was getting too much for me. A lot of people were shocked that I left school.”

Edward says perceptions are changing. “In recent years the push has been on to make farming more attractive for employees including with different milking routines and it’s a viable career choice, especially given the demand for dairy products worldwide.”

Edward hasn’t stopped studying. He has completed PrimaryITO courses and is completing PrimaryITO Milk Quality 2, Dairy Farming Level 4, and studying towards a Land-based Training Certificate in Apiculture Level 3.

“I began beekeeping as a hobby, and I have three successful hives.”

WAIKATO |

OF THE YEAR

Edward used a drone for night calving watch. “It is a good time saver. It is awesome to start the day sitting at the breakfast table checking to see who has calved and plan who needs to go where and what breaks were needed.”

Much as he loves technology, Edward also pays attention to the basics, which is among the reasons the farm has been grade-free with an average SCC of 75 for the 20-21 season.

“It’s about being very hygienic, using teat spraying and selective dry cow treatment, and keeping an eye on the tanker docket to see when levels are rising. Cup removers ensure cows are milked out properly but not over milked. All-round animal health is a must too.”

Edward comes from a strong dairying tradition. His grandmother, now 91, arrived in New Zealand from the Netherlands in 1954 and still lives on her family farm at Netherton. Edward is the fourth generation to farm on his mother’s family property at Matamata.

“It was a really hard decision to leave the family farm this coming season. I appreciate the skills Dad has taught me and have become better at asking questions and suggesting new ways of doing things. It’s time to spread my wings and to keep growing.”

RUNNERS -UP

MERIT AWARDS

DairyNZ

Practical Skills

Award: Edward Roskam

Trinity Lands Ltd Emerging

Talent Award: Quayed Bell

MilkBar Farming Knowledge

Award: Edward Roskam

Waikato Farmers Trust

Communication & Industry

Involvement Award: Annie Gill

Edward Roskam: Choice of 60 job offers. (Photographer Alan Gibson).

‘THE PUSH HAS BEEN ON TO MAKE FARMING MORE ATTRACTIVE FOR EMPLOYEES INCLUDING WITH DIFFERENT MILKING ROUTINES AND IT’S A VIABLE CAREER CHOICE.’

Annie Gill from Otorohanga and Hannah Jackson of Kaipaki was placed third.

DAIRY TRAINEE

PHYSICAL FARM DATA

ONCE-A-DAY FARMER WINS ON THE DAY

WORDS BY CLAIRE ASHTON

Much to his surprise, Andrew Macky from Paterangi, Te Awamutu, took out the Dairy Industry Awards Waikato Dairy Manager of the Year on March 14. There were 19 entrants in his category and Andrew and his partner Holly, an early childhood teacher and expecting their third child, went along for the dinner with very low expectations.

“I was amazed to be honest; I came away from the final judging fairly underwhelmed as I thought I had forgotten so much stuff - there is just so much information to remember.”

Andrew picked up four merit awards as well. “I was really pleased with the DeLaval Livestock Management Award, and the Bluegrass Contracting Environmental Sustainability Award as livestock and environment are two passions.”

Andrew runs a 98-hectare, System 2 farm, milking 320 Jerseys on a once-a-day system, introduced eight seasons ago mainly due to the very dry summers and to enable his father William to keep milking into retirement age.

Andrew is in his fourth season and is a fourth-generation farmer on his family farm, established in 1912, and evidence of his great-grandfather’s hand still exists onfarm in the form of homemade troughs, and the old milking shed, though sadly the old homestead is no longer.

He completed a two-year Diploma in Farm Management at Lincoln, then had a few good ‘gap years’ gaining a more rounded experience working on dry stock farms in New Zealand as well as in agriculture overseas, before taking on fulltime farm management.

Milking platform area: 98ha

Cows: 315 Jersey cows

Production: 316kgMS/ cow, 1021kgMS/ha

Milking supplement: 330kgDM/cow PKE & Maize

Nitrogen: 67kg/ha/yr

Cows/labour unit: 160

Farm Dairy: 16 ASHB

Six-week in-calf rate: 78%

Andrew posts regularly about all things farming on his Youtube channel ‘The Once A Day Farmer’ and Instagram accounts. He has a combined following of more than 15,000 people, and it was after receiving enquiries from his Instagram followers about the Dairy Trainee DIA Awards category that Andrew’s interest was piqued.

Empty rate: 5.8% Weeks of mating: 10weeks, 4week AI, 6 weeks bulls

Wintering: All wintered onfarm, grass based.

After some investigation, he thought, “I may as well give it a go myself, I have nothing to lose and then at least I will know more about the awards, and can share that information with other farmers who want to enter in the future.”

“To be honest I felt like pulling out of the awards around Christmas,” admits

Waikato Dairy Manager of 2022, Andrew Macky in the milking shed on the family farm at Ohaupo. Photos by Alan Gibson

Andrew but he spoke with Chris Miller, the winner from the previous year, saying, “I didn’t feel confident and thought there were things I didn’t know or didn’t do but was encouraged by Chris that all I could do was give it my best shot.”

Andrew is glad he stayed in the competition and definitely learned from the experience, especially around profitability and efficiency once he looked at his farm system. He gained knowledge and will initiate some system tweaks to increase production, and is looking to put these into practice in the coming season.

Improving his empty rates was an area Andrew has worked on over three seasons.

RUNNERS -UP

RunnerUp in the Waikato dairy manager category was Shaun Muller from Otorohanga and third was Sam Guise from Cambridge.

DeLaval Livestock Management

Award:

Andrew Macky

Fonterra Dairy Management Award:

Andrew Macky

MERIT AWARDS

Bluegrass Contracting Environmental Sustainability

Award: Andrew Macky

Seales Winslow Pasture & Feed Management Award:

Shaun Muller

Click Cover NZ People Leadership Award: Ben Purua

ANZ Personal Planning & Financial Management Award:

Andrew Macky

I.S Dam Lining Ltd Emerging Talent Award: Sarah Fagg

Waikato Dairy Industry Awards Committee Emerging Talent

Award: Dimarius Wade

This was achieved by culling later calving cows, and supplement feeding earlier into September before mating, due to a difficult spring. His goal is to get empty rates under 5% and doesn’t carry any empties over to increase herd fertility and says keeping a short calving window is essential.

“In our first season there were cows still calving in October and it was right before mating started and I really didn’t like that. The following season was the first year we PD’d (pregnancy detected) the cows; pregnancy scanning and dating them enabled me to cull the late calving cows.

“Every season I am bringing the calving window back to early September which gives cows enough time to cycle before mating starts again, which is crucial.”

Being once-a-day milking also helps cows regain condition after calving.

Andrew loves the breeding and genetics side of dairy farming and is keen to learn more and breed contract cows as he had a contract cow a couple of years ago which got him interested. His plan is to buy the herd one day. “I want to put my stamp on it now before I buy it. The bones are there but I am certain I can improve it.”

He is gradually lifting Breeding Worth and through those improvements could sell the surplus animals in the future for another income stream. He has a cow he really likes and is considering embryo flushing her next year.

The top cow traits he is looking for are; no mastitis, always in calf to AI in the first three weeks (breeding for fertility), low somatic cell count, good capacity, and

good teat placement on the udder, which is crucial for once-a-day as they come in quite full.

“Currently we have a 25% replacement rate but if we keep getting low empty rates that will decrease to around 20%.”

Going from System 1 to System 2 is another change Andrew made, primarily because of the dry summers and bringing in more feed, so farm working expenses went up a bit but to counter that, production went up.

Andrew filmed the harvest of his maize for YouTube and had 6ha planted which averaged 20 tonnes per ha, which he was disappointed with as it was a bit green, and the drymatter percentage wasn’t quite there. He also bought in 25t from the neighbour.

During Covid lockdowns he enjoyed time with the family. The family farm is a bit of a fishbowl Andrew says, as it is on the road to Lake Ngaroto which is used for recreational and fishing purposes. Combined with his social media, Andrew has no issues operating transparently. Everyone has perceptions of dairy farming, and he wants to show farming in a positive light.

“One hundred percent I want to improve the public perception of dairying.”

He also remains positive about the upcoming challenges, especially around the environment. Riparian planting is something he would like to do more of and is investigating funding avenues for that.

KEEPING ON MILKING

WORDS BY CLAIRE ASHTON

It was a whirlwind few days for young farmers Rachel Bunnik (23) and Brian Basi (25) when they took out the Waikato Dairy Industry Award for Share Farmer of the Year on March 14.

Brian jokes that despite all the attention following their win, they are just keeping on with milking the cows, on their current 72-hectare, system 4, 230 Holstein Friesian cow farm where they contract milk for Liz and Dick Johnson at Putaruru.

The couple say it was amazing to attend the awards dinner and, although they were supported by a limited amount

of family due to restrictions, they were surrounded by a room full of people who are just as passionate about dairying.

Both come from dairying backgrounds with both their parents owning dairy farms 10 minutes out of Hamilton . After finishing high school, Rachel did a year studying Agriculture at Massey University but missed hands-on farming too much and returned to the family farm. She then trained to be an LIC AB technician and does an AB run in spring,

“It’s a great way to meet local farmers and network,” she says. Brian worked on his parents’ dairy farm after finishing high school, “books were never my thing so

studying didn’t interest me, I’d rather be out learning in the paddock.”

During the 2021-22 season, they are contract milking, and next season they are 50/50 sharemilking together in Rotoo-Rangi.

Brian had entered the DIA Awards solo (with support from Rachel) in 2021, as then they were contract milking on

‘WE HAD A LOT GOING ON AT THE START OF THE YEAR, EVERY WEEK SOMETHING NEW CAME UP OR WENT WRONG.’

separate farms which also helped them grow equity for their future sharemilking role. Their journey through the awards process this year was primarily about time management and the main challenge was just getting it done - there were certainly a few sleepless nights.

He received advice after entering the awards last year about what to do when receiving the set of financials, benchmarking and DairyBase, and was advised to “dig deep into those financials and see where you can improve”.

Goal setting and future planning are first and foremost for the couple. “We want to make sure we are running a sustainable, profitable business under all circumstances and market volatility.”

Rachel observes that the takeout Brian had from 2021 was to question everything he was doing. Health and safety was one area that clearly needed improvement, so they went away and came up with a system they were highly complimented

PHYSICAL FARM DATA

Milking platform area: 72ha

Cows: 230 Friesian cows

Production: 1,687kgMS/ha, 540kgMS/cow

Pasture eaten: 15.6tDM/ha

Milking supplement: 1.8tDM/cow

Nitrogen: 120kgN/ha

Cows/labour unit: Last season 2020/21, 150cows/

FTE. 2021/22, 115cows/FTE

Farm Dairy: 20ASHB

Dairy Automation: Automatic cup removers

Six-week in-calf rate: 74%

Empty rate: 13%

Weeks of mating: 10

Wintering: 235 cows

Runoff: Owned

on, reflected in them winning the Honda Farm Safety, Health & Biosecurity Merit award. The main objective was to come up with an easy-to-understand and simplified system everyone could follow while still comprehending the onfarm hazards and they are now keeping this closely under wraps until Nationals.

Despite the couple knowing what they were in for with the awards process, life has a habit of throwing a few spanners in the works during the process.

“We had a lot going on at the start of the year, every week something new came up or went wrong,” Rachel says. Amongst this was sorting out financials during the holiday season for their new sharemilking venture, herd buying and helping organise for their current positions’ farm herd sale,

Left: Brian Basi and Rachel Bunnik, Waikato Share Farmers of the Year are pictured in the milking shed where they work near Putaruru. Above: Brain and Rachel took the advice to “Dig deep into those financials.”

Runner-Up in the Waikato Sharefarmer was Aleisha Broomfield and third was Stephanie Kay.

MERIT AWARDS

*Aleisha and Stephanie both work for Sue Broomfield - so does Danielle Hovmand who won the Share Farmer for Hauraki/Auckland

DairyNZ – People and Culture

Award:

Aleisha Broomfield

Ecolab Farm Dairy Hygiene Award:

RUNNERS -UP

Brian Basi & Rachel Bunnik

Federated Farmers Leadership Award:

Stephanie Kay

Honda Farm Safety, Health and Biosecurity Award:

Brian Basi & Rachel Bunnik

LIC – Animal Wellbeing, Recording and Productivity

Award:

Brian Basi & Rachel Bunnik

Meridian Environmental Sustainability Award:

Stephanie Kay

Ravensdown Pasture Performance Award:

Aleisha Broomfield

ANZ Business Performance Award:

Brian Basi & Rachel Bunnik

Cow Manager Emerging Talent

Award: Kelly Tomlinson

looking out and purchasing machinery for sharemilking, equipment theft, and all the usual life events such as a wedding and sadly, a funeral. The culmination of these events led Brian and Rachel to decide to pull the plug on the awards programmer this year and called Waikato DIA Regional Manager, Sarah Stevenson, who convinced them to push on and stay motivated.

“Judging was 10 days away at the time and we hadn’t even started! Sarah reignited our passion to win this competition, and we are glad she did,” they laugh.

Once the awards process started, despite Brian being very disappointed with their first presentation, they managed to get into the top five finalists. Rachel admits the presentation part of the awards can be unnerving as presenting to the judges who maintain ‘poker faces’ for that length of time is a challenge. Presentations are up to one hour and 45 minutes and can be in any format.

“You don’t grow if you’re not outside of your comfort zone,” Brian says, and the couple say they really love a challenge, so that kept them in the race, as well as an overarching ambition to put themselves

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out there and create and maintain networks in the dairy industry.

“If we won, we thought we would be a really good example to younger people,” Brian says. They believe there is a perception that you can’t climb the farming ladder, but they disagree.

“If your financial management is sound, you have clear goals set, and you are saving and investing well, you can see the progression,” continues Brian, and Rachel agrees that if you have the drive and motivation it is achievable with the right mindset, “we understand our goals are ambitious, but very realistic”. This is made evident by them winning the ANZ Business Performance Merit award.

A pathway of how to get there, ‘there’ for the couple being farm ownership around age 30, is vitally important. Satisfaction in the job is of the essence too as it ties into mental health and wellbeing. A key driver is a fine-tuned farm and running to a high level which includes good pasture management, complemented by supplement feed to run a profitable system that is sustainable for farm owners and staff.

Animal welfare is also a strong focus.

“Achieving really good results onfarm is what drives me, we are on track to do 1700kg milksolids (MS)/ha and are harvesting over 15.5 tonnes drymatter (DM)/ha of homegrown feed, both of which are much higher than the South Waikato benchmark. It makes me think the future is in efficient farming - getting the most out of the pasture and the most out of the land, the cows and genetics - all the while being environmentally sustainable and operating a profitable business model,” Brian says, and optimistically believes that, “It is endless what you can achieve in farming”.

Rachel and Brian always do a pros and cons list when considering their next onfarm position to see if the farm matches their goals. Next for the couple is a progression to 50/50 sharemilking in Roto-o-Rangi, also operating a system 4 on 74ha but with an increased herd size of 285 crossbreds, so they will be managing more stock, but with lighter cows.

“We are really excited to be sharemilking next season, particularly owning and breeding our own cows,” Rachel says. One of their biggest challenges is controlling farm working expenses while running a

system 4 with rising costs, especially the supplementary feed costs.

They believe having the most efficient animals on our land in New Zealand, the easier it will be to meet climate and environmental regulations. Brian and Rachel try to operate in a straightforward and simple manner, and check in frequently to see if they are doing things in the most efficient way, which has resulted in them creating monthly and weekly plans and standardising procedures for milking routines and pasture management. The couple say their communication is really good and their strengths and weaknesses complement each other, leading to a highly productive workplace, “we make a great team and strive for excellence”.

Being in the competition enabled them to use more of the tools available through industry bodies such as DairyNZ. They look forward to being on the DIA committee in the future and participating in the industry. This reflects their attitude of wanting to improve the public perception of the dairy industry in the media however they can. Brian and Rachel think that there is no better job than farming - there is such a variety of work and the journey never ends.

FINANCIAL FARM DATA $

Sharemilking: Contract milking

Costs shared: No shared costs. Typical contract milker expenses, eg. dairy shed running costs (electricity, detergents, rubberware), motorbikes, labour, administration

Gross farm income: $1.20kgMS. No stock sales

Operating expenses: $1.09kgMS

Operating profit: $175ha

Farm working expenses: $0.32kgMS

Labour expenses $0.78kgMS

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A GUIDE TO DEVELOPMENT

WORDS BY ELAINE FISHER

Apositive attitude no matter the time of day or weather is a skill Thomas Lundman learnt as a nature guide and now applies to his dairying career.

“A good attitude is what keeps you going through long days, lack of sleep and bad weather. It’s also important in dairying to remain positive and keep a smile on your face, though now I’m dealing sometimes with grumpy cows instead of grumpy tourists,” says Thomas (24) who is the 2022 Bay of Plenty Dairy Trainee of the Year.

Thomas grew up on a dairy farm in Southland but dairying wasn’t his immediate career choice.

“As Te Anau is such a tourist town, I had a part-time job after school, working in tourism and when I left school I worked for Real Journeys NZ (now Real NZ) as a glow worm cave nature guide.”

It was a role Thomas enjoyed for five years and he also guided tourists in Milford Sound, Doubtful Sound and on the Milford Track.

“I love working with people and my role included all age groups from tourists on their retirement holidays to students at school camps.”

When he moved to the North Island, Thomas considered continuing with tourism. “Then Covid hit and the decision to go dairying was made easy for me. It’s nice having a steady, reliable job which will always be there.”

Thomas is farm assistant for Chris and Rosie Mexted on a 140ha Whakatane farm milking 550 cows. “I’m excited to see New Zealand continue to lead the way in sustainable dairy farming. I see myself as someone who will do my best to farm to the best practices.”

In 2021 Thomas was runner-up in the dairy trainee category.

“My boss Chris is a previous award winner and he encouraged me to enter. It was pretty terrifying both times to put myself forward, but I have grown in confidence through the experience. I would encourage other young farmers to enter because everyone is very supportive and wants the best for you.”

While Thomas was still at high school, he attended an introductory agricultural skills course at Telford.

“I found it very useful, and I fall back on the basic skills taught then,” says Thomas who is training through a Primary ITO dairy apprenticeship.

His short-term goals include progressing through the industry to gain more knowledge and skills and marrying his fiancée and starting a family.

Thomas is undecided if herd and farm ownership is his future career path. “I’m a people person and am considering going into managing multiple farms, working with farm managers, contract milkers and sharemilkers on behalf of an owner. However, there is a lot more I need to know before I get to that stage.”

Overwhelmed with the generous prize package he won (valued at $6050), Thomas says he is grateful to the national and local sponsors and the organisers of the awards, which aims to acknowledge the industry’s best and promote its positive attributes.

MERIT AWARDS

RUNNERS -UP

DairyNZ Practical Skills Award: Shaun Woods

Toi Ohomai Institute of Technology

Emerging Talent Award: Chihiro Hanyuda

MilkBar Farming Knowledge

Award: Thomas Lundman

King Farm Service Ltd

Communication & Industry Involvement Award: Niamh Mark

Lundman: ‘I’m a people person and am considering going into managing multiple farms.

Photos by Alan Gibson.

‘I’M EXCITED TO SEE NEW ZEALAND CONTINUE TO LEAD THE WAY IN SUSTAINABLE DAIRY FARMING. I SEE MYSELF AS SOMEONE WHO WILL DO MY BEST TO FARM TO THE BEST PRACTICES.’

Niamh Mark and Keegan Blennerhassett from Omanawa was third.

A JOB WORTH GETTING OUT OF BED FOR

WORDS BY SHERYL HAITANA.

Hayden Purvis’s flatmates at Lincoln University used to tell him he would never make it as a dairy farmer because he couldn’t get out of bed before 8am.

However, the realisation of progression opportunities within the dairy industry appealed to Hayden and he now loves getting up and being out onfarm.

Hayden is farm manager for Peter Overdevest and Tania Akehurst on their 148-hectare Galatea farm, milking 400 cows. He had his first dairy farm job as a farm assistant for Pete and Tania when he entered the dairy industry, before coming back to work for them four years ago.

Hayden grew up in Christchurch around his family’s race horse business. Entering the horse racing business wasn’t for him but he knew he wanted to work around animals. He studied a Bachelor

PHYSICAL FARM DATA

of Agriculture at Lincoln and thought he would pick whether to go dairying or into the sheep and beef industry.

“I enjoyed the sheep and beef jobs, but I thought the progression in that industry was going to be harder. Working on a dairy farm was an eye opener that it could be a great lifestyle and still have great opportunities.”

However, while he was in his last year at Lincoln, two family deaths in quick succession led him to leaving university with just two papers to finish.

“My one regret is not finishing my degree. But it was two big hits at once and I had a bit of anxiety and depression.”

Hayden is now studying Level 4 through PrimaryITO and will then complete Level 5 NZ Diploma in Primary Industry

Milking platform area: 148ha

Cows: 415

Production: 1148kgMS/ha

Pasture eaten: 12.1t DM/ha,

Milking supplement: PKE blend, grass and maize

silage

Nitrogen: 120kgN/ha, Cows/labour unit: 143

Farm Dairy: 40 ASHB

Dairy Automation: Auto plant wash

Six-week in-calf rate: 72%

Empty rate: 11%

Weeks of mating: 12 all AI

Wintering: 320 MA cows

Runoff leased or owned: 9ha

Business Management to ensure he has a qualification under his belt.

Insteading of returning to university he got a job as a farm assistant on a dairy farm in Taupo and the following year moved with his farm manager to a farm at Reporoa as 2IC.

He then returned to work for Pete and Tania as assistant farm manager before stepping up to manage their other farm. Pete and Tania offered Hayden and wife Deborah the opportunity to go contract milking on that farm, however, the couple were starting a family and didn’t feel the timing was right.

Hayden and Deborah now have two daughters, Lucy, 2, and Sophie, 1.

Hayden was elated to win the 2022 Bay of Plenty Dairy Manager this year, after four years entering and coming runner up in 2021.

Each year the competition has been

‘IT HAS BEEN GOOD FOR HONING MY SKILLS AND GETTING PERSPECTIVE FROM OTHER PEOPLE ON HOW I CAN BE A MORE WELL-ROUNDED FARMER.’

The winner of the 2022 Bay of Plenty Dairy Manager of the Year Hayden Purvis pictured with his wife Deborah Purvis and their two children Lucy, 2, and Sophie, 1. The family are pictured in a crop of lucerne which Hayden says is the secret of his success on the property they run at Galatea in the Bay of Plenty. Photos by Alan Gibson.

an opportunity for him to network with people and challenge himself personally and professionally.

“It has been good for honing my skills and getting perspective from other people on how I can be a more well-rounded farmer.”

The competition has also given the couple the opportunity to look at their goals and what they want to achieve within the industry.

They are moving to Rukuhia in the Waikato this coming season to manage 800 cows. The couple are open to agricultural opportunities in the future, not necessarily dairy farm ownership, but something that can give them a good balance of progression and lifestyle to enjoy their family.

They would ideally like to own a small farm of their own, on which they can bring up their girls. They own 50% of an investment rental property in Taupo with Deboroah’s sister. Deborah also has a dog breeding and grooming business which she is hoping to expand with the move closer to town. Hayden can see himself heading down the Operations Manager pathway or even into consultancy or a governance role within the dairy industry.

“I am a people person, I chat to anybody. I aim to hold myself in a way that I can be proud of who I am.”

Hayden would also like to help encourage young people into the dairy industry and help the industry retain those people. He can see himself working in a mentor or leadership role.

“As an industry, we need to be better at keeping people. I want people to see it’s a worthwhile career and lifestyle. It’s not all about getting up at 4am.

“We need to keep a positive outlook, if people make a mistake you can’t put them down on it, you have to give constructive, positive criticism.

“Farmers also need to explain themselves in a way staff can understand. I learnt that from Deborah, I would tell her how to do something and she would say she didn’t understand what I meant - she had not been on a farm before.”

He says he has learnt from Pete and Tania that treating your staff well goes a long way.

“Their staff mean the world to them, they remember birthdays, they know about their families. I’m looking forward to being able to showcase what they’ve taught me with having more staff this year.”

Hayden won three merit awards, including the Livestock Management Award, Fonterra Dairy Management Award and the I.S Dam Lining Pasture & Feed Management Award.

Winning the DeLaval Livestock Management Award is a result of how they treat their cows with empathy and compassion, Hayden believes.

“Deborah and I always work with animals like we are being videoed, making sure we are kind and gentle.”

Pete and Tania’s cows are also a great herd full of top genetics to work with, he says.

The focus in the dairy shed is on doing the basics correctly every single day.

“We have a meticulous system to ensure we are checking everything. If you’re doing that there shouldn’t be a reason to get a grade. If there is an issue we resolve it as soon as it’s noticed.”

He was stoked to win the Pasture & Feed

RUNNERS -UP

Bay of Plenty Dairy manager runner-up was Quinn Morgan from Galatea.

MERIT AWARDS

DeLaval Livestock Management Award: Hayden Purvis

Fonterra Dairy Management

Award: Hayden Purvis

Whakatane District Council

Environmental Sustainability

Award: Daniel Harrison

I.S Dam Lining Pasture & Feed Management Award: Hayden Purvis

BlackmanSpargo Rural Law Ltd

People & Leadership Award: Daniel Harrison

Vetora Bay of Plenty Personal Planning & Financial Management Award: Quinn Morgan

FARMit Accountants Ltd

Emerging Talent Award: Brendan Teka

Award for the third year in a row because his passion is having well fed cows. They do regular farm walks to measure pasture and after the balance date they pick 10 paddocks to measure grass cover and ensure they are hitting residual targets.

FARM OWNERSHIP IN SIGHT

WORDS BY SHERYL HAITANA

When Scott and Rebecca took on a large-scale farm manager role after variable order sharemilking, the couple were told they were taking a step backwards.

Instead, the couple have had three children and have been enjoying a great life along the way and are still on target to be farm owners before they are 45.

The couple both grew up in the Coromandel, Scott on a dairy farm, and went to the same high school. A few years out of school the couple got together and went farming.

After several seasons in the industry and a year travelling and working on a dairy farm in Wales, the couple returned to a variable order role in the Coromandel. They were offered the opportunity to buy the cows, but the milk price was high and they couldn’t justify the cost of cows that season. It was a decision they’ve never regretted, Scott says.

Instead, they took a farm manager role for Opepe Farm Trust in Taupo milking 1000, eventually milking 2000 cows, where they stayed for eight seasons. While there, Scott also won the 2011 Central Plateau Farm Manager of the Year.

“We loved our time there in Taupo, our three kids were born while we were there,” Scott says.

An opportunity came through the relationship with their farm consultant who said there was a good sharemilking position in Galatea for Rory and Susan Gordon milking 650 cows. They sold their investment property in Tauranga to help come up with equity and went 50/50 with business partners and friends Patrick and Tracy Hart. “We met Patrick and Tracy on the first day we moved to Taupo at an antenatal class, we were both having our first child,” Rebecca says.

“They wanted to help us get ahead and we are still friends afterwards. They got an amazing return on their money and we got an amazing opportunity.”

FINANCIAL FARM DATA $

FARM 1, 260HA

Sharemilking: 50/50

Gross farm income: $3.94/kgMS

Operating expenses: $2.81/kgMS

Operating profit: $1332/ha

Farm working expenses: $2.43/kgMS

FARM 21, 100HA

Sharemilking: 50/50

Gross farm income: $3.94/kgMS

Operating expenses: $2.81/kgMS

Operating profit: $1236/ha

Farm working expenses: $2.43/kgMS

Scott and Rebecca O’Brien. in one of the paddocks on the property they run at Galatea in the Bay of Plenty.

FARM

PHYSICAL FARM

DATA

1, 260HA

Milking platform area: 260ha

Cows: 650 Friesian/crossbred

Production: 465kgMS/ cow, 1134kgMS/ha

Pasture eaten: 11.5t/ha

Milking supplement:

FARM 2, 100HA

Milking platform area 100ha

Cows: 250 Friesian

Production: 465kgMS/cow, 1200kgMS/ha

Pasture eaten: 12.1t/ha

Milking supplement: 0.9t DM/cow

Scott and Rebecca contract milked for their sharemilking company while they had business partners and bought out the business partners this season, a year and a half earlier than budgeted for. Milk price helped along with better production than expected and expanding to a second job.

“We wanted to go straight into large scale sharemilking. We were not actively looking for a sharemilking role but this job came about through word of mouth,” Scott says.

“We saw a real opportunity to increase production through improved management.”

They bought the cows off the farm owner and increased production from 235,000kg milksolids (MS) to 275,000kg MS in their first season.

1t DM/cow

Nitrogen: 135kg N/ha/year

Cows/labour unit: 170

Farm Dairy: 50-bail rotary

Six-week in-calf rate: 71%

Empty rate: 10.5%

Weeks of mating: 12

Wintering: 280 cows wintered off for 6 weeks.

Nitrogen: 132kg N/ha/year

Cows/labour unit: 200

Farm Dairy: 24-aside

herringbone

Six-week in-calf rate: 65%

Empty rate: 16%

Weeks of mating: 12

Wintering: 90 cows wintered off for 6 weeks

“It was just through managing grass, very minimal increase in bought-in supplement, just management of grass and cows.”

After three years the opportunity came up to take on a second sharemilking position 14km down the other end of the Galatea valley for Peter and Cathy Brown milking 250 cows, which they’ve employed a farm manager on.

“We were in a position to expand because we had a policy from day one that every dollar in the first term was going to be used to pay down debt.”

The couple always had a dream to have $1 million in equity by the time Scott was 40, which they should achieve by his birthday this July.

Their accountant and business advisor

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Nick Hume from BFA in Taupo has been a huge help in their being able to buy out their business partners early as well as expanding to a second sharemilking job. Having good relationships with the people around you is essential to being successful.

“If you don’t have good relationships, you don’t have a business,” Rebecca says. The relationship they have with staff is one of the most important; showing them integrity, trust and respect, they then get in return, Rebecca says.

They employ a farm manager, one senior farm assistant, two farm assistants, a 2IC and one casual. Scott and one of their farm assistants float between the two farms.

Five of the six staff are locals from Galatea which helps because it’s an isolated area to attract staff to.

“Not everyone is the same and you have to manage people individually,” Rebecca says.

“We have open discussions with them about what they want to achieve and how they can get there. Some people are happy just coming to work each day.”

They have four out of their six staff studying through Primary ITO which is a huge achievement, Rebecca says.

“We like to show our staff we are not here because of luck or a family farm we are just like them, we’ve just done the hard yards. The harder you work, the luckier you are.

“I won’t ask my staff to do anything I wouldn’t do myself,” Scott says.

One of the most helpful tools they use for communication is a group messenger group where staff can share information or ask questions easily, especially if you have some shy staff.

“Our people are an asset. Food is also a biggy - we have weekly toolbox meetings with a staff breakfast and we keep the fridges at cowsheds full of food.”

The couple entered the Share Farmer competition this year once they had bought their business partners out because they thought they had a cool story of progression to tell. They won four merit awards with the highlight being the LIC Animal Wellbeing, Recording and Productivity Award.

“That was the bugger we really wanted to win. Our end goal is milking fewer cows who are the most efficient producers of milk from grass, and having a lower environmental footprint,” Scott says.

Getting the right balance between production and fertility is critical, Scott says.

“As a sharemilker, days in milk and cows in calf is everything. We place very high value on high production per cow but getting as many as we can in calf. Crossbreeding in our big herd is helping our fertility.”

The couple aim to buy a 500-cow plus farm by 2027 probably in the Bay of Plenty region. They want to be big enough

Proud sponsors of the Bay Of Plenty Dairy Industry Awards

that it is not a one-man-band so they can continue to employ others to help them progress. Once they are established they want to be in a position to employ a sharemilker so they can give other people the same opportunity they’ve enjoyed.

One of their priorities is to live somewhere with access to good education for their children, Hunter, 12, Summer, 10, and Piper, 8. Hunter is a boarder at St Peters in Cambridge.

“Our philosophy is life is for living and we have to work hard, but we also have some non-negotiables. The way the world is - we want to make the most of life’s opportunities.”

Scott and Rebecca see themselves growing into governance and leadership roles. Between them they hold a couple of positions within their community including the school board of trustees and PTA. Rebecca is about to take up a regional leadership role with Dairy Womens Network.

“We’d like to help other reach their goals and aspirations by showing them there is no limit to what can be achieved with hard work, support and passion in the dairy industry.”

RUNNERS -UP

Runners-up in the Bay of Plenty Share Farmer of the Year category was Alvaro Borghi and Natalia Zefferino. Chance and Racheal Church placed third.

DairyNZ – People and Culture

Award: Scott & Rebecca O’Brien

Ecolab Farm

MERIT AWARDS

Dairy Hygiene Award: Natalia

Zefferino & Alvaro Borghi

Federated Farmers Leadership

Award: Natalia Zefferino & Alvaro Borghi

Honda Farm Safety, Health and Biosecurity Award: Scott & Rebecca O’Brien

LIC – Animal Wellbeing, Recording and Productivity

Award: Scott & Rebecca O’Brien

Meridian Environmental Sustainability Award: Natalia

Zefferino & Alvaro Borghi

Ravensdown Pasture

Performance Award: Natalia Zefferino & Alvaro Borghi

QCONZ Business Performance

Award: Scott & Rebecca O’Brien

Perrin Ag Emerging Talent

Award: Edward & Kate Dowzall

The big winners of the 2022 Bay of Plenty Dairy Industry Awards were Scott and Rebecca O’Brien. They won the Share Farmer of the Year award.

Photos by Alan Gibson

MILKING IN MANGAKINO

WORDS BY ELAINE FISHER

PHOTOS BY MALCOLM PULLMAN

An Overseas Experience and the international pandemic combined to thrust Scottish-born Zoe Bryson into a career in the New Zealand dairying industry.

Zoe, 24, grew up on her parents’ dairy farm in Scotland and worked part-time as a Reproduction Manager and AI Technician while gaining a Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Bioscience (with Distinction).

“When I finished university, I was aware that if I worked on my parents’ farm, I would probably never leave so decided to take a six-month trip to New Zealand. While I was here Covid hit.”

Deciding to stay wasn’t hard and now Zoe is committed to a future in the NZ dairy industry because she enjoys its outdoor farming environment, and the opportunities the industry offers for progression to herd or farm ownership.

“There are more opportunities here for farm ownership. In Scotland, just about the only way to own a farm is to inherit it. I like the opportunity here to do that yourself through hard work.”

She has seen first-hand how that progression works as Zoe is herd manager for Central Plateau Share Farmer runnersup, Thomas and Therese Earls, who are equity partners on the Phillips Family Trust

‘THERE ARE MORE OPPORTUNITIES HERE FOR FARM OWNERSHIP. IN SCOTLAND, JUST ABOUT THE ONLY WAY TO OWN A FARM IS TO INHERIT IT. I LIKE THE OPPORTUNITY HERE TO DO THAT YOURSELF THROUGH HARD WORK.’

Lochannie Ltd a 185-hectare Mangakino property, milking 485 cows.

When Zoe first worked for Thomas and Therese, they were 50/50 sharemilking on a farm at Reporoa. Six months on they moved to Mangakino, taking Zoe with them as a valued member of their staff.

As well as her degree in agricultural bioscience, and her AI technician’s experience, Zoe brings another skill to dairying. In 2017, she won the Scottish Stockman of the Year title, only the third woman in 50 years to do so.

“That was a big achievement for me. I started stock judging at about 15 and won the title when I was 19. The judging is for dairy beef and sheep.”

Last year Zoe came second in the New Zealand Young Farmers national stock judging competition and she’s keen to compete again this year.

“The skills I learnt in stock judging help me assess body condition and when it comes to improving animals, I know what I’m looking for.”

While Zoe doesn’t miss the often wet

cold conditions of Scotland, she does miss the close contact with cows she enjoyed on her parents’ farm. “The cows are housed for up to seven months of the year and milked three times a day. It’s a high-input system and you are constantly milking, mating calving the cows, feeding them and trimming their feet. Here once you milk the cows in the morning you don’t see them again until the afternoon.”

Zoe is a member of the South Waikato Young Farmers Club and enjoys the social, sporting and community involvement the club’s programme offers.

Runner-up in the Dairy Trainee competition was Anthony Foy, of Tokoroa and third place in the Dairy Trainee category went to 22-year-old farm assistant Emily Steiner.

DairyNZ Practical Skills Award: Zoe Bryson

Rotorua Lakes Council Emerging Talent Award: Tasman Lister

MilkBar Farming Knowledge Award: Zoe Bryson

T H Enterprises Ltd

Communication & Industry Involvement Award: Zoe Bryson

CHARTING THE GOALS

WORDS BY SHERYL HAITANA.

PHYSICAL FARM DATA

Satveer Singh keeps a chart on his bedroom wall with his farming goals for the future. It includes a timeline goal for getting to contract milking and sharemilking, with the ultimate goal of farm ownership.

Satveer moved from India in 2015 to study a Diploma in Agribusiness at Toi-Ohomai Institute of Technology in Rotorua. He got a job as a farm assistant as work experience for his course and then moved to his current farm as assistant herd manager in 2017. He has continued his education through Primary ITO studying Level 4 and Level 5.

He moved up to 2IC and is now working his first season as farm manager for contract milker

D J Vermeulen on Manna Farm, Tokoroa, a 255 hectare property, milking 700 cows. Satveer comes from a farming background in North East India

Milking platform area: 255ha effective

Cows: 700 Crossbreds

Production: 350,000kgMS, 500/cow and 1372/ha

Pasture eaten: 13.5tDM/ha

Milking supplement: 860t

meal (DDG, palm kernel, soy)

Nitrogen: 132kgN/ha/year

Cows/labour unit: 233

Farm Dairy: 54-bail rotary

Dairy Automation: ACR’s, In-shed Feeding

Six-week in-calf rate: 65%

Empty rate: 12%

Weeks of mating: 12 (6weeks AB, 3.5 weeks bulls, 2.5 weeks short gestation AB)

Wintering: Winter on-farm

- 16ha Swedes and 8ha of Kale, 12ha Fodder beet with grass silage and straw

Runoff leased or owned: No runoff – 185 calves kept on milking platform

where his family are one of the largest growers of sugar cane for the area, also growing wheat and grain and own just a couple of Sahiwal cows.

He wanted to come to New Zealand to see how the highest-quality milk in the world is produced. He now wants to stay because the scale of dairy farming here is too hard to repeat in India.

“It’s such a great environment here to milk cows, the cows are outside. Everything is so natural.”

He has equity tied up in the family business at home which he plans on using to be able to progress his dairy farming career in NZ.

Satveer is looking for a contract milking position for next year to start his progress up the ladder.

“I just want to move forward as much as I can. My biggest dream will be to own a farm and to own a high BW and PW herd.

“I will need to balance my farming with my family.”

He had originally planned to buy a residential house to start building equity, but he and his wife, Sumreet, have instead invested in a local cafe in Tokoroa where she works. They own shares in the Nexus cafe. He entered the Dairy Manager competition last year as a 2IC which gave him a good insight to the competition and he gained great feedback from the judges.

“I entered the awards because I wanted

Singh on the Tokoroa farm which has been reclaimed for dairying from production forestry. Photos by Alan Gibson.

RUNNERS -UP

DeLaval Livestock Management

Award:

Satveer Singh

Fonterra Dairy Management Award:

Satveer Singh

MERIT AWARDS

I.S Dam Lining Ltd Environmental Sustainability

Award: Lucas Keidann

NZ Farmers Livestock Ltd

Pasture & Feed Management

Award: Satveer Singh

Vetora BOP People & Leadership Award:

Tessa Inskeep

Perrin Ag Consultants Ltd Personal Planning & Financial Management Award:

Marara Singh

BlackmanSpargo Rural Law Ltd Emerging Talent Award: Amy Dawson

to know where I’m standing, what I need to change. ‘You get a great review of yourself and the farm.”

Satveer won three merit awards this year; the DeLaval Livestock Management Award, Fonterra Dairy Management Award and the NZ Farmers Livestock Ltd Pasture & Feed Management Award.

One of the things he is proud of is the somatic cell count average has dropped by 25% this season which he says is due to a lot of little things being improved.

He wrote up a substantial animal health plan this year which promotes excellent hygiene standards in the farm dairy.

He has loved the step up to farm manager and making decisions around crop ratios and paddock selection.

“I feel good for having a large amount of responsibility, I’m happy to have all the responsibility DJ wants me to have, it prepares me for the future.”

Satveer focuses on having a positive mindset and when it comes to work he thinks of it as beyond just doing a job.

“I’m working for a multi-million-dollar

business. Whatever you’re doing, do it with your heart, don’t just do the job and go home.”

At the same time, it’s important to respect everyone’s time, from his staff through to his boss - when people are at work it is time away from their families.

He encourages his staff to talk openly with him and tell him immediately if there is a problem or issue.

“I tell them from day one, talk as much as you can, communication is the best thing. If you do something wrong, say you’re sorry, you don’t drop your value, you increase it.”

Mental health and having a positive attitude is important to him and being able to get off farm and have a break is a big part of that. Riding motorbikes has always been a passion, with his father buying his first bike in India. He bought a Harley when he came to NZ and says hitting the road is great for mental health.

“When you’re riding a bike you don’t think of anything, you just have to focus on the road, you have to pay attention.

“So if I go out for four hours, that’s four hours I can’t think about the farm and it makes me refreshed and I come back feeling really good.”

He sold his Harley last year and took up running 120km/month instead, which gives him the same mental break, but he plans on buying his dream bike, a Harley Iron 833 or Sportster soon. “I don’t do any running during August, September and October as my focus is on the farm. But I usually try to run about 4 to 6km a day.”

He also prays daily and often listens to prayer during milking.

Runner up in the Central Plateau Dairy Manager was

Marara Singh from Mamaku and third place went to Gavin Humphrey from Mangakino.

Satveer wrote up a substantial animal health plan this year which promotes excellent hygiene standards in the farm dairy.

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ATTENTION TO DETAIL

WORDS BY SHERYL HAITANA

Central Plateau Share Farmers of the Year Todd and Renee Halliday credit a lot of their win to a meticulous attention to detail - a skill taught to them by a previous employer.

The couple worked seven years in Mid Canterbury for the Rylib Group, owned

by John and Kelly Nicholls, first as farm managers, then equity partners while contract milking.

The Rylib Group has six farms in close proximity and the managers always met monthly to compare KPIs and budgets. Every expense had to be justified and they had to complete a monthly variance report to the bank, with an explanation if there was any over-spending of the budget.

“We learnt how to reach KPIs and how to analyse every expense, from fuel to animal health.

“It was a high pressure environment, they expected results but they also gave us the freedom to balance family with farming,” Renee says.

The couple have four children, Henry (12), Charlotte (9), Olive (7) and Florence (3), so having work/life balance was key.

“We attribute our successes to what we learnt while we were there, to have that extra attention to detail,” Renee says.

“John and Kelly empowered you to run the farm how you wanted as long as you got the results. I feel we were very lucky to be part of that,” Todd says.

Todd, a city boy from Auckland, decided to give dairy farming a crack because he couldn’t see a successful pathway in the hospitality industry. The couple were managing a boutique lodge in Rotorua together, but they couldn’t fathom how they could gain enough equity to own a $3 million lodge for themselves.

“I had a vision. I couldn’t see a future in hospitality, how we could have a family and have our own lodge one day. I couldn’t see the progression pathway. I could see that in dairy farming.”

Renee’s parents own a dairy farm in Reporoa so he asked for a job and worked there for two years as a farm assistant.

During those two years he completed AgITO Level 2 through to Level 4 and placed third in the 2011 Central Plateau Dairy Trainee.

He then moved to manage a farm at Kaharoa for Chris Stevens and Chris Haworth for two years where he completed the PrimaryITO Level 5 Post Graduate Diploma and placed third in the 2013 Central Plateau Dairy Manager competition.

The couple then accepted an appealing offer to head down south to manage a 650-cow farm for Rylib Group.

The advert offered all the bells and whistles - good infrastructure, technology and opportunities for progression and equity growth. After two years managing they went 10% equity into an 850-cow

Left: Todd and Renee Halliday with their four children on their Reporoa Farm which borders the massive Kaiangaroa pine forest. Photos by Malcolm Pullman.

Milking platform area: 153ha

Cows: 520 Jersey Cows

Production: 427kgMS/cow and 1438kgMS/ha

Pasture eaten: 15.3tDM/cow

Milking supplement: 600kgDM/cow

Nitrogen: 130kgN/ha/year

Cows/labour unit: 192

Farm Dairy: 40ASHB

farm with the Rylib Group, while also contract milking on the farm.

While they learnt key skills to run a meticulous operation, including running a team of staff, they also learnt how to be resilient farmers. Their first year as equity partners was the year the payout dropped to $3.90/kgMS which hit hard and they also suffered the heartbreaking loss of watching the farm’s youngstock, including in-calf R2s all be sent off for slaughter during the early days of the Mycoplasma bovis eradication, without even being tested.

“I had reared the calves, my children had calf club calves in there. It was horrible. We were lucky to have John and Kelly’s support to get through that,” Renee says.

“But that’s what makes us, the hard times. It sets you up to deal with challenges in the future.”

The opportunity to buy a farm with Renee’s parents, Phil and Diane Herdman, and move back to Reporoa to buy an environmentally sustainable and profitable farm was too good to pass up. Renee’s parents haven’t lent them

Dairy Automation: ACR’s, In-shed Feeding, AllFlex drafting gate

Six-week in-calf rate: 75%

Empty rate: 6.6%

Weeks of mating: 11.5

Wintering: Winter on-farm4ha Swedes and 8ha of Kale with grass silage and straw.

any money and the couple were able to share up out of their equity partnership with enough money to buy 33.3% of the farm at Reporoa. The couple have always wanted to be able to stand alone and progress on their own so buying a separate entity and not working on the family farm was important to them.

They have an excellent working relationship with Phil and Diane. The new farm has been a massive system change from what Todd and Renee are used to, going from feeding 1.3 tonnes/cow down south to 330kg/cow in supplement.

They’ve also switched from milking big Friesian crossbreds to Jersey cows and have been overly surprised by how much they love the Jerseys.

The couple decided to buy the Jersey herd on the farm and topped it up with some more cows from a Jersey stud.

“We have been pleasantly surprised at what efficient feed converters they are. They eat less grass and produce more milksolids.”

After a very low cost and low input season last year, they have installed in-

Working with Farmers for Farmers

shed feeding and increased supplement this year to make the most of the high milk price. They will feed about 600kg/ cow supplement by the end of the season, still sitting within a DairyNZ System 2.

“We are up 10% for the district. Last year we actually had phenomenal grass growth which we haven’t had this summer, so we are only 1% up at the moment for the season, but aim to be 5% up by the end of the season,” Todd says.

“We want to keep the lowest cost structure we can, but not be too conservative either, especially when the price of milk is so good.”

Todd doesn’t have any preconceived ideas about what is right or wrong when it comes to farming because he didn’t grow up farming one way or another. He sees that as a strength.

“Everyone has different systems and ways of doing things, I think that’s what’s cool about farming. There are many ways to milk and feed cows.I love that farming every year is different, that’s the challenge,” he says.

They installed automatic cup removers in their first season onfarm and have

‘I HAD A VISION. I COULDN’T SEE A FUTURE IN HOSPITALITY, HOW WE COULD HAVE A FAMILY AND HAVE OUR OWN LODGE ONE DAY. I COULDN’T SEE THE PROGRESSION PATHWAY. I COULD SEE THAT IN DAIRY FARMING.’

leased Allflex collars and brought a drafting gate this year.

With the new technology they are hoping to make more use of options like sexed semen and short gestation beef semen to make better breeding decisions and solve the issue of small Jersey bullswhich struggle against the white face bulls and other beef breeds.

They’ve also invested in the new technology to benefit staff and keep that work/life balance, helping keep hours down and to improve wellbeing.

“The successes we have enjoyed are a direct result of the individuals around us - our people, we want to look after them,” Todd says.

When he started he was on a 24-on and 4-day off roster then an 18 and 3, which was reflective of what the industry and area were used to.

“Working in the South Island gave us a new perspective that you can have a life and be a good farmer.”

With the kids getting older, Renee has

been able to dive more into the everyday running of the farm as well as the overseeing business eye.

“I’m more the animal lover, the practical one. I bring the heart, Todd’s strength is numbers and attention to detail. That’s why we make a great team.”

FINANCIAL FARM DATA $

Gross farm income: $7.63/kgMS

Operating expenses: $3.87/kgMS

Operating profit: $3913/ha

Farm working expenses: $3.31/kgMS

Supplement: $0.52/kgMS

Fertiliser: $0.29/kgMS

Keeping a close eye on finances and spending in good payout years is just as crucial as managing in a low payout, Todd says.

“We all know after the ups come the downs.”

The plan is to be 50% owners in the

Keeping you ahead in the field

next two years and own the farm outright within the next 5-10 years. They plan on taking another sharemilking job to build the equity needed.

Todd’s biggest driver to enter the Dairy Industry Awards was to benchmark the farm against others in the region and to strategically analyse their business.

He missed the competition of regularly benchmarking against other farmers and striving to be the best and get the best results which he was used to in the Rylib Group. The couple also thought it was a good way to get to know more farmers and rural professionals in the area.

The couple were surprised to win all the merit awards on the awards night and want to acknowledge the other contestants who also put in so much work and time as part of the competition.

“We know the effort it takes that everyone would have put in.”

The three merit awards they really wanted to win were the LIC Animal Wellbeing, Recording and Productivity Award, the Ravensdown Pasture Performance Award and the Stretton & Co Business Performance Award.

Going through their goals for the competition and including their accountant and bank manager has also made them realise they could achieve their goal of outright farm ownership earlier than first thought.

“We expected to gain so much out of the competition, but we gained so much more,” Renee says.

The couple have every confidence they can absorb environmental regulations that will come and that their children can have a future dairy farming as well if they wish to.

“We don’t feel too scared or disheartened by that, we feel we can manage the things that come at us,” Todd says.

“We’re excited to be part of the generation under a lot of change and to be part of that change.”

The key to successful contract milking

The key to going into any contract milking job is knowing the costs, so talk to the farm owner and make sure you are getting accurate cost information, Todd and Renee say.

With their contract milking positions they’ve worked out all the costs and potential incomes and ensured they factored in a surplus to service debt. They reviewed their contracts yearly, had a minimum clause for production and a bonus structure to ensure they captured some of the increased profit if the payout went up.

“If the payout went over $7/kg MS we gained an extra 5c for every 50c rise.”

The Halliday’s top tips

• Always give yourself a buffer to service debt

• Ask your bank manager and accountant for advice on the contract

• Watch your costs and your drawings closely in your first year of business.

RUNNERS -UP

Runners up in the Central Plateau

Share Farmer of the year competition were Thomas and Therese Earls from Mangakino.

DairyNZ – People and Culture Award: Todd & Renee

Halliday

Ecolab Farm Dairy

Hygiene Award: Todd & Renee Halliday

MERIT AWARDS

Federated Farmers Leadership

Award: Todd & Renee Halliday

Honda Farm Safety, Health and Biosecurity Award: Todd & Renee Halliday

LIC – Animal Wellbeing, Recording and Productivity

Award: Todd & Renee Halliday

Meridian Environmental Sustainability Award: Todd & Renee Halliday

Ravensdown Pasture

Performance Award: Todd & Renee Halliday

Stretton & Co Business

Performance Award: Todd & Renee Halliday

If you’re keen to free up some capital we believe your herd has the answers.

herd financing flexibility for all herd owning dairy farmers.

Halliday children getting to know the herd.

AIMING TO GIVE BACK

WORDS BY ELAINE FISHER

AManawatu dairy farm is a long way from the India of his birth and the United Arab Emirates of his childhood, but Amit Sujit says kind Kiwis have made the transition easier.

“Coming to New Zealand was quite a culture shock but Kiwis have been very supportive. I have had amazing experiences here and made friends for life,” says Amit, the 2022 Manawatū Dairy Trainee of the Year.

Five years ago, the 28-year-old arrived in NZ to study at Massey University, gaining a graduate diploma in Science and Technology and Masters in Agricommerce.

He came alone and initially stayed with a young couple and their three children.

“They did all sorts of things to make me comfortable and feel at home. I am grateful to my past and current employers for the opportunities they have given me. Without them I would not be where I am now.”

Today Amit is farm manager on Andrew Hoggard’s 267-hectare, 550-cow Kiwitea farm. Born in India, Amit spent the first 18 years of his life in the UAE but it was summer holidays on his uncle’s coconut farm in India which gave him a love of farming.

“I helped my uncle out on the farm, including harvesting coconuts. Neighbours had cows and chickens and I got interested in agriculture and working outdoors.

“My grandparents were farmers and Mum told me stories about the fun she had on the farm which also drew me in. Perhaps it’s in my blood. I love being outdoors, on my feet, getting my hands dirty and being with the animals.”

Amit came to NZ to gain the agricommerce degree. “Then I wanted to work on a farm to understand from the ground up how things are done.

“I came to dairying by chance through my manager during an internship. She and her partner were looking for a relief worker so that was my first role. I enjoyed being with the cows and all the jobs handed to me. I also enjoyed the outdoors. It was spring and summer and the weather was great. All those things got me interested in dairy farming, so I decided to stick with dairying.

“I’m most excited about the wide range of technology that is coming through the industry to help farmers. Not only will it make farmers’ lives a little easier, it will improve efficiency while also ensuring better animal well-being.

“The elimination of time-consuming tasks creates the potential for lesser working hours for employees, enabling better work/life balance. I still need to figure out a way to spend more time doing things my wife Vani and I love doing together.”

While he intends to stay with farming for a while yet, Amit wants to eventually

RUNNERS -UP

Second in the Manawatū Dairy Trainee of the Year was farm assistant Jessie Russell who works on Alistair and Margo Robertson’s 132ha, 380-cow Bulls property. Third was Matthew O’Connell who is 2IC on Terry Curtis’ 340-cow, 120ha Kairanga farm.

MERIT AWARDS

DairyNZ Practical Skills

Award:

Matthew O’Connell

Hopkins Farming Group Emerging Talent Award: Dorothy Harris

MilkBar Farming Knowledge

Award: Jessie Russell

Fitzherbert Rowe Lawyers

Communication & Industry

Involvement

Award: Matthew O’Connell

gain a job in a dairy company to learn as much as he can about the supply chain aspects of the industry.

“My long-term goal is to start an agribusiness of my own as a way to give back to this country for all it has done for me.”

‘MY GRANDPARENTS WERE FARMERS AND MUM TOLD ME STORIES ABOUT THE FUN SHE HAD ON THE FARM WHICH ALSO DREW ME IN. PERHAPS IT’S IN MY BLOOD.’

Amit works on a farm on the Oroua River terraces, at Kiwitea in the Manawatū. Photo by Brad Hanson

OPPORTUNITIES TO LEARN

WORDS BY SHERYL HAITANA

Joel Peterson sees his future in farm management and helping to pass on his knowledge and encourage other people coming through the dairy industry. Being able to manage and teach people is a big driver for the 30-year-old.

“To see them excel in what they do and see their confidence grow, and to take other opportunities on other farms is really rewarding for me.”

Joel is farm manager for Pāmu Farms on its 194-hectare, 520-cow property in Moutoa, near Foxton.

“I’m really passionate about dairy farming. I don’t think you’ll ever know everything, no day or year is the same.”

Joel grew up around Linton and Palmerston North where his Dad was in the army. He met his wife Latoya at high school and the couple have three children, Baxter, 13, Dante, 11, and Aria, 9.

While working in town, Latoya had a connection through a work colleague to a farmer wanting a worker at Tokomaru. Joel got the job as farm assistant milking

Milking platform area: 214ha, 194ha effective

Cows: 530 peak Kiwicross

Production: 450kgMS/ cow

Milking supplement: 140t turnips, 300t maize, 200t grass silage, 120t grain mix

Cows/labour unit: 132

Farm Dairy: 50-bail rotary

Proud

320 cows on the System 2 farm and never looked back.

“I was lucky that the lower order sharemilker had a lot of time to spend one-on-one with me over those two seasons and I was able to pick his brain.

“I fell in love with all the different array of what is under the umbrella of dairy farming.”

From that farm, Joel went and worked on a System 5 farm at Shannon milking 450 cows as 2IC.

“That farm was a wake-up call, it was out of my comfort zone in terms of day-today work. I had my biggest growth on that farm, there were plenty of opportunities to grow.”

Joel had started studying through Primary ITO in his second year farming and has now completed Level 2, 3 and 4.

During his year as 2IC he decided to enter the Manawatu Dairy Trainee competition, where he placed third.

The Dairy Industry Awards were the perfect platform to benchmark himself and get independent feedback on his farming skills and knowledge, he says.

Dairy Automation: Milk Hub, auto drafting, Iris lame cow monitoring

Six-week in-calf rate: 72%

Empty rate: 12%

Weeks of mating: 12 weeks AI

Wintering: 420 cows wintered on, 115 heifers come home 1 July Runoff: Yes

From Shannon he was fortunate to be employed by Pāmu and spent a year as 3IC on their farm at Ruapehu milking 880 cows.

He moved to the Moutoa property as 2IC and then was promoted to farm manager in 2020.

He entered the Manawatu Dairy Manager last year and won two merit awards. This year he won four merit awards along with the title.

“It’s cool to benchmark yourself and you get good feedback. As an employee you have performance reviews, but it’s good

Photo by Brad Hanson.

to get that independent feedback from an outsider and a gauge of where you are excelling and what you need to improve on.”

One of the merit awards Joel won was the McIntosh Bros Engineering Ltd Pasture & Feed Management Award.

The Moutoa farm sits on old swamp land and is surrounded by the Manawatu River so winter and spring can be challenging, Joel says.

Good winter management is key to the rest of the season. There are two stand off pads and a feed pad to be able to hold all of the cows.

“This farm grows good grass, about 13.5 tonnes drymatter (DM)/ha. Our goal is no hungry days and fully fed cows.”

Joel and his staff do a farm walk every Monday as well as a “tail end” pasture measure on Thursday for the next 10 paddocks in the round.

“That way we always have our finger on the pulse and always know what’s ahead for the cows to look after body condition score for the whole season. We always have one or two scenarios in front of us by checking the growth rates vs the feed demand and can fill the gaps appropriately.”

Joel also won the Fonterra Dairy Management Award which he says is really a team effort.

“Everyone looks after the shed and how we present it is how we feel about the farm. From hygiene through to tidiness. At the end of the day if someone came for a walk over the farm, there is nothing we wouldn’t want them to see.”

The technology in the farm dairy also helps Joel and his staff to have an extra

edge for detail and be able to make sound decisions, he says.

The farm is in its first year transitioning into organic farming which is a new chapter that Joel is excited to be part of.

“When you leave conventional farming you get your toolbox emptied and you have to learn and pick up different practices and learn how to deal with challenges.

“The biggest thing for me is the Environmental footprint and the way people look at dairy farming, it makes me want to look after the farm, animals and people better.”

Joel manages three full time staff who are on a 5 on/2 off roster with each person either getting Friday and Saturday off or Sunday and Monday. That roster allows staff to spend time with family and friends and they come back to work refreshed and ready to move, Joel says.

During calving they have a 6 on/2 off roster which ensures there is always three people working every day. Joel is proud that he has facilitated a good team culture with strong staff retention.

“We offer an enjoyable work place with consistent rosters and a focus on the number of hours worked,” he says.

Knowing staff are happy and keen is a big win for Joel, as is seeing staff progress.

“For staff to do everything onfarm takes the pressure off and allows them to learn.

“My team, Toko, Cam and Rocky, have been with me for the last two seasons. Having a good team definitely helps with the things I do.”

Joel sees himself as a farm manager in the dairy industry for the next 20-odd

Palmerston North farm manager Javier Pardo

placed second in the Dairy Manager category, while third went to Whangaehu farm manager Anton Houlahan.

DeLaval Livestock Management Award: Joel Peterson

Fonterra Dairy Management

Award: Joel Peterson

MERIT AWARDS

IS Dam Lining Ltd Environmental Sustainability Award: Joel Peterson

McIntosh Bros Engineering Ltd

Pasture & Feed Management

Award: Joel Peterson

Naylor Lawrence & Associates

People & Leadership Award: Anton Houlahan

NZDIA Committee Personal Planning & Financial Management Award: Josh Morris

Totally Vets Ltd Emerging Talent Award: Josh Morris

years because the role offers such a great work/life balance and the opportunity to continue to work with young people coming through the industry.

IN A YEAR OF CHALLENGES

This year, after consultation with the entrants, who were keen to participate and benefit from the programme, the Manawatū Share Farmer entrant scores were benchmarked against the national average, with data collated from the 10 other regions. This meant the merit awards were awarded if the entrant achieved at the right level and final placing awarded on that basis.

DairyNZ - People and Culture Award: Callum and Megan Bates

Ecolab Farm Dairy Hygiene Award: Callum and Megan Bates

Federated Farmers Leadership

Award: Callum and Megan Bates

Honda Farm Safety, Health and Biosecurity

Award: Callum and Megan Bates

LIC – Animal Wellbeing, Recording and Productivity Award: Callum and Megan Bates

Meridian Environmental Sustainability Award: Callum and Megan Bates

Ravensdown Pasture Performance Award: Callum and Megan Bates

NZDIA Committee Business Performance Award: Callum and Megan Bates

RUNNERS -UP

Runners-up in the 2022 Manawatū Dairy Industry Awards Share Farmer of the Year category are a brother and sister who say the family-based business means there are diverse skillsets which help with the farming operation.

Callum and Megan Bates.

Callum and Megan Bates were named the Runners-up in the 2022 Manawaū Share Farmer category at the region’s annual awards announced in Palmerston North.

Megan and Callum won $6,815 in prizes and a clean sweep of eight merit awards. They are both 20% equity partners in their family business, JonBay Farms Ltd, which leases Gail and Kevin Russell’s 70ha, 185-cow property at Tokomaru, where Callum is employed as farm manager. The future of the dairy industry looks bright to the siblings, who come from a farming family.

“We’re excited we have a premium product that is recognised overseas. The industry is now moving towards sustainability which we have always tried to do.”

The siblings entered the Awards programme to have an in-depth look at their business and to challenge and develop themselves. “We wanted to see if our succession plan was getting us where we needed to be.”

Callum (29) holds a Certificate in Agriculture and has been managing the lease farm for the past 13 years and is proud to have turned it into a well-performing farm. Megan (35) holds a Bachelor of Education and works as a rural professional and on-farm in a part-time role. Callum and Megan identify extreme weather events as challenges in their farming business, along with increasing prices that make ‘small’ farming difficult.

“The animals are always front-of-mind for us and we are up every day to ensure they are fed, watered and happy.”

“Seeing the progress you have made is always a good feeling and keeps you ticking when times get tough,” they say.

The siblings identify their team as a strength of their farming business. “We have a team that is passionate about the industry and strives to do the best they can on-farm.”

Rural Transport Specialists

Several Manawatū Share Farmer of the Year entrants made the difficult decision to withdraw from the 2022 category, leaving the Manawatū with one entrant. Traditionally, when a region has low entrant numbers, places are only offered to winner and runner-up, or just the winner only, and when entrant numbers were very low, the category did not proceed.

PROUD TO BE A DAIRY FARMER

WORDS BY ELAINE FISHER

Jacob Stolte really likes grass, which is appropriate, given that it is the foundation of the industry in which he has made his career.

“Grass is pretty cool. You can throw rough weather at it, and it just grows. If it doesn’t grow well, there are things you can do to help it. It’s phenomenal really. A grass-based dairy system is what the world wants to see, and that’s what we are achieving in New Zealand,” says the 20-year-old who is the 2022 Hawke’s Bay/ Wairarapa Dairy Trainee of the Year.

Jacob is herd manager on the 170-hectare, 490-cow farm at West Taratahi jointly owned by his grandparents Willem and Roelie Stolte and his uncle and aunt Clarence and Elise Stolte.

“I grew up on the farm until I was six when my Dad took the call into pastoral ministry and we moved overseas to Chicago so he could study.”

RUNNERS -UP

Second in the 2022 Hawke’s Bay/Wairarapa

Dairy Trainee of the Year was Woodville senior farm assistant Heidi Tarbotton and Production Manager Martin Rostagno of Masterton was third.

DairyNZ

MERIT AWARDS

Practical Skills Award: Jacob Stolte

Hawke’s Bay

DIA Emerging

Talent Award: Shiann Cattley

MilkBar Farming Knowledge Award: Martin Rostagno

Farm Focus Communication & Industry Involvement

Award: Jacob Stolte

The family returned to New Zealand in 2011, first to Auckland and then Dunedin where Jacob continued to be educated at home, apart from two years at a Christian school.

During his last year of formal education Jacob was relief milking on a farm on the Taieri Plains. “I was offered several jobs then, three years ago Clarence rang to ask if I was still interested in going dairy farming and I said yes. I always wanted to come back to the Wairarapa. It has always been home wherever I have been.”

Being a dairy farmer had always been Jacob’s ambition, inspired by his childhood on the family farm. “I loved tractors, cows and the outdoors back then and I still do. In farming, at the end of each day you can look back and see what you have achieved. There’s a lot of satisfaction in this job.”

The often-negative public perception of dairying troubles Jacob.

“I’d love to see farmers welcoming people to come onfarm to show them that we aren’t all bad and we actually do our best to be the environmentally friendly farmers they expect us to be.”

Jacob says it can be challenging to be excited about the future of the dairy industry when it’s in a period of massive upheaval and change.

“But when I look around, I see the dairy industry fighting for fair decisions, fighting to be the change, to be the best farmers we can be. I’m proud to be a dairy farmer and I’m certain I can be part of that change, no matter how small.”

Next season Jacob is hoping to step up to a new role on a South Wairarapa farm which will offer opportunities for him to further hone his skills and knowledge.

Jacob, who is a member of Wairarapa Young Farmers, also enjoys hunting.

“I like getting out in the bush with a gun to control the deer population. Bringing home some good meat is always nice. Four-wheel driving is also fun, and I love scenery like on long drives through Central Otago.”

Left: Jacob Stolte: “There is a lot of satisfaction in this job.”

ON THE WAY TO A 300-400COW FARM

WORDS BY ANNE LEE.

While Amarjeet Kamboj and his wife Mamta have their target destination firmly set at farm ownership, their journey to get there is dotted with waypoints they’re just as focused on achieving.

“We have a plan with a lot of smaller goals so we can achieve the big goals,” Amarjeet says.

He’s this year’s Hawke’s Bay/Wairarapa dairy manager of the year and manages a 550-cow farm for Dairy Farm Investments at Mangatainoka, near Pahiatua.

Amarjeet says the couple’s nearest term goal after the Dairy Industry Awards is to achieve New Zealand residency.

“Without it we can’t become contract milkers or sharemilkers.

“Once we have residency, we want to step up to contract milking or variable order (sharemilking) and after two or three years of that, we want to become 50/50 sharemilkers on a 300-400-cow farm.

“We’ve done all our budgets and know exactly how much we need for each step.”

Amarjeet has been dairying for seven years but first came to NZ as an international student to further his business management studies, having already graduated with both a bachelors and masters degree in commerce from his studies in India.

“After a year in Auckland studying, I found I wasn’t enjoying big city life and a

PHYSICAL FARM DATA

friend suggested dairying.”

He’s never looked back, he says.

Amarjeet has worked in both large and small-scale dairy operations and with just three years’ experience, fast tracked his way into farm management.

He impressed the judges on a number of fronts – taking out four of the seven merit awards.

His current farm is flood-prone.

“I have good plans for that – we always

Milking platform area: 190ha

Cows: 550 crossbreed

Production: 1015kg MS/ha

Pasture eaten: 15t DM/ha

Milking supplement: 730kg DM/cow

Nitrogen: 170kg N/ha/year

Cows/labour unit: 183

Farm Dairy: 54 bail rotary

Dairy Automation: Auto cup removers, auto teat spraying, Protrack auto drafting

Six-week in-calf rate: 67%

Empty rate: 15%

Weeks of mating: Nine

Wintering: 50% of cows with grazier, 50% on platform on grass

Amarjeet Kamboj (Dairy Manager of the Year) with his wife Mamta Kamboj and youngest daughter Lovely Kamboj.

Photos by Brad Hanson

graze the paddocks early that are most likely to flood if we’re expecting heavy rain and we have a feedpad – that’s here from previous owners – where we can safely feed cows because it doesn’t flood there.”

Supplement includes maize with palm kernel used over mating.

Amarjeet has worked on improving grazing management on the property since he took over in 2020 and has boosted pasture quality and pasture eaten.

He uses LIC’s pastures from SPACE service to record pasture covers in combination with his own observations.

He’s also managed to improve reproductive performance bringing empty rates after nine weeks mating down to 15% this year from more than 20% in previous seasons.

Good environmental management is a top priority and he’s working with Horizons regional council staff, to protect river frontages from erosion through plantings.

He recycles and re-uses where-ever possible and recycles water as greenwash in the yard.

“We’re monitoring water use closely – that means we can identify and fix water leaks straightaway.”

Amarjeet was thrilled to win the Lawson Avery Ltd Personal Planning and Financial Management Award.

He takes a strong interest in the financial aspects of the dairy business and is involved in setting the budgets, putting some of his academic commercial knowledge into practice.

“I get the opportunity to offer my own analysis as we’re setting the budget.

“Because I’m here, running the farm I can look at where we can get improvements and where we can get the best return on money spent.”

His involvement at that level means he’s strongly engaged in managing the farm to the budgets.

In terms of their personal financial positions, Amarjeet says Mamta is very much involved in monitoring and ensuring they achieve each month’s goals for their family which includes 2.5-year-old Lovey and seven-year-old Aarzoo.

“We have a chart up on the wall with each month’s income, our budgeted expenses and then our actual expenses.

“Each month we discuss how we are doing and each month we try and make some extra.”

Hawke’s Bay/Wairarapa dairy manager runner up was Aled Ellis from Pahiatua and third place went René ten Bolscher of Carterton.

MERIT AWARDS

RUNNERS -UP

DeLaval Livestock Management Award: Aled Ellis

Fonterra Dairy Management Award: Amarjeet Kamboj

TH Enterprises Ltd Environmental Sustainability Award: Amarjeet Kamboj

Vet Services (Dannevirke) Pasture and Feed Management Award: Amarjeet Kamboj

TFM Tractors People and Leadership Award: Rene Ten Bolscher

Lawson Avery Ltd Personal Planning and Financial Management Award: Amarjeet Kamboj

Hawke’s Bay DIA Emerging Talent Award: Seamus Murnane

The Pahiatua farm that Amarjeet manages is prone to flooding, and so has good reserves of silage to feed on the feed pad.

‘BECAUSE I’M HERE, RUNNING THE FARM I CAN LOOK AT WHERE WE CAN GET IMPROVEMENTS AND WHERE WE CAN GET THE BEST RETURN ON MONEY SPENT.’

GOALS IN THE DAIRY BUSINESS

WORDS BY JACKIE HARRIGAN

Jono and Kerri Robson are focused on growing their future in the dairy industry and are proud of the plans they have brought to fruition so far. They say they are goal-focused, good at setting and monitoring budgets and Kerri is very capable at making sure they keep on track.

FINANCIAL FARM DATA $

Sharemilking:

Herd owning 50%

Costs shared: Irrigation power – shared 50%, all other power 100% us.

Gross farm income: $4.37/kgMS

Operating expenses: $2.91/kgMS

Operating profit: $1,932/ha

Farm working expenses: $2.17/kgMS

Animal health: $90/cow

($0.20/kgMS)

Breeding: $54/cow

($0.08/kgMS)

Supplement (inc N):$0.75/kgMS

Labour: $0.63/kgMS

She has a Bachelor in Business Studies (completed by distance learning while she worked in kitchen design) and is studying towards a postgraduate qualification in Agribusiness from Massey University and Jono holds a Diploma of Agriculture from Telford after growing up in Milton, South Otago.

In the ten years they have been together Jono and Kerri have married, bought and

sold a rental property for a profit, bought 20 in-calf heifers to sell later at a profit to finance their move into contract milking in Patoka, then spent time variable order sharemilking before looking around for a smaller farm, closer to town, to VO sharemilk for two years before moving into 50/50 herd-owning sharemilking.

Judges commended them for their business management prowess and Kerri’s exemplary financial controller work by awarding them the Lawson Avery Ltd Business Performance Award.

‘WHY SHOULD IT BE ANY DIFFERENT TO ANY OTHER INDUSTRY? WE ALL HAVE KIDS, WE ALL NEED THE FLEXIBILITY.’

Hawkes Bay / Wairarapa share farmer winners Jono and Kerri Robson onfarm at Waipukurau. The couple measure and account for the nutrients applied through the irrigation system from cow effluent and neighbouring piggery effluent.

Photos by Brad Hanson

The couple have goals as well - they plan to pay off their herd in three years and be in a position to buy a drystock block in the next five years without being too heavily geared. Before that they will be looking for a lease block to run their beef cattle business on. Both are giving back to their communities in governance positions, Jono as part of the executive team of Hawke’s Bay Federated Farmers and chair of the sharemilking section and he wants to do a Kellogg and Fonterra governance development programme next. Kerri is secretary of the local pony club and plans to get involved in school governance to support their two children Evie,7 and Thomas, 4. She also has led the Tararua Dairy Women’s Network as regional leader for the past three years and has joined the FoodHQ Strategic thinking development group.

The farm they are milking is Dean Nikora and Alexandra Stewart’s 119-hectare, 350-cow Waipukurau property, just 10 minutes from the central Hawke’s Bay town.

Their highly fertile Kiwicross herd is

also highly efficient - producing 460kg milksolids (MS), then 430kg MS and targeting 450kg MS for this season from the average 450kg liveweight (LW) cows.

The couple give the credit for the fertility of the herd to the previous owners who they say have invested in Premier Sires semen and used the Why Wait programme to successfully condense the calving to about nine weeks - achieving a

PHYSICAL FARM DATA

six-week-incalf rate of 84% and an empty rate of 9% last season.

“This was a really great herd to buy, we are lucky to have had such a great opportunity,” Jono says.

The plan to buy a drystock block is part of the couple’s desire to move away from bobby calves. They have started the move this season, using sexed semen over the top 30% of their herd to generate good

Milking platform area: 119ha

Cows: 350 peak Production: 1,324kgMS/ ha, 450kgMS/cow

Pasture eaten: 13.6t/ha

Milking supplement: 135t Maize, 150t PKE, 18t grass silage/baleage (season dependent)

Nitrogen: 135kgN/ha budgeted Cows/labour unit: 116cows/unit

Farm Dairy: 26AS herringbone

Six-week in-calf rate: 84%

Empty rate: 9% Weeks of mating: 9, plan to reduce to 8

Wintering: At lease block on pasture & straw

Runoff: 44ha leased (50% split with FO). An additional 33ha available over late autumn/winter

Improve

replacement heifers, with any other cows receiving Speckle Park semen then a few days of ‘soup of the day’ semen which will count only 12 bobby calves produced this season.

For the last week of AI they use Hereford short gestation semen and after that anything returning gets a low birthweight Angus bull (also used over the heifers).

Jono is organising calf rearers for the beef calves and will sell the calves between four days and two weeks, but is keen for the couple to rear and market them themselves in the near future.

“We could rear and finish them through to 12 or 24 months to both minimise any bobby calf wastage and to capitalise on the possible margin on the beef cross calves.”

“It’s a robust mating plan and it worked well - we are looking forward to seeing how the calving goes,” Jono laughs.

People have been a big focus for the couple, leading them to win the DairyNZ – People and Culture Award. When their previous staff member of six years left to go to a larger herd their relief milker asked to step up to a full time role. The Robsons invited her, a local mum, to choose her own roster and she asked for a 6:2 roster, but when they found that hard to plan around, it was moved to 5:2. When they employed another milker, also a mum from Waipukurau and new to the industry, she went on to the same roster.

“They are both loving the roles and the roster has been part of that - they get to have a normal life at the weekends,” Jono says.

RUNNERS -UP

Third place in the 2022 Hawke’s Bay/ Wairarapa Share Farmer of the Year category went to Chaminda Wijesooriya & Thilania Aththudawa.

MERIT AWARDS

“Why should it be any different to any other industry? We all have kids, we all need the flexibility.”

Jono and their relief manager (an exdairy farmer who lives in town and is on call) milk weekends about through the season, which Jono says is a traditional twice-a-day milking 270-280-day lactation.

At 80ha of pivot irrigation, long laterals and Easirainers, the farm is almost fully irrigated, as it lies in the summer dry belt and received an average of only 650mm annual rainfall in the past three years.

Irrigation is not just water though, it requires a whole other level of monitoring and measurement because the effluent water out of the two-stage pond system, mixed with effluent from the neighbouring piggery, is spread through the irrigators over 90% of the farm.

Jono says the 9.8kg nitrogen/ha applied through effluent comes directly off the N fertiliser budget (set at 135kg N/ha) giving lots of breathing room under the 190kg N/ ha cap.

However, the bigger saving comes from the high P and K (phosphate and potassium) levels in the piggery effluent water which supplements the capital P fertiliser, making it a bi-annual application and reducing the cost to about $10,000/ year.

“It’s a great use of a nutrient resource,” Jono says,” but it requires a greater level of understanding of the application rates and ensuring no-go zones around drains and near neighbouring properties.”

DairyNZ –People and Culture Award: Jonathan & Kerri Robson

Ecolab Farm

Dairy Hygiene Award: Chaminda Wijesooriya & Thilanka Aththudawa

Federated Farmers Leadership Award: Jonathan & Kerri Robson

Honda Farm Safety, Health and Biosecurity Award: Chaminda Wijesooriya & Thilanka Aththudawa

LIC – Animal Wellbeing, Recording and Productivity

Award: Jonathan & Kerri Robson

Meridian Environmental Sustainability Award: Jonathan & Kerri Robson

Ravensdown Pasture

Performance Award: Jonathan & Kerri Robson

Lawson Avery Ltd Business Performance Award: Jonathan & Kerri Robson

Hawke’s Bay DIA Emerging Talent Award: Chaminda Wijesooriya & Thilanka Aththudawa

Timing is also important, as it is with the use of the composted piggery bedding material, applied as a soil conditioner after composting and processing through a solids separator.

“There is still a lot to be learned about the soil conditioner in terms of application to pasture - understanding rotations, measuring and recording the nutrient application and understanding which areas are best covered and how the interaction with sunlight kills bacteria.”

“It’s a great learning journey.”

Teamwork: Kerri and Jono have ‘hungry goals’ and great focus on meeting budgets to realise the goals.

DAIRY A NATURAL CHOICE

WORDS BY ELAINE FISHER

Kate Logan has been dairy farming since before she left school and there was never any doubt where her future lay.

“Dairy farming was a natural choice for me, I love being active and busy and it’s something I enjoy,” says the 21-year-old who is the 2022 Taranaki Dairy Trainee of the Year.

Kate grew up on a dairy farm at Omata near New Plymouth where her parents Hamish and Lil Logan were 50/50 sharemilkers.

“We were there for 15 years, and I was always out on the farm. I loved it.”

Kate did relief milking after school and milked full time most holidays. She began her first full-time farming role at 16.

with the massive gear they have and learning how they cultivate and manage crops. It gave me a new aspect on farming.”

Returning to New Zealand, she began work as a farm assistant in Hawera before moving, this season, to her current role as herd manager for Bede and Shirley Kissick on their 115-hectare, 350-cow farm in Auroa.

Close to the coast, Auroa is just south of Mount Taranaki. “This farm has nice flat terrain. It’s a nice farm and I love it here and hope to stay for at least one more season. The owners have bought the farm next door, so we are busy building a new race joining the farms and cleaning up fallen trees after the recent cyclone. I’m looking forward to seeing how the expansion goes and the step up to 660 cows.”

Calving remains Kate’s favourite time and she takes pleasure in watching the calves she has reared grow and thrive into young stock. She also enjoys horse riding in her spare time. “I’m so lucky to be able to have my horse onfarm with me,” says Kate who competes in eventing and show jumping, plus riding the countryside with friends.

RUNNERS -UP

“I loved the work, but my boss said I should try something different. My parents suggested I go to England where we have family, so almost on a whim, I booked my ticket and went.”

Kate worked for seven months for her uncle and grandfather on an arable farm growing wheat, barley, oats, beans and rape seed oil. “It was a great learning experience, driving tractors and working

Earning while she learns is another aspect of dairying which appeals and it was her tutors at Primary ITO, plus friends and her bosses Bede and Shirley who encouraged her to enter the dairy industry awards this year for the first time.

“I was a bit reluctant to put myself out there, but I really enjoyed the experience, the people I met, what I learnt and going through the award process with friends.

“I am so grateful to my parents, my current employers and to my first bosses Grant and Paula Holdt who have all taught me so much and helped me get to where I am now.”

MERIT AWARDS

DairyNZ

Practical Skills

Award: Roy Thomas

Septicworks

Ltd Emerging

Talent Award: Kate Logan

MilkBar Farming Knowledge

Award: Roy Thomas

Connect Legal

Communication & Industry

Involvement Award: Jacinta Kete

‘IT WAS A GREAT LEARNING EXPERIENCE (ON HER UNCLE’S FARM IN ENGLAND), DRIVING TRACTORS AND WORKING WITH THE MASSIVE GEAR THEY HAVE AND LEARNING HOW THEY CULTIVATE AND MANAGE CROPS. IT GAVE ME A NEW ASPECT ON FARMING.’

Second in the Taranaki dairy trainee award was farm assistant Jacinta Kete of Awatuna and third was Roy Thomas of Manutahi.

TARANAKI | DAIRY TRAINEE OF THE YEAR

Photo by Ross Nolly.

TRAINEE WINNER TAKES TITLE

WORDS BY SHERYL HAITANA.

Moving to New Zealand from the Philippines in 2015 was a huge opportunity for Nick Besinga, but being away from family took its toll.

He entered the Manawatu Dairy Trainee of the Year in 2019 and prayed to God that if he won then it meant he was supposed to stay farming in NZ, which he did.

“I was on the verge of wanting to go back home, it was depressing being away from my family. Farming is a pretty isolating job and you feel alone in every problem you encounter.

“I’m a Catholic so I prayed to God that if I won it was a sign that I should stay.”

Fast forward three years and he has now also won the 2022 Taranaki Dairy Manager of the Year.

Nick is thankful he stuck it out and is looking forward to continuing to progress through the dairy industry and hopes to go contract milking and then sharemilking within the next five years.

‘COMING INTO MY FIRST YEAR MANAGING ON THIS FARM WAS REALLY STRESSFUL AND A BIG CHANGE FROM BEING 2IC, BUT THE JOB WAS MADE EASIER BY MY BOSS GEOFF. HE GUIDED ME AND WORKED ALONGSIDE ME FOR THE FIRST SIX MONTHS, WITH PASTURE, COWS, FEEDING, AND AFTER SIX MONTHS HE GOT ME TO WORK ALONE AND STAND ON MY FEET.’

The 28-year-old is farm manager for Geoff and Mary Butler on their 181-hectare property at Auroa, milking 526 cows.

It’s his second year managing the farm and Nick says he owes his success to the support he has received from Geoff and Mary.

“Coming into my first year managing on this farm was really stressful and a big change from being 2IC, but the job was made easier by my boss Geoff. He guided me and worked alongside me for the first six months, with pasture, cows, feeding, and after six months he got me to work alone and stand on my feet and that’s where I started to gain my confidence.”

PHYSICAL FARM DATA

It’s been a fantastic starting opportunity as a manager to have that support and then the opportunity to learn through making his own mistakes and successes.

His farm owners have also embraced him into their family and supported him through being away from his family, especially during Covid 19 travel restrictions.

“Geoff and Mary have not treated me like an employee, they treat me like family. I’m so grateful to them,” Nick says.

Nick last went home to visit family in March 2020 and luckily got the last flight back from the Philippines before NZ went into lockdown and shut its borders. Getting to NZ in the first instance was

Milking platform area: 181ha effective

Cows: 530 peak Friesian/ Friesian crossbreds

Production: 480kgMS/cow, 1405kgMS/ha

Pasture eaten: 11.8t DM/ha

Milking supplement: 100t

grass silage, 460 bales

grass silage, 3kg/cow/day

palm kernel, soy hull mix

Nitrogen: 57.57kg/ha

Cows/labour unit: 233

Farm Dairy: 40-aside herringbone

Dairy Automation: 20

ACRs, auto teat sprayer

Six-week in-calf rate: 66%

Empty rate: 13.8%

Weeks of mating: 10 weeks (5 weeks AB, 3 weeks bulls, 2 weeks short gestation)

Wintering: All cows wintered on Runoff leased or owned: Lease 24ha runoff

Photos by Ross Nolly.

hard enough, and Nick was worried about not being able to get back and continue to financially support his family.

Nick studied a Bachelor of Agribusiness from Xavier University in the Philippines before he found out NZ was looking for farm employees.

Nick applied for 1000 jobs, but only one farmer gave him the opportunity to interview and then took the risk of bringing him out to NZ.

He worked for two years as a farm assistant and then as a herd manager and was on the verge of going back home when his Primary ITO adviser suggested he enter the Dairy Industry Awards as a dairy trainee.

Being a part of the competition, and being so successful, has definitely helped him skip steps up the ladder, he believes.

He won three merit awards in the Dairy Manager category this year, including the DeLaval Livestock Management Award, Fonterra Dairy Management Award and the McFall Fuel People and Leadership Award.

Having a great team culture is really important to Nick, and he has installed a policy where only the minimum work is done on the weekends.

He generally has two full time staff on a six-on, one-off, six-on, two-off roster, with a relief milker.

“We do things efficiently and effectively

and work hard during the week to get all the jobs done so on the weekends we can just do the milking and have a town, family or church day.”

Nick says the key is to keep a friendly environment, maintain a level of respect, and regularly get feedback from staff.

Nick says his staff did an excellent job this year to improve the farm’s mating results.

They increased their three week submission and six week in calving rate by 7% and dropped their empty rate from 16% to 13%.

“I think the results are because of the teamwork, the team did a really good job. We were on to it pre-mating, doing tail painting and checking the cows at 11am and 5.30pm.”

Nick hopes to be able to become a NZ citizen one day and to later get his parents to move to NZ. He is hoping to go home next December as he is saving toward a contract milking position, as well as financially supporting his family back home. He is open to farming anywhere in NZ where the opportunity arises, but does hold a special place in his heart for Taranaki.

RUNNERS -UP

Runner-up in the 2022 Taranaki Dairy Manager category was Korey Astwood, from Opunake and third was Blake Cameron from Okaiawa.

MERIT AWARDS

DeLaval Livestock Management Award: Nick Besinga

Fonterra Dairy Management Award: Nick Besinga

Landpro Ltd Environmental Sustainability Award: Korey Astwood

Dairy Trust Taranaki Pasture & Feed Management Award: Korey Astwood

McFall Fuel People & Leadership Award: Nick Besinga

ANZ Personal Planning & Financial Management

Award: Korey Astwood

Proud Regional sponsor of the Taranaki Dairy Industry Awards

“There is something different about Taranaki, it’s the gold mine of the dairy farming industry. We grow good grass and don’t get the same droughts or floods.”

Primo Wireless Emerging Talent Award: Blake Cameron

Largest dairy research footprint in the world, incorporating four unique research farms across Taranaki. Conducting trials of national significance, currently investigating improved environmental outcomes, lower emissions, future farming systems and diverse pasture mixes. www

Proud Regional sponsor of the Taranaki Dairy Industry Awards

One of the largest dairy research footprints in the world, incorporating four unique research farms across Taranaki. Conducting trials of national significance, currently investigating improved environmental outcomes, lower emissions, future farming systems and diverse pasture mixes.

www.dairytrusttaranaki.co.nz

PERKS ON THE JOB

Moving back to their home province after a tough time on the West Coast was a great move for Murray and Rachel Perks, and meant they could take their dairy careers forward in a family business and close to a supportive community.

The couple, both in their mid-thirties, won the Taranaki Sharefarmer of the Year Award for 2022.

Taranaki-born Murray was a DairyNZ consulting officer for two seasons, prior to beginning as a Lower Order Sharemilker in Opunake 10 years ago.

“I went from Lincoln Uni into a position with DairyNZ in the Waikato, and I was seeing lots of keen young sharemilkers having success, so we thought we should have a go, while we were young.”

Rachel is a trained speech and language therapist, from a sheep and beef background in the Forgotten Highway country, and has managed to transfer around regions with her Special Education speech therapist role, while helping out with relief milking and rearing calves, and children Callum (8), Matilda (6) and Jack (3) who are all involved in school, sports and early childhood education locally.

They moved to Hokitika for two seasons in an equity partnership/lower order position, before moving to their current role in South Taranaki six years ago.

They were there when the payout crashed and building debt rather than equity was a hard time, with extended family health challenges coupled with isolation and distance from family support. They made the call to sell their equity partnership at a significant loss, and relocated to Taranaki where they were offered the opportunity to take up a

24% VOSM contract milking position for Murray’s uncles and aunt Alistair, Stephen and Imelda Abbott, on their Abbott Trusts Partnership 134.45-hectare, 445-cow Hawera property.

“We really appreciate the opportunity they gave us and it has meant after six seasons we were able to pay back our debt and save our equity to the point of going 50/50 sharemilking next season.”

“Plus it meant we were able to come back to the farm that I grew up on which has been special with our family to grow up with family around and community closeby.”

Learning from the experience has made them highly aware the volatility of the payout and this year they have invested in the derivatives market to hedge their income for next season with milk futures.

“Our risk appetite has been tempered with our experiences from the last drop in payout, so I took the opportunity to do a training session with our accountancy firm Baker Tilly and our accountant Jordan Hartley-Smith and decided to invest in locking in a portion of our income.”

Judges were impressed by their journey paying back debt and the business scenarios that Murray and Rachel had prepared to analyse their future options and plans.

They also prepared budgets for the next two seasons of their 50/50 job and the

FINANCIAL FARM DATA $

Sharemilking: 24%

Costs shared: Labour, motorbikes

Gross farm income: $1.73/kgMS

Operating expenses: $1.52/kgMS

Operating profit: $298/ha

Farm working expenses: $0.96/kgMS

Labour: $0.67/kgMS

advanced and retained milk company payments.

status quo accounting for

“We showed them scenarios comparing our different options and looked at our equity pathway on a longterm payout of $6.50 vs. an $8 payout,” Murray explained.

Their work won them ANZ Business Performance Award, among a slew of seven merit awards.

Murray and Rachel were pleased to win the Meridian environmental and sustainability award, saying that their farm owners were well down the path of riparian fencing, so the couple have just managed to finish off the planting

WORDS BY JACKIE HARRIGAN

Murray and Rachel brought their children home to Taranaki to be closer to family and their community. Photos by Ross Nolly.

PHYSICAL FARM DATA

Milking platform area: 134.45ha

Cows: 455 peak milked

Production: 1458kg MS/ ha, 431kgMS/cow

Pasture eaten: 15.6t DM/ha

Milking supplement: 1.9t DM/ha, maize, PKE, hay

Nitrogen: 168kg N/ha

Cows/labour unit: 121

programme on smaller tribuaries and a couple of small wetlands with plants organised by the Abbotts.

The other key learning from their time on the West Coast was to recognise and support mental health of themselves and their staff. For their young team of fulltimers Jacob Beardsly and Jaymi Ngaia and part-timer Hanna Anderson the couple run a shorter roster so they work 11 and 3 off, including a weekday off after the weekend they work. This way the team all have a town day every fortnight with time away from the farm.

“We recognise the importance of time off, and because we have battled with mental health in the past we have empathy and understanding and are able to facilitate anyone in our team with similar challenges.”

The team are encouraged and rosters organised so that they can also take part in sports. Murray plays club hockey at the Premier grade level and indoor soccer in a team organised before he aged out of Young Farmers. Jaymi plays in the Taranaki womens rugby team,

Farm Dairy: 50-bail rotary

Dairy Automation: Cup removers, Wet-it auto teatspray, ProTrack

Six-week in-calf rate: 76%

Empty rate: 13%

Weeks of mating: 11

Wintering: 120 wintered on support block

Runoff: 54ha leased

the Taranaki Whio. As a well-established Taranaki farm, Murray said the Olsen P levels were high and they have been able to cut back on phosphate fertiliser, mining some of the fertility down from up in the high 70s, and safeguarding against loss of P through leaching.

Having 5 transect lines across the farm representative of the soil types and conditions means the couple get a good reading of the fertility levels and with the fert company can plan best use of fertiliser inputs.

The couple have continued on the high levels of dairy hygiene set by their farm owners on what Murray describes as a very good shed, with procedures laid out for plant startup, plant wash and cleaning the air lines.

“We like the shed to reflect what a food producing unit should look like.”

Even the tanker track and driveway are tidy and inviting with what Murray says is a good look for the industry.

“We also take a lot of pride in our milk quality and that has paid off in a low average SCC of 76,000 for the season.”

Murray and Rachel with children Callum (8), Matilda (6) and Jack (3).

It also paid off in winning the Ecolab Farm Dairy Hygiene Award.

Their emphasis on keeping their team fresh when picking cows over the 11 weeks of AI and other excellence in reproduction strategies earned them the LIC – Animal Wellbeing, Recording and Productivity Award.

They have dropped bulls out of the system, finding that AI was cheaper than running a team of bulls, alongside the effect of minimising M Bovis risk and also reducing the health and safety and risk of breakages that bulls wreak on properties and staff.

But of course keeping up accuracy of picking cycling cows for that length of time is not easy (4 weeks of pre-season heats and 11 weeks of AI), so Murray has had to train staff in observation techniques - checking at milking, looking when out in the paddock, always being observant and picking up those cows for insemination. Introducing teaser bulls into the two herds (one of older and one of younger cows) has helped reduce the empty rate from 17% to 10% last season.

The cow herd is well established and high performing with 100% ancestry

MERIT AWARDS

Murray and Rachel have used their experience from tough times to help build resilience in their team.

recorded and Murray is proud of the fact it is the third LIC registered herd in Taranaki and in the top 10% of the country for indexes.

“We have a definite focus of keeping pace with the national standards, and while we spend more than the average on animal health we try to be more preventative than reactive.”

Strategies include teat sealing all heifers and minimising metabolic issues by feeding Rumenox through the Dosatron unit which Murray also thinks helped drive down the empty rate and reduce downer cows in spring.

“We try to get ahead of the game before things become an issue.”

Health and safety also comes under that ‘be prepared’ banner, and won the couple another merit award.

With a mixture of paper-based and digital recording they keep their team up to date with H&S needs and issues - writing minutes at their weekly team meetings, and recording incidents, near misses and conversations on their SafeFarm app, on the FarmIQ software.

An info sheet / map for contractors to sign into the property highlights ‘No Go’ zones for vehicles and fortnightly

DairyNZ – People and Culture Award: Murray and Rachel Perks

Ecolab Farm Dairy Hygiene Award: Murray and Rachel Perks

Federated Farmers Leadership Award: Nestor and Jackie Eligado

Honda Farm Safety, Health and Biosecurity Award: Murray and Rachel Perks

LIC – Animal Wellbeing, Recording and Productivity Award: Murray and Rachel Perks

Meridian Environmental Sustainability Award: Murray and Rachel Perks

Ravensdown Pasture Performance Award: Murray and Rachel Perks

ANZ Business Performance

Award: Murray and Rachel Perks

Bayleys Real Estate Taranaki

Emerging Talent Award: Nestor and Jackie Eligado

meetings with the owners means that H&S goes “down from owners level to the boots on the ground level” Murray explained.

They are excited abut the future, moving to the 50/50 position on another of the Abbott’s farms next season and buying the 320 cow herd with similar high levels of recording and performance as their current herd, and their goals include paying off their herd, funding their children’s education and looking into offfarm investment.

South Taranaki District Council Proud sponsor of the Dairy Industry Awards

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WELCOME TO THE RAIN

WORDS BY ANNE HARDIE

When Lisa Peeters arrived in New Zealand just over two years ago she couldn’t believe the cows were grazing outside on grass.

Now she is the 2022 West Coast/Top of the South Dairy Trainee of the Year and making decisions about pasture allocation.

Lisa grew up on a family dairy farm in Canada where they housed 180 cows indoors, calved them year-round and milked twice a day every day of the year.

Cows were always calving and there were always cows dried off.

When she was 16 the farm was sold and she went on to work on a sheep farm, then a beef bull stud, before training as a vet nurse with a focus on large animals, especially sport and performance horses. By her mid-20s she needed a break and headed to New Zealand on a rural exchange programme.

After just a five-minute skype with sharemilkers, Mark and Debbie van Beek, she headed to the other side of the world for a job on Mawhera Incorporation’s

240-hectare, 400-cow farm near Hokitika. She was met with three weeks of solid rain without a day of sunshine, but it didn’t put her off and instead of a holiday break and a three-year holiday visa, she is intending to apply for a resident visa and continue her career in dairying.

She has even bought her dog, a miniature American Shepherd, out to NZ now she has long-term ambitions to stay here.

Her farming background and vet nursing set her up well for animal health but managing cows on pasture was a

Proudly NZMade Sinceforever.

Lisa Peeters grew up with dairy cows indoors year-round.

whole new experience and moving a break was a foreign concept.

“I have awesome employers. I knew absolutely nothing, but Mark says there is no such thing as a stupid question.”

The farm lies in the Arahura Valley and is at high risk of flooding in a rainfall that gets close to three metres a year. Weather forecasts are closely monitored for grazing decisions, yet her employers already have confidence in her ability to take charge of the farm.

“Two years ago I did my first farm walk and now I’m in charge of feed allocation, culling cows, mating decisions, pasture

walks and pasture allocation, and animal health. I’m really happy doing anything with cows but if it’s anything with a tractor, I can just survive.”

Since she began working on the farm, she has been studying through AgITO and is now completing level 5, with plans to do an artificial breeding (AB) course as well.

She entered the awards to test her farm knowledge and learn more about the industry which she says has so many more career opportunities than in her home country.

“Over here there is so much opportunity for growth – you can start at the bottom level and there are so many opportunities presented and you can take any opportunity you like. My goal is to leave all my doors open.”

Those opportunities give her the chance to progress to a farm manager position and then further down the track become a contract milker.

RUNNERS -UP

Runner-up in the West Coast/Top of the South Dairy Trainee of the Year was Trinity Jackson from Greymouth. Third place was won by Connor Shirley from Collingwood.

DairyNZ Practical Skills Award: Lisa Peeters

Zelan Wireless Internet Emerging Talent Award: Ireland Cain

MERIT AWARDS

MilkBar Farming Knowledge Award: Lisa Peeters

Dairy Holdings Limited Communication & Industry Involvement Award: Connor Shirley

‘I HAVE AWESOME EMPLOYERS. I KNEW ABSOLUTELY NOTHING, BUT MARK SAYS THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A STUPID QUESTION.’

VALUING THE MILKING EXPERIENCE

WORDS BY ANNE HARDIE

Robyn Mare discovered dairy farming when she began relief milking while her children were young and it has led to an award-winning career and a contract milking business next season.

The mother-of-two won the 2022 West Coast/Top of the South Dairy Manager of the Year award and it all began with the relief milking she took on to “earn a bit of extra money” and loved spending time with the cows.

Instead of going back to her former career as a property valuer, she relief milked for years on farms in Manawatu, picking up more and more clients and working it around the children. It led

to a farm assistant role on a farm at Riverina Pohangina and as her son, Troy and daughter, Regan, became more independent, she had more time to put toward a career in dairying. In 2017 her husband, Vince, was offered a dream hunting job for the Department of Conservation on the West Coast and Robyn took up her first full-time dairying position as a 2IC job on Beechlee Farm, working for Rob and Michelle Little at Atarau near Greymouth.

Last season she moved up to the farm manager’s role on the 155-hectare farm that milks 310 cows and she attributes much of her growth and success in the industry to the Littles’ support. Part of that was AgITO courses they encouraged her

to do, but also introducing her to other farmers in the area so she could learn from them and gain support from like-minded people.

“Rob and Michelle have been absolutely fantastic. I didn’t come from a farming background and didn’t have that farming knowledge, so it was really important to have people around me that understood and supported me.”

This is the second year she has entered the awards and she says the process has really made her think about her farming policies, areas for improvement and her future direction.

For her, that is her own business and hence the contract milking role lined up in Waikato for next season. Before signing

Robyn Mare changed careers after having her children.

a contract, she had to learn the ropes for running her own business.

“You have to really do your homework and make sure you are compatible with the farm owners. As well as do your budgets and make sure it’s going to work.”

Using confirmed costings, she has established a budget and negotiated a contract rate that covers expenses and a manager’s wage for the 480-cow farm, plus an acceptable premium for risk, such as the rising cost of fuel and wages.

It is a natural progression from her manager’s role on the Greymouth farm where she has a passion for animal health that led her to working with a nutritionist to improve metabolic problems after calving.

“When I first arrived, we had a lot of metabolic problems and it bothered me. We were doing everything right, but still having issues, so I spoke to a nutritionist and put together a plan for a DCAD (dietary cation anion difference) diet. That has been a great exercise and made a massive difference this past season.”

Instead of dusting magnesium on to pasture, magnesium chloride and magnesium sulphate are mixed with molasses and poured on to feed – in this case maize silage. It is only fed to the springer mob which means the extra work of drafting springers from the herd, but Robyn says it has been well worth the effort.

“I think it has helped not only with decreased metabolic issues, but general health and wellbeing and other issues like mastitis. When you get clinical issues, there are always subclinical issues that you aren’t aware of. I find it fascinating. Animal health is definitely one of my

PHYSICAL FARM DATA

passions and I love my cows. If you look after them, they look after you.”

Robyn says pasture management is the “101 of farming” that is integral to animal health and her focus on those aspects won her the Essential Nutrition Ltd Pasture & Feed Management merit award. The farm operation grows maize plus grass silage, a kale crop for winter and it buys in straw for fibre, putting it at a system 2-3.

“I’ve had to think about what each feed provides for the cows, especially when they’re in that negative energy balance after calving.”

The West Coast farm gets 2.5 metres of rain a year which means she has to watch for pugging in winter and early spring when most of the rain falls. Fortunately, the farm has a gravelly band running through it and those paddocks are well suited for wet weather and calving. The river terraces at Atarau can dry out quickly through summer, though, and K-line irrigation is used for about six weeks. This season has thrown everything at the Coast and Robyn says it began with a hard, very wet spring followed by dry spells interspersed with deluges. It has made it a challenging season that will be reflected slightly in production which is usually around 380kg MS/cow.

Come June 1, Robyn will begin her contract milking business on the Waikato farm and 16-year-old Troy will be employed for a few months to help out through the busiest part of the season before heading off to train in mechanical engineering.

From contract milking, she would like eventually to be in a position to buy her own herd and grow her business further.

Milking platform area: 155ha

Cows: 310 (approx. 50%J, 45%F and 5%xbred)

Production: 370kg MS /cow, 765kg MS/ha

Pasture eaten: 10t/ha/year

Milking supplement: Maize silage from platform and runoff fed through till November, Grass silage from both properties fed on shoulders of the season and dry summer period. Irrigate 60ha via k-line pods.

Nitrogen: 130kgN/ha/year

Runner-up in the West Coast/Top of the South Dairy Manager of the Year category was Coenraad Jacobus

RUNNERS -UP

Groenewald from Moana and third place went to Gareth Evans from Greymouth.

DeLaval Livestock Management

Award: Gareth Evans

Fonterra Dairy Management Award: Coenraad Jacobus

Groenewald

FMG Advice & Insurance

MERIT AWARDS

Environmental Sustainability

Award: Louise Egan

Essential Nutrition Ltd

Pasture & Feed Management

Award: Robyn Mare

Parry Field Lawyers People & Leadership Award: Shaun Rhodes

Silver Fern Farms Personal Planning & Financial Management Award: Robyn Mare

Aotea Electric Westland

Ltd Emerging Talent Award: Kerrie Ann Price

Cows/labour unit: 125 cows

Farm Dairy: Read 28-aside herringbone shed

Six-week in-calf rate: 66%

Not-in-calf rate: 11%

Weeks of mating: 10.5

Wintering: Winter ½ herd on platform, ½ at nearby runoff. Fed brassica crop, maize silage, grass silage, ryegrass straw, hay and pasture through the dry period.

Runoff: Owned

STEPPING UP FOR THE FAMILY

Carry-over cows have played a big part in Kevin and Kyla Freeman’s 50/50 sharemilking business because they provided the equity to buy a house which in turn enabled them to buy their herd – of largely carry-over cows.

The first-time entrants in the Dairy Industry Awards wanted to analyse every aspect of their business and they came away as winners of the West Coast/Top of

the South Share Farmer of the Year.

They are in their second season as sharemilkers on a 140-hectare Tasman farm belonging to Kevin’s parents, Mark and Julie Freeman. Kevin worked as 2IC for the previous sharemilkers and when they moved on, there was the opportunity for the couple to step up and create their own sharemilking business and invest in cows.

Kevin grew up on the Rainy River farm, then joined the building industry to get different experiences and skills before returning to the farm. On a working holiday in Canada he met Kylie who had grown up on a beef and crop farm and they now have three boys, Mylan (4), Levi (2), and Cole (9 months).

When they were offered the sharemilking contract on Atapo farm, they had a year to prepare and because Kevin had done well with carry-over cows in the past, they went looking for cows they could buy at lower prices, build up and get in calf for their herd.

Going back a decade, good cows were

fetching high prices and Kevin was using his builder’s wage to buy cheap carry-over cows, pay to graze them a year, get them in calf and sell them on.

It was profitable for a few years and enabled him to buy a house, which saw a good lift in price over the years and was sold to buy their herd for sharemilking.

“I knew we could buy empty cows, graze them for a year and get them in calf for our herd because we had a year in advance to do that.”

WORDS AND PHOTOS BY ANNE HARDIE

‘I KNEW WE COULD BUY EMPTY COWS, GRAZE THEM FOR A YEAR AND GET THEM IN CALF FOR OUR HERD BECAUSE WE HAD A YEAR IN ADVANCE TO DO THAT.’

Kevin and Kyla Freeman with their three children, Mylan, Levi and Cole.

PHYSICAL FARM DATA

Milking platform area: 140ha

Cows: 390 crossbred

Production: 455kgMS/ cow, 1225kgMS/ha

Pasture eaten: 11.7tDM/ha

Milking supplement: 900 bales balage

Nitrogen: 158kg N/ha/year

Two-thirds of the herd - 272 cows –were carry-over crossbred cows and the remainder of the herd was “odds and sods” heifers that were bought cheaply. The carry-over cows were synchronised for mating, with 60 receiving sexed semen straws. The result from synchronising the cows was getting all their replacements early in calving. Just 8% of the entire herd was empty.

Their start-up herd of carry-over cows and surplus heifers averaged 455kg/cow in their first season and got Kevin and Kyla off to a good start.

For their second season, they synchronised the cows through the Why Wait programme which uses a single Cyclase (PG) injection to bring later-cycling cows forward a week. That results in more days in milk, a mid-point in calving at day 14, plus better early submission rates the following spring. This resulted in an extra 2000kg milksolids (MS) for the month of August.

“You gain 980 accumulated milking days by bringing those cows forward. We’re interested in continuing it to get as many cows in calf as early as possible. You get a good three-week in-calf rate.”

This season they are milking 390 cows and apart from a dry January, they have had just enough rain in the usually summer-dry valley to lift production a little and they are expecting to finish up around 455kg MS/cow.

Benchmarking across the region is difficult because of the diversity of farms across a range of terrain and climates, with the home farm sitting at 300 metres

Cows/labour unit: 176 Farm Dairy: Herringbone 30-aside

Six-week in-calf rate: 87%

Not-in-calf rate: 14% Weeks of mating: 10 Wintering: Off Farm- 8 weeks silage/grass/kale

Runoff: Farm owner owns

above sea level. Without that comparison, Kevin says judging their progress comes down to ticking their own personal KPIs by controlling spending and monitoring their return on investment. A major focus for their business is keeping the cost of production low and they achieve that through strict budgeting and keeping farm working expenses down - $2.20/kg MS plus running a largely grass-based system. They did buy in 90 tonnes of palm kernel when they couldn’t get a summer crop in the ground for their first season, but this year they have 14 hectares planted in chicory for that summer dry period, with 30ha of K-line irrigation helping with some grass growth. They also purchase 900 bales of balage off the nearby support block where cows are grazed for winter and young stock graze after weaning.

Most of their annual rainfall, which is about 1650mm, falls in winter and early spring and some of the streams on the farm only flow during those higherrainfall months. In the past they have been temporarily fenced, but Kevin and Kyla are erecting permanent fencing along them to meet the obligations of their farm environment plan. It’s part of the ongoing improvements on the farm to protect the environment and Kevin says they have to embrace change which benefits the farm and the business.

“Sustainability has three aspects – it’s good for the environment, good for finance and good for social image.”

They now have two seasons’ sharemilking under their belt and a good milk payout forecast which is a far more

Highheels are rubber blocks that when glued to the healthy claw lift the diseased claw of the ground.

• Easy to use and quick to apply

• Immediately reduce pain felt by the cow

• Get the cow walking normally sooner

• Promote healing of the affected claw

Highheels have allowed me to keep on top of lameness in my 1100 cow herd. They’re easy to apply with fast adhesion in any kind of weather. They enable cows to be returned back to the herd sooner with confidence that the block will stay on for the weeks needed for her to recover.

– JASON GROOT, TARANAKI

Sharemilking: 50/50

Gross farm income: $4.15/kg MS

Operating expenses: $2.20kg MS

Operating profit: $2433/ha

FINANCIAL FARM DATA $

Farm working expenses: $1.71/kg MS

Labour expenses: $67/cow

comfortable position for them than when they began in 2020 as Covid created uncertainty around the world.

They say a positive attitude helped them through those times of uncertainty and they use that approach every day.

“We try to wake up and embrace the day and enjoy it.”

Kevin and Kyla won five merit awards including the DairyNZ People and Culture Award, plus the Federated Farmers Leadership Award which are both integral to the way they run their business. They have just one permanent employee, plus a casual worker through the busier spring and summer period.

Jack Hicks was a school leaver when he joined the team as a dairy assistant and has now moved up to 2IC, with Kevin predicting him to go places in the industry. It can be hard for young employees living by themselves on farms and Kevin says it is important to look after staff.

“We bring him in and give him meals weekly and have a game of cards or do something fun. We give staff an ice cream when they get the cows in or have a coffee at the end of milking. If they’re having a bad day, you can gauge it and see what you can do about it.

“You have to make sure they’re doing well because staff doing well means the farm does well. If your staff aren’t enjoying it, no-one enjoys it.

“We run small onfarm competitions so we can have a laugh at each other, like hosing out the yard or thistle grubbing competitions. When there are boys involved there’s always competition!”

Looking after staff extends to ensuring they know the health and safety policy from the beginning and being firm about following it so that they form good habits from day one.

Kevin and Kyla would like to see young people across primary industries engage more in the region and that has prompted them and like-minded others to kindle a Tasman Valley Young Farmers group in the Top of the South where there’s everything

Left: Mylan and Levi during calving.

from “hops to bees” in farming.

“We’re trying to crank it up and have a thriving young farmer group here. We want to capture them all because we can all educate each other. We believe we need more and more young people in dairy because I think it’s the best industry to be in.

“It’s pretty special how the dairy industry can share knowledge. It’s not a competition against each other – everyone

shares knowledge and does better by using tips from everybody else. All your industry partners, reps and advisers have something of value to say and you can learn what you want from them.

“We’re young and passionate about milking cows, making money and enjoying life and looking at future farming goals.”

They feel very fortunate to be farming with a young family as it gives them a lifestyle to spend time with them. On days that aren’t so busy, they put all three children in a vehicle and take them with them around the farm and Kevin says it is a real privilege to be able to include them in your work.

He says they are definitely keen on farm ownership of the family farm in the future and possibly another farm one day. Farm ownership makes it more personal for those running the farming operation and he thinks that is important for the industry, as well as fostering the younger generation to follow on.

“You need to employ young people coming through the industry to take up the baton.”

DairyNZ - People and Culture Award: Kevin and Kyla Freeman

Ecolab Farm Dairy Hygiene Award: Shona and Grant Hanna

Federated Farmers Leadership Award: Kevin and Kyla Freeman

Honda Farm Safety, Health and Biosecurity Award: Kevin and Kyla Freeman

LIC - Animal Wellbeing, Recording and Productivity Award: Andrew Stewart

Meridian Environmental Sustainability Award: Kevin and Kyla Freeman

Ravensdown Pasture Performance Award: Andrew Stewart

Cuffs Chartered Accountants and Business Advisors Business Performance Award: Kevin and Kyla Freeman

SAM Machinery Emerging Talent Award: Andrew Stewart

Synchronising cows has worked well for the Freemans.

BUILDING ON RESPONSIBILITIES

WORDS BY ANNE LEE

Peter O’Connor has been farming from before he could even walk – propped up in the backpack while his Mum, Kate or Dad, Johno worked on the family’s Westport farm.

He’s fair running on his own two feet now, filling every day to the brim, in a job and sector he’s full of enthusiasm and energy for.

At just 23 he’s already 2IC on a 900cow farm working for contract milkers Steve and Rosie Ketter on a property owned by Leighton and Michelle Pye

near Mayfield in Mid-Canterbury. And in a few short months he’s stepping up to manager for the Ketters when they expand their business to include a 400-cow 50/50 sharemilking job near Lauriston.

For Peter, the shift to the Lauriston job and the new responsibilities will help build his skills and experience taking him a few steps closer to his ultimate goal of owning a farm himself.

He’s hoping that taking out the Canterbury/North Otago dairy trainee of the year title will also help build contacts and skills to help him in his

Peter O’Connor: Farm 2IC and set to be manager.

Photos by Holly Lee.

quest. So too might his recent third place in the Aorangi Young Farmers regional competition.

It’s been a busy few months.

Peter says he always knew he wanted to go dairying – it’s in his DNA.

So when he left St Bede’s College it was a natural step to go on to Lincoln University where he completed a Bachelor of Agricultural Science with honours.

His honours project was carried out on the West Coast Monitor Farms analysing data on farm system changes.

At the end of his final year, he worked over the summer for Temuka-based contractors Central Feeds, owned by Leighton and Michelle Pye and Ken and Cushla Caird.

It was while Leighton was in the cab of a ute Peter was driving and a general conversation over Peter’s plans for the near future, that Leighton suggested the Ketters were looking for someone as a 2IC.

After an interview Peter landed the job at the start of this season.

The 900-cow farm produces 1900kg milksolids (MS)/ha or 500kg MS/cow

using about 600kg drymatter (DM)/cow in supplement.

Peter says it’s been a huge season with plenty to learn and he’s loved it.

He’s on a fast track with the step up to manager this coming season and is finding his involvement in the Grassroots Dairy Graduate Management Programme is providing skills he’ll need in the new role.

The programme was set up by a group of Canterbury farmers including Tony Dodunski and aims to build graduates’ skills in a whole range of aspects so they can quickly step into leadership roles.

Skills such as financial management, environmental compliance, growing equity, managing risk, the 72 rule of compounding returns, using technology onfarm, pasture and feed management and the all-important people management are all included in the programme.

Peter attends three sessions a month and says it’s been well worthwhile.

He’s open to all options for progression in the sector to help him achieve his farm ownership goals and is excited about opportunities in the future.

Canterbury /North Otago

Dairy Trainee runner up was Leilani Lobb.

Third place was George Lysaght-Dodson.

DairyNZ Practical Skills Award: Peter O’Connor

RUNNERS -UP

MERIT AWARDS

TH Enterprises Ltd Emerging Talent Award: Ellen Paterson

MilkBar Farming Knowledge Award: Peter O’Connor

Dairy Holdings Ltd

Communication and Industry Involvement Award: Leilani Lobb

PHYSICAL FARM DATA

Milking platform area: 220ha

Cows: 800 Friesian and crossbred

Production: 1770kg MS/ha

Pasture eaten: 14.7t DM/ha

Milking supplement: 400kg DM/cow

Nitrogen: 170kg N/ha/year

Cows/labour unit: 266

FROM BUFFALO MILKING TO FARM MANAGER

WORDS BY ANNE LEE

When Jaspal Singh walked on to a New Zealand dairy farm, warm memories of milking four buffalo and two cows for his grandfather during his childhood came flooding back.

That’s when he knew dairying was the career for him and not the IT sector where he’d just completed studies.

It was the right decision for the now 31-year-old. Jaspal is this year’s Canterbury/North Otago dairy manager of the year. He first came to NZ in 2014 to continue studies in IT.

“But when I finished that in Auckland in 2015 a friend suggested I give dairying a go.

“I went to Mossburn (Southland) and it reconnected me with all those feelings –the love for animals and the land.

“I knew dairying was my real career,” he says.

He worked as a dairy assistant on the 1000-cow farm for two years before moving to herd manager for a year.

He then stepped up to 2IC for Borst Holdings for 18 months at Maheno in South Canterbury.

Farm Dairy: 54 bail rotary

Dairy Automation: Auto cup removers, auto teat spraying, auto drafting. Six-week in-calf rate: 76%

Empty rate: 10%

Weeks of mating: 12

Wintering: Fodder beet and silage Support block: 59ha leased

In 2019 he moved to his current 800cow farm working for sharemilkers Troy and Donna Yaxley on the property owned by Mark and Carmen Hurst.

Initially he worked as a 2IC but within six months took up the manager’s position. During his progression he went back to India briefly in 2016 and married his long-time girlfriend, Ruby who had studied IT with him.

She joined him later that year and has been studying level one agriculture.

Jaspal says she too has taken to farm life and is a top calf rearer.

They have a 2.5-year-old son Ryan and together they have mapped out progression plans.

The season after next they will take over as variable order sharemilkers on the current farm and through rearing heifers will build up cow numbers so that within five years from starting that venture, they’ll have enough cows to become herdowning sharemilkers.

They won the ANZ planning and financial management award in recognition of their financial strategies.

Jaspal says every month they sit down together and go through their personal budget and analyse their spending.

Their aim is to save 50% of their income, live off 30% and send 20% to family in India.

“We wanted to save $6000 but we managed to save $24,000.”

Then Covid-19 took a heavy economic toll on some of their close family members back in India and they sent almost all their savings back home to help.

Jaspal says they’re continuing to make good progress, though, and later this year they are set to start buying the gear they need for variable order sharemilking.

As farm manager he monitors and allocates pasture, oversees two staff, orders fertiliser and liaises with contractors.

He selects cows to be put up for mating, ensures best environmental farm practice is carried out and takes great pride in monitoring and managing animal health and boosting cow production.

He has instigated practices to bring down the incidence of mastitis in the herd dropping it from 34% to 10% over the past two seasons. The farm has automatic cup removers and automatic teat sprayers installed but he put a person back on the

RUNNERS -UP

Canterbury/ North Otago runner up was Darfield farm manager Jaspreet Singh. Lauriston farm manager Blake Gordon placed third.

DeLaval Livestock Management Award: Todd Portsmouth

Fonterra Dairy Management Award: Blake Gordon

MERIT AWARDS

cups-off position while they helped make adjustments to ensure cows were being milked out well.

He instigated a milking programme for colostrum cows, stripping cows before milking and noting any cows with issues.

“We gave them a couple of days to selfcure but if they didn’t we sent a sample off to the vet and then treating them appropriately. He’d also suggested cows leaving the farm dairy used a separate lane as they were leaving the milking area.

“By the time the second herd was leaving the lane was muddy from where cows had been coming in and cows were then susceptible to infection because their teat canals are still open.”

Bulk somatic cell count (BSCC) has dropped and was 126,000 cells/ml average last season and was sitting at 100,000c/ml in late March this season.

Jaspal picks cows for AI and is proud of the reproductive results for the farm with a 76% six-week in-calf rate based on the latest pregnancy test results.

“Last calving we had nearly 80% of the herd calved by the end of August.”

They had a 10% empty rate after 12 weeks mating which included six weeks of AI, four weeks with the bull and then two weeks of short gestation length AI.

This coming mating the plan is to reduce mating length to 10 weeks, using four weeks of AI including the use of sexed semen and follow that with six weeks with Hereford bulls. Judges were also impressed with Jaspal’s focus on best practice in terms of environmental management.

He had observed that even though the farm is flat it still has critical source areas

Morrison Agri Environmental Sustainability Award: Jaspal Singh

FarmRight Pasture and Feed Management Award: Blake Gordon

Craigmore People and Leadership Award: Jaspreet Singh

ANZ Planning and Financial Management Award: Jaspal Singh

Vetlife Emerging Talent Award: Navreet Singh

within paddocks - areas susceptible to pugging or with poorer drainage.

He has identified the areas on farm maps and those areas don’t receive any effluent. Cows are wintered on a neighbouring support block on fodder beet and Jaspal has identified any critical source areas there to avoid too.

“We manage the cows over winter so we can manage that carefully.

“I have also marked on the maps the areas we can safely put the cows if we do get heavy rainfall.”

Nitrogen use has been reduced on the farm with no urea applied to the fronts of paddocks for two rounds and rates per application reduced. Jaspal says it was a proud moment to win the award and absolutely proved he’d made the right decision to pursue dairying.

“It’s a great career and a good lifestyle for our family.”

OWNERSHIP TARGET A DRAWCARD

People, pasture and profit – they’re three key factors that have Will Green and his partner Sally Eames firmly on target for owning their own farm.

There’s no wishful thinking or dreamy “nice to have one day” notion about them – they know what they want and what’s more they have a firm plan of how they’re getting there.

It’s not all in the future either – the plan is working and they’re definitely on their way.

“I had a goal of milking my own cows by the time I was 30 and I got there even

though I was cutting it a bit fine with just 19 days to spare before I turned 31,” Will laughs.

That was at the start of the 2020/21 season when he took up a variable order sharemilking contract with Dairy Holdings Ltd (DHL) milking 1060 cows. He’d made the move just five years after arriving in New Zealand from Shropshire, England, where his parents run a dairy, sheep, beef and cropping operation under a tenancy agreement.

“There’s little chance in England of working up to owning your own farm and I’d seen what was possible when I’d been out to New Zealand for a year doing practical work for my (Bachelor of

Agriculture and Science) degree at Harper Adams.”

He made contact with Kieran and Leonie Guiney at Fairlie, after hearing their progression story and knowing their strong pasture-based focus.

After a year working for them and hungrily soaking up information, he stepped up to a manager role with them before they then took him on as a variable order sharemilker.

He won the Canterbury/North Otago farm manager of the year award in 2018.

Building connections and developing his strategic and financial analysis skills were all a part of his longer-term plan as was building equity pretty much from the ground up. In 2020/21 he took on a role as a 34% variable order sharemilker with DHL and bought 420 cows.

“I used money I’d saved from wages and profits from the sharemilking business – from being quite disciplined.”

The ability to grow stock numbers was a drawcard while continuing with the same pasture focus and an eye on profit rather than production he’d had with the Guineys. At the start of the 2021/22 season, he bought another 290 cows and leases them back to another DHL farm.

This coming season he’ll make the next big leap, stepping up to owning 90% of the herd and earning 47% of the milk cheque.

He’ll go from paying 34% of most of the costs a herd-owning sharemilker would pay, apart from animal health, to 47% of those costs including animal health.

Under the agreement with DHL,

WORDS BY ANNE LEE

‘THE ABILITY TO KEEP REINVESTING, GROWING STOCKING NUMBERS AND GROWING EQUITY ON THE SAME FARM IS A PRETTY UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY.’

Left: Will Green and Sally Eames, NZDIA Canterbury/North Otago sharefarmer 2022

once the farm has its replacement heifer requirement, he’s able to rear any other calves with a $100 cost per calf charged for milk and grazing up to weaning at 100kg.

He’s reared an extra 50 each year but has also owned 40% of the replacements reared. Along with owning those replacements he’s paid 40% of the cost of rearing them.

“The ability to keep reinvesting, growing stocking numbers and growing equity on the same farm is a pretty unique opportunity.”

The couple’s wealth creation strategy, once they own the whole herd, is to make a profit each year of $1/kg milksolids (MS) after tax, which amounts to about $350,000/year on his current farm.

The aim is to invest that money in stock which can then be leased back earning him 8-10%/year return. The seven-year plan is to have $3.5-$4 million of equity.

“A 200-cow farm is probably in reach now but while the heart says that could be good the head says no, wait.

“We’re conscious that at that size, we’re it when it comes to staffing and we’re tied to it.

“The goal is to have balance and the freedom and for others to be able to carry on if I have to drop everything and go back to England to see my family if I had to do that suddenly for any reason.”

Will and Sally have a strong relationship with their bankers and have worked

through the numbers on their farm purchase plans to ensure they stack up.

“It’s definitely doable – it’s not easy, but it’s doable,” Will says.

Sally works off farm for MedSource, a veterinary equipment company but is also involved in the farming business alongside Will, helping manage accounts and admin as well as the strategic plan. She’s from a sheep and beef farm in Manawatu and

Milking platform area: 270ha

Cows: 1020 crossbred

Production: 1276kgMS/ha

Pasture eaten: 15.1tDM/ha

Milking supplement: 58kgDM/cow

Nitrogen: 201kgN/ha/year

Cows/labour unit: 255

Farm Dairy: 54 bail rotary

Six-week in-calf rate: 73%

Empty rate: 12%

Weeks of mating: 10

Wintering: Grazed on fodder beet

Support block: DHL in-house grazing

FINANCIAL FARM DATA

Sharemilking:

Variable order 34%

Costs shared: 34% of all costs excluding animal health

Gross farm income: $2.51/kgMS

Operating expenses: $1.58/kgMS

Operating profit: $1211/ha

Farm working expenses: $1.17/kgMS

trained as a veterinary technician at Massey University.

The pair say people are key to the success of their large-scale dairying business.

“We’ve both worked for great employers and we want to be great employers too.

“We’re conscious of going that extra mile so people enjoy their time with us.

“We involve our people and want to bring them with us, empowering them along the way.”

As well as their own employers, Will and Sally have taken inspiration from team sports and the culture that comes from successful teams. It’s how they met back in 2019 –at the local Thursday night touch rugby

competitions. The team approach extends from recruiting people who will create a good team fit, to making sure everyone gets to know each other well both inside and outside work and ensuring everyone is learning and growing in their jobs.

Although he’s also a keen rugby player, Will and his three farm team members –one Uruguayan, one Argentinean and one from Ireland - have put together a football team for a five-a-side football competition in Ashburton.

“We’ve come second in the competition three times in a row - it’s great fun.”

Ensuring people not only enjoy their job but also get home safely every night is a top priority.

They have weekly health and safety meetings and it’s become top of mind for all and part of the farm culture.

“We have a huge wealth of knowledge, resources and help within the management at DHL – we’re so well supported.”

Coming from the United Kingdom he says being active in your local community is very important to him and both he and Sally have strong social connections off farm whether that’s through sport, or through local arts and theatre groups for Sally.

Will’s a strong supporter of the cooperative ethos with Fonterra, the envy of many global dairy farmers.

He’s had the opportunity to be involved in Fonterra’s understanding your co-operative programme and My Connect conference and has given voice to the views of the next generation of shareholders.

He’s also had connections with the Pasture Summit and lives and breathes pasture management onfarm as the

Will Green, Juan Ditzel, Mark Laverty, and Dario Daghero..

sharemilking business name Greener Grazing suggests. The whole farm team will often participate in weekly pasture walks, measuring pasture covers, monitoring growth rates and paddock condition and assessing residuals.

“It’s the best training for everyone onfarm. It develops the whole team’s skills and it’s so important because it’s what’s at the heart of what we’re doing here.

“We’re very focused on round length, grazing at the third-leaf stage – so monitoring where that’s at and hitting residuals.”

The spring rotation planner is used through the start of the season and he doesn’t go faster than a 25-day round through summer. Any true surplus is taken for silage and may be fed back to cows in autumn to extend the round with other tools such as culling and selective drying off used to bring demand down to match pasture supply.

RUNNERS -UP

Canterbury/ North Otago sharefarmer runners up –50/50 sharemilkers Kerry and Aimee Burt. Third place went to Johno and Tania Burrows, 21% sharemilkers and first-time entrants.

MERIT AWARDS

DairyNZ – People and Culture

Award: Will Green

Ecolab Farm Dairy Hygiene

Award:

“From the end of January, we start extending the round until we’re out to a 50-day round by mid-April.

“We have very simple rules but managing within them means closely monitoring every grazing to get it right.”

Each team member has an area of the farm they’re responsible for which includes moving sprinklers and K-lines stationed in the corners where the two pivots don’t reach.

“All together it takes 2.5 hours to move them each day but because everyone does their own area the time spent per person is minimised.

“The responsibilities within each area also include fences and maintenance so when we’re out on the farm walk there can be a bit of ribbing if something’s not up to standard. “It creates a bit of healthy competition and accountability from within the team without finger pointing or blame shifting.”

Johno and Tania Burrows

Federated Farmers Leadership

Award: Will Green

Honda Farm Safety, Health and Biosecurity Award: Johno and Tania Burrows

LIC – Animal Wellbeing, Recording and Productivity

Award: Nick and Kylie Marriott

Meridian Environmental Sustainability

Award:

Kerry and Aimee Burt

Ravensdown Pasture

Performance Award: Will Green

ANZ Business Performance

Award: Kerry and Aimee Burt

Alexanders Chartered

Accountant Emerging Talent

Award:

Johno and Tania Burrows

At ANZ we understand how important it is to remain competitive in an increasingly demanding agribusiness environment. That’s why we have sector specialists, industry events, benchmarking and research papers providing you access to knowledge and insights. So it’s a little easier to make better decisions and stay on top of your agribusiness.

From left Mark Laverty, Dario Daghero, Will Green and Juan Ditzel.

FIRED-UP FOR DAIRYING

TREBILCOCK

Aidan Roe might have been only dairy farming for a little more than a year, but it’s a lifetime of experience that backed up his win as 2022 Southland-Otago Dairy Trainee.

He’s been a farm assistant on Peter Sanford’s 200-hectare Winton property milking 560 cows for sharemilkers Michael and Kathryn Farmer since his final university exams finished in 2020.

With a vet as a father, who made sure he grew up with a love of animals, and boarding at Southland High School, which put him in touch with the kids of farming families, Aidan says he has always been nudged towards dairying.

Winning a DairyNZ scholarship sealed the deal with his sights set on Lincoln University and its Bachelor of Agricultural Science degree.

The scholarship, and the mentoring of its organiser Susan Stokes, fired him up for dairying.

“This career choice is often looked down upon and it would be awesome to change this and make the idea of choosing dairy farming just as exciting as any other career option,” he said after the Dairy Industry Awards win.

Summers working on the Winton farm, including during Covid lockdowns when Lincoln lectures went online, didn’t dampen his enthusiasm but he’s glad he never went straight from high school to dairying.

“Lincoln University got me out of Southland and I met a whole new group of people. I got to appreciate a different

region. Canterbury is great but I was always coming home.”

The Winton farm is within sight of the lifestyle property he grew up on but this winter he’ll be moving to the other side of the Oreti River with Michael and Kathryn who are taking on an 800-cow farm between Otautau and Drummond as equity partners.

“I will be part of the generation of farmers that will have to make some pretty big changes to the industry to suit consumers’ demands,” he says.

Farming goals include continuing to learn, especially during the calving season which university exams in the past meant he has always missed out on.

Runner up dairy trainee was farm assistant KellyAnne Hopper of Invercargill and farm assistant Samuel Spencer of Dipton, for the second consecutive year, was third.

RUNNERS

-UP

DairyNZ Practical Skills Award: Olivia Braven

Dairy Holdings Ltd Emerging Talent Award: Jessica Jones

MilkBar Farming Knowledge Award: Aidan Roe

FMG Communication & Industry Involvement Award: Aidan Roe

“Long-term I would like a 2IC or manager’s role with the end goal of sharemilking and eventually farm ownership.

“Michael and Kathryn have shown me it’s all possible.”

And with the Covid regulations limiting the number of people at the awards night in Invercargill on the last weekend of March, he was stoked he could have his dad, who started it all, and his boss Michael, at his table.

“It was great to meet the other five finalists in the trainee award too. We are all so passionate about dairy farming. Any one of us definitely deserved to win it.

“Even with the restrictions, I’ve met so many people through the competition. I’m so much looking forward to nationals.

“It’s important to continue to learn from the experienced farmers and take in as much of their knowledge as possible and the awards make that so much easier to do.”

Southland Otago Dairy Trainee of the Year winner Aidan Roe at home with the cows.

WORDS AND PHOTOS BY KAREN

ONE FOR THE BUCKET LIST

WORDS AND PHOTOS BY KAREN TREBILCOCK

Adiagnosis of carpal tunnel syndrome stopped Laura Murdoch entering the dairy industry after finishing high school.

Instead, the cow-mad 19-year-old started work in an office and completed diplomas in business, management and accounting at the same time, taking up a position as an accountant within the transport division of the Richardson Group in Invercargill.

However, eventually the pain in her wrists forced her to finally get them fixed. Suddenly freed to work where she

PHYSICAL FARM DATA

wanted to, in 2015 she started her own business relief milking and now is in her third season working full time for Chris Reilly on his 83-hectare, 250-cow Mokotua property near Invercargill.

He looks after paying the bills and she looks after the cows, the remaining responsibilities are then discussed and shared according to each other’s workload and other commitments.

“He’s now my relief milker,” she laughed. “We get on really well. It works.

“We share similar goals and passions and the combined skill set and knowledge we hold, together with all the resources available to us, benefits the business,

Milking platform area: 80ha

Cows: 250 Friesian & KiwiCross

Production: 500kgMS/cow, 1400kgMS/ha

Pasture eaten: 17t/ha

Milking supplement: 90t wheat based pellets

(in shed feed) 100 baleage

Nitrogen: 190kg N

Cows/labour unit: 250 cows, 1.5-2 labour units

Farm Dairy: 32 bail rotary shed

Dairy Automation: ACRs, auto teat spray,

animals and ourselves.” And although she still has the bookkeeping business she started in 2015, cows are Laura’s passion.

“I was born a townie but I have always loved all animals and I seem to have a knack of bonding with cows. They call me Lou Lou the Cow Whisperer.

“I don’t know what it is about them, but I just love cows. I can’t explain the obsession. I’m just drawn to them.

“When I was 17, it was the first time I got to watch cows being milked and I just was amazed. I knew instantly that’s what I wanted to do.”

With the age barrier of 30 stopping her entering the trainee section of the Dairy

drafting gate (manual hydraulic operation eg not Protrack or EID activated)

Six-week in-calf rate: 74%

Not-in-calf rate: 12.5% cows, (29/231), 2% R2s, (1/55), 10.5% overall, 30/285

Weeks of mating: 3 weeks of Friesian/sexed semen +12 days of beef straws then bulls out for the remainder of the 10 weeks

Wintering: Off farm from end of May till last week of July – 8 weeks, 12-13kg swedes, 1-2kg baleage, adlib hay (2kg)

Winner of the Southland Otago 2022 manager competition Laura Murdoch.

‘I WAS BORN A TOWNIE BUT I HAVE ALWAYS LOVED ALL ANIMALS AND I SEEM TO HAVE A KNACK OF BONDING WITH COWS. THEY CALL ME LOU LOU THE COW WHISPERER.’

Industry Awards back in 2018 when she started full-time dairying, her first attempt at the competition was also in the manager section.

“I still got into the top five although I ran out of time with the judging. I just couldn’t say everything I wanted to fast enough.”

Four years later the 38-year-old 2IC came up with the goods to win it this time.

She had another crack this year because she wanted unbiased feedback on her progression plans and to identify areas to upskill.

“I also entered because I wanted to prove to myself that I’m the best person for this job.

“This is a career milestone. It was on my bucket list.”

And the win was also her birthday present to Chris who was turning 50 the same night as the awards dinner in Invercargill.

The 250 (peak milk) Friesian and Kiwicross cows are sitting put on a 28-day round at the end of March waiting until the rain starts falling again.

“We had too much rain in spring then when November came it kicked in the other way and has been dry ever since. They say it always balances out.

“We had such good conditions in early summer. I was hoping to really open the girls up this year but the weather conditions changed it from happening.”

Making up the grass shortfall is several kilograms of supplementary feed per cow per day, a wheat-based pellet feed in the rotary as well as feeding out balage.

Although the dairy has automatic cup removers and teat sprayer, making it a one-person operation, Laura is a “ keep it simple” person.

“I know my cows by udder without having to look at their tag numbers. I know when an udder looks different than it usually does so I know if one of the cows has mastitis before it gets to hit the vat. I don’t need sensors to tell me that.”

And her diligence shows with year-onyear grade-free certificates from Fonterra and an under 99,000 average SCC count for the 2020/2021 season (79,000).

Herd testing is four times a year making sure all the cows are performing.

“I have a passion for learning, progression and animal welfare, as well

as excellent best-practices for farming in general,” she said.

Neither Laura nor Chris like dropping off the bobby calves in the spring at the nearby works and last year they put a plan in place to, if not stop them having to do it, at least lessen the number of trips they have to make.

They ordered four LIC fresh sexed dairy straws a day for the first three weeks of AI for the top cows in the herd, Friesian for the rest and used short gestation Hereford on the low producing cows.

The following three weeks they used up their ordered 50 Speckle Park straws and some Wagyu and then Murray Gray bulls were run with the herd.

Their empty rate is slightly higher at 12.5% than their usual nine to 10%, but with such small numbers, a couple of cows can swing the percentage either way.

Part of the business plan to reduce bobby numbers is for Chris to move off farm and buy a smaller block where the resulting beef calves can be reared.

Moving onfarm to be closer to her girls, instead of driving in every day from her home in Invercargill, is Laura’s future goal.

Laura managed to buy her house when she was 25, determined to break the idea of homeownership as a single person was an impossible dream.

“I love the idea of trying to be the best in anything I do,” she says. “I’m extremely self-motivated.

“I’ll go the extra mile to achieve anything I set my mind to. I do not give up.”

Runner up in the Southland Otago competition was Invercargill farm manager Devinda Dissanayake who works on Mark and Gerald Spain’s 185ha property milking 580 cows.

RUNNERS -UP

Third was Oteramika farm manager Hayden Diack who milks 1100 cows on Oraka Farms’ 341ha.

MERIT AWARDS

DeLaval Livestock Management Award: Laura Murdoch

Fonterra Dairy Management Award: Devinda Dissanayake

Vetsouth Environmental Sustainability Award: Devinda Dissanayake

Winton Stockfoods Pasture & Feed Management Award: Dilpreet Singh

Shand Thomson People & Leadership Award: Laura Murdoch

ANZ Personal Planning & Financial Management Award: Laura Murdoch

Regional Ford Emerging Talent Award: Nicole Barber

The cow whisperer.

CHIPPING IN FOR THE MOVE SOUTH

WORDS AND PHOTOS BY KAREN TREBILCOCK

The grass is proving greener for 2022 Southland Otago Share Farmer winners Hamish and Emma Day in Southland.

City boy Hamish and Emma, whose parents once owned a Taranaki dairy farm, moved south and haven’t looked back.

After lower-order sharemilking, and then a stint contract milking for five years near Riverton, the two 36-year-olds moved to the 220-hectare Mabel Bush property on June 1 last year wanting another challenge.

“It was the same number of cows, but there was better infrastructure here and we could see ourselves going further in the industry being here,” Hamish says.

A plus, the owners Peter and Maria Clinton are dairy farmers and know the industry well.

Milking platform area: 220ha

Cows: 700 cows Friesian cross

Production: 365,000kgMS target

521kgMS/cow, 1659kgMS/ ha

Pasture eaten: 14t/ha

Milking supplement: 475t PKE and 155t maize DDG

Nitrogen: 190kgN/ha/year

Cows/labour unit: 200/1 labour units

“Peter is really good to use as a sounding board for ideas. He has a great knowledge in dairy farming and we can have a real discussion which is great.”

The 50-aside herringbone has Protrack, ACRs and walk-over teat spraying and they’re hoping to buy Allflex collars for next season.

Although everything from wages to detergents are covered in the written contracts of contract milking, cow wearables are still to be figured out.

“They benefit us because it reduces labour at mating with tail painting and observing heats but they benefit the owners because they help with cow health. And we both benefit because we should produce more milk with them,” Emma says.

Farm Dairy: 50ASHB

Dairy Automation: Protrack, ACRS, walkover teat sprayer

Six-week in-calf rate: 68%

Not-in-calf rate: 7%

Weeks of mating: 11 weeks

Wintering: 300 wintered in herd homes on silage, rest on grass and balage for 10 weeks at runoff

Hamish and Emma Day are proud winners of the Southland Otago Share Farmer 2022 competition.

FINANCIAL FARM DATA $

Sharemilking: Contract milking – first season on farm so can’t use Dairy Base figures

Costs shared: Wages, fuel, bikes/gear, rubberware, detergents, calf rearing equipment, standard contract milking costs

Gross farm income: $1kgMS + 10% of farmgate milk price above $5

Operating expenses: $0.84c/kgMS

Operating profit: $304/ha @ base of $1 $1057 @ base of $1 + 10% of farmgate milk price above $5 (est $9.60)

Farm working expenses: 0.65c/kgMS

Animal health: $92/cow estimate to date for season

“So we’re keen to share the costs,” Hamish says.

About 800kg of grain/cow/year is allocated, a mix of palm kernel and maize DDG fed in the herringbone during milking, otherwise it’s all grass on the farm.

Of the 700-cow herd, 300 cows go into herd homes with late calvers milked as

long as possible into the winter. The rest of the cows go to a 40ha runoff just down the road on grass and balage.

The no-crop system works well with transitioning feeding easier. The runoff is regrassed regularly as 16ha comes out of tulip bulbs each autumn.

“Horizon Tulips own the runoff and the tulips onfarm are just for bulb export, not the flowers and they have a six-year rotation, one in tulips and then five years in grass so it works well with us.”

With 14 tonnes of grass harvested on the milking platform, which they want to increase to 15T, pasture management is all important.

Hamish walks the farm twice a week in spring, working out when to start pre or post-graze mowing, which paddocks can be taken out of the round for silage or

balage, or regrassing. They aim to make 300 bales each year and buy 400T of silage to use for wintering and spring in the herd home onfarm. Also they made another 1200 bales off the runoff block for their grass-based wintering.

With Hamish on his pasture walks are his five pig dogs. Not used for getting the cows in for milking, the dogs are still great company and, with Hamish president of the Southern Pig Hunting Club, provide some off-farm fun as well.

New pastures include a mix of plantain and clover at 2kg per/ha, plus a mix of diploids and tetraploids are used. Half of the farm is Waikiwi soils with the rest the wetter Woodland soils.

Well, usually wetter. The prolonged summer and now autumn dry is starting to become worrying, especially as cull

The best place for a young family – Hamish, holding Henry (3) and Emma, holding Frank (1) with the cows on the Mabel Bush farm.

cows are going to the works in only twos and threes due to chain restrictions.

At the end of March, Emma and Hamish still had 50 to go and the farms’ cover, usually around 2200kg drymatter (DM)/ha is down at 1800kg DM/ha.

“Southland farmers usually just get on with things, whatever happens, but deep down everyone is very stressed,” Hamish says.

A flourish of phones around the table show the forecast rain for the next day has vanished and even the rain promised for the end of the week looks dodgy.

“After the last herd testing we drafted our top 60% of milkers into one herd and we’re priority feeding them and hopefully that will help us get through.

“Our target was 370,000kg milksolids

(MS) for the season but it’s looking more like 365,000kg MS now.”

AI is for six weeks followed by the bulls getting their chance for four weeks before they are kicked out for a week of short gestation semen. The bottom 10% of cows go to AI beef with Speckle Park, to be sold as four-day-old calves, the flavour of last season.

They aim for a F10 to F12 cow using LIC Forward Pack Friesian and KiwiCross.

“We’re really trying to breed a highproducing, sound cow,” Hamish says. With a background in insurance and investment, working for AMP Financial Services in Wellington, and establishing her own photography business, it’s Emma who does their GST, payroll and monthly accounts.

“It saves us a lot of money doing it ourselves but we have Sarah Hopkins at McIntyre Dick in Invercargill doing our year-end accounts and she is always there when we need her,” Emma says.

“And we also use Ashley Burdon at McIntyre Dick, too, for analysing and benchmarking our business.

“He’s a great sounding board.

“We’re always aiming every year to do 10% better on everything we benchmark.

“But when things don’t work we use it as a lesson. It’s never a negative. It’s the only way to grow when you’re uncomfortable.”

Their accounting team is also helping them look into the future.

This coming season they will also contract-milk another farm of a similar size for Peter and Maria and in five years’ time hope they will be ready for the next step.

Their focus was on 50:50 sharemilking but the purchase of two former state houses side by side in Lower Hutt has changed that.

“We needed an asset to put the money we were earning every year from contract milking into,” Emma says.

“We were going to put it in cows but instead we decided on property. We spent two years, put in five offers on different properties but we finally got there.”

Rented for now, the plan is to demolish the two houses and subdivide the properties. In five years, the project, plus their projected earnings from their contract milking business will be enough to either go large-scale 50:50 or buy a small dairy unit.

“We’ll just see what is the best option when we get there,” she says.

The ultimate goal is ownership of a 600 to 800-cow dairy farm.

“Before going contract milking we were lower order but there were just too many variables – the payout and the amount of milk we could make. With contract milking there is just the one – the amount

Left: Hamish, president of the Southern Pig Hunting Club, with his new pig dog puppy.

of milk we can make so we can rely on budgets and make them work.”

The new venture into property is not tugging Hamish back to his previous career as a builder in the capital city.

“It’s definitely just a side hustle. Our main focus is dairy farming.

“We used to get up a 4.30, 5am to beat the traffic to get to work in Wellington,” he says. “Now we roll out of bed at 5am to milk cows. It’s a lot better.”

And with Henry (3) and Frank (1), family time is now all important.

“They love outside – the tractor, the cows, everything.”

It’s Emma who introduced Hamish to dairying and some of her brothers and sisters are still in the industry.

“My parents sold their dairy farm in Taranaki when I was about 13 and retired. Dad, he’s no longer with us, and he would be so proud of us winning this. Mum was just so rapt.

“My brother has won a regional final in the past and he’s putting the pressure on us to go one further and win the big one!”

Runners-up in Southland Otago were Maricar and Jonathan Deblois who are contract milkers for Moonlight Farms Trust on 170ha, 550-cow property at Drummond.

Third was Ben Worker and Jamie McCrostie, variable order sharemilkers for Eastbourne Dairy Farm c/o Roger Dickie NZ milking 475 cows on 164ha at Otautau.

MERIT AWARDS

DairyNZ People and Culture Award: Emma and Hamish Day

Ecolab Farm Dairy Hygiene Award: Jamie McCrostie and Ben Worker

Federated Farmers Leadership Award: Maricar & Jonathan Deblois

Honda Farm Safety, Health and Biosecurity Award: Jamie McCrostie and Ben Worker

LIC Animal Wellbeing, Recording and Productivity Award: Emma and Hamish Day

Meridian Environmental Sustainability Award: Jamie McCrostie and Ben Worker

RUNNERS -UP

Ravensdown Pasture Performance Award: Emma and Hamish Day

ANZ Business Performance Award: Emma and Hamish Day

Landpro Emerging Talent Award: Janamjot Singh Ghuman

A COMMON FARM OVERSIGHT THAT CAN COST A VAT OF MILK

How can you reduce your reliance on imported feed?

MAYBE THE ANSWER IS SIMPLY TO GROW A BIT

With the air of uncertainty around imported feeds in both the short and long term, now is a good time to explore alternatives. And you don’t have to look far. Planting an extra paddock in maize at home, or ordering more maize silage in, may be all that’s needed. Maize silage is the ideal supplement to pasture. The cows love the stuff, it helps you maintain high production and milk quality when your feed levels dip (and will keep for years if they don’t). To find out about adding more maize to your farm system, contact your local Pioneer representative, call 0800 PIONEER or visit pioneer.co.nz/maize-silage

Getting the best out of farm IT

apathy and lack of understanding of the value of integration were also factors. “There is also a real lack of expertise on many agri-industry boards in New

Openness and sharing data promoted innovation and benefited the consumer,

EXTRA.

Julia Jones, head of analytics at NZX, told the conference that while farmers might feel overwhelmed with continuing requests, including from milk and meat companies and banks, for yet more information, that data was essential for the continuing success of their business and

NZ exports 95% of its primary products and companies involved in the supply chain had obligations to demonstrate they were meeting requirements around

environmental, social and animal welfare standards.

“We can’t just say we are good, we have to show we are good and have the data to back that up. We can no longer think we are good buggers, and everyone loves us. They do love us but need the evidence that we are doing the things we claim to do.”

Much of the pressure was also coming from consumers who now take a holistic view and want to know that the wellness of humans, animals and the land is being taken care of.

“They want more digital connection, so data becomes really important, which is why integrated frameworks are so essential for New Zealand on the global stage.”

The effective use of data would help the agri-industry take back some control by providing consumers with information which fits their needs.

“We leave an excessive amount of money on the table because we are slow to respond to consumer issues. Let’s go out into the market in a more proactive way.”

recent meat and livestock conference in Australia, two days were committed

Gavin McEwen: ‘There is also a real lack of expertise on many agri-industry boards in New Zealand.’

And then came more rain

Farmers are used to high rainfall at the top of the South Island, but the Haldanes copped more than their regular quota. By Anne Hardie.

The Haldane family farm at Bainham near the South Island’s northern tip usually enjoys a 4.5-metre annual rainfall, but relentless rain through winter and spring saw all their best-laid plans go out the window.

Robert and Debbie Haldane milk 800 cows on a 276-hectare milking platform close to the start of the Heaphy Track, which puts them geographically close to the West Coast and hence the rainfall that goes with it. They are used to getting 25mm of rain an hour for a six-hour stretch, but this season has taken it to another level.

“It’s been a weird season.” Robert says. A season that has prompted them to buy in an extra 58 tonnes of palm kernel, 58t of barley and 25t of molasses on top of their usual inputs to feed the cows when they couldn’t grow enough grass in the wet conditions.

“We’ve basically been haemorrhaging money to feed the cows.”

But it was necessary to fill the gap and a good payout made it possible.

A key decision in spring to managing their pasture through the rain was religiously sticking to a 30-day round, even when pasture was tight. It helped them come out the other side in a relatively good position despite the season and by the end of December they were ahead in total production.

“Through spring we keep to a 30-day round and won’t speed up the round unless we are reaching our targets in front of us,” Robert says. “We’re really pedantic on it.”

Their son Ollie has been contract milking for them for the past two seasons with his partner Briar Hayton-Seelye and it hasn’t been plain sailing.

Halfway through last season they were struggling to find guaranteed winter grazing so the 12ha of kale they had in the ground to feed the milking herd through autumn was held over for winter feed. That meant they were short for autumn which led to the cows being in poorer condition and so they dried them off 14 days early. They ended up with an unplanned 200 cows on the milking platform through winter. Between poor grass growth, wetter weather last winter and decreased utilisation, the cows never achieved their target condition score for calving. Then the rain hammered the farm and they had a tight calving in the midst of it. Synchronised mating of non-cyclers

and the top two-thirds of the heifers, plus shortgestation bulls at the tail of their nine-week mating results in a busy calving and demand on feed early on. Half the herd had calved within the first 17 days of calving and there was a dearth of potential workers to help out.

Ollie and Briar employ two full-time senior staff and three casual juniors and the farm fortunately has homes for staff, including one they use as shared accommodation for casual staff. Their nearest township is tiny Collingwood and further afield Takaka isn’t much bigger, so finding staff is challenging at the best of times, let alone when travellers are taken out of the equation. They had one overseas couple who would have stayed for calving this year, but their visas expired and they were gone by the time the Government loosened the rules on visas.

“We normally have foreigners through summer,” Ollie says, “and this year we hung on to everyone we had. The shared accommodation suits travellers and they stay three to four months and are on their way.”

Ollie’s brother, Billy, works for them through the initial busy time of spring and can jump into most roles, but for 10 months of the year he is full-time on the 170ha support area. This season, Briar and Debbie raised the calves, working around Briar and Ollie’s three young children who were home from school through lockdown and often unavailable for online classes because they were helping with calves. Briar says parents felt a lot of pressure to have their kids attend online classes, but many like themselves just couldn’t make the time for them every day. She says the kids gained a lot on the farm through that period that was simply a different learning experience to school.

From calving they managed the cows on a feed budget of 14 to 15kg drymatter (DM)/cow, using barley and palm kernel to top up the grass shortage. Restricting the cows enabled the grass to lift in increments so they were able to get enough grass ahead of the cows. They reached peak production about November 1 of 1.84kg MS/cow which was only down by about 5% on other years.

The farm had no surplus though and the Haldanes couldn’t put in their usual 19ha summer crop of chicory because they couldn’t afford to take paddocks out of the round when the grass wasn’t

Left: Ollie (left) and partner Briar with Billy, Debbie and Robert.

growing enough for the cows, despite sticking to a 30-day round through spring.

“You have to have your grass at the two to three-leaf stage,” Robert says. “If you go too fast, it won’t grow back.”

Even through the rest of the season, they never dropped the round below 21 days and only got to a 21-day round for a short period before lengthening it out again because the growth wasn’t there.

“If we shift the round length it is only because we can see it in front of us,” he says. “There should be a rising plane to balance date and I think we’re more conservative because we are on a more unforgiving farm.”

The team use the spring rotation planner and if the season puts them under pressure – like this one - they discuss it two to three times a week. Plans for grazing can quickly change due to the weather and this season showed just how flexible they needed to be to react to conditions.

“This year has not been about planning but reacting,” he says. “We’re monitoring our covers all the time and react quite quickly.”

Robert says changes to their nitrogen application regime definitely had an impact this season, as did reducing palm kernel. Nitrogen was reduced from 210kg/ ha to the 190kg/ha cap, while palm kernel in line with Fonterra’s drive to reduce its use as per Fonterra’s Fat Evaluation Index (FEI) in milk sampling.

“If it’s cold and wet the clover won’t grow. It was a bad year to be really short of nitrogen. We would traditionally follow the cows with 1kg/ha nitrogen and we’ve reduced it overall and changed to sulphate of ammonia instead of urea. Palm kernel has been such a good tool and we’ve been cutting back hard on that.”

In a typical season, they contract palm kernel on a monthly basis so they have some sitting there when needed but not buying in excess. This year they had 336t bought on contract with another 92t bought on spot market at $75/t plus freight to cover the spring deficits. To that they added an extra 25t of barley and 25t of molasses which went above their budgeted feeding plan, but Robert says it was key to holding the rotation length.

The barley is good to settle the cows in the wet, but usually it is just a minute trickle in the shed, whereas this year they were being fed up to 4kg/cow/day for the main herd on twice-a-day (TAD) milking when the weather dictated and 2kg/cow/ day for the heifers on once-a-day (OAD) milking.

“It’s not sustainable doing that every year and if it wasn’t a high payout we would have just dried cows off or put more cows on once a day.”

To add injury to insult, the endless rain of winter and spring was then followed by a dry January and the pasture disappeared. After such a long, wet period, the root zone

for pasture was very shallow and copped it as soon as the season went dry.

As soon as it began to dry out, they decided to begin culling cows and sent 30 away. Robert says they intend to stagger further culling until the end of the season so they are not caught out by potential lack of space at freezing works again.

“If the meat works have to shut down because of Covid it is a real concern. It blows the feed budget out of the water if you have 40 cows you don’t want.”

Toward the end of February the drought had knocked production and it was just under 3% down on their initial budgeted production of 325,000kg MS. The rain that hammered Westport delivered 150mm in 24 hours on the farm – just a typical rainfall – and prompted good grass growth that has set them up well for autumn.

Though they haven’t had chicory this year, they did get 12ha of maize planted on the milking platform and another 6.5ha on the support area. The maize was aimed at feeding the cows through April and May to set them up for winter and calving. But the drought forced them to feed the cows standing maize for 10 straight days until the rain got the grass growing ahead of them.

In the past they have planted 12ha of fodder beet on the milking platform to transition the cows at 5kg/cow/day with grass before wintering them on fodder beet at the leased block.

‘We normally have foreigners through summer and this year we hung on to everyone we had. The shared accommodation suits travellers and they stay three to four months and are on their way.’

Noelia Dawoser from Argentina is part of the team this season.

Fodder beet delivered “fantastic” crops up to 35t/ha when they first planted it seven years ago, but the rhizoctonia or root rot which is caused by air-borne fungi has followed the crop around the block and they have run out of paddocks to grow it well. Instead, they plant maize which Robert says is not as good as fodder beet but is “pretty bullet proof” and produces 20 to 22t/ha. When they put it into the system in autumn, they can usually have the cows at their calving condition score by May 31.

Plus, Ollie says the cows’ health is better in spring in the absence of fodder beet, with less milk fever and fewer retained foetal membranes.

In a typical year, chicory has provided good summer feed as long as they can get it into the ground on time. Ollie says chicory is far more flexible to graze compared to turnips with a fixed date to graze 70 to 100 days after planting. They also use chicory to slow the round up and can graze it by Christmas which is earlier than maize. It usually plays a big part in keeping the main herd on twice-a-day milking through to May. This season, without chicory and less grass, they put the herd on to 10 in seven milkings at Christmas on the advice of their FarmWise consultant, Brent Boyce, and didn’t lose much production.

They are now targeting 316,000kg MS for the season, which is down on their budgeted 325,000kg MS. Robert says they have incurred far higher costs to keep production up which could not have been done without the high payout. When they initially began buying more feed to put into the system, they thought it would only be needed for a short period and the

alternative was underfeeding the cows.

“If we knew in advance of the payout and how long we would be short of feed, we would’ve fed more! It’s a balancing act of fully feeding stock and not overspending.”

Changes are now afoot for the Haldanes’ farming operation as they have sold the support block to buy an 87ha neighbouring dairy farm. It was not a planned expansion, but the chance to buy neighbouring land was too good to miss. It will suit their goal of becoming a self-contained dairy operation, especially with winter grazing becoming harder to source and freight costs to cart cows elsewhere escalating. This winter they will have standing grass on the new dairy farm, plus grazing on the sold runoff still, so are feeling a lot better about setting the herd up for next season.

Bringing the new farm into the operation will also give them scale for options. The plan is to add 60ha of the farm to their milking platform and lift cow numbers to 950 which will be divided into a 650-cow herd milking TAD and a 300-cow herd on OAD.

It will give them more cropping and regrassing options. Plus, they will be able to retire the steeper land at the back of their farm from the milk platform and use it solely for dairy replacements. Some will go into pine trees to harvest and provide carbon credits which will be useful going forward.

By adding scale and options, Robert hopes they will be able to lift per cow production higher than the 400kg MS/cow they are producing now. In the medium term, their goal is to make a good profit and reduce debt.

Briar with little helpers, Oakley, 8, and Layla, 5, during last year’s lockdown.

Half the herd calved in the first 17 days.

A magic place to farm

As environmental pressure on the dairy industry increases, the days of milking run of the mill replacements are long gone. Using technology like sexed semen is what Paul and Juanita Marshall are using to breed more efficient cows that will counter a drop in cow numbers under regulation. Sheryl Haitana reports.

Photos by: Edwin Mabonga.

Paul and Juanita Marshall farm right on the western edge of Southland with a skyline view of Fiordland National Park when they open their curtains.

“It’s a magic place to farm and live. We have fantastic mountain bike trails down the back of the farm, and we are also outside the sandfly belt.”

The farm is in three terraces and tends to be quite gravelly soil which makes it forgiving country to winter all the cows on.

It grows great grass in the spring, but

three weeks without rain is a drought, Paul says.

The farm has been in Juanita’s family farm since 1966. The couple moved back to run it in 1986 and converted part of the farm from sheep to dairy in 2011, building a second farm dairy in 2014.

Since converting to dairy, the focus has been on herd genetic improvement. That is where the excitement is, Paul says.

“Juanita and I are passionate about our breeding programme, it’s the thing that gets us up in the morning, we just love it.”

They’ve always selected the best semen on the market and are now using sexed semen technology to achieve their goals. There is increasing pressure from a freshwater and greenhouse gas perspective to at least hold cow numbers, but probably reduce them, he says.

Peak cow numbers across the national herd was 2014/15 and farmers won’t be able to make a profit just by milking more cows.

“I don’t think the days are going, I think they’ve gone. What is clear to us and I think it will become increasingly clear to the rest of the industry, is the days are gone when any cow with four good feet and a sound udder is sacred.

“We have to make sure every cow is profitable and genetically superior and that’s what we are doing.”

Using sexed semen for the past three matings is an integral part of setting up the herd and farming business.

“That’s where our profit lies. What we can see is we can drive the productivity of our herd up. The faster we can do that the better and sexed semen is an important

element in us being able to do that.”

Breeding high quality cows has been Paul and Juanita’s priority since they bought their first herd - a mixed bag with pretty poor genetic merit.

“We’ve culled really hard, we’ve pushed LIC to provide us with the best semen they possibly can.”

In quite a short timeframe, they’ve shifted their herd from being pretty poor to just inside the top 10% of the national herds, and it’s improving year-on-year.

Sexed semen will help them gain more improvement at a faster rate via guaranteed daughters from their top cows.

“One of the perks of being in the dairy industry is that these breeding options are available.

“We pretty much get all our heifer replacements in the first three weeks now, that’s a huge advantage. Not only do we get the calves on the ground early, but we have the opportunity to put greater selection pressure on cows that we are going to retain replacements from.”

Since investing in sexed semen, they first used 100 sexed semen straws, then

250 straws and up to 360 straws this last mating. Using 500 straws later this year as part of their breeding programme is quite possible, Paul says.

Conception rate from the sexed semen was 55% this year, which was exactly the same as the fresh Premier Sires conception rate.

“The naysayers around sexed semen will look at differences in conception rate, and say it’s a huge economic cost.”

However, sexed semen is getting closer to the conception rate achieved by other products and having 90% success rate of a heifer calf is worth it, he says.

“That’s our rationale for using sexed semen, it slots in so beautifully into our mating programme.”

LIC recommends no more than half the cows inseminated on a day should receive sexed semen, but Paul sees that changing when farmers and industry have even more confidence in the product.

KEY FACTS:

Owners: Paul and Juanita Marshall

Contract milkers: Peter Jordan

Location: Tuatapere, Southland

Area: 600ha, 522ha effective

Cows: 1250 crossbreds

2021/22 Target production: 465kgMS/ cow (worst case) 485kgMS/cow (best case)

Farm dairies: 2x 54-bail rotary, ACRs, Smart Detect, Protrack, Protrack Heat

camera

Supplement: In-shed feeding, 3kg/cow/ day palm kernel, DDG blend, 10ha Kale (12-14t DM/ha) 30ha Fodder beet (25t DM/ha)

Mating

10 weeks of AB/no bulls

3 weeks, 360 sexed semen straws (55% conception)

6 weeks Premier sires (55% conception)

360 Wagyu straws

3-week submission rate: 89%

Six-week incalf rate: 74%

Empty rate: 11%

BW: 171

PW: 233

Ancestry: 99%

Average DIM 265-270

Above: The team is an integral part of the system when it comes to achieving good mating results. From left: Hanzel Camins, Nispal Thapa, Dave Hisona, Peter Jordan, Paul Marshall, Juanita Marshall, Hunter Prendeville.

Using more sexed semen straws has increased their breeding costs, but that is balanced by using more Wagyu straws. The Wagyu cross calves increase the profit margin from non-replacement calves and fewer bobby calves.

“We have found that we have consistently lower animal health costs along with the value of the higher efficient animals,” Paul says.

Animal health costs nationally tends to be 18c/kg milksolids (MS), and breeding tends to sit around 12c/kg MS.

“Our animal health costs are 12c/kg MS and our breeding costs are 18c/kg MS.

“It’s not that we are underspending on animal health. Our cows actually require very few interventions. Apart from the heifers, (who receive a double PG shot and are AB mated for five days) our mixed-aged cows receive no interventions for mating.”

That means the fertility represented by the herd is genuine, it’s not artificially modified.

“A 10-week mating of all AB means

there is nowhere to hide. If you are prepared to leave the bulls out for 13 or 15 weeks, absolutely you can get your empty rate down, but you will be calving in November. Who wants to do that.”

Paul and Juanita employ their son-inlaw Peter Jordan as contract milker, who is married to their daughter Claire, an environmental planner.

Peter and his team do a great job with the practical side of implementing the mating programme, Paul says.

“The system works really well, but it only works because we have a really skilled operator in terms of Peter and Peter has really good staff.

“That’s an important part of Peter’s management to ensure the right semen goes into the right cow, you certainly can’t be on auto pilot.”

They use sexed semen in just the first three weeks of AB. Cows get one crack with sexed semen, and then depending on where in the cycle they are, they will either get a Premier Sires straw or Wagyu.

They identify top cows ahead of time, as well as cows they don’t want to mate replacements from. Those cows don’t get the opportunity of sexed semen or premier sires - they get Wagyu.

Peter and staff make the call on the day depending on how many cows are on heat. The top BW cows will get the sexed semen straws on offer, then premier sires, then Wagyu.

“Breeding is something Paul and Juanita are really passionate about,” Peter says.

“Our part is implementing it and making sure it is a simple system so anyone in the team is able to make the selection and get it right.”

Both sheds have heat detection cameras and cows are automatically drafted out. Usually there is a staff member standing on the vet stand every morning for up to five weeks, but they have been down a staff member this year so they’ve only done that twice a week, tail painting and putting heat patches back on.

They don’t run bulls because they are

‘What is clear to us and I think it will become increasingly clear to the rest of the industry, is the days are gone when any cow with four good feet and a sound udder is sacred.’

Below From left; Hanzel Camins, Nispal Thapa, Dave Hisona, Peter Jordan, Hunter Prendeville.

expensive and also staff generally don’t like them,’ Paul says.

“By not running bulls and using seven weeks of short gestation length (SGL) semen has effectively shifted our mean calving date from September 1 to August 21. That shift gives us 11 additional days in milk for the herd.

“With bulls capable of delivering -23 days even if you put that semen into a cow that has 282 gestation length, you are still looking at bringing her calving date forward by 11.5 days. That’s huge.”

There is also a real knock on benefit to the six-week incalf rate. Cows have another half cycle to get back into good mating condition, without having to shift the planned start of mating.

When selecting sexed semen and Premier Sire bulls, the Breeding Value (BV) for gestation length has to be negative.

“The herd now has a BV average of -5 for gestation length.”

Other than high Breeding Worth (BW) and a negative BV for gestation length,

Paul and Juanita focus on fertility, ease of calving, negative BV for somatic cell count, and good temperament.

They are aiming to get their replacement rate down to 22% from 24%.

Part of the strategy as the herd improves will be to sell surplus heifers.

Paul believes high genetic merit herds will need to produce as many heifer calves as possible and sell the surplus into herds that haven’t had that same focus on genetic gain.

Paul and Juanita have upgraded their in-shed Protrack systems to MINDA Live which will hopefully be another step forward in efficiency. Another goal is to get the farm as fully self contained as possible. They are conscious of staying above 80% of feed grown at home. They grew 88% of their feed last year, but this season has been drier so they’ve had to import more supplements.

Peter has a real passion for feeding cows well and the cows are in great order and are certainly producing well, Paul says.

salt - it’s amazing

Salt may be one of the most cost-effective methods of increasing production. Research1 has shown that sodium supplementation can give a significant production response.

THE KEY CONCLUSIONS ARE THAT:

• Sodium in some form should be available at all times all year round

• Dairy cows’ salt requirements increase significantly when lactating as large amounts of sodium are excreted in milk

• Young animals in rapid growth need sodium for new tissue formation

• Appetite suppression is linked to sodium deficiency

MAIZE SILAGE

Because maize is a natrophobic crop it does not take up sodium into its stubble or leaves. Maize stubble, stalks and leaves have very low sodium levels which are not capable of providing enough sodium for grazing animals even if the soil they grow on has high levels of sodium.

Maize silage is an excellent source of energy with high digestibility, however it is deficient in crude protein, and the major minerals calcium, magnesium and especially sodium.

“We are moving to feeding another 15% per cow total ration, feeding them more consistently,” Peter says.

“The cows are in much better condition, typically around 4.7 Body Condition Score when we are heading toward dry off which makes a big difference.”

Production has subsequently gone up from 414kg MS/cow to 445/kgMS and this year they are looking to produce 470kg MS/cow.

The higher-performing cows are run through one shed, with the younger and lighter cows through the other.

Peter calves all the cows through one shed, which is an efficient use of resources. Throughout the year the boundary is flexible between the two operations, depending on where the feed is.

When the Dairy Exporter spoke to them in February they had missed out on the rain most of the country had got earlier in the month and were dry so they expected to be short of their production target this year.

Summit Amaize™ is specifically designed to optimise production when using maize silage as it includes salt, calcium and magnesium.

THE original MAIZE BALANCER

1 AgResearch trials at Te Waikite Valley, 2000, Mike O’Conner and Martin Hawke

That cough may be pneumonia

The Only One

When a cow has an infection the body draws blood away from areas such as the ear to fight off the infection.

CowManager is the only monitoring system that measures ear temperature, a critical piece of information used to detect infections early.

neumonia is a common and important disease in pastoral livestock, despite it being reported to be less common here than in housed livestock systems overseas.

Some of the most challenging cases I have been involved with have been animals with severe pneumonia. Whether it is youngstock or cows in the herd, animals should be examined promptly, treated for long enough, and monitored afterwards to assess the long-term impact on their health.

Infection with pneumonia is the result of negative interactions between the animal, their environment and the agents which cause infection.

Exposure to stressors such as weaning, transport, heat stress and cold exposure, dust and nutritional stress all have the potential to reduce the respiratory defences of a cow and lower her immune response, allowing pathogens to gain a foothold in the lungs. Both viruses and bacteria are involved, and it is when bacteria

infect the lungs that we see the most serious disease occur.

Clinical signs of pneumonia include coughing, a rapid rate of breathing (more than 40 breaths per minute) and malaise. Animals often have a rough coat and rapidly drop body condition. A fever may or may not be present.

R1 and R2s are of particular concern for the development of serious disease as they are more likely to have a longer interval between the time they first become sick and when they receive treatment. As the duration of infection lengthens into weeks, pleurisy and lung abscesses form which make it much harder for the animal to fully recover.

The easiest way to identify youngstock with suspected pneumonia is through regular weighing, looking at individual growth rates, and having any poorly growing animals examined. Any animal growing at less than 0.3kg per day will benefit from an examination.

Youngstock which develop pneumonia tend to be thrifty for an extended period after they have been treated, and in some cases they may have ongoing problems such

Lisa Whitfield

Lisa Whitfield

as a persistent cough and failure to carry good condition for the rest of their lives. They may struggle to get in calf, and may not produce well during their first lactation.

Adult cattle are more likely to be found ‘off-milk’ and ‘offcolour’ in the herd. They will often become slow and fall behind when the herd is shifted, or they may hang back when given a fresh break.

Historically a diagnosis of pneumonia was often made through the exclusion of other diseases – auscultation of the lungs with a stethoscope is not always effective at detecting disease. However, ultrasound is a tool which all large animal vets have access to, which can make the diagnosis of pneumonia much easier. Evaluation of the lungs with an ultrasound machine can be performed in a short time, and provides very specific information on whether lung disease is present or not.

Treatment of pneumonia relies on the use of antibiotics and anti-inflammatories. The duration of antibiotic therapy is often dictated by how easy access to the animal is, however, using resolution of clinical signs rather than convenience/ inconvenience will result in better outcomes – the minimum course of therapy would usually be 10 days for mild cases, and in bad cases it could be up to six weeks.

The two main clinical signs to monitor for improvement are respiratory rate and body condition. It is also beneficial to provide a cow-cover for affected animals in winter.

In the long term, pneumonia can result in ongoing problems with ill thrift and poor reproductive outcomes in affected animals, and may result in early culling. Prevention of pneumonia is not easy to achieve – the provision of shelter needs more attention on most dairy farms throughout the country, but there is no quick fix.

The combination of wind and rain provides a particularly good recipe for outbreaks of disease for all livestock. Establishment of good shelterbelts is limited by irrigation systems in many areas. This is an area where it would be great to see more innovation and development invested to find a practical solution for our pasture-based stock.

In 2012 MPI funded a four and a half year study * to test the effectiveness of BioBrew’s CalfBrew® probiotic supplement on calves.

Early results showed that the use of the fresh, intact probiotic increased the rate of calf growth by up to 10%. As adults, the treated calves produced significantly more milk solids and were also less likely to die and more likely to remain in the herd.

Ultimately, the benefits associated with CalfBrew® equated to a 14 to 1 return on investment, showing that use of a fresh probiotic on calves has both short-term and long-term benefits for both stock and farmers.

BioBrew’s CalfBrew® is a fresh, live and active probiotic and the finest microbial tool available. It is designed to bring your calves, lambs, and kids through their first year in optimum condition at a truly affordable price. Visit

• Lisa Whitfield, is a Manawatu production animal veterinarian.

It is also beneficial to provide a cow-cover for affected animals in winter.

Monitoring helps hit targets

Benchmarking has helped the Woods keep their Pirinoa farm in top form, Jackie Harrigan reports.

Monthly benchmarking and tweaking for continual improvement of physical and financial performance has helped South Wairarapa dairy farm owners Donald and Pat Wood hit all of their dairy farming targets.

For Donald and Pat Wood, their aims were clear when they went dairy farming, that the family farm, Paharakeke, now running 350 cows, would provide a business to grow their equity and be freehold by the time they came to retire.

Donald got started early, forming a partnership with his father (who had been a dairy factory worker before joining the family farm) and his mother, one third each, in 1970. The 160-hectare Pirinoa property is half hilly and half flat, with three gullies running up to the Aorangi Forest Park on the ridgeline and an effective area of 110ha. With an average annual rainfall of 1000mm, the Pirinoa area is prone to summer dry and the Woods’ installed irrigation 10 years ago, then expanded it five years later with a bore to cover 45ha to mitigate against the dry periods.

Donald says his style of farming was to take into account the farm is not easy country with the hills at the back, so he and Pat have always concentrated on profitability and not just per-cow performance.

“It’s not a horse race,” he says.

Benchmarking his physical and financial

progress against other farmers has been a driver for him and Pat, made easier in the early 1990’s and the early days of farm comparison by engaging with Baker Ag Co and farm advisor Chris Lewis.

“We were one of the original clients on what became the Dairy System Monitoring programme when it started in 1999, we brought two properties into the group as we had bought another farm in 1993.”

“It’s been really really good, we can see monthly where we are sitting in the group - if we fall below the middle rankings I always ask myself why?”

“Of course it’s nice to be at the top - and we have been there a couple of times over the years - but generally I make sure I keep an eye on the costs and see how they flow through to the EBIT figures.”

Pat says the monthly input report is easy to fill in and send to the BakerAg office to generate the monthly report.

“We give them a monthly snapshot of what’s happening on the farm - things like the numbers of cows milking, milksolids, growth rates, feeding regime and pasture covers - it’s easy to fill in.”

A few days later the physical indices are matched with data from the farm’s financials and the model sends out a report comparing each farm on the programme for farm performance indices including EBIT/ha, operating cost/kg MS, pasture harvested in tonnes drymatter/ha, season’s feed costs/kg MS, cow efficiency in terms of kg milksolids/kg liveweight and giving an

overall ranking. Here is where Donald has concentrated his analysis of his business - always keeping an eye on seasonal differences but watching the rankings, and always looking at his costs in relation to others.

He also appreciates the monthly update table for his Paharakeke farm. The physical indices around pasture grown and used, milksolids produced, supplements and off-farm grazing employed and nitrogen use per ha allow him to track his season to date progress alongside the targeted budgets and operating costs per kg MS and ha can help keep his costs down.

A recent addition has been the greenhouse gas numbers, introduced to the report to help the group’s farmers understand their numbers and then think about the GHG use efficiency by tracking CO2 equivalents per kg MS.

The report also contains timely remarks from the consultants crunching the data - reflecting something that might be happening on the farm or drawing Donald’s attention to an upcoming issue.

The real strength of the programme is that the information is live, showing what is happening in the current season, making it a proactive business planning tool, Donald says.

Now in their seventies and having built a portfolio of dairying interests, Donald and Pat are still involved on the Paharakeke farm, but have enjoyed having 50:50 sharemilkers Eddie and Janine Bosch join

them in their business over the past four years. The younger couple in their late 20s have also embraced the benchmarking system, and pay half of the cost with Donald and Pat.

“We get much more value out of the information than the money we pay for it,” Eddie says.

Eddie runs a System 3 operation, with the mainly Jersey herd they purchased from the Woods producing 140,000kg MS/year (1272kg MS/ha) and around 400kg MS/cow.

“We have managed to lift the production from 110,000 kg MS using silage and hay from the runoff and using 60-80t of bought-in supplement of palm kernel and dried distillers grain.”

Pasture only until November, Eddie then feeds DDG and palm kernel through November and December to cover a feed deficit there, switching to grass silage (made on the runoff) fed from Christmas through to April-May if short, alongside the 8-10ha of turnips grown on the platform.

Eddie says the power of the DSM programme with the Farmax model behind it enabled him to model an alternate feed shift away from maize silage to palm kernel and DDG and homegrown grass silage.

“We were able to enter in the inputs of different feed types, with their nutritional components and the quantity of the feed and Farmax was able to model a pretty accurate scenario of the increase or decrease in terms of production, and the impacts on cow condition, reproduction and health benefits.

“The modelling showed if the system

CONSTANT CHANGES TO DAIRY SYSTEM MONITORING

Dairy System Monitoring (DSM) was developed in 1999 as New Zealand dairy farming started asking important questions about farm systems, affordability of higher feeding levels and relative profitability across farms.

The Pirinoa (south Wairarapa) discussion group challenged Chris Lewis of BakerAg to develop a way to provide apples-for-apples comparison of physical and financial performance for different farms.

Twenty-two years later the tool that was developed has become a comprehensive service.

Interestingly two essential points embedded in the original tool have remained and are an important point of difference when compared to other benchmarking tools.

DSM is a tool to analyse the current season being farmed - not looking backwards at what has happened but looking out the front windscreen.

DSM is NOT anonymous. Members, with agreed rules around confidentiality, see each other’s information – with names at the top of each column.

“It’s tough love and no hiding from the microscope,” Lewis says.

With this tool/service participants could see how they were performing against planned results, why there are

differences and what their peers were achieving. Changes to the original reporting via spreadsheets came in the early 2000s when Macfarlane Rural Business joined and investment was made in the DSM website which collated the data and generated the reports.

The next tranche of development was to join Farmax up with the DSM website. The power of this collective technology meant farm models and scenario planning was empowered by valid data. Farm-to-farm comparison can be within a consultancy firm, and across a group of participating firms, across a region, by farm system type and virtually any grouping of farms.

“This huge pool of in-season farm system information, with like analysis, gives vital insights into what makes for successful farm systems today,” Lewis says.

“The data collected in a consistent manner across firms and the monthly nature of the reporting process means a constant stream of decision-support information, analysis and reporting including environmental indices.”

Other consultancy firms have since joined this collective and DSM is transitioning over to ownership by Farmax as they step up to lead the next stage of development.

Left: Sharemilkers Eddie and Janine Bosch bought the Jersey herd from the farm owners Donald and Pat Wood when they started working for them four years ago.

change would be profitable and at what level of milk payout it would become profitable - that has been really valuable at a management level between us as sharemilkers and the farm owners and we were able to make the sensitive system change with a level of certainty that it was going to work.”

Eddie also appreciates the ability to compare the farm system with other operations and with many previous season’s results from Paharakeke.

“Using previous seasons’ farm information with budgeted data we are able to combine that and form a plan on what quantity of feed and pasture we will have or need for the remainder of the season and what the levels of milk production we will be at.”

“Because the programme continually updates and compares our budget to what

we are actually doing it’s a way to be ahead of the markets if we are looking at bringing in extra feed or at changing our cost structure.”

“It is such a great tool to have so that we can compare with other farm businesses on a monthly basis as to what their physical data is vs cost/ cow, kg MS or kg/ha. And it’s live information as it’s updated monthly.”

Eddie and Janine are expecting their first child this month and plan to stay sharemilking with the Woods as long as possible, while taking an opportunity to invest in a farm ownership partnership on another property.

“I can see the DSM monitoring will be really helpful for potentially tracking another farm business performance from a distance as well.”

Comments: Production tapering off gradually through summer. Turnips and PKE provided a safety net for production and pasture cover through January into February. The model says that APC should hold at 2000kgDM/ ha through to May with 2-3kg supplement in the diet. 20t of turnips are planned to be finished mid-March. Is this still realistic? If not, silage feeding could be bought forward into March. Cost control appears to be exceptional and a strong profit forecast as a result.

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Table 1: February 2022 monthly update report for Paharakeke farm

Opening doors to international dairy workers

Words by: Tim Mackle

executive

We know finding enough staff to keep our farms going is one of dairy farmers’ biggest current concerns. The Government recently announced another 300 international dairy farm workers will be allowed into New Zealand this year.

This adds to the 200 places dairy was given in 2021.

Given the dairy sector requested Government allow 1500 dairy workers into NZ in 2022, we are disappointed with just 300 places being granted. DairyNZ is continuing to advocate strongly on farmers’ behalf for more international workers.

The staff shortage is putting significant pressure on many farmers and farm workers, as well as creating risks around health and safety, and animal welfare. It’s been a tough time for many.

Apply now for international staff

If you aren’t able to fill farm positions with Kiwis, it’s worthwhile applying now to

bring an international worker in through the border exception. It’s very unlikely we will see another chance to recruit international workers before this calving. If the nomination criteria is met, then applications operate on a first-in firstserved basis – so now is the time to act to bring someone onboard for calving.

Workers on the class exception visa can undertake any dairy farm role, including working as a farm assistant. Farm assistants need to be paid $28 per hour.

Significantly, the Government also announced that international workers no longer need to isolate or stay in MIQ, which speeds the process and reduces costs.

With these changes, and more clarity about the criteria, we hope to see more farmers sponsoring international workers to come to NZ to help relieve some of the pressure on farms.

DairyNZ is continuing its drive to attract Kiwis. We recently launched a new ‘Join Us’ campaign aiming to connect dairy

farmers and New Zealanders, and inviting Kiwis to get a dairy job – see www.godairy. co.nz for more detail.

It’s been great to see we’ve had lots of interest from Kiwis in this new campaign, and strong support from farmers.

Sponsoring an international worker

The new class exception will allow 300 international dairy workers to enter NZ. Employers must apply to DairyNZ to nominate a worker, and then have a class exception visa granted by Immigration New Zealand.

A 2021 class exception is already open for applications which allows 200 dairy workers to enter the country, and has nearly been filled. Remaining places in the 2021 exception will be filled before the 2022 exception.

For both class exceptions, workers are able to enter NZ from March 5, 2022, without isolating or using MIQ.

A limited number of dairy workers may be eligible to enter under other criteria –for more information on all the options see www.dairynz.co.nz/border

DairyNZ chief

Tim Mackle, Dairy NZ chief executive

Now is the time to apply for international workers through the dairy class exception scheme.

Fuelling our bodies

Are we on a downhill to nowhere if we keep working without balancing the hard yakka we do each day with food and sleep, asks Jane Fowles.

Iread a news article the other day about an older farming couple which referenced the husband’s mentality that hard work with long hours would make it all okay in the end.

I’ve had lots of chats with wives of husbands working harvest in the last few weeks, not seeing their husbands for hours, and then seeing them refuel their body with their trusty can of energy drink (anyone who knows me knows I shudder at this image!).

Jane Fowles.

The same story can be told over and over for calving, harvest, shearing… the list continues. Our country has a “work hard, play hard” mentality, where she’ll be right if I put the hard work in.

Does this really work? Is that what keeps the engine room ticking? Or are we on a downhill to nowhere if we keep working without complementing the hard yakka we do each day onfarm? There are two very important focuses that we need to get some discipline and structure about. Get the balance right with these and we’re going to be the best version of ourselves.

Food

Food is our fuel, so we need to make sure we are having good, regular meals and snacks to give us the energy to keep going. When we are busy or tired, food planning and healthy options often take a back seat, but that is the very time they are the most important.

A coffee for breakfast, a pie for lunch and then who knows what for dinner, will not sustain the energy we need each day to fire on all cylinders.

I remember speaking to a young dairy farm worker a few years ago. His breakfast that day had been cake, he had an energy drink for lunch and was hoping Mum would leave him a plate of dinner when he went to visit her after work. He told me he was feeling tired, I didn’t have to wonder why!

Practical strategies to help are:

• Cook once and eat twice (cook a double or triple batch and freeze the remainder).

• Cook as a team and share servings around everyone. You never know, you might teach someone to cook along the way.

• Eat small and often so that you are regularly getting some fuel into your body.

• Stock up on good food that lasts a while.

• Keep some good snack options at the shed or workshop for when you must eat on the run.

• Skip the energy drink. A medical professional will tell you that when you drink these, it will spike the sugar/ your heart rate, then whatever goes up must come down. This means by 3pm you want another one to deal with the flat you’re experiencing.

• Buy a decent water bottle and drink water throughout the day (the water in coffee doesn’t count, before you ask).

Sleep

Sleep resets our brain. Lack of it leads to fatigue and this leads to increased risk-taking, poor communication, poor judgement as well as impatience and irritability. I think we all know the sage advice that no good decisions are made after 3pm.

Sleep is relatively easy to get at this time of the year, but it’s this time of the year where we need to set the habits for the busy times. Plus, a decent rest before the custard hits the beater helps us put our best foot forward.

Days off are crucial at any time of the year and the importance of what we do on those days cannot be overlooked. I once got a story about a farm worker who had a solid 5/2 roster with good hours each day, but she had reported feeling fatigued.

After speaking to her it was discovered that she had been working five days at her job, then going to work for her partner on her days off on his farm. Not an ideal recipe!

How do we sleep better?

• Try and get a solid routine of when you go to bed each day.

• Minimise background noise when you do go off to bed and regulate the room temperature.

• If you struggle to get to sleep, try learning a relaxation technique.

• A wise person once told me, associate the bedroom with sleepin’ (or lovin’!). Don’t game in bed, watch TV, or scroll the socials. This way, when you get into bed your brain will associate bed with sleep and you’ll start to switch off quicker.

• Keep up the water, reduce the caffeine.

• Consider how much alcohol you’re drinking – research shows us any alcohol consumed in the evening affects how we sleep. While one here and there won’t do us any harm, if we’re regularly consuming each evening, this will affect our ability to enter a deep restorative sleep.

• Try and write your to-do list before bed for the next day, so you don’t wake up thinking of things that need to be done mid-way through the night.

• Don’t short-change yourself on sleep too often, you’ll accumulate a sleep debt that you can’t ever repay.

All sounds straightforward, doesn’t it? So, take a moment, reflect on your last seven days. How many hours did you get each night? What fuelled the body? When did you struggle to get to sleep? When were you so tired you fell asleep on the couch watching TV? When did you decide something and then think, gee shouldn’t have done that? Then, take that and think about your next 14 days. Pick one thing, go to bed earlier, drink more water… start there. Stick to it – what do you notice?

• Jane Fowles is head of People and Culture with Dairy Holdings

A coffee for breakfast, a pie for lunch and then who knows what for dinner, will not sustain the energy we need each day to fire on all cylinders.

We’ve all been there – that sound of silence after the cups hit the deck and the dairy is plunged into darkness.

The power is off.

A quick look across the paddocks shows the lights have gone off at your house and at the neighbour’s dairy too.

So it’s not something wrong with your dairy, and it’s not the pole fuse that’s blown.

How long the power is going to be out is always the big question. Whether it’s because of high winds and a branch falling on the lines, a car accident taking out a power pole or flooding – losing power in the dairy is something you don’t want to happen.

Cows need to be milked, milk needs to be cooled and, in a rotary, cows need to get off the platform.

Your first call should always be to your electricity company to find out how long the power is going to be out for. This should be one of

Whenthe lights

go out

your numbers stored on your phone along with the electrician, vet and all the other emergency numbers.

If it’s going to be half an hour or less, drink your coffee which hopefully you’ve got waiting for you in a thermos. If it’s longer than that you’ve got some tough decisions to make. And having a generator on farm, or one you know you can get your hands on quickly nearby, makes life a lot easier.

If you hope to hire one, pray that it’s not a region-wide outage because they will be in short supply.

But hiring a generator is not a quick-fix solution. It needs to be the right size and you’ll need your electrician to wire it in safely.

And the electrician needs to match the phase rotation of the generator to the phase rotation of the dairy or your rotary platform will go the wrong way round, your water pumps will not pump properly and could burn out and the backing gate will go backwards instead of forward.

If the power goes out often on your farm, or there is the potential for storms to take out the electricity lines for days, then investing in an on-farm generator could be a lifesaver for the future.

And if you have a rotary, there is only one way to get the cows out of the dairy and that is with electricity to drive the platform motors.

If you still have a rotary which works on hydraulics, you can hook it up to your tractor hydraulics, but there are few dairies like this left.

Generators can be powered by petrol, diesel or through the PTO shaft on your tractor, which is then powered by petrol or diesel.

It all comes down to the grunt you need, or in other words, the size and type of your dairy.

Hooking up older and smaller herringbone dairies, those which don’t have centrifugal milk pumps, directly to your tractor PTO works fine but newer dairies, and rotaries, need the extra power a generator can provide.

Generators that run off a PTO

If mains power is cut, dairy farms need back-up power. Story and photos by Karen Trebilcock.

are cheaper to buy as they don’t need a motor – the motor is your tractor.

And they’re usually guaranteed to start – all you have to do is turn on your tractor. An engine-driven generator, if not well maintained and started regularly, can be frustrating.

Turn on your tractor and set the tractor revolutions at 51 hertz per the PTO generator frequency meter. Set the hertz at 51 rather than 50 so that if something else is turned on in the dairy it’s less likely to cause the generator problems.

The size of a generator is determined by its kVA. A kVA is 1000 volt-amps which is what you get when you multiply the voltage (the force that moves electrons around a circuit) by the amps (electrical current or electron flow).

Kilovolt-amps measure what’s known as the “apparent power” of a generator which is different to kilowatts (kW) which measure the “true power”. An easy formula is to multiply the KVA by 0.72 to get the approximate kilowatts.

The tractor running the generator needs to be about 1.5 times the

generator capacity so a 50kVA generator needs a 75hp tractor and should be enough to milk 250 cows through an older herringbone.

However, most electricians and generator suppliers recommend tractor horsepower should be double the kilowatt output of the generator to manage the various mechanical losses in the single-phase system and to have the tractor operating economically.

But this is a discussion to have with your electrician because in modern dairies there are not only cows to milk and a rotary platform to go round, there are drafting systems, milk meters, lights, yard scrapers, milk cooling and hot water cylinders heating water for the wash.

And don’t forget your electric fences and the pumps that feed your water troughs and effluent system.

Some of these can be turned off, so less grunt is needed. If the power is out due to flooding or snow and the tanker is not going to make it up the road for days, there is probably not a lot of need to cool your milk.

And you might get away with a cold

wash, instead of the routine hot wash, or heat the water after the cows are milked.

If using your tractor’s PTO, make sure all belts, pulleys and the PTO have guards before use to keep everything safe. If it’s raining, keep it under cover because water and electricity don’t mix.

In most modern dairies, a generator powered by a tractor will not cut it and you need to have the real thing. At least the price for them has come down dramatically in recent years.

Your dairy should have a change-over switch, installed by your electrician, for an alternative power supply. This keeps everything safe for when the power comes back on unannounced.

Think about fumes and noise. Position generators away from work areas as much as possible and have a wall at least between them and where you’re milking.

Practise regularly operating the dairy using the alternative power supply so everyone is familiar with the switchover procedures. It will also check the equipment is working as it should.

Make sure you keep the maintenance up on your generator. The oil needs to be changed as per the instructions and generators should be kept in a dust-free environment as much as possible. A yearly service is a good idea.

As well, make sure you have enough fuel for your generator onfarm at all times to last a possible power outage.

And while you’re thinking about all of this, don’t let your coffee get cold.

If the power goes out often on your farm, or there is the potential for storms to take out the electricity lines for days, then investing in an onfarm generator could be a lifesaver for the future.

A diesel-powered generator permanently wired into a rotary dairy.

more than 55% of the grain it uses for livestock feed productio n While our umber of countries, the price we pay is determined by global supply and Russia are huge grain producers. Together they account for about 25% of the rley exports.

largest exporter of sunflower seed, second for canola and third for maize while unflowers and sixth for maize. The war in Ukraine will have an obvious impact hile global sanctions will impact w and export grain. The combined ghtening of stocks and markets have ing futures prices.

Control your feed costs

Getting good advice

Record high milk prices represent an opportunity for farmers who can costeffectively increase their milk production. They also represent a risk because high imported feed prices mean it will be very easy to spend more on supplements than you will get back in milk return, writes Wade Bell, Farm Systems Manager with the New Zealand Feed Manufacturers Association, 2020.

like palm kernel, which have the grains in livestock feed rations, have wards. The freight cost to get them to he rise in crude oil prices. The spot has just passed $500/tonne ex-port. ate to a delivered price close to M)

Many farmers are trying to work out what they should do about securing feed for the 2022/23 season. While nobody has a crystal ball, it is useful to understand some of the factors which have driven feed prices to record levels.

ore maize silage is a cost-effective s the time to think about how it might stem. Most dairy farmers can grow a ent paddock for 15-20c/kg DM or lease land where a full fertiliser price rises to 20-27c/kg DM. Even gone pasture” is considered, maize st-effective option.

Whether you’re running a Dairy Awards-winning farm or on your way to having one, surrounding yourself with people to advise on and support your business goals can make all the difference.

It’s important to have unbiased, trustworthy, and skilled advisers in your corner to support your on-farm management decisions; to offer clear and structured financial guidance, work with you on technical/ structural or succession plans, or help you recognise risks and opportunities.

New Zealand imports more than 55% of the grain it uses for livestock feed production. While our grain comes from a number of countries, the price we pay is determined by global supply and demand. Ukraine and Russia are huge grain producers. Together they account for about 25% of the world’s wheat and barley exports.

Ukraine is the world’s largest exporter of sunflower seed, second for canola and third for maize while Russia is second for sunflowers and sixth for maize. The war in Ukraine will have an obvious impact on planted acreage while global sanctions will impact Russia’s ability to grow and export grain. The combined effect is a predicted tightening of stocks and markets have already reacted by lifting futures prices.

Prices for byproducts like palm kernel, which have the potential to displace grains in livestock feed rations, have also been dragged upwards. The freight cost to get them to NZ has lifted due to the rise in crude oil prices. The spot price for palm kernel has just passed $500/ tonne ex-port. For many this will equate to a delivered price close to 60c/kg drymatter (DM).

Growing or buying more maize silage is a cost-effective alternative and now is the time to think about how it might work for your farm system.

“A successful farm business can’t rely on a ‘she’ll be right’ mindset these days. We all know that it’s a lot of hard work,” says Philip Macey from Baker Tilly Staples Rodway.

uy in maize silage There is a well-established network of contract growers in ice of maize silage is much lower th an imported alternatives.

Most dairy farmers can grow a maize crop in an effluent paddock for 15-20c/kg DM stacked.

On a run-off or lease land where a full fertiliser input is required, the price rises to 20-27c/kg DM. Even after the cost of “foregone pasture” is considered, maize silage is still a very cost-effective option.

Another option is to buy in maize silage. There is a well-established network of contract growers in most areas and the price of maize silage is much lower than imported alternatives.

If you are thinking about growing (or buying) a bit of extra maize in 2022-23 talk to your local merchant or contractor so they can lock in your crop inputs as soon as possible. If you would like to talk to a Pioneer Farm Systems specialist about how maize silage could work for you, give us a call on 0800 PIONEER.

“So, being able to provide structured guidance, dive into the financials or have a yarn about the milk solids price to increase the likelihood of success is what gets our agriadvisors up in the morning.”

Many of the Baker Tilly team are farmers too, which is part of the reason they support the Dairy Industry Awards. They recognise the value of this industry and want to see the next generation come through with more skills, knowledge and tools to help them succeed.

With support from the ultimate trio of your bank, lawyer and business advisor, you’ll be free to focus on the things you enjoy and work out what needs your time and attention on the farm.

Agri-business advisers are quite specialised. They’re more than just accountants, and they can help you understand all the numbers and how best to use them.

Whether it’s cashflow or paying staff, working out milksolids payouts, investing in more feed or equipment, managing your tax obligations, or using new software to manage the day-to-day, Baker Tilly agriadvisers are there to skilfully guide your decision making.

Phil Macey.

Piako Tractors adds dealerships

Matamata Tractors and its owner Kevin Morey have amalgamated with Piako Tractors, adding one of New Zealand’s biggest Massey Ferguson dealers to Piako’s buying power, plus decades of experience and relationships.

As a part of this, Kevin Morey is now also co-owner of Piako’s Rotorua branch. Further north, Piako Tractors’ Morrinsville branch is a real powerhouse and has increased the company’s extensive offering of tractors and machinery. Continued investment at Morrinsville has added other great customer benefits,

Wireless technology makes weighing stock easier

Cables crushed in gates, chewed by rodents or damaged by stock are a thing of the past for dairy farmers with Gallagher’s new Wireless Loadbars.

The first of its kind on the market, this innovative new tool is providing them with a completely wireless solution for weighing animals and eliminating the most common failure point of livestock weighing systems - their cables. Gallagher Product Manager Farm Technologies Brian Rose says the Wireless Loadbars remove the need for cables and can also turn dairy farmers’ phones into a digital livestock weighing system.

“We’re pretty proud about the fact that we develop products that are driven by farmer demand. And the Wireless Loadbars are no exception.

“Farmers told us they wanted loadbars without the annoying cables, which often failed due to damage caused by things outside their control. Many also said that the cables were a potential trip hazard.

“Farmers also told us they struggled with moving weighing platforms from farm to farm to weigh stock on different properties

because the cables were an absolute nuisance,” says Brian.

So, the Gallagher team got to work. They spent hundreds of hours perfecting the product’s design and functionality to give farmers a tool that could add real value to their business and make their lives a whole lot easier.

“Dairy farmers are pretty savvy now with Bluetooth and Wireless EID readers. They asked us to get rid of the cables on our loadbars, so we did!” says Brian.

“Our biggest challenge was developing a product with battery power that could last the distance out in the field.

“We addressed that by incorporating a new low-power battery design, for careful power management. The result is a long-life battery that will last up to 10 years before it needs replacing.”

The Wireless Loadbars’ clever design also means that when the battery needs to be replaced, the farmer is notified via their weigh scale or phone app, and it can simply be unclipped and a new one plugged in.

The Wireless Loadbars form part of Gallagher’s broader weighing and EID

like a new parts delivery van and inhouse air conditioning servicing unit ensure improved after sales service.

Piako Tractors has also acquired an extremely well-known and respected business in Whangarei, Bryant Tractors. Bryant Tractors is one of the longestserving AGCO dealerships in the country and comes with all of that brand and local knowledge.

Murray Bale, the previous owner and operator of Bryant Tractors is now coowner of the newly branded Piako Tractors Northland and adds a huge amount of depth to the business overall.

range. When coupled with Gallagher’s Animal Performance mobile app, it gives dairy farmers a digital herd weighing system in the palm of their hand.

“The Wireless Loadbars are a simple tool for dairy farmers wanting hassle-free weighing and data transferred straight to their phones,” says Brian.

“They work well as an entry level tool for farmers on smaller dairy platforms, but they can also be coupled with our Touch Screen Weigh Scales for a more complete professional weighing solution.”

In larger operations with big herds, farmers don’t always want to have their phones sitting out in the yards. In that situation, they can use Gallagher’s TW or TWR Weigh Scale range together with the Wireless Loadbars.

They then transfer the data to Gallagher’s Animal Performance web and mobile app at the end of a weighing session.

Part of the Piako Tractors range of machinery on offer.

Gallagher’s Brian Rose with a Wireless Loadbar.

50 years ago in the Dairy Exporter April

As NZ Dairy Exporter counts down to its centenary in 2025, we look back at the issues of earlier decades. 50 Years Ago – April 1972.

PAYOUT LIMITATION IS A POSSIBLE STEP

The scheme to limit end-of-year payouts by dairy companies this year, which has been accepted by the Dairy Board, is an important practical step towards restraining inflationary pressures on the New Zealand economy. The Board has continually stressed the need for such restraint, and in endorsing this scheme it gave a lead to other sectors of the economy.

Although there has been some criticism of the Board’s decision, reported comments from around the country indicate wide acceptance of it within the industry as a sensible and responsible step in the light of the prevailing economic climate. The scheme will limit payouts to milk suppliers by a formula which should permit most dairy companies to pay out not less than 47c, with some reaching a permissible maximum of 50c, per lb of milkfat at the farm shed, depending on the profitability of the product manufactured and the efficiency of the particular company.

The effect of the limitation is estimated to retain in the hands of dairy companies between $60 million and $70 million.

A proportion of this will be available for dairy companies to redeem loans made by the Board or to carry out new capital works, or for other works that may be approved by the Dairy Industry Loan Council.

WIDE RANGING NZ DELEGATIONS EXPLORE THE MARKETS

Markets in 30 countries will have been explored by delegations from the N.Z. Dairy Board in a period of only three

months this year. It is a striking indication of the vigorous sales approach being adopted by the Board in markets around the world.

The delegations, including Board members as well as marketing and technical officers of the Board, will have ranged widely over Africa, India, Southeast Asia, South America, Central America and the Caribbean.

NEWSTEAD GROWS

The Newstead artificial breeding centre near Hamilton has been extended by 150 acres with the purchase of an adjoining property at present used by a town milk supply farm. The additional area, across a road to the north of the Newstead complex, brings the size of the Dairy Board’s holding there to 287 acres of freehold and 112 acres of leasehold, a total of 399 acres.

The Board’s Director of Farm Production, Mr J. W. Stichbury, says the increased area will allow greater flexibility of AB operations at Newstead. The scope of the centre’s activities have been restricted by a shortage of land. The new property will serve a number of purposes, including scope for performance testing of beef bulls. It will enable bulls to be brought in from a run-off property younger than at present to avoid injuries that tend to be a problem in the bulls last year on the run-off.

METRIC TRIALS

Trials involving butter packaging and various pallet sizes and materials are continuing as part of the preparation for the introduction of metric weights into the dairy industry. Experimental work with

25kg butter cartons has shown that, unless the butter is cooled adequately, there is a tendency for some cartons to bulge and partially collapse when palletised for container use.

This means that further investigation is necessary and it will include a look at many technical aspects.

The present 40lb and 60lb cheese cartons are not suited to palletised loading, says the Dairy Industry Advisory Committee.

RULES FOR BRUCELLOSIS TESTING

The brucellosis eradication programme calls for all female cattle over 18 months and all bulls over six months to be tested in those area where compulsory testing is to apply. Dairy cattle reactors to the test must be slaughtered within 30 days.

Cattle will be retested at intervals of not less than 60 days after the first test. These will continue throughout the season until there is a clear test. Compensation is payable on dairy and beef cattle which react to a test.The farmer receives $8 for bull between six months and 12 months and $16 for bulls and heifers aged 12 months and over.

In addition he receives the carcase value of the animal.

• Thanks to the Hocken Library, Dunedin.

Cover photo: A fine Jersey herd grazing on the farm of Mr N. Lawrence, at Waharoa in the Waikato

WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT COPPER ― OR THE LACK OF IT. NZ’S COPPER DEFICIENCY IS COSTING NZ AND YOU.

Copper is vital for life and essential for growth, reproduction and immune function. Naturally occurring copper is low in New Zealand agricultural systems and it’s because of this that it’s vitally important to supplement copper in livestock. This is particularly important with your young cattle to ensure they enter the herd in peak condition with strong bones, a strong immune system and ready for a productive life.

Talk to your vet about everything you need to know about NZ’s copper deficiency and the best way to manage it for long term gains.

Dr. Abi Chase

Boehringer Ingelheim