Dairy Farmer May 2022

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Finding a good balance A Central Hawke’s Bay couple find the right system for them PLUS:

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CONTENTS NEWS 17 Milk Monitor Dairy prices soften

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18 IHC calf scheme Initiative celebrates 40 years of donations

ON FARM STORY 8

Learning from experience Central Hawke’s Bay couple learns from the past

20 A numbers game A Taranaki farmer’s top Ayrshire herd

FARMING CHAMPIONS 7

Guest column – Andrew Hoggard

28 Women in agribusiness – Claire Burgess

FEATURES 40 Training and education 52 Better bulls better calves

REGULAR FEATURES 32 Technology 36 Industry good – DairyNZ

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COVER STORY A Central Hawke’s Bay couple find the right system for them

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6

DAIRY FARMER

May 2022

GUEST COLUMN

Spend wisely or pay at ballot box

By Andrew Hoggard

The general election is still more than a year away, but the economy is likely to come under close scrutiny from voters.

I “

t’s the economy, stupid.”

That’s a phrase attributed to the 1992 Clinton campaign and explains how a relatively unknown Democratic contender beat out the sitting President who had just overseen a highly successful military campaign, which left most people assuming he would waltz back in. But, like Churchill at the end of World War 2, the voters focused on the economy not past wartime exploits.

New Zealand’s current government would do well to remember these examples from history, and there is probably another column I could write on why it’s important to learn about the history of all the planet for lessons for the future, not just navel gaze into our own.

“I strongly believe the threat of inflation is front and centre for a lot of farmers, knowing full well that where inflation goes interest rates follow.”

So, while this current government was re-elected with huge support in what you might describe as a wartime election in 2020 – the war on covid – 2023 will be back to the economy, which is not looking that rosy.

The recent Federated Farmers farm confidence survey painted a rather gloomy picture. It was at a record low and the number one thing on farmers minds was, you guessed it, the economy. You might think that sounds preposterous given the good prices farmers are generally getting. However, I strongly believe the threat of inflation is front and centre for a lot of farmers, knowing full well that where inflation

DAIRY FARMER

May 2022

goes interest rates follow.

While the CPI rate has been 5.9% the rate of inflation for key agricultural components has been eye watering; fertiliser in particular was high even before the war in Ukraine. When not controlled, inflation can lead to things going downhill at an exponential rate.

Recent history provides many examples of this, I recall having to pay 50,000 Zimbabwean dollars for a burger and beer at Victoria Falls 20 years ago.

There are a number of global factors at play which are beyond our government’s ability to control, however, there are factors that they can influence. These are the fiscal and regulatory levers they can pull.

On the fiscal side it’s ensuring that spending is quality-focused, not just splashed around. We said this to the Parliament’s Finance Select Committee recently; the response was “well, what would you cut?”. The gist of which was implying that to rein in spending meant cutting things out of health, education, policing and other stuff we all want.

While I’m pretty sure there are spending cuts that could be made in those areas, it would be with the Wellington-based bureaucracy not with the core services.

We all see plenty of examples of government spending that would be questionable: $1.9 billion spent on mental health with no discernible outcomes; $50 million on the cycle bridge to nowhere; the doubling of the number of ‘spin doctors’ employed by government; and let’s not even get started on the covid relief grants from the Ministry of Culture and Heritage.

This is all borrowed money, it is money my children and probably their children will need to repay at some point.

On the regulatory front there are a number of areas where the government

Federated Farmers president Andrew Hoggard says the state of the economy will be a big focus for voters when the general election comes around.

policy, in my view, is going to hamper business and likely drive up inflation as well.

First and foremost is the RMA reform that is currently going on. We have real concerns that instead of being improved, the RMA replacement legislation is actually going to be made worse, quite frankly.

Then there’s the seeming unwillingness to allow migrants into the country, at a time in which businesses are screaming out for staff. Again this leads to less productivity, and less ability to add value from New Zealand firms and produce, all leading to less export earnings for NZ, meaning as a country we have less ability to purchase.

The fair pay agreements legislation is almost like back to the future, however, instead of starting off in 1985, we are returning to 1984 and all the failures of the Muldoon government.

Unless we as a country ensure that government spending is focused on quality spend on core services and regulatory changes are properly thought through and impacts understood, then we face some very tough times ahead economically. n

7

Jono and Kelli Robson are 50:50 sharemilkers on a 119-hectare farm at Waipukurau, milking 350 cows.

Learning from experience Hawke’s Bay couple find the ‘winning formula’ to work-life balance.

By Samantha Tennent

A team of mostly girls and an unconventional roster has been a winning combo for a Central Hawke’s Bay couple and their sharemilking business.

T

he experience of hitting dairying too hard and too fast when he was younger, led to a Central Hawke’s Bay farmer to walk away from the industry but the call of the land was too strong to stay away.

Jono and Kerri Robson are 50:50 sharemilkers on a 119-hectare farm at Waipukurau milking 350 cows.

From his experiences, Jono knew how unfavourable the traditional roster can be so when he and Kerri first started employing staff, they tried the 12-and2 roster concept but found that to be undesirable as well.

Shifting to 6-and-2 was also challenging, making it hard to know who was meant to be where and when and they struggled to maintain their own life.

“I left school at 15 and grew up through the industry, which wasn’t easy or smooth sailing,” Jono explains.

“And after trying a few tactics as employers, we identified Kerri and I needed time during the week for things like meetings, farm maintenance and stuff with the kids.

“There are always things that pop up, so we need our weeks to be relatively flexible.”

They sat down with their team to discuss what could work and come up with a solution that would work for everyone. As a team they decided that 5-and-2 could work well, especially as they all had children. So this season,

they have had two full-time staff during the week, Tash and Toyah, who predominantly take care of the milkings, and Jono and their relief manager Kylie alternate weekend shifts.

This was their first season under the new roster and they have found it frees up Jono for other farm work and managing the support block.

“It has gone fabulously,” Kerri says.

“Our wage bill hasn’t been impacted much and the work we’re getting done outweighs it anyway.”

One of the girls had no background in dairying and started as a relief milker when the couple first moved to the Waipukurau farm. She then approached them about opportunities for more work.

“We keep our expectations clear, but there’s also flexibility if they need a mental health day or the kids are sick or something, they know they don’t have to be here,” Jono says.

“We find people do a better job to some extent if they’re running their own day.”

They are impressed with the enthusiasm of the team and it is clear how much they care about the business and animal health.

“The shed and calf-rearing gear have never been cleaner,” he says.

“I don’t think it’s just because it’s a team of girls, I think everyone is

FARM FACTS • Farm owners: Dean Nikora and Alexandra Stewart • Sharemilkers: Jono and Kerri Robson • Location: Waipukurau, Hawke’s Bay • Farm size: 119ha • Herd size: 350 cows • Production 2020-21: 152,000kg MS • Production target 2021-22: 157,500kg MS

genuinely happy and enjoying the way we’re working.”

And with the weekly routine taken care of, Jono and Kerri are able to immerse themselves in their other commitments outside of the farm.

Jono holds a Diploma of Agriculture from Telford and keeps busy with his role in the Hawke’s Bay province for Federated Farmers as the sharemilker

Continued page 10

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Kerri and Jono Robson were recently named as the winners of the Hawke’s Bay/Wairarapa Share Farmer of the Year.

Photos: Kate Taylor

chairperson. He also gets involved with projects with the farm owner, Dean Nikora, who does consultancy across New Zealand.

Kerri is the Tararua regional leader for the Dairy Women’s Network and enjoys connecting with other farming women. She is also involved with the strategic thinking cohort at Food HQ and is heading to Costa Rica later this year, which she is very excited about.

She has a Bachelor in Business Studies and is working towards completing some post-graduate study in Agribusiness through Massey University. And she is the secretary and event secretary for the local pony club. They have two kids, Evie, seven, and Thomas, four, and they are both into motorbikes and ponies.

“My background is horses and Jono’s is motorbikes, so it’s a bit of a competition of which one is more favoured,” Kerri laughs.

Somehow among all of that, they also manage to participate in local discussion groups, vet demonstration days and the local careers day through Primary ITO. “Having the flexibility with our team and managing the farm has really

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DAIRY FARMER

May 2022

The farm is a System 3, with cows coming onto the feedpad for maize and palm kernel through autumn to put weight on the cows and extend the rotation past 45 days.

supported our off-farm commitments, we are definitely striking a better balance,” she says.

The couple met outside of the dairy sector. Jono had left a life in Southland and ventured to the North Island, taking a role in a joinery shop where Kerri was a kitchen designer.

“I grew up on a small sheep and beef block and during high school, I was involved in a course that needed some work experience,” Jono says.

“Dad wouldn’t let me do it at home, so I went down the road to the local dairy farm.

“And the work experience led to a relief milking job, but it wasn’t long till I left school to go full-time dairying.”

By the time he was 19 he owned 80 cows and he was in a variable order sharemilking role for two seasons before he chucked it all in to head north.

“I sold most of the cows and leased out the remainder,” he says.

“I didn’t know what I wanted to do but knew I needed to get away and try something different for a while, I was feeling burnt out, I had overexerted myself too young.”

Landing in the North Island was a fresh start, but farming stayed in the back of his mind. And after a few years he managed to convince Kerri they should get into it together.

“I came from an orchard, so I didn’t know anything about dairying,” Kerri says.

“But Jono had talked about the good parts and we’d decided that we wanted to bring up our family on a farm.”

She did not imagine moving to the back blocks of Patoka though.

“I used to do a lot of hunting in the Kaweka Ranges and when I was driving up one morning I noticed all the dairy

DAIRY FARMER

May 2022

shed lights on at four in the morning,” Jono says.

“There are only about 13 farms in Patoka, so I drove back up one Friday and spent the day dropping my CV around the farms and having a yarn.”

One of the farms stood out to him and they had an entry-level role going, so they rented out the house Kerri owned in Napier and moved to the back blocks. It was a foot in the door, but it was only six months till Jono took over running the farm. And after four seasons the couple became contract milkers, milking 750 cows once-a-day through a 60-bail rotary.

“Once-a-day suited the farm, there were long walks and steep terrain so we recognised once-a-day was the best way for the staff and animals,” he says.

But they started longing for simplicity and began looking at their options. It was their bank manager that connected them with the owners of their current farm in

Waipukurau, owned by Dean Nikora and Alexandra Stewart.

They secured a 30% variable order sharemilking role and moved from being a 45-minute drive to the nearest dairy to having fish and chips on their doorstep.

It was a game-changer for the family, especially with their involvement in the community.

One of the team members they had in Patoka moved down with them too and only left at the end of last season.

“We’ve been pretty lucky with staff, which helps a lot with balancing our lives on and off the farm,” he says.

The farm is 119 hectares, with a 26-a-side herringbone shed. The farm is irrigated, which supports their pasture growth significantly and helps them maintain a System 3, with limited feed being bought in.

After two seasons of contract milking, they bought the herd to go 50:50 sharemilking this season.

“We had come to the farm with our goal of buying a herd within two years,” Kerri says, “We sold the house in Napier to build our deposit and Dean and Alexandra were keen to buy the neighbouring piggery so wanted to free up some equity, the timing was great.”

They worked with StockCo to secure enough funding to purchase the herd, which was a straightforward process.

“We were fortunate StockCo appreciated the true value of our herd and enabled us to achieve our goal of being 50:50 sharemilkers this season,” they say.

Continued page 12

The Robsons employ an all-female team and run a 5-and-2 roster. Toyah Bavidge, Jono Robson and Tasha Lindsey.

11

Tasha Lindsey and Toyah Bavidge predominantly take care of all the milkings.

“Their experienced staff understood dairy scenarios and had many options available to suit any needs and situation.

“We found them to be incredibly flexible and it was great they were locally based.”

They bought the herd of 350 KiwiCross cows, as well as the youngstock, but they are planning to reduce cow numbers next season.

“Our most efficient production was when we were stocked at 2.8 cows to the hectare,” Jono says.

“In our first season we produced 460 kilograms of milksolids per cow and we were milking 330 cows, but last season we only achieved 435 with 350 cows.

“It’s more sustainable at 2.8 cows.”

The target for this season was 157,500kg MS, but they think they will fall slightly short. Largely due to the weather, because even though there was good rain in December it changed quickly to very dry in January. And then they got 150mm of rain in a week.

But on top of managing the grass at home, they have been leasing the neighbouring farm. They locked up some paddocks for silage, but struggled to get

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it harvested because of the weather and contractor availability.

They ended up deferred grazing it with the youngstock, but it also did not perform the way they had expected.

And the delays with getting culls into the works kept the pressure on the feed situation.

“It’s been one of those seasons where everything you don’t want to happen, has happened,” Jono says.

“It has been a challenging year and with how fast we grew we haven’t had time to get grounded, we’ve basically been farming by the seat of our pants.”

They have developed solid plans going forward, with extensive regrassing with annual and permanent pastures, as well as turnips on the support block to winter the herd and support the youngstock through spring. And they are anticipating a reasonable surplus, which will make more baleage that will hopefully be more desirable to a contractor to cut.

“Come summer we’ll have a bigger bank of feed in case we come into strife again,” he says.

“We’re pretty comfortable we’ve got this season’s problems sorted (and) ready for next season, but thankfully the record payout has been a saving grace.

“It was a great time to go sharemilking.”

In a typical season they operate a System 3, with cows coming onto the feedpad for maize and palm kernel through calving. Freshly calved cows are drafted each day and if the conditions are right they go straight onto pasture only through spring. They utilise the spring rotation planner to keep on top of it all and the irrigation comes on in late November.

When growth rates start exceeding 50kg/DM/day they try to extend their rotation. Once they are through December they generally feed more palm kernel to keep a handbrake on the rotation. But they also have baleage on hand and utilise nitrogen strategically.

And by autumn they have maize ready to go.

“We use an early maturing maize so this season it was ready by March 5, which is really early, and we got about 135 tonnes,” he says.

“We feed it through autumn to put weight on the cows and extend our rotation past 45 days and we dry-off according to body condition scores, to make sure they’re ready for calving.”

Through winter, 230 of the herd will be wintered on the support block eating straw, oats and an annual pasture, Winter

DAIRY FARMER

May 2022

The family enjoys spending time together out on the farm. Evie, Jono, Kerri and Thomas with their dog Narla amongst the herd.

Star. The rising one-year-olds will also be on the block grazing permanent pasture. And the first calvers are in great condition and will be wintered on the dairy platform alongside the early calving cows on a 120-day round.

They are conscious of starting magnesium supplementation in time for calving to help minimise milk fever.

Having the cows on the platform allows them to dust paddocks ahead of grazing.

“Having the flexibility with our team and managing the farm has really supported our off-farm commitments, we are definitely striking a better balance.”

Kerri Robson “We use pig and dairy effluent over the whole farm as a combined fertiliser to bring down the cost of synthetic fertilisers,” he says.

“But this brings our potassium levels up, which could increase our risk of milk fever, so pre-calving magnesium supplementation is really important.”

They can come under pressure from down cows if there is a bout of bad weather that restricts their ability to dust, but they keep in good communication with their vets and keep an eye on as much as they can.

“We don’t have a problem as such, but it is something to be aware of and iron out,” he says.

Calving hits thick and fast; they maintain an 80% six-week in-calf rate so the bulk of their replacement calves come in the first three weeks. It makes rearing busy, but keeps things simple and traditionally Kerri has done most of it on her own.

They usually rear around 84 replacements and last season they tried rearing more with 40 Angus calves.

They follow all the best practice recommendations, using the Brix refractometer to test their colostrum and blood test to make sure the calves are getting their passive transfer. And it has been paying off, with a zero percent mortality rate among the calves since they have been on the farm.

“The calf-rearing does happen in a whirlwind,” Kerri says.

“Since they all come in so fast they are all pretty similar sizes and we aim to have them out on grass as soon as possible.

“We keep them on milk till they’re about 85 kilograms and they stay on pellets until the mob average is over 100 kilograms, which is usually around midNovember then they all go to the support block.”

While the calves are on the farm they rotate behind the cows, usually moving once or twice-a-week.

Knowing calving will be more hectic this coming season, they are already

Continued page 14 13

The production target for the 350 KiwiCross herd is 157,500kg MS, but may fall short due to variable conditions.

looking at their options for selling calves to make sure the beef calves will be out of the sheds as soon as possible. The aim will be to have them gone between four days and two weeks old with roughly 20 staying behind to sell at the weaner sales in late spring.

“That will depend on how busy we are, if it’s all getting too full on we won’t keep any around if we can help it,” she says.

“The team are keen to help out in the calf sheds too, so it will probably be a rotation between the three of us just to have a few more hands on deck.”

Mating lasts nine weeks. but next season they plan to reduce it to eight.

The herd is DNA tested so they are safeguarded from accidentally keeping a beef calf as a replacement.

This season, in an attempt to reduce bobby calves, they have used beef bulls strategically across the herd and they expect to have a lot more calves coming through the shed.

“We’ve been using white face semen to mark the end of artificial insemination, but we always seem to struggle to sell them, the market isn’t there for the patchy white face,” Jono says.

“So this year we have used Speckle Park semen across the herd, we figured we would go full patchy and hope there is a market for them.”

This was their first season not using a ‘why wait’ programme and they were pleased they maintained their great reproductive performance results.

They utilised sexed semen across the better cows and everything else went to beef. After five weeks of artificial insemination and the white face marker, they tailed with low birthweight Angus bulls. The heifers were also naturally mated to low birthweight Angus bulls.

“We tried low birthweight Angus in some of the herd last season and all of them calved without any assistance,

we’re pretty confident it will go well,” he says.

“We’ve got pretty small efficient cows and that was our test, we were pleased with the results.

“Our stock agent connected us with a pretty reputable breeder and we used yearling bulls for the heifers.”

Their next goal after herd ownership was to win the Share Farmer of the Year category at the New Zealand Dairy Industry Awards, which they did last month at the Hawke’s Bay/Wairarapa Awards.

They have entered the Share Farmer category twice previously, while Jono is also a past entrant in the Dairy Manager category.

“We were over the moon, we had entered before and we get so much out of it every time,” Kerri says.

“The awards helped us recognise the purpose and direction that was best for our business and the feedback provided by the judges has been invaluable.”

“We enjoy the relationships and other networking avenues that the awards have opened up for us and find it inspiring to meet industry powerhouses at the Awards dinners.”

Their sights are now set on the next steps in their business and personal development. Their biggest short term goal is to have the herd paid off within four years. And they plan to buy their own dry stock farm within six years.

“We reckon we will be able to buy a farm by 2028 and that will allow us to keep the beef calves we’re rearing for longer, to add some diversity to the business,” she says.

Future plans include an extensive regrassing programme with annual and permanent pastures.

Jono checks out the pasture quality.

14

DAIRY FARMER

May 2022

All of the farm team have children, so allowing enough time off for each member is essential. Evie, seven, Kerri, Thomas, four, and Jono, with their dogs Cage and Narla, out on the farm.

They are keen to find a lease block to rear the beef calves in the meantime. And they would also like to buy a house.

On a personal level, Jono is keen

to take part in the Kellogg Rural Leadership Programme and the Fonterra Governance Development Programme in the near future.

And despite the rocky start to his dairying career, he is pleased he made it back to the industry and that Kerri has joined him for the ride. n

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MILK MONITOR

War and covid disrupt markets

By Gerald Piddock

Each month the milk monitor delves into the dairy industry and gives us the low-down on the good, the bad, the ugly and everything in between.

D

airy prices finally went off the boil in April after three negative GDT auction results followed the dizzying heights of January-February.

Whole milk powder has seen some of the biggest price drops.

Its price index declined by the largest amount in over a year, down 4.4% to an average winning price of US$4207/t following the April 20 auction.

That result, which saw a 3.6% fall in prices came as no surprise to analysts, given what is going on around the globe.

NZX dairy insights manager Stu Davison said he was surprised the percentage fall wasn’t higher.

In an NZX pre-auction update, he said “simply put, my expectations are very bearish prior to this auction”.

China’s covid-19 lockdown in Shanghai, the Ukraine war and Sri Lanka’s economic crisis had all fuelled the deterioration of demand, he said.

Prices, he said are “down but not out”, pointing to turbulent times ahead for the global dairy market.

ASB’s Commodities Weekly similarly pointed to China, saying the lockdown was causing huge disruptions to the country’s domestic supply chains.

Westpac agricultural economist Nathan Penny put the result into context.

Despite the fall, overall and WMP prices still both sit 13% higher than as at the end of 2021.

But the size of the fall showed the Omicron outbreak in China had surpassed all other dairy market concerns, he said.

But there is one positive, despite the global disruptions – demand remains steady while global milk supply is constrained.

On the production side, milk volumes among Northern Hemisphere producers is down because of the spike in input costs – namely feed and fuel.

In the US, production was down 1.4% and 2% both in Germany and the

DAIRY FARMER

May 2022

China’s covid-19 lockdown has caused huge disruptions in the supply chain and contributed to the softening of dairy prices through April.

Netherlands for the first two months of the year.

In New Zealand across that same period, milksolids production declined 6.7% year-on-year to nearly 360,000 tons, according to the Dairy Companies Association of New Zealand.

As a result, it’s highly unlikely there will be the kind of volatility seen in the past when producers in Europe and North America lifted production to take advantage of high prices, which flooded the market and crashed prices.

Any farmer who recalls the boombust cycle in 2015 when the milk price dropped to $3.85 will remember how it had previously leaped to $8.40, Penny said.

He cites various reasons for this.

Past volatile cycles had been fuelled by the growth in dairy conversions in NZ. That was now largely a thing in the past.

“In fact, we project that the dairy herd has shrunk by around 400,000 cows between 2016 and 2022.”

Tighter regulations, labour and credit constraints have all contributed to this fall, he said.

What it means is the industry can no longer crank out production like it could in the past.

“The upshot is that as it stands the boom-bust milk price cycles are behind us.

And unless there is a major unwinding

in regulations and compliance around land use, in particular, the milk price has moved structurally higher.

“We expect it to average around $8.00/ kg in today’s dollars over the long term from here,” he said.

As a result, in mid-April the bank shifted its milk forecast up 75 cents to $9.25/kg MS for the new season, which should more than match the huge lift in farm expenses across the board.

They have retained that prediction because it believes the lockdown in China will eventually lift.

Davison said the slide will have a negative impact on milk price forecasts for the coming season despite saying earlier in the month there was potential for the price to hit $10/kg MS for the first time – with the disclaimer that the forecast has low confidence.

ASB senior economist Chris TennentBrown was more positive, saying the declines won’t stop a record milk price for this season.

The bank was sticking with its current milk price picks – $9.50/kg MS for this season and $9.20/kg MS for the new season.

There are two more auctions scheduled before Fonterra announces its opening forecast for the new season.

Given the global state of play and how quickly China opens itself up from its lockdown will determine what those numbers could be. n

17

NEWS

Farmers help make dream a reality

By Gerald Piddock

A

ll Karen Chapman ever wanted to do was milk cows.

Her dream looked pretty hopeless after her dad Noel Chapman, a sharemilker at Otaua in North Waikato, died while she was still a teenager and she and her mum Olive shifted into Pukekohe.

Then, in a double tragedy, her mother died suddenly too, and Karen moved into IHC residential care.

But once they knew of her love of dairy farming, local farmers welcomed Chapman into their milking sheds.

She has been supported by a network of dairy farmers in and around Pukekohe, many of them participants in the IHC Calf & Rural Scheme fundraising scheme, who raise animals and donate the proceeds to IHC. Chapman has milked all over the northern Waikato and South Auckland districts. A long-time family friend Glen Lee has driven her around the farms for as long as anyone can remember.

Chapman says she is “a good friend to me, I have known her for a long, long time”.

Lee would call farmers to see if Chapman could visit.

“It seemed to work best with the Goodwrights,” Chapman says.

Chapman says she used to help her dad milk around 100 Friesian-Jerseycross cows after school. Now she is milking cows on farms with bigger herds and more complex and automated rotary cow sheds.

“I have been doing it for a long time now,” she says.

She has also milked for Syd and Jenny Goodwright. These days their son Tom farms the home farm and Karen milks for their daughter Becky Payne and her husband Mike on their farm not far away.

Another sister Hannah farms close by too, with her husband Trevor Turner.

All of them are donors to the IHC Calf & Rural Scheme and know Chapman well.

The Goodwrights have been donating calves – real and virtual – to the Calf

18

Support from a network of local farmer’s has allowed Karen Chapman to do the job she loves – milking cows.

Scheme for more than 30 years and for half of that time Jenny Goodwright has worked as a canvasser for the scheme, visiting around 50 local farmers each season to encourage them to pledge calves.

“I am really lucky because I have got a lot of farmers in the district like me who want to keep supporting the Calf Scheme. How lucky are we that we have had four children and 15 grandchildren who have no disabilities,” Goodwright says.

This year, the IHC Calf & Rural Scheme marks its 40th anniversary by celebrating all the farmers who have made lives better for people with intellectual disabilities in their communities. Over those 40 years, the scheme has raised $40 million.

IHC national fundraising manager Greg Millar says the scheme gives IHC an important connection to the rural sector and has evolved along with changes to the sector over 40 years, particularly as smaller farms and local relationships have given way to larger dairy units.

Legendary All Black Sir Colin Meads, a Waikato beef farmer and

staunch supporter of the Calf Scheme, encouraged beef and sheep farmers to get involved too.

“He first threw his weight behind IHC when he stopped playing rugby, and we were privileged to have had the backing of the big man from 1974 for more than 40 years until his death in 2017,” Millar says.

More than 10,000 dairy farmers have supported their communities over many years through this unique fundraiser.

And as technology advanced on to farms, farmers began profiling their favourite cows and best milkers on social media and can now donate virtual animals along with the real ones.

“We are incredibly grateful to the many farmers who have supported us over the years – some of them down through generations,” he says.

“We’re also enormously thankful for the partnerships with our sponsors – PGG Wrightson who has been with us from the start and VW who provides us with Amarok vehicles and is matching donations from the public, dollar for dollar, this week.” n

DAIRY FARMER

May 2022

NEWS

Co-op takes virtual tour to the world

By Gerald Piddock

F

onterra has created an online virtual platform to help people get a better understanding of how its products are created and distributed around the world.

Called Visit Fonterra, the online farmto-plate experience allows users to take an immersive tour of Fonterra’s unique supply chain.

The initiative came about because of the visitor restrictions Fonterra introduced on its sites because of covid-19, Fonterra senior co-operative experience manager Ian Rodney said.

“Our team have a long history of hosting thousands of visitors annually, all eager to understand the stories that sit behind our much-loved products, ingredients, and brands.

“Covid-19 brought an immediate halt to Fonterra’s visitor programme,

providing us with an interesting challenge.

“If we can’t bring our customers to the co-operative, how do we take the cooperative to our customers?” he said.

Visit Fonterra takes people on a virtual tour along the supply chain, through the farms, milk collection, manufacturing, distribution and export.

The new tool also opens up the New Zealand provenance story to global audiences.

“Visit Fonterra delivers a solution that will extend well beyond travel restrictions – with it being digital, it will allow much broader audiences to experience New Zealand and the co-op, well beyond those that have historically been able to visit physically,” Rodney said.

“Only about 2% of the Fonterra customer base make it to Aotearoa. So,

Visit Fonterra allows many more of our customers, and actually anyone who’s interested in what we do, to experience the co-op.”

Visit Fonterra captures the spirit of the co-operative, which are its people.

You get to meet the faces that take New Zealand dairy from grass to glass, with features from farming families, tanker drivers and lab technicians, he said.

Since its launch in early April, Fonterra had more than 1200 users view the site from 46 countries.

In comparison, in the year before covid, Fonterra physically hosted just under 1700 international visitors. n

MORE:

Visit Fonterra can be found on the company’s website.

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ON FARM Gordon Glentworth and his son Jonathan own and operate Sanrosa Ayrshire stud at Riverlea, Taranaki, where they milk 270-275 cows.

A numbers game A passion for Finnish genetics sees a farmer invest life’s work in the top-producing herd.

By Ross Nolly

A lifelong love of the Ayrshire breed and a focus on genetics has resulted in a Taranaki stud winning a prestigious title 23 times.

A

s a child a Taranaki farmer discovered a passion for the Ayrshire, though his father had a predominately Jersey herd. That passion never waned and eventually led to him starting the Glenrosa Ayrshire stud more than 40 years ago.

Gordon Glentworth, his partner Bethany and son Jonathan milk 270275 cows on 120 hectares at Riverlea.

The stud was established in 1977 and Glentworth is a two-time president of Ayrshire New Zealand and has chaired its marketing arm, Semayr Breeding Services, for more than 20 years. He is a senior judge and traits other than production (TOP) Inspector.

Gordon grew up on the family farm and spent a year at Flock House after leaving school. He then spent a year at Shell, BP and Todd before returning to the farm to do the work he loved.

He also milks 25 Friesian cows as a direct comparison to his Ayrshires. They are bred to the best genetics and farmed in exactly the same conditions. He also milks four Jerseys “just for something a little different”.

“When I was a kid I used to fill out my dad’s AI book. You wrote down A, J or F for the bull breed. Some days I’d put an ‘A’ down instead of ‘J’ for the breed of sire. So we ended up with some half Jersey, half Ayrshire calves,” Gordon says.

“My dad didn’t seem to mind. When he began herd testing he discovered that

they were the top producing cows. With that hybrid vigour, they should have been too. Dad then began using more Ayrshire genetics.”

Finland has the largest progeny-tested Ayrshire population where it’s their most populous breed, but in New Zealand it only makes up 0.5% of the national dairy herd. The use of Finnish genetics has enabled his herd to gain approximately 100kg MS per cow. They are now producing over 1kg MS/kg of bodyweight.

His is a top herd.

In the 2020-21 season the Sanrosa Ayrshire herd averaged 8707 litres of milk, 376 kilograms of fat and 325kg protein (701kg MS) in 295 days from 215 cows. This record smashed the previous breed record of 639kg MS from the same herd in the preceding season and is the third season in a row the herd has produced a new breed record.

This record will see them receive the Mayfield Trophy for NZ’s top-producing Ayrshire herd 23 times since the 1986-87 season.

During February/March they began considering whether they could break their record. Initially they didn’t think it was possible because they hadn’t targeted it. But it had been such a good season they began to reconsider. They decided that if they pushed everything a little more they might accomplish their goal.

FARM FACTS • Farm owner: Gordon Glentworth • Farm assistant: Jonathan Glentworth • Location: Riverlea, South Taranaki • Farm size: 120 ha • Cows: 270275 pedigree Ayrshires, 25 Friesian cows, 4 Jersey • Production 2020-21: 150,715kg MS from 215 cows

Continued page 22

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The Ayrshire herd produced a breed record of 701 kilograms of milksolids in the 2020-21 season and has won the Mayfield Trophy for New Zealand’s top producing Ayrshire herd 23 times since the 1986-87 season.

“We didn’t know whether we’d reach our target until the very end of the season. A great deal of the jump from 639kg MS to 701kg MS was due to it being a good season and having plenty of grass when needed,” Jonathan says.

“You don’t realise how much production you lose when it gets dry.

You can get away with it a bit earlier in the season, but you never regain that production if it gets dry late in the season when the cows are in-calf.”

The herd receives a mineral supplement through the in-shed feed and is fed 1.2kg per milking of 40% DDG; the remainder consists of wheat bran, pellets and little soya hull in-shed per milking.

Whatever mix they start the season with, is what they finish it with – they don’t usually alter quantities. But in March Fonterra announced an even higher milk price and the amount was upped to 1.5kg.

Gordon says Ayrshires aren’t too fussy on grass quality and believes you can get away with a little bit more with them than other breeds. He’s sometimes been told that his pasture is too rank and it’s costing him production.

“I don’t feel that it does. Sure you can go too far, but I think our Ayrshires give us a wider opening before pasture quality affects production. We normally top the entire farm twice a year and have only twice topped it three times,” Johnathan says.

“This helps from an environmental aspect, but as you lower your stocking rate, your cows get bigger. During autumn I think our cows would average around 550kg. To be efficient they must average 550kg MS each. If you have 400kg cows doing 400kgs MS, then you need 40% more on the farm,” Gordon adds.

He feels that farmers expect a lot from young cows.

“Thirty years ago when a two-year-old came in she looked like a two-year-old.

She grew and did some production too.

Now we want our two-year-olds to come in and do over 500kg MS, and it’s a big ask of them,” he says.

They no longer grow summer crops or maize to keep it simple.

“We used to make around 450 bales of silage. After three dry seasons in a row, and needing some to feed in summer, we bumped it up to 650 bales,” Jonathan says.

Last season was so good that they came out of winter with 230 leftover bales. They buy 260 large square bales of hay from Manawatū.

When a paddock is closed for silage they’ve usually only just reached it and missed it in the round, so it already has three weeks growth. If they can see a surplus they take those paddocks out in front of the cows rather than behind them.

“I’m not good at seeing surpluses because we usually have a large surplus anyway. We try to push as much through the cows as we can during the peak time.

Last season the cows peaked at just over 35 litres a day, which is huge compared to what we used to do,” Gordon says.

“I can remember my father saying that very good cows produce 18-20 litres per

Jonathan brings the backing gate up behind the herd as they come into the shed for milking.

“I use what I consider to be the best New Zealand and international genetics.

Even though the international genetics conversions may not rank well, you need to compare them from their country of origin.”

Gordon Glentworth

day. Now we have heifers producing well over 30 litres per day, and our top cows are doing around 50.”

All silage is harvested by January.

With no hay to harvest or summer crop of maize to grow, the farm goes into summer with all paddocks in rotation.

The farm’s lower stocking rate eliminates the need for summer crops and the silage covers any dry spell.

“This year our thinking was to cut back on silage. The intention was there, but

the execution wasn’t so good. We bought eight extra cows with the intention of closing two fewer paddocks. With those two paddocks in the round, which is only a day on our 12-hour rotation, we thought we’d cover it with the extra cows,” Jonathan says.

“But the grass grew so well it hasn’t made much difference. I told our contractor that he needs to tighten his bales up so we can get more in them.

Some people dislike two-year-old silage, but we’ve used it and had no problems with it.”

Calving starts around August 8 and they keep 50-60 replacements which are fed twice-a-day for 100 days and receive eight to nine litres of milk each per day.

For the first month only fresh colostrum is fed, never stored colostrum.

During the last two years some milk powder has been used when they get short of milk. The calves are started on meal at one-month-old and aren’t weaned until they’re 12 weeks old. Any that look a bit small are held back.

Continued page 24

Jonathan Glentworth is a LIC technician and does AI on the herd as well as doing an AI run. Jonathan in the shed before milking.

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“We try to keep everything on the farm simple as possible without any overcomplication,” he says.

The farm always has a good run of heifer calves. A couple of years ago they had 85 and thought of it as a bad year.

The herd is at a stage now where they’re happy to keep a calf from any cow.

“We keep every heifer calf if it’s from an Ayrshire bull, which gives us far too many. This year we had 100 heifer calves and sold the extra calves at our on-farm

PROLIQ is fed ad-lib to the cows as they leave the cowshed.

sale. The sale of those premium calves is a welcome boost of income,” Gordon says.

In that sale, 60 weaner calves were paired into 30 lots. The winning bidder of each group kept one calf and they kept the other.

The line of calves was so even that Gordon didn’t know which calves to keep or sell, so was more than happy to take the calf that the buyers didn’t select. The sale averaged just under $1700 each and was held before the official announcement of the record herd production figures.

People tend to buy their Ayrshire bull calves for harder country, where they fossick better than most breeds. Some bull calves are sold for service bulls or for future use in the AI industry.

“If you have a crossbred herd and use short-gestation Angus bulls, you must be very careful identifying the genetics of your last bull calves.” Jonathan says.

“Using Ayrshire bulls throughout eliminates any guesswork when you sell them for the beef market. I think our bull calves grow into a bigger framed animal due to their Scandinavian genetics.”

Mating begins on October 28 and

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Gordon grew up on the family farm and spent two years off the farm before returning to do the work he loved.

continues until early January, lasting for eight weeks. No CIDRs or vet interventions are used.

“We just take it as they come,” Gordon says.

One year they did achieve a 90% submission rate and the following spring was their worst ever.

“It was a very wet and cold spring though. We just couldn’t feed them properly and did our lowest production for many years,” Jonathan says.

Jonathan is a LIC technician and one farm on his run now begins mating on October 31, which is considerably longer

than it used to be. Some farms use shortgestation bulls through to January 20.

AI is used for eight weeks and the herd is usually tailed with Ayrshire bulls. Last season they only used one bull for the task. Jonathan’s AI kit is at home so if a bull becomes lame, he can quickly revert to AI. “If you don’t have a technician, you need more bull power. Short-gestation bulls are a big help and we used them for the first time last year. It allows you to mate a bit longer. Some of the shortgestation cows calve before our last Ayrshires,” he says.

The Ayrshire breed is more common in Finland, which has the largest progenytested Ayrshire population but in New Zealand, they make up 0.5% of the national herd.

“If you only use AI for three weeks you need a lot of bulls. A longer AI period ensures that when you’re finished you’re probably only getting one or two cows a day for the bull to mate.”

The heifers are grazed off-farm and mated to Jersey bulls for calving ease.

Mating starts on the same day for the herd and heifers.

Gordon’s goal has always been to breed his herd to produce well and to have a high standard of conformation. Being a TOP assessor helps him evaluate his herd.

He doesn’t focus on the amount of milksolids the herd produces over the season. And he doesn’t know what last year’s production was. If someone asked him what his top cows produce, he couldn’t tell them. But he intensely watches the bottom ones.

“The top cows take care of themselves,” Gordon says.

“I use what I consider to be the best New Zealand and international genetics.

Even though the international genetics conversions may not rank well, you need to compare them from their country of origin.

“Genetics is a numbers game. The country you source your genetics from must have a greater population than your own, otherwise the chances of them being better are very slim and you regress.”

Scandinavia’s large Ayrshire population is the reason they source genetics from that region, including many Finnish bulls.

Continued page 26

25

For this season’s mating he’s used a top bull called IWA Super Sonic. That bull has been used over half of the herd, the rest were mated to a complete outcross of a Scandinavian bull called Vimo.

“We put every unrelated cow to the New Zealand bull and the rest to the Scandinavian bull. It’s easier to keep it ‘clean’ when you do that, rather than bits and pieces from multiple bulls,” he says.

Gordon prefers to produce lines of animals. He often uses 150-200 straws from one bull to provide a large run of

daughters and prevent inbreeding.

He uses a selection of NZ’s best ranked bulls. One bull that has done well is one that he bred, Sanrosa Deacon. Gordon puts great emphasis on the breeding values of fat and protein. Deacon for example rates 28 for fat and 27 for protein, and his maternal brother Dalton sits at 28 for protein and 17 for fat. Both bulls are a2/a2.

“I like to look at lines of animals because you can see consistent traits coming through the offspring. If you use

Gordon Glentworth has always had a passion for Ayrshire and often used to fill in his dad’s AI book and would sometimes put ‘A’ for Ayrshire, so the cow would be mated to Ayrshire.

a number of bulls and only get two or three daughters from a bull, it doesn’t tell you anything about it,” he says.

“You might be lucky and get two good animals. But you can easily get two poorer ones even though it’s a good bull. If you use a good bull over a large number of cows, you’ll get many good offspring and be able to pick the best of the best for replacements.”

All of his animals are DNA tested to sire and dam. If any culling is required they look at the cows in the older age group.

They haven’t had to cull a young cow for several seasons.

“Our two-year-olds average over 500kg MS. If one comes in producing 420-430kg MS, she’s still no slouch. She may have just calved a little later. I’ve found that as production goes up, lifespan comes down,” he says.

He enjoys the bull selection process and has often travelled overseas to view bulls. His aim is to pick a bull that is consistent on all traits. He’s discovered that if he breeds for individual traits, he might improve that particular trait, but others begin to slip.

“Our first trait is production. The second trait is a standard of conformation that will handle that production and be better than the average animal,” he says.

“If you only use one or two bulls you have a large selection of calves to pick from. If you have 20-25 calves from one bull you can bet your boots that their average conformation will be the same as the bull’s average proof.”

They use Scandinavian bulls that are

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May 2022

positive in every trait and believe they couldn’t have achieved their current production without those genetics.

Before genomics were implemented, Finland alone proved 110-120 Ayrshire bulls per year, which is similar to the number of Friesian bulls proven annually in NZ. “Their one-year gain would take us several years. Here the AI companies prove the most popular breeds and the Ayrshire has never been that popular. The AI companies have to make a profit and you can’t argue against that,” he says He doesn’t worry about his six-week incalf rate, he just takes what comes. Their last season of an 88% in-calf rate is higher than the district average and required no intervention.

“We were always the last to start mating around here. But after a few bad springs, some farms are now starting later too. I don’t get excited about a ‘90% submission rate’.

“Some years we have almost as many cows calved in the second round as the first,” he says.

“It doesn’t worry me in the slightest because the cows are fully fed. If you do get that spring pinch, you won’t have to hold their feed intake back for so long.

“The longer the feed pinch, the greater effect it has on your peak production. It mightn’t be much, but if you take out that peak, you lose all the way.”

“I’m a bit different from other farmers in that I don’t really worry if a two-yearold ends up empty if she’s had a good season. You don’t want the whole lot like that, but I don’t mind holding them over.

Bethany Zhang with her partner Gordon and his son Jonathan Glentworth on the farm with their record-breaking Ayrshire herd.

When they come back they’re mature and good for many years.”

Ayrshires remain an interest for Gordon and he can vividly remember when his family got their first Ayrshire cow.

“We try to keep everything on the farm simple as possible without any overcomplication.”

Jonathan Glentworth “I don’t know what inspired me to like them. It’s a personal preference that I can’t really put my finger on. Recently

my mother gave me my childhood scrapbook. It’s full of cow pictures that I’d clipped from the Straight Furrow’s back pages. There were all sorts of cattle in it, even beef animals,” he says.

He enjoys the challenge of farming a minor breed and has considered throwing in the towel and toyed with the idea of going with a mainstream breed.

“We’d probably do just as well. But my interest wouldn’t be there,” he says.

“The farm’s now on the market and Jonathan would like to try another style of farming. I’m nearly 67 and everything I do is a bit slower and more painful and I’m beginning to think it’s about time for a bit of a change. Though I’m not sure what I’ll do afterwards,” he says. n

As well as the Ayrshires, there are 25 Friesian cows milked as a direct comparison to the Ayrshires and four Jersey cows in the herd.

DAIRY FARMER

May 2022

27

WOMEN IN AGRIBUSINESS

Crunch time

By Cheyenne Nicholson

Sometimes it takes life being tossed upside down to get on the right path. When a Southland dairy farmer was diagnosed with breast cancer, she had to reevaluate her life. And when it came to the crunch, the red-haired farmer launched Ginger Crunch Caravan.

Y

ou’d be forgiven for thinking that the Ginger Crunch Caravan specialises in ginger slices. While the delicacy has certainly graced the menu of the funky little retro-styled food and coffee caravan at one stage, the name was born from owner Claire Burgess’ journey with cancer.

“In 2017 I found a funny lump one day, followed it up and was told I had grade 3 invasive ductal carcinoma. It was serious but treatable and kicked off the year from hell but ultimately is how Ginger

3 YR

Crunch came to be,” Claire says.

Claire, her husband Deryck and their two children, Tessa and Olivia, had made the move from Waikato to Southland to further their dairying careers just 12 months before. Hit with a serious diagnosis and facing a challenging year of chemotherapy, a mastectomy and radiation, Claire says she’s still heartened by how the community rallied around them and supported them.

“Coming into a new community is always hard,” she says.

“We were lucky that we had family

living down here already, but we found that the farming community hustled around us as well, and oddly, I think the whole thing made us more a part of the community.”

Hailing from the Waikato, dairy farming wasn’t on her radar. She grew up on a sheep, beef and deer farm on the Napier-Taupō highway until her teenage years when her family moved to Taupō. She quickly got involved in the hospitality industry, which she took to like a duck to water, obtaining a chef’s apprenticeship and at just 19 years old,

%ENT 10PL0ACEM RE

As well as running Ginger Crunch Caravan, Claire Burgess is a marriage celebrant and enjoys being part of couples’ special days.

DAIRY FARMER

May 2022

was offered a job to run her own kitchen.

“After that, I was all set to head off on my OE, and then one night in the pub I met my now-husband. I still went on my OE – I just never got further than Australia,” she recalls.

Deryck was dairy farming in Rotorua at the time and upon returning from Australia, she put on her red bands and joined him. The following years saw them progress through dairy farming jobs in the Waikato. She even did a stint working with racehorses but quickly decided 3am starts weren’t for her. As fate would have it, she landed a job at the popular Workman’s Café in Matamata, winner of New Zealand’s Best Café award in 2005 and worked there as head chef for a number of years before the couple decided it was time for a change.

“In 2016, we decided to take the plunge and move to the South Island. We’d gone through the ranks in the Waikato, had two kids and were battling through low payout years, so we thought if we were going to get ahead, the South Island would be the place to do it. We had family down there,

Continued page 30

Southland farmer Claire Burgess launched Ginger Crunch Caravan after being diagnosed and undergoing treatment for breast cancer.

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and looking back now it was the best decision we could’ve made,” she says.

Six years on, they are now working as contract milkers on a 670-cow farm and come moving day will be moving to a 770-cow farm within the same business.

“I had always said to Deryck that I wasn’t ever going to be just a dairy farmer and working on the farm. I always wanted to have my own thing, but sort of never ended up pursuing anything. Then we got the breast cancer news and for lack of a better term, it gave me a boot up the bum,” she says.

While laid up during chemotherapy and hanging out for something to focus on outside of the farm and family, she got to thinking which led her to the thought of a food truck when she spotted a cute little caravan in Nelson that was set up perfectly.

“I’d never really thought of something like that before. The idea of café ownership had never appealed to me, but a food truck is just me, myself and I, with no staff to deal with and running things how I want. I rang up a friend and said, ‘do you want to go on a road trip to see this caravan?’,” she recalls.

So with no hair and feeling worse for wear from chemo, Claire, her friend and her friend’s father, who is caravan-savvy, headed off.

“It was perfect and it gave me something to work towards and focus on for the following months. I sat on her for six months until I felt well enough to launch her on June 1, 2018,” she says.

When it came time to put everything in place to turn her idea into a reality, there was a bit more to it than just finding the right caravan. That bit was easy. With an existing business in their farm business, she decided to set up Ginger Crunch on the side of that for ease of management and finances. A few chats with an accountant friend to check things off there and gain the correct compliances for a food and beverage truck later and she was almost there.

“A really key part was researching and finding a supplier for coffee. I found a local ROAR coffee company based in Lumsden. They have a neat story behind them and decided to go that route.

Because the venture was small and I had no major financial outlay to get started, it was fairly straightforward to get set up,” she says.

Since then, the caravan and Burgess have been going great guns. Her cancer was indeed treatable and while closely monitored every six months, she’s in great health. It’s been the perfect way for her to embrace her hospitality experience and have a business that works easily around the farm. Operating during the summer season means she is free to rear calves and helping out on the farm at the busier times of year has been invaluable.

“I’ve really tried to make my business work around me, it has to be flexible around me, otherwise, it stops being as enjoyable. I always want this little business to be fun and bring me joy,” she says.

In recent weeks the Ginger Crunch Caravan has been doing the rounds in Southland for the Rural Support Trust’s ‘Cuppa’s on us’. It has been a great way to support her local community, which has been hit hard by unseasonal drought and created much uncertainty for the year ahead.

“I like being able to do my bit. It’s a wonderful way to connect with people.

People so appreciate these kinds of days and it’s been amazing to see farmers actually having open and honest conversations with others, rather than bottling it up,” she says.

She got into the food truck business just before they became popular, so her timing couldn’t have been better. Her main point of difference is her ability to do food and coffee, which means she can do everything from parking up at field days for coffees and catering for weddings.

“Social media has played a huge role in the success of Ginger Crunch as has the ROAR coffee community. We all flick work each other’s way, which is really nice,” she says.

Like many businesses, covid meant her little business took a hit during the first round of lockdowns, but the local community has continued to support her business when restrictions eased.

“I tend to be quite picky about what work I take. When I first started, I parked up roadside at a local raw milk place. I did that 3-4 days a week for a month, but it wasn’t viable sitting there waiting for

In recent weeks the Ginger Crunch Caravan has been doing the rounds in Southland for the Rural Support Trust’s ‘Cuppa’s on us’. Claire Burgess in her happy place.

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DAIRY FARMER

May 2022

Claire Burgess, daughter Tessa, husband Deryck and daughter Olivia, are contract milkers on a 670-cow farm in Southland.

customers. I’m mindful of my own health and of not overloading myself, I don’t want Ginger Crunch to be all-consuming.

I just want to enjoy it,” she says.

In recent years, she has also added marriage celebrant to her list of side hustles. A natural-born talker and people person she says she gets a kick out of marrying people and being part of their celebrations.

“Deryck and I have been married for 15 years, so I hold marriage in quite high esteem. It’s really cool to help others. It started with a friend asking me to become a celebrant, so I could marry them and since then, I’ve been a celebrant for a few other friends and the odd ‘professional’ gig as well,” she says.

She is an active member of Dairy

Women’s Network and Rural Women NZ and says that being involved in those networking groups is so vital.

“Being part of the rural community has definitely played a role in the success of Ginger Crunch. I’ve had a lot of custom and support from the rural community, and I’m so grateful for it. I think anyone involved in farming who’s looking to set up a side business should be part of those networking groups because you gain so much from the networks and connections and you make some wonderful friends,” she says.

She says that the past five years since her diagnosis have been ‘a bit of a ride’ and she’s really had to rely on her resilience and her family to get her through.

“Deryck and the girls have been my rock. Deryck in particular, has always been aware I was never going to be ‘just a typical farmer’, it is unfortunate that it took cancer to give me a boot up the bum to get me going with Ginger Crunch, but it’s nice to have something good come out of what was a truly challenging time,” she says. n

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TECHNOLOGY

Putting water on the map

By Samantha Tennent

New resource tool helps farmers mitigate water contamination risks.

L

osing nutrients before they can be utilised on-farm is costly to a business and can have an adverse impact on water quality.

But to reduce losses, we need to understand how they are transported from the land and identify the areas that are more susceptible to losses. A new web platform has been designed to give farmers insight into what happens on their land and what considerations could minimise water contaminant risks.

“A lot of these contaminants that we’re losing, including nitrogen, phosphorus and sediment are all things we want to keep on our land,” Land and Water Science lead earth and environmental scientist Dr Lisa Pearson says.

“We pay for nutrients through fertiliser and supplementary feed inputs and sediment is our soil.

“These are all things that are necessary for a productive farm system so if you can’t utilise them and they are lost, that’s a financial loss to the farming system as well.”

The web platform, Landscape DNA, is a freely available resource for farmers and their advisors to support decision making on-farm. Pearson explains when farms are more efficient at using their nutrients and have lower losses they are more productive, which is reflected in profits too.

“By using the website farmers can identify areas on their property that are more susceptible to contaminant losses, understand how contaminants travel across the land and which contaminants are largely carried by that pathway,” she says.

This information helps farmers predict which contaminants are likely to be an issue and by matching their knowledge of the landscape and activities, then they can start looking at mitigation strategies to help reduce contaminant loss.

An example could be in an area that is susceptible to overland flow, which is when runoff occurs, farmers could consider mitigations to prevent those

32

contaminants from reaching waterways.

Interception could be by a detainment bund or sediment trap, as well as looking at activities that will lower the risk of runoff from the landscape.

The project was funded by the Sustainable Food and Fibre Futures programme from the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI), with co-funding from Our Land and Water National Science Challenge, the Foundation of Arable Research, Deer Industry, Living Water, Balance and Ravensdown.

“We wanted to understand how and why water quality varies across New Zealand,” she says.

“Nutrients, such as nitrogen and phosphorus, along with sediment and disease-causing microbes, are the main contaminants that degrade water quality and are readily connected to agriculture.

“But we know land-use isn’t the only thing that causes variation in water quality, you do need intensive land-uses to have poor water quality outcomes but in some areas where there is intensive land-use, there isn’t the expected outcome.

“And that’s because processes occurring in the landscape can remove or reduce the contaminant load.”

The platform is geared with robust science and supported with informative videos, but the gold is in the interactive maps. The team behind the project have integrated water quality data with existing map layers, such as soil, geology, topography and land cover and built a landscape classification that models the processes that control the variability of water quality.

Pearson studied at Waikato University and has a Masters and PhD in Geochemistry. She enjoys applying science to bring research to life to benefit farmers. And she and the team are looking at further developments for Landscape DNA. “In the future, we want to offer packaged information for a specific area.

So if someone added a farm boundary, it

Land and Water Science lead earth and environmental scientist Dr Lisa Pearson says that contaminants such as nitrogen and phosphorus and sediment are what we want to keep on the land.

would create a summary of information that is relevant to the property and match recommended actions specific to the location,” she says.

“We want to help people make better decisions on-farm that are grounded in the landscape, so the landscape becomes front and centre of decisionmaking.”

Ultimately, they want to support better water quality across NZ and the interest in the platform has been encouraging so far.

“It’s about connecting people to land and water, both rural and urban because we all have an effect on the health of our water bodies,” she says.

“The top of catchments don’t tend to see the issues that accumulate all the way down the catchment.

“But it’s the little things that add up and put stress on the water further down the system and conversely, if we’re all doing little things to improve the quality of the water, it has a cumulative effect and there are better outcomes overall.

“We all need to take responsibility even though we don’t all see the negative effects and those little improvements will help the farm directly too by maintaining nutrients within the farm system.” n

MORE: For further information go to landscapedna.org

DAIRY FARMER

May 2022

TECHNOLOGY

Time for a change

By Tony Benny thinking, to make that successful,we need to put a lot of our time and effort into behavioural change and that’s hard slog because farmers are no different to any other area of our community in that you have the early adopters, the masses and the laggards.

“Fundamentally they’ll follow the normal adoption curve with awareness and curiosity and testing and adoption and that takes time.

“And that’s a bit of a problem for us because the issues our industries are facing can’t and won’t wait.

“Climate, water, biodiversity, soil health, animal wellbeing – we, our customers, communities and basically our planet can’t wait for a slow adoption change.”

She says agritech will be a valuable tool but getting farmers to change

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time-proven ways of farming their land is challenging.

“It’s not necessarily because they don’t trust tech, it’s because they trust themselves,” she says.

“They’ve been working their farm systems and they know them intimately from generations or decades so a deviation away from what works – knowing that paddock’s the dry one, knowing that’s the paddock you don’t put them in after two days of rain – is really difficult when you’re asking them to rely on something new when they’ve already had all these years of experience with the something that works.

“So my job is to embrace these new great ideas and work out how we embed them and support farmers to use them.” n

RD701_0322

U

ntil farmers embrace the technological solutions being developed to mitigate the environmental harm caused by agriculture there will be limited progress, Fonterra’s director of farm excellence Charlotte Rutherford told a recent Ireland-New Zealand agritech summit.

Rutherford was a panelist in the Voice of the Planet, which, which brought together agritech businesses, scientists and researchers, farmers and agriculture ministers in online conversations.

In a session chaired by Ministry for Primary Industries chief science advisor John Roche, Rutherford talked about how Fonterra is addressing sustainability issues.

“While we’re a technical team focused on innovation and future-focused

TECHNOLOGY

A partnership for prosperity

By Tony Benny

Two nations on opposite sides of the globe are working to solve some of agriculture’s biggest challenges.

F

ood security was in sharp focus at the recent New ZealandIreland agritech online summit thanks to Russia’s invasion of

Ukraine.

“Irish farmers, even if they’re not arable farmers, they’ve been asked to start planting crops because of food security challenges from the Ukraine war,” says AgriTechNZ chief executive Brendan O’Connell who was in regular contact with his Irish counterparts in the buildup to the summit.

“It became apparent that just because of their position in Europe, the Irish teams and the Irish ecosystem were feeling that a lot harder than we have been in New Zealand.”

The summit was organised to foster collaboration between the two countries, which despite being on opposite sides of the globe, share many similarities, including their pastoral farming.

“They also have similar food systems and reputation, bigger neighbours, a modern outlook with traditional values and the smarts and confidence to impact the world,” O’Connell says.

AgriTechNZ and AgTech Ireland signed a memorandum of understanding to foster collaboration in 2021 and the summit was intended to build on that, with attendance by ministers of agriculture from both countries as well as farmers, scientists and researchers and agritech businesses.

“In New Zealand we recognise we have more work to do on mitigating the impact of our primary sector on the climate, water quality and on biodiversity,” New Zealand Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor says.

“No two countries or sectors can face these challenges alone and Ireland and New Zealand are working together to tackle these challenges head-on.”

AgTech Ireland char Padraig Hennessy

34

Padraig Hennessy, chair of AgTech Ireland, says the time is right for New Zealand and Ireland to work together.

says the time is right for NZ and Ireland to work together.

“I believe combining our industries in a more cohesive manner will make a world-leading and vibrant agritech sector that can help solve some of agriculture’s biggest challenges.”

Both countries are leaders in developing agricultural technology and both view each other as potential markets but O’Connell argues there are also plentiful opportunities for collaboration.

“None of our agritech businesses in Ireland or New Zealand can be sustained just on their domestic business.

“If you included the other country as sort of a friendly domestic market, both of them have to look at global opportunities and each of them bring a different set of skills and environment to

be able to hopefully collaborate together on global market opportunities and challenges.”

O’Connell says that by harnessing counter-seasonal opportunities, technological progress can be sped up.

“It stands there as a real strength when it comes to trying to speed up agritech development when you can trial things twice in one year.”

One of the projects identified in NZ’s Agritech Industry Transformation Plan, the Farm 2050 Global Nutrients Project, could also get a counter-seasonal boost, O’Connell says.

There will be four years of trials of nutrient management technology on NZ farms, part of a global project, and speeding up that work by doing some it counter-seasonally in Ireland was discussed at the summit.

DAIRY FARMER

May 2022

“It’s not an easy thing to achieve because you’ve got to line up the business conditions and the relationships so counter seasonal is a really good idea but one that has some challenges to pull off. I guess we’re hoping sessions like ours will help so we can see more of it.”

“New Zealand companies are actively looking at business in Ireland.”

Brendan O’Connell

He says as a result of the summit, which was broken into different concurrent panels, the voice of the farmer, the voice of the planet and the voice of agritech business, new connections have been forged.

“There’ve definitely been meetings and relationships that have either been rejuvenated or kicked off through the summit.

“I’m aware of New Zealand companies that are actively looking at some really exciting business in Ireland and we’ve introduced them into the ag-tech community up there which is interesting because you end up in a competitive and collaborative, a sort of co-opertition space.”

While much of the drive behind agritech development is the need to mitigate the impact of the primary sector on climate, water quality and biodiversity, recent world events have added to its importance, O’Connell says.

“Obviously the merit and the need for addressing environmental and climate challenges remain persistent and urgent and we’ve just added on top of that a food security narrative that wasn’t there before Russia’s invasion.

“Some of this uncertainty is actually driving people to technology solutions to try to hedge against it. Even though we can see insecurities and challenges across farming and other sectors, if anything, agritech is seen as a contributor to easing those uncertainties rather than a victim of them.” n

AgriTechNZ chief executive Brendan O’Connell says New Zealand and Ireland share many similarities including their pastoral farming.

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INDUSTRY GOOD

Planning helps you winter well Dawn Dalley

DairyNZ seniorscientist

W

intering practices have been a focus for southern farmers in recent years.

We’ve seen significant changes in wintering in Southland and south Otago, with greater recognition that farmers are making strong progress in improving environmental outcomes and animal care.

But getting wintering practices right is important on all farms because every year, in almost every region, there’s the potential for ongoing wet weather over winter.

Caring for your cows in these conditions is a top priority.

Setting yourself up to winter well now Winter weather differs between regions, but most farms experience sodden paddocks and mud at some stage.

Cows need to lie for more than eight hours a day to stay healthy and comfortable.

Research at the Southern Dairy Hub shows that during heavy rain and on the day after some animals don’t lie down for up to 24 hours.

It’s important to consistently monitor

paddocks, the weather and your animals’ behaviour over winter.

If wet conditions persist and cows aren’t getting enough rest, it’s time to take action to make them comfortable.

Having a written contingency plan will help improve animal care.

If you don’t already have a wintering plan, sit down with your team before winter to get options on paper.

Developing and actioning a wintering plan: As a team, plan how you can carry out checks of the paddock conditions and mobs at various times of the day.

Sharing what you’re seeing with each other will help with decision-making.

Assessing conditions in the whole paddock will make it easier to predict what the paddocks might look like in the next few days, and what your options are.

Consider whether conditions will improve, get worse or stay the same.

Taking note of how your animals are behaving is useful – are they calm and content, or restless?

You and your team know your farm and cows better than anyone, so you’ll know the best options for managing your animals in wet weather.

You can’t predict the weather, but you and your team can plan for a successful winter. n

MORE:

DairyNZ has online resources to make wintering easier for everyone: dairynz.co.nz/winter-plans dairynz.co.nz/contingency-plan

Having a winter grazing plan in place will help with animal welfare and minimise damage to pasture.

36

with DairyNZ DAIRY FARMER

May 2022

INNOVATIONS

Doubling down on plastic waste

By Richard Rennie

Reducing waste on farms through recycling helps the environment and can be reprocessed to create more products.

A

s the drying-off period for dairy cows approaches, a recycling initiative headed up by animal health company Zoetis will be doubling down on keeping plastic waste out of landfills.

This autumn marks the second year of a recycling initiative led by Zoetis that aims to significantly reduce the number of plastic Teatseal tubes going to waste.

Teatseal is a non-antibiotic product injected into cows’ teats at drying-off to prevent mastitis infection occurring.

Natalie Bunn, dairy product manager for Zoetis, says in cooperation with farm plastics recycling company Plasback, efforts to gather some of the five million estimated Teatseal tubes often discarded have proven successful.

“We managed to get 1.6 million tubes recycled last year, a great effort for a first-time initiative, and are very confident that now more farmers know about the scheme we can improve that considerably this season,” Bunn says.

Farmers have the option to take the used tubes back to their participating vet clinic, where they are placed in special bags for recycling, or vet and technician teams administering Teatseal take the waste back with them.

Adrian Evans of Southern Wairarapa Veterinary Services says he and his colleagues had become very conscious of the amount of plastic generated by a single herd’s treatment and welcomed the opportunity to participate in a scheme to prevent it heading to landfill.

“It is welcomed by us, and by our farmer clients. Everyone is aware of waste these days, but not all companies try to do something about it, so it is a feather in the cap for Zoetis,” Evans says.

Last year’s efforts pulled the equivalent of 12,744kg of plastics from landfill and provided a high-quality polyethylene source of recycled plastic

DAIRY FARMER

May 2022

material for reprocessing.

Plasback commercial manager Neal Shaw says he was encouraged by the success of the scheme.

Plasback has taken the project a step further with Zoetis providing recycling wheelie bins to over 100 vet clinics around the country. That means they can now accept the plastic “pillow packs” used to hold Zoetis livestock vaccines.

“These also contribute a valuable recycled source, often used for recycled plastic pallets. It is great to have a business like Zoetis participating, everyone wants to recycle but not all want to take the initiative,” Shaw says.

He says agricultural plastic recycling can be more challenging, given the diffuse nature of farms, but having the engagement with veterinary clinics has helped centralise collection of a significant waste stream from farms.

Teatseal volumes have grown significantly in recent years as farmers have become more conscious of avoiding overuse of antibiotics in dry cow treatment, given the risks of encouraging resistance.

Its inert nature means it can be safely handled and recycled with minimum cleaning required prior to processing.

Evans says along with the adoption of bamboo-based teat wipes, the recycling scheme for Teatseal is making the drying off process more environmentally conscious one.

“We have a couple of our practice staff who have really taken environmental sustainability by the horns, including conducting a carbon audit of the business. It’s a challenging exercise to assess your business, but something that has a really positive impact on everyone,” Evans says.

Bunn says Zoetis is committed to building the Teatseal and livestock vaccine recycling scheme’s success. n

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FARMSTRONG

Paul Walker runs a 300-cow, 90-hectare dairy farm in Pongakawa, Bay of Plenty and says Farmstrong has made a difference to him and his farming. Paul catches up with his mate Ralph.

Taking off the blinkers Paul Walker runs a 300-cow, 90-hectare dairy farm in Pongakawa, just south of Te Puke, in Bay of Plenty. He discusses the difference Farmstrong has made to his farming.

H

ow did you get into farming?

I was brought up on-farm.

We’ve been here since the early 1950s and are thirdgeneration farmers. I ran around the house playing rugby as a youngster, then went to Christchurch for 10 years and spent some time in the corporate world.

But the attraction of being self-employed and raising a family on-farm was big. I was just under 30, came home and took up farming as a business.

What do you like about it?

One of the major pros to farming is that you can see a lot more of your family. That’s a big plus for me. I also love working with animals, being on the land and contributing to this community.

How’s the season been going for you so far?

Good. The thing that usually worries us the most, the weather, has been playing ball. It’s something you can’t

38

control and it impacts you heavily.

How has your approach to farming changed over the years?

When I first got into farming, I had this vision of working as hard as possible then getting out the other end and enjoying life. I had blinkers on the whole time – my life was just about trying to get the job done so I could enjoy this fantastic retirement. The big problem with that is that you don’t enjoy life and farming as you’re going along.

What was the impact on your wellbeing?

It led to some pretty ‘black holes’ I had to deal with. Where you literally can’t see the light at the end of the tunnel and you’re missing out on so much, like seeing your kids grow up. I was just too busy rushing to get things done. And let’s face it, there’s always something you could be doing in farming.

You’re quite isolated on-farm too. You

can easily get stuck in your own bubble where the only people nearby are your family and, unfortunately, they often bear the brunt of your negativity and negative thoughts. That’s not a healthy or productive space to be in.

What changed your thinking?

I ran across one Farmstrong’s healthy thinking workshops run by Dr Tom Mulholland. The penny just dropped that I had to learn to manage what was under my feet every day and slow down and enjoy life, otherwise before I knew it, it’d be gone.

What did you change?

The thing that really connected me with Farmstrong was a video I watched about how stress works. They used the example of a one litre bottle. Every time something went wrong on-farm, it filled up the bottle until there was no space left and it overflowed. That’s how stress works – there’s no space left in

DAIRY FARMER

May 2022

your bottle to cope any more. That really helped me explain how I was feeling to my friends and family. It was like a huge weight lifted off my shoulders. After that, I was hooked and I dived into other Farmstrong resources.

What’s your approach now?

There’s a really cool Farmstrong idea called the wellbeing bank account. You make regular ‘investments’ by doing things that increase your wellbeing and that helps you to deal with the ‘withdrawals’ like adverse weather events or when things get really demanding on farm.

What are your investments?

Mine are exercise, catching up with mates, enjoying the simple things in life and giving back to my community – I’m increasing my wellbeing, which means I’ll have plenty of ‘coping space’ left in the bottle to deal with whatever happens on-farm.

Bay of Plenty farmer Paul Walker believes in investing in a wellbeing bank account, which includes spending time out. Paul and his Farmstrong exercise group.

Does it work?

Yes, there’s a whole science behind this. The research shows things like connecting with mates, or even just taking the time when you’re following the cows in the morning to look up at the stars for 20 seconds and enjoy the moment, can really boost your mood. I never used to do those things, but they make a big difference to how you feel.

What other skills have you picked up?

There are thinking strategies I use to manage unexpected setbacks on-farm.

Instead of just reacting instantly to something, I take a step back and give myself time to think about a situation and then respond. If you respond to something rather than react, you’re going to get a much more positive outcome.

I’ve also picked up skills on how to have a listening conversation with people doing it tough. Like a lot of farmers, I wasn’t the best listener. I’ve trained myself to shut up and actually listen.

Getting time off the farm is crucial for wellbeing. Paul and Pip Walker spend some downtime off the farm.

Any other tips for keeping well on-farm?

Yes, make sure you look after the basics – eat properly, get enough sleep and exercise.

I’ve learnt the hard way that if the

‘hardware’ isn’t working properly, then your ‘software’ doesn’t function well either.

How would you sum up the difference Farmstrong makes?

I think the big picture is that it helps you pause, take a step back and answer your ‘why’ – why are you farming in the first place? It also provides practical, dayto-day help.

There are Farmstrong resources that will help you enjoy the industry that you’re in and create a much more positive environment for your family and your staff.

Do you think many farmers are open to these ideas?

Yes, we just held a dairy discussion group here and for the first time we focused on wellbeing. We were a little bit nervous at first, but people weren’t hesitant at all to talk. It’s no longer a taboo subject, it’s actually top of mind for many people. n

MORE: Farmstrong is a nationwide, rural wellbeing programme that helps farmers cope with the ups and downs of farming.

For more information visit: www.farmstrong.co.nz

Under the pump?

For tips and ideas, visit farmstrong.co.nz

DAIRY FARMER

May 2022

39

TRAINING & EDUCATION

S

Exploring a career in ag science

enior Waikato high school students with a passion for science got a taste of what a career in agricultural science could offer at an interactive workshop hosted by AgResearch, DairyNZ, LIC and the University of Waikato recently.

This was the second annual DairyNZ Year 13 Science Career Day, which aims to educate senior science students about the many and varied career opportunities within New Zealand agriculture.

“We have found a real lack of awareness in both secondary school teachers and students about the science career opportunities within the dairyrelated sector,” event organiser DairyNZ Industry Education Facilitator Susan Stokes says.

“Ensuring that agriculture, such an important driver of the New Zealand economy, has the science talent it needs for continued innovation is vital.

“It has been very pleasing to have had such a fantastic response to this year’s event from students and teachers alike.

When a student writes on their feedback form they’d like to do it all again to learn more, you can’t ask for a better response than that.”

Forty students from 16 Waikato secondary schools took part in a variety of agricultural science activities, spanning pasture to plate. Soil assessment, pasture growth, nutrient leaching, artificial breeding, animal productivity and health, as well as meat science, were demonstrated by scientists from AgResearch, DairyNZ, LIC and Waikato University’s Earth Sciences department.

AgResearch food technologist Dr Mustafa Farouk took part in last year’s event and returned this year to introduce this year’s attendees to meat science.

“It was wonderful to talk to such enthusiastic young people about our work,” Farouk says.

“For many of them finding out about the variety of science expertise required by the industry, as well as the different career pathways you could take, was a real eye opener.”

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Year 13 high school students got the opportunity to discover the word of science careers in the dairy and agricultural industries at an interactive workshop hosted by AgResearch, DairyNZ, LIC and the University of Waikato.

“It has been very pleasing to have had such a fantastic response to this year’s event from students and teachers alike.”

Susan Stokes DairyNZ and AgResearch science intern Charlotte Robertson presented her personal journey into a career in science at the event’s afternoon session.

“It was great to see how many of the students came from non-farming backgrounds, yet were still keen to come and explore the opportunities in the dairy sector,” Robertson says.

“Having grown-up a ‘townie’ myself, and ending up in dairy science almost by accident, it shows that you don’t need to

grow up on-farm to end up working in the industry.

“Events like this provide students with more of an awareness of what is out there when it comes to making a decision about what to do after they leave school.”

This year’s keynote speaker, Waikato University scientist Dr Megan Balks, talked about her path into a career focused on the science of soils.

“As the world strives to feed a population of nine billion people, agricultural-based science has never been more important,” Balk says.

“A career in this field of science has taken me on a journey filled with adventures that I never dreamed were possible. We hope we have inspired the students with our personal stories, infected them with our passion for this industry and given them an insight into the wide range of options within a career in agricultural science.” n

DAIRY FARMER

May 2022

TRAINING AND EDUCATION

Upskilling on the job is key

L

earning needs to happen at the right time so knowledge is fresh and able to be used practically in the farm business, Dairy Training’s manager Hamish Hodgson says.

One course that provides the right skills at the right time is progression management.

“We’ve identified that assistant managers and managers sometimes lack the basic skills that, on a busy farm, some bosses simply don’t have time to teach,” Hodgson says.

“Our progression management course is about upskilling managers in their current roles; getting up to speed with computers, tools and technologies; and kickstarting financial management skills.”

Hodgson knows about the challenges of farming, having previously managed a dairy farm.

He understands that to get some farmers to engage in courses, you need short courses held at suitable times (eg between milkings) and they must be practical and enjoyable.

“Many of our short courses are three part-days and are about enabling farmers to make good decisions. For some courses we offer both online and in-person options.”

Business by the Numbers is one short course for both new and experienced financial planners.

Farmers learn about farm budgets and can look at their own numbers to investigate future options for big-picture

like having a conversation over the farm gate.”

Writing a business plan might sound daunting, but Dairy Training’s short course Write a Business Plan, steps farmers through the process.

At the end of the short course farmers walk away with a five-year business plan, having clarified what they want to get out of farming and what they need to do to get there.

Dairy Training specialises in short courses, workshops, and full programmes for formal qualifications like the Diploma in Agribusiness Management. n

Dairy Training’s manager Hamish Hodgson says learning needs to be done at the right time so it can be used in a practical setting.

goals, like self-employment, or growing their sharemilking or farming business.

If farmers understand their numbers, they can have confident conversations with their bank, accountant or business partners.

“It’s also important that we offer practical tools and techniques and keep class sizes small so farmers are comfortable.

“It’s about getting in the classroom and giving it a go. We cater for all levels so all farmers can feel welcome.

Our tutors are farmers or rural professionals, so in the classroom it’s

Courses Business by the Numbers - Inperson (three part-days) or online (7x2-hour sessions) Write a Business Plan - In-person (three part-days) or online (7x2-hour sessions) Progression Management - 9x4-hour workshops Visit dairytraining.co.nz for more information and register now – you’ve got everything to gain.

Keep up to date with DairyNZ events DairyNZ offers a range of events for farmers including discussion groups, field days, business progression and other training events. You can keep up to date with the latest events online at dairynz.co.nz/events.

Need Help?

Give us a call on

0800 787 254

www.rural-support.org.nz Rural people Supporting rural people

DAIRY FARMER

May 2022

41

TRAINING & EDUCATION

Embracing opportunities

By Gerald Piddock

A good attitude, willingness to learn and seizing any opportunity that comes is key to progressing through the dairy industry.

I

n the space of 10 years, Thomas Chatfield has gone from being a dairy assistant to purchasing a 25% stake on a dairy farm owned in conjunction with his family.

The Bay of Plenty dairy farmer says he was able to make this progression thanks to forging good relationships, the right attitude and embracing opportunities to learn that the dairy industry provides.

A qualified physiotherapist, Chatfield switched careers to dairy farming in 2012 after spending time overseas and then returning and assisting with his thenpartner’s parent’s farm during calving.

“One thing led to another with the busy calving period and we ended up helping out and that turned into a full-time job on a neighbouring farm,” Chatfield says.

At the time, he felt he had nothing to lose and everything to gain by switching to dairy farming for a season.

“What’s it going to hurt giving this a crack for a year – and that was 10 years ago,” he says.

The decision surprised people, including his parents who saw him leaving a lucrative, stable career.

“There were a few sideways looks,” he says.

“I pretty quickly figured out I was good at it and I really enjoyed it.”

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Thomas Chatfield says his success at the Dairy Awards and the resulting name recognition helped open doors for him to progress in the industry.

At the end of his first season he entered the trainee section of the Dairy Industry Awards for the Bay of Plenty region, which he won.

It was the national contest that

opened his eyes and showed him what was possible career-wise in the industry, including income, self-employment and industry progression, he says.

“While I had taken a big pay cut in my

DAIRY FARMER

May 2022

first year, the potential was that the sky’s the limit,” he says.

Looking back, he says he was lucky that the farm owner was supportive, patient and willing to share knowledge about the industry with him.

“Having been in the industry for 10 years, there’s not too many people who aren’t willing to share their skills. In terms of an industry, if you’re there willing to put in the hard work there’s someone there willing to teach you,” he says.

What he lacked in experience, he made up for in attitude by arriving at work on time every day and being willing to learn.

“That first year was a really steep learning curve. To be a good farmer, you don’t have to have all the skills, you just have to be willing to show up and go to work and listen and learn,” her says.

As he progressed through, other employers were also happy to give him advice and help him upskill himself.

They were also supportive of him seeking tertiary education through Primary ITO. He also continued his involvement with the Dairy Awards, winning the national farm manager title in 2016.

“That opened a huge amount of doors in terms of name recognition with people who knew more than I did and those opportunities to go away at the Dairy Awards are always really inspiring both as an entrant and afterwards,” he says.

He also devoured all of the industry magazines and publications, asking his employers questions about what he had learned while reading.

Many of his classmates at Primary ITO were at a similar position to himself in terms of where they were in the industry and he was able to discuss different issues within the industry with them, he says.

Former New Zealand Dairy Manager of the Year Thomas Chatfield says attitude and being willing to learn played a big part in enabling him to move from dairy assistant to equity partner in 10 years.

He also tried to attend as many of the local DairyNZ discussion groups as he could and tried to utilise the knowledge within that organisation as much as possible.

He worked as a farm assistant for one season before shifting to another job where he was 2IC on a 450-cow farm; the season after that, he was managing that farm in his third year of dairying.

He continued in that role for two seasons before shifting to a contract milking position on a 100-cow farm at Te Puke.

He stayed in that role for four seasons before taking this season off as he and wife Vanessa looked at their options.

Vanessa owns a home in Papamoa, which they were able to utilise and live off his savings and income from a lease block.

This was purchased in his final year contracting, with the view of using it as a means to grow their equity to potentially go sharemilking.

He also receives an income from a

sharemilking arrangement he has with his former manager on another farm at Waiotahi, near Whakatāne, which is run by a manager.

Instead of sharemilking, the opportunity came up to buy a 360ha (230ha effective) farm in the Kaimai Ranges in conjunction with a family trust consisting of his parents and brother.

They took a quarter stake in equity in the farm with the trust buying the remaining 75%.

He and Vanessa will be shifting onto the farm for the new season as essentially its manager. Their lease block they farm will be utilised as a runoff.

“It ticked all of the boxes,” he says.

Looking back, Chatfield says he cannot emphasise the importance of good relationships – with employers, the Dairy Awards and industry organisations.

“There’s so much help out there if you want to go and find it and it’s up to you to go and find it. The opportunities are there for everyone,” he says. n

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Getting effluent right

By Michael Prestidge

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well-planned effluent management system provides the right foundations for effective effluent management, however, it’s important farm managers and staff have a certain level of training and education to ensure the system continues to operate optimally.

An accredited effluent management designer should develop a system that works for your farming operations, keeping in mind staffing and equipment resources, operational routines, council compliance rules and regulations, as well as any future-proofing measures.

Any equipment chosen for your effluent management system should not only fit in with your operational routines, but should also provide an effective means of managing effluent for the specific needs of the farm. For example, farms with heavier soils are better suited for low pressure applicators.

Having these good foundations is just the beginning. As time moves on, farms grow, staff change, equipment wears and rules and regulations evolve.

As such, there are three key areas of knowledge that will easily give anyone working on farm the ability to effectively manage a dairy effluent system: Soil management and irrigation practices It’s advantageous for anyone working in dairy farm effluent management to have a basic knowledge of soil properties and processes and the effect of topography and drainage.

This knowledge, along with an understanding of irrigation practices – when, where and how much to irrigate – helps ensure the right amount of nutrients are being spread for effective fertilisation and council compliance.

Having this basic understanding also allows staff to use helpful tools like nutrient testing kits to make more informed decisions

DAIRY FARMER

May 2022

TRAINING & EDUCATION on where effluent nutrients should be spread and whether or not additional nutrients are required. This can be especially important for farms using feedpads or barn storage where effluent can be more highly concentrated.

A short online course in Soil Management (Agriculture) can be taken through Learning Cloud (course code BAG103) or free resources are available online through the Science Learning Hub and Landcare Research NZ. The DairyNZ website provides a lot of good information and resources for Managing and Operating Effluent Systems, including an effluent management plan poster.

Council compliance Simply put, remaining compliant is a matter of capturing the effluent, storing it and applying it in a way that won’t cause any issues. A good system will have been designed to adhere to council regulations, including things like storage capacity, proximity to waterways, bridges and underpasses that are often overlooked. However, rules and regulations do change, so it’s important farm managers keep up-to-date with local council regulations and adapt operations where necessary. Information is usually available on council websites.

Equipment use and maintenance It’s also important to have a good understanding of the effluent equipment being used on-farm, how it operates and how it fits into the overall effluent management plan. Your equipment supplier should provide the initial training and equipment manuals, however, it’s important new staff receive

Why Arthur Wants a Second Slurry Tanker!

training and a schedule is in place for them to know when and where it should be used.

Having a regular maintenance schedule is always advised to keep equipment in good working order, but it’s also important staff recognise any change in performance early. Thorough training of how the equipment works, and what optimal performance should look like, makes it more likely staff will notice if the equipment isn’t performing as it should. This can be an indication of some kind of maintenance requirement.

Breakdowns can be a costly exercise. Early recognition and action of any issues often avoids breakdowns, keeps maintenance costs low and equipment lasting longer.

What you’re not expected to know There’s tons of information, courses and all sorts of things that can be learnt about all the different aspects of farming – and if you’re keen to learn, that’s great, but there’s some areas requiring specialist knowledge where you can source help from the experts.

With effluent management, farmers are not expected to know about hydraulics or technical information like your friction loss and pipe size to determine the best pump or irrigator for your system. These are everyday challenges and calculations for accredited dairy effluent management designers and equipment specialists who are always happy to help. n

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Michael Prestidge is a Nevada Effluent management specialist

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Arthur Clapison is a farmer that thinks outside the box and grabs opportunities with both hands...

Sharemilking on a dairy farm in Kaimata, North Taranaki, Arthur is passionate about the use of effluent nutrients. So much so, that in his spare time he helps other local farmers – stirring their ponds and spreading over paddocks.

Arthur’s first effluent equipment investment with Nevada was a TurboStir6000 PTO stirrer. Being a sharemilker he needed a stirrer that was portable so he could take it with him wherever he goes, so in making the most of his investment it makes sense to use it for some contracting work as well.

As an advocate for effluent spreading Arthur’s next investment was to be a slurry tanker to enable him to have

an entire effluent management solution not just for himself, but for his contracting clients.

Given the TurboStir had been a great success, he headed straight to Nevada to enquire about a slurry tanker.

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DAIRY FARMER

May 2022

45

TRAINING & EDUCATION

A student of the farm

By Tony Benny

A Bay of Plenty dairy farmer credits his rapid journey through the industry to training opportunities and networking.

A

Tauranga dairy farmer who has gone from strength to strength and risen quickly through the ranks of dairying, says he took every opportunity that’s come his way.

And he says networking through his participation in the Dairy Industry Awards helped a great deal.

Contract milker Reece Cox and wife Natasha milk 700 cows on a 240 hectare block for David and Leslie Jensen.

When he left school at 17 in 2010, Cox had no farming experience but that soon changed when he signed up with

a Future Farming cadetship on a sheep and beef farm.

“We learned the basic work skills on a farm and we came out with a Level 2 Work Ready certificate. It was just a good basis of everything, like tractors and fencing and that gave us a good grounding,” Cox recalls.

The cadetship was unpaid so he worked part time on a dairy farm and played rugby in Reporoa and the connections he made there led to a fulltime opportunity.

“About 95% of my team-mates were dairy farmers and that’s basically how I got into the dairy industry. The course

I was doing was based in Taupō and so I picked up a job on one of the newer Landcorp dairy conversions there.”

His boss in the new job, Aaron Karaha, became his mentor and showed him what he could achieve with the right training.

“He had good motivation and drive and was in the corporate side. I could see he was doing the training and thought if I was to do the same I could probably be in his position in a few years.”

Cox stayed in the dairy assistant job for two years.

“In that time I entered the Dairy Awards a couple of times and placed

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Natasha and Reece Cox, with their children Cobie and Addison, are contract milkers on a 700-cow farm in Bay of Plenty. In June 2023, they will step up to a sharemilking position.

second in the Central Plateau for dairy trainee and I got to know how valuable the awards were for networking.

“I continued my training and did my Level 3 ITOs for the dairy side of things and continued with any sort of day courses I could, like body condition scoring workshops that DairyNZ had or discussion groups.”

In 2012 he stepped up to a 2IC role on a Māori trust farm. He carried on with his training and ticked off his Level 4 feeding and pastures qualifications but says much of his learning was on-farm.

“It was quite a big step from a dairy assistant to an 1800 cow 2IC role and I had quite a few staff to delegate as well and the responsibility, mainly around the grass and feeding at that stage.

“I did a lot of on-farm learning plus they pushed us to take a few other courses as well like HR, learning how to manage and work with staff as well as opposed to just being told what to do in your job.”

Four years after first working on a farm, then aged 21, he was offered a manager’s role on a 1200-cow farm owned by the same trust. He stayed in that role for three years, completing his Level 5 production management certificate and starting on a Diploma in Agribusiness with Waikato Institute of Technology.

“I guess it was a big step again because you’re learning more, from the day to day running of the farm to actually

DAIRY FARMER

May 2022

the budgets and the financial side of it and having a bit more understanding of taxation and a lot more forward thinking.”

In 2017, the family moved to the contract milking job in Tauranga for the Jensens and a year later won the Bay of Plenty Share Farmer of the Year award.

“We really just wanted to benchmark ourselves against others and set our business up right from the start and structure it from learning what other people are doing and alongside that we wanted to grow our network so we could

open up opportunities and fit into the area I guess. The networking was just priceless.”

In June next year the couple will take up a 700-cow sharemilking job with the trust that gave him his first manager’s job.

“Those opportunities don’t come up every day and we know what we’re going into. Having a good reputation is important and making yourself valuable is something I’ve learnt as I’ve progressed, I guess.”

Cox has climbed the career ladder quickly and says taking every training opportunity has been an important factor in his rapid progress.

“Every phase has had its moments where you think that’s really helped me on-farm. From the start, the cadetship gave me a really good all-round skillset which set me up.

“One of the most valuable things has been doing the diploma, being able to understand how a business works but also being able to question our accountant or banker or anyone like that so we’ve actually got an understanding of what they’re doing and not just paying them to do it for you.”

For now he’s enjoying having a break from formal training but he does have his sights set on more opportunities in future.

“I’d like to do the Kellogg leadership course and I’d like to get a better understanding of the ag-science side of things,” he says.

“If I can get a better understanding of plant and soil health, that’ll certainly help our business and the industry as a whole.” n

Reece Cox credits his rapid rise in the dairy industry to training opportunities and networking through the Dairy Industry Awards. Reece checks on his R2 heifers.

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ANIMAL HEALTH

Drawing the line

By Samantha Tennent

A

ntibiotic use is under increased scrutiny as any time we use them there is a potential risk that bacteria develop resistance. On dairy farms, around 85% of the antibiotics used are for mastitis control, including antibiotic dry cow therapy (DCT).

As we move away from blanket or whole herd treatment and towards more targeted approaches to support reducing antimicrobial resistance (AMR), what methods should we be using to determine which cows should receive what?

Identifying offenders In the majority of herds, less than 10% of cows are infected with a major pathogen at drying-off, which means selective DCT is a logical approach for most herds. DCT should be reserved for cows with evidence of infection or if they fall into a high risk category. Evidence includes cows that have been treated for clinical mastitis, have been confirmed by bacterial culture or have a high somatic cell count (SCC).

Another group of cows that should be considered, even if they don’t have clear evidence, are older cows producing high volumes. The latest research found that animals over four years old who were producing more than 10 litres of milk at the last herd test were twice as likely to develop clinical mastitis during the dry period.

Herd test SCC is currently the most practical tool for selecting which cows need antibiotics. The maximum SCC at any herd test is the best tool to select cows. But, if a farm doesn’t herd test

regularly, trials have shown a herd test within the last 80 days of lactation is sufficient to select cows for DCT. Or if there is no herd testing information available at all, a Rapid Mastitis Test (RMT) performed immediately before drying-off is a viable option.

SCC cut-points When using SCC to determine which cows receive DCT, we are aiming to target as many cows as possible that are infected with a major bug. While on average infected cows will have a higher SCC, some infected cows have a relatively low SCC and some uninfected cows have a higher SCC. So we need to select a SCC cut-point that minimises the number of infected cows that are missed, as well as avoid giving antibiotics to uninfected cows.

But there is no magic number for where the line should be drawn.

Research by DairyNZ and Cognosco has looked at the likelihood of missing truly infected cows when using different SCC cut-points, as well as the likely reduction in DCT usage compared to whole herd use. For example, when using greater than 150,000 as the SCC threshold, approximately 85% of the truly infected cows were identified and only 15% were missed.

But the work also demonstrated if the cows below the threshold are treated with Internal Teat Sealant (ITS) they still had good outcomes that were equivalent to cows that had received DCT. So as long as they received something there was a good chance of protection.

If we increase the threshold we reduce the total amount of antibiotic

WelFarm general manager Samantha Tennent says selective dry cow therapy is a logical approach for most herds.

required, but we also risk missing a larger proportion of infected cows. The numbers show we could be using 78% less antibiotics for a cut-point of 225,000 cells/mL or 63% at 125,000 cells/mL. And vice versa, when a lower threshold is used, more infected cows are captured, but we also treat a larger number of uninfected cows.

The rest of the herd If cows are left unprotected there is a high chance of developing an infection during the dry period. Using ITS provides an effective barrier and reduces the new infection rate by about 70% over the dry period. And the data shows that compared to glands that received no treatment or DCT alone, there is a lower risk of clinical mastitis in the next lactation if they receive ITS. There are no hard and fast rules or exact ways of determining which cows should and shouldn’t receive DCT. Work with your vet to assess your farm when making the plan for drying-off this season and have the confidence to look at options as we move away from a ‘one size fits all’ to a more targeted approach. n

Herd tests and somatic cell counts are a good tool for farmers using a targeted approach to reduce antibiotic use.

MORE:

Samantha Tennent is the general manager of WelFarm Ltd

DAIRY FARMER

May 2022

ANIMAL HEALTH

Lessons to learn in lowering SCC

D

annevirke Farmer Thomas Read recently took advantage of the support offered by his local Farm Source team to help reach the farm’s milk quality goals.

He and wife Jennifer are in their first season on the 236 hectare property they’ve 50:50 sharemilked on for the last seven seasons.

The 680 crossbred cows had a rolling 200,000 Somatic Cell Count (SCC) over both herds, which they milk across two sheds.

Believing they were carrying out best practice, or close to it, Read reached out to his local Farm Source team for further support.

“We wanted to make sure we weren’t missing anything,” he says.

“Maybe have some blind spots pointed out. We’d tried to solve it in-house, and it would always be discussed at team meetings. But we weren’t seeing much change.”

Farm Source regional food safety and assurance manager Grant Rudman made a farm visit last December.

“He identified a few things we might improve on. One of those was changing out milk liners, and that’s helped,” Read says.

“Some of the advice was around early lactation, the idea being you minimise new mastitis infections at the high-risk time of the season and maintain it for the remainder of the season, and we’re looking at implementing some new ideas come August.”

Over the past three and a bit months, he and his team have maintained SCC to 175,000.

“We’re trying to continually improve and are looking forward to dropping to 150,000 and lower.

“We want to keep production paramount too…but without the SCC. If we do that, there’s not so many clinically treated cows whose milk we have to remove from collection.

“We’ve dropped the number of cows being treated from 40 down to 14 too. It’s important all round, including for animal health reasons. Better cows give better production.”

Rudman says milk quality insight visits are another way to align farmers with good management practices for mastitis prevention and support farmers to achieve milk quality excellence.

There’s good science and reasons to support the recommendations covered on farm and in the reports provided.

Rudman says as well as the animal health implications, customers and consumers want to see fit and healthy cows. A low SCC is indicative of this.

“This is a great product from Farm Source and Fonterra. It’s free, and you’ve got nothing to lose,” Read says.

“We don’t know everything, and this nudges us in the right direction. Why not use it, it works.” n

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Regional Food Safety and Assurance manager for Central Districts, Grant Rudman, says Milk Quality Insight Visits align farmers with good management practices for mastitis prevention.

DAIRY FARMER

May 2022

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Benefiting from superior genetics Results from Beef + Lamb New Zealand Genetics’ Dairy Beef Progeny Test builds a compelling case for dairy farmers to use high genetic merit beef bulls across their herds.

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recent report written by farm consultant Bob Thomson summarises the findings of a whole-farm modelling process where the progeny of the highest ranked beef bulls from the Dairy Beef Progeny Test (DBPT) were compared with the progeny of average bulls.

These showed a 15% growth advantage at 400 and 600-days compared to the average bulls.

This would improve gross margin returns by between $172 and $211/ha and improve feed conversion efficiency by 10%.

52

This in turn would reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

The modelling demonstrated that when the top 10-15 %of DBPT bulls for marbling (intramuscular fat) were compared with the average DBPT bulls there was a 20% improvement.

This correlated with an increase in the strike rate with beef quality supply programmes, although with a price premium of 30c/kg CW, this only increased the gross margin by another $22/ha.

The modelling also compared one and two winter finishing policies and

highlighted clear advantages and disadvantages to both.

The ranking of DBPT bulls did not change between the two policies.

Compared to the two-winter, the onewinter system occupied one third less land area with 15% more feed conversion efficiencies.

The disadvantage was in lighter carcase weights (160-220kg CW) when processed between November and February.

These weights were outside targeted beef grading and associated payment schedules.

DAIRY FARMER

May 2022

Building a connection between dairy farmer and finisher The report noted a disconnect between dairy farmers and beef finishers and the advantages for both parties to address this.

Working with a dairy farmer who is investing in superior beef genetics gives the finisher the opportunity to benefit from significantly improved growth rates and carcase attributes.

The report states that this disconnect has come about because finishers tend to prefer to buy dairy-beef spring-born weaners in autumn rather than rear them over summer.

“These results highlight the fact that betweenbreed analysis is important, and no one breed dominates the beef breeding opportunities for NZ farmers.”

Bob Thomson In drought years, when this is most apparent, there is little difference in the price between autumn and spring calves.

Dairy farmers producing high quality calves often felt frustrated with variable and inconsistent demand from beef finishers irrespective of whether they are four to five-day old weaners or 100 kilogram weaners.

DAIRY FARMER

May 2022

“Once the calves leave the dairy farm the connection back to their genetic merit is usually lost. This leaves the beef finisher to judge calves on their coat colour and condition,” Thomson says.

Bobby calf policies – a reason to change Dairy farmers could be faced with a no bobby calf kill policy in the future and will either have to produce calves that have value as a beef finishing animal or reduce cow numbers to accommodate the rearing of surplus calves.

“Either way, the value of the surplus calves can be raised significantly by dairy farmers utilising high genetic merit beef bulls over the dairy cows which are not required to generate their dairy replacements,” he says.

The high genetic merit beef bulls identified in the DBPT are proven performers and their genetics are only available in commercial quantities through artificial insemination.

Analysis has shown that the actual cost of beef AI in dairy herds is slightly less than natural mating and generated many more advantages. These included shorter gestation length, proven easy calving and calves which will grow faster and to heavier weights for finishers.

Increased use of high merit bulls in industry will add value to the dairy industry through the use of short gestation bulls which contribute to greater days in milk.

By enabling cows to calve easily and on time, high-merit bulls improve re-

breeding success and reduces the need for involuntary culling.

There was also better biosecurity and work safety associated with AI. Dairy Beef Progeny Test The purpose of the DBPT, which began in 2015, was to identify high genetic merit beef bulls that would benefit both dairy and beef farmers.

Over the course of the programme, detailed and comprehensive phenotypic data has and continues to be collected, analysed and reported for a range of traits including gestation length, calving ease, growth rates, carcase weight and carcase quality.

In 2019, B+LNZ entered into partnership with LIC (which co-funds the test) to ensure dairy farmers have access to the best bulls coming through the progeny test.

The trial includes a number of breeds with around 20 new bulls being progeny tested every year.

The most up-to-date report showed the top five bulls ranked on carcase weight represented five different breeds.

“These results highlight the fact that between-breed analysis is important, and no one breed dominates the beef breeding opportunities for NZ farmers.”

The cattle in the progeny test are born on Pāmu’s Renown farm at Wairakei Estate and reared and finished under commercial conditions at Pāmu’s Orakonui farm, also at Wairakei Estate.

All Dairy Beef Progeny Test reports are available online at blnzgenetics.com/ progeny-tests. n

53

BETTER BULLS BETTER CALVES

Muscling up your beef Bulls with the double-muscling gene is gaining popularity among dairy farmers.

D

airy-beef numbers are on the rise as the industry works to increase efficiencies, reduce greenhouse gases, better utilise surplus calves and create a value chain that promotes a more sustainable practice from paddock to plate.

Creating the value chain begins with carefully selecting genetics to produce animals that benefit dairy farmers, rearers, finishers, processors and end consumers.

So let’s talk about what makes a top dairy-beef sire and why the genetic selection is so important?

The needs of dairy farmers are relatively clear.

Short gestation will bring more days in milk, tighter calving periods and easy calving, which is important when breeding a beef sire across a dairy animal.

The most valuable trait or gene in dairy-beef production is the myostatin gene or commonly known as the doublemuscling gene, which increases the muscle content of the dairy-beef calf to the same level as traditional beef breeds.

Using sires with multiple copies of the double-muscling gene over dairy cattle

Double-muscled Charolais bulls naturally promote rapid growth rates and are an excellent colour marker in dairy herds.

increases the feed efficiency and carcass weights of offspring leading to better overall yields and earlier finishing ages from 15-18 months.

The double-muscling gene is not

Angus beef is globally known to bring prime marbled meat and is the number one identified brand with consumers. Brave PP is double-muscled and homozygous polled Angus.

54

exclusive to a specific breed but was first found in Belgian Blue cattle.

We now have double-muscling sires from a variety of specialist dairy-beef breeds from all around the world.

Samen NZ’s short gestation Belgian Blue are easy calving, have superior temperaments and colour mark the offspring for easy identification.

Farmers across New Zealand have reported incredible results with the use of our carefully selected Belgian Blue sires which are in high demand from rearers and finishes all over New Zealand.

Charolais are another breed that naturally promotes rapid growth rates and are an excellent colour marker.

Charolais calves are also in high demand and sell well.

Samen NZ is proud to deliver double-muscling Charolais from an internationally proven elite dairy beef programme.

Angus beef is globally known to bring prime marbled meat and is the number one identified brand with consumers, due to marketing efforts by

DAIRY FARMER

May 2022

“We now have doublemuscling sires from a variety of specialist dairy-beef breeds from all around the world.” the likes of McDonald’s and other leading brands.

Now with Brave PP Samen NZ brings you a high-marbling, homozygous polled, double-muscling Angus with easy calving and short gestation.

This is sure to become New Zealand’s number one dairy beef option, due to Angus premiums currently being paid at the processors.

With our dedicated dairy beef coordinator connecting dairy farmers, rearers, finishers and processors as well as collecting data on dairy beef solutions.

Together we are building a value chain to create a more sustainable future. n

MORE:

For further information about Samen bulls and genetic solutions for your herd, contact Samen NZ.

Belgian Blue genetics are in high demand and farmers are reporting great results.

Balanced Cattle Drive Profitability Samen NZ focuses on supplying and investing in genetics to future proof farmer’s business, achieving the future of efficiency through functionality, profitability and sustainability.

Building Better Herds | 0800 220 232 | www.samen.co.nz

DAIRY FARMER

May 2022

55

BETTER BULLS BETTER CALVES

Thriving in any situation Simmental is becoming a good option for dairy farmers to use over their herds and the calves return a premium price.

By Ross Nolly

Dairy farmers are using more and more beef breeds over their herds to create value in their calves.

T

he need to reduce bobby calf numbers has prompted many dairy farmers to look at alternative beef breeds that will give them a point of difference from finishers that use traditional Hereford and Angus bulls.

A breed that is garnering a great deal of interest is the Simmental – a Swiss breed well-known for the rapid growth of its calves.

Those calves return a premium price for farmers due to their ability to finish at a heavier weight compared to most common beef breeds.

The Simmental is among the oldest and most widely distributed of all beef breeds and has been in New Zealand for around 50 years.

They are hardy to all of New Zealand’s climatic conditions and any type of farmland.

South Canterbury farmers David and Jayne Timperley farm Simmental cattle at their Opawa Simmental stud farm 40 minutes inland from Timaru. They started their registered Simmental stud in 1993 and their first on farm bull sale was held in 2014.

They run 17,000 SU comprising 150 stud cows, 500 breeding cows, 4000

56

ewes plus replacements, 990 Dairy grazers (R1, R2) and they winter 1000 beef calves on their 1800 hectare farm and lease a further 600ha.

“We also own two dairy farms. A 150 ha Geraldine farm milking 500 Friesian cows and a 120 ha Hinds farm milking 400 Friesian Kiwi cross cows. We’ve always used Simmental bulls to tail our herds,” Timperley says.

“We have a winter milking herd at Geraldine and AI our winter cows to Simmental bulls.

“Any low producing spring cows are mated to Simmental. The Geraldine herd now has collars fitted, so instead of using catch bulls we’re relying on the collars and AI.” Their main breeding focus is to produce animals that thrive in any commercial situation, have a good temperament, low birth weight, and good growth rates.

They don’t prioritise short gestation as a trait in their bulls, but aim to achieve a balance of traits to suit dairy farmers and finishers.

“It doesn’t always pay to focus on one trait. There’s nothing wrong with breeding for short gestation, but you have to be careful when breeding for

a single trait that you don’t lose other desirable traits,” he says.

“If a calf reaches its 100kg target 10 days earlier than a short gestation calf, the farmer saves on milk and calf meal.

Four day old Simmental calves do well for finishers and they’re prepared to pay a premium for them.”

Their calves are strong and rapidly attain their 100kg weight target.

They have no problems calving their Simmental calves but they are reluctant to mate Simmental to a heifer.

“Finishers are continually knocking on our door because they know that Simmental calves do well. Those return buyers are willing to pay a premium for the calves which is a good recommendation that they meet their requirements.”

Many sheep farmers always mate a percentage of their ewes to a terminal sire, and Timperley can’t see why more cattle breeders don’t emulate the practice and mate their poorer cows to a terminal sire.

Some Angus and Hereford breeders are using Simmental bulls to achieve hybrid vigour.

Timperley describes hybrid vigour as a “freebie for farmers that costs them

DAIRY FARMER

May 2022

nothing and rewards them well”.

“You generally need to take a dairy/ beef cross animal through a second winter before being able to get it away to a processing plant.

“Once a Simmental-dairy cross animal gets through the second winter you can utilise the spring grass to achieve high weight gains compared to Hereford or Angus dairy cross animals. The Simmental cross has greater potential and achieves that potential because it’s a bigger animal.”

Simmental bulls are generally strong on their feet.

The biggest problem occurring to catch bulls in a dairy herd can be lameness, due to the amount of walking they need to do.

“It’s mostly beef farmers who attend our May on-farm sale and we want those bulls to be big. But I would never send a bull of those weights to a dairy farmer because it would struggle with the amount of walking. We aim to have bulls that are destined for a dairy farm to be around 100kgs lighter.”

The breed once had a reputation for being temperamental, but 50 years of

breeding has made that problem a thing of the past.

“In the 1970s when the breed was introduced to New Zealand the animals were very few and far between. As a consequence many breeders weren’t concerned about temperament, which gave the breed a bad reputation.

“Breeders know that Simmentals still have that unwarranted stigma, so critically focus on temperament. There are now very few temperament issues because breeders simply cull those animals.”

He feels that a consequence of reducing the number of bobby calves through the use of beef bulls will lead to many more calves being in the pool for finishers to choose from.

“Farmers need to have something in their system so that the finishers actively seek their calves,” he says.

“Simmental calves give farmers a point of difference. If you AI your herd to Simmental, the finishers will pay a premium to buy your calves. Receiving a premium price for four day old calves, while minimising bobby calf numbers, is a win-win situation.” n

Simmental calves grow strong and fast and can quickly reach 100kgs.

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May 2022

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BETTER BULLS BETTER CALVES

U

Using genomics to drive gains

sing DNA to identify the unique make-up of a dairy cow will become an increasingly powerful tool for dairy farmers as they look to fast-track the genetic gain of their herds, says new CRV myDNA product manager Anna Morrow.

The potential for farmers to use DNA to breed healthier, more efficient cows faster is exciting, says Anna, who started in her new role at the end of March.

“Farmers can improve their results by using genomics to select better animals in their herd and by using the technology to make more informed breeding decisions,” she says.

The technology is becoming increasingly accessible and, in the future, could help farmers respond to challenges such as reducing their environmental footprint.

“More farmers are DNA testing their young stock, which will allow them to better predict the performance of their cows over a lifetime. Currently traits such as polled [without horns] are available, and in the future, we could predict other traits such as low methane,” she says.

The practical application of genetics

and its potential to solve problems is what encouraged Anna to switch from neuroscience to genetics at the University of Otago.

“Every living thing has DNA. It tells you everything about that animal or plant, how it grows, develops and functions.

Genomics is a really new technology, there is still so much to learn,” she says.

Her unique blend of on-farm experience and knowledge of the complex world of genetics will help in her role managing and developing CRV’s DNA testing service.

She grew up on a farm in Gordonton, near Hamilton, and has worked as a relief milker. After university she worked as an embryologist, where she created embryos to help provide the top bulls of the future. She then started at CRV last year, coordinating the delivery of myDNA before being promoted to manager.

Anna encourages farmers to jump on board with DNA technology to ensure they have access to the best future genetic solutions.

“CRV’s myDNA uses technology that is future-proofed. We use a high-density chip that can capture the unique DNA points to detect genetic variation in

CRV myDNA product manager Anna Morrow says farmers can use DNA to breed healthier and more efficient cows.

cows and as we learn more about those points the predictions will become more powerful,” she says.

NZAEL’s intention to include genotypes into its evaluation system by December 2022 further highlights the industry’s shift towards genomics.

“It’s fascinating seeing genetic technology being used to strengthen the agriculture sector and allowing farmers to achieve genetic gain faster.

It’s great being a part of that and I can’t wait to see where we head to next,” she says.

“Looking overseas to farmers in the Netherlands and other parts of Europe, they already select based on genomic information alone and more farmers will start doing that in New Zealand. Now is the time to get young stock in the system – once tested you can track those animals for life.” n

MORE: Genetic technology is being used to strengthen the agriculture sector and allow farmers to achieve genetic gain faster.

58

For more information on myDNA visit crv4all.co.nz or phone Anna on 021 371 365 or email anna.morrow@crv4all.co.nz

DAIRY FARMER

May 2022

myDNA

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Check out crv4all.co.nz DAIRY FARMER

May 2022

59

Bull Directory

Are you tired Are you tired of the effort, time and cost of breeding and dissatisfied with the outcomes?

Are you interested in improving your outcomes from breeding?

agent,who recognised bulls with great genetics, there was no way of being able to select and assemble your own bull team like the AI companies,

Do you double-down on AI by improving your on-farm skillset, investing in technology solutions (cow-collars, eartags, drafting, heat detectors, synchrony), and take the risk of poorer reproductive performance, or do you go back to the tried and proven technology of bulls?

UNTIL NOW.

Imagine owning your own high-BW KiwiX bulls so that you may improve your outcomes as well as: • Reduce or eliminate your AI period for your herd • Reduce or eliminate your AI period for your heifers These bulls come from a herd in the Top 4% of herds nationwide.

Some bulls are in the BW range of LIC’s Kiwicross Daughter Proven Bull team for 2021 while others are close.

Select your mybulls.co.nz team of high BW KiwiX bulls to: • Improve your herd’s production potential • Improve your mating outcomes • Reduce your effort at mating • Reduce the time involved in mating • Reduce your costs at mating • Tighten your calving spread and • Reduce your time involved in calving • Have more days in milk with better animals Most of the gains in BW are generated from sire decisions.

So, unless you knew a stock

60

Now you can browse and shop online.

While the impact of genetics is gradual, it is permanent and compounds year after year.

Start a success cycle with mybulls.co.nz Don’t want bulls on your dairy farm all year? Talk to us and have your mybulls delivered as service bulls.

The MyBulls Offer All bulls are: • Large and well-grown, having been raised by their Mum for at least three months (see weights) • Rising one-year olds • Quiet and trusting, having been handled daily • G3 (Genemark DNA) certified • Guaranteed fertile/fecund and have a certificate from a specialist vet when this was performed

F9J7 BW295 PW312 A2A2 • Trained to separate from the cows at the milking shed and have done that for at least six months on a daily basis • Tested and/or guaranteed free of TB, Johnes disease, BVD, and Mycoplasma bovis • Vaccinated with 5-in-1 (to prevent clostridia bacterial diseases - pulpy kidney, tetanus, black disease, malignant oedema and blackleg) and Leptospirosis

Effort Reduce the effort: • Tailpainting • Adding heat detection aids – patches, collars, smart eartags • Identifying animals in standing heat at dawn, dusk and before milking • Drafting • Inseminating • Recording • Maintaining heat detection aids, tailpaint, heat detectors • All of the above at your heifer graziers facilities

Time

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Reduce the time involved for mating: • Shorter or no period of AI • Let the bulls do the job • No multiple inseminations, with time in-between, to achieve conception • No missed silent heats • Achieve your mating objectives in a shorter elapsed time • Have a shorter calving spread

DAIRY FARMER

May 2022

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of the effort?

Cost

as LIC’s Kiwicross Daughter Proven Bull team for 2021, as verified by G3, for a fraction of the price (less than 1.5% of the value LIC see in their bulls)

Reduce the cost involved for mating: • Less tailpaint • Fewer heat detection aids • No collars or smart eartags • Fewer straws • Fewer inseminations • No drafting solutions needed • No synchrony expenses • Fewer lease / service bulls

Each season, each bull may work for the three or even four cycles across which your breeding occurs.

Outcomes Do you wish to achieve • Equal or better rate of genetic improvement?

LIC’s Kiwicross Daughter Proven Bull team for 2021 had a BW range of 250 to 363.

Offered here are bulls in the same BW range as LIC’s Kiwicross Daughter Proven Bull team, determined by G3 (Genemark DNA/Genomic) verification.

Potentially increased genetic gain through more selection pressure on replacements you decide to raise.

• Cow conception rate goals In virgin heifers, a reasonable goal is a first-time conception rate of 55% or more, or

F11J5 BW251 PW273 fewer than 1.8 services per conception.

For lactating cows, a reasonable goal is a conception rate of 40% or more, or fewer than 2.5 services per conception • Herd breeding / InCalf industry goals • A 6-week in-calf rate above 67 percent?

• A 3-week submission rate of 80 percent or higher?

• A conception rate of 50 percent or higher?

• Less than 20% short returns?

• Fewer than 15% cows treated for anoestrous?

Value What is the value in this investment?

• LIC values its elite bulls offered for AI (Sire Proving Scheme – 180 bulls) at $641,711 each based on expected future cashflows (or at $122,490 based on all 943 total bulls from which the bull team are selected) • Offered here are bulls in the same BW range of 250 to 363

Considering a bull’s most productive years are from the age of 3-5 years old, each bull may be used for at least four seasons and probably longer.

After which they will have value as meat.

What is the value of • Your time, especially after calving?

• The reduced farm working expenses?

• A tighter calving spread resulting in more days in milk for your herd, with more productive animals, and fewer empties?

While the impact of genetics is gradual, it is permanent and compounds year after year.

Start a success cycle with mybulls.co.nz

mybulls.co.nz Elite high-BW KiwiX Bulls Start a success cycle

DAIRY FARMER

May 2022

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61

Bull Directory

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Good selection of bulls with growth and carcass attributes without compromising ease of calving FERTILITY Calve as 2 yr old Only 43 days mating - cows Only 30 days mating - heifers Cull everything that doesn’t rear a calf

WHO ELSE IN NZ TICKS ALL THOSE BOXES? Chris & Karren Biddles, RD1, Te Kopuru, Northland P: 09 439 1589 | M: 021 795 929

e: chris@teatarangi.co.nz

62

High Calving ease for cows and heifers Negative gestation most bulls Well grown yearling bulls [500kg]

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May 2022

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65

One last word …

A

s we head towards the end of the season, it is all go on farms.

The harvesting is done and all stored away safe and ready to be fed when growth stalls during the colder months.

But even with the season winding down for the majority of farmers, there is still lots to be done – a farmer’s work is never done.

Many of our farmers are well into drying off their herds and sending stock to run-offs or graziers over winter.

However, autumn calvers are in the thick of it and gearing up to keep the white gold flowing through the winter.

Sharemilkers are well into preparations to shift farms but by the looks of it, if social media is anything to go by, there does not appear to be as many making the shift as in previous years.

This could be a hangover from covid and border closures where staff have been in short supply but the Government’s recent announcement that they will open up our borders to an additional 1580 experienced primary sector workers is good news all round.

And more so for those who have been struggling for the past two years to find enough staff.

That includes everyone in the primary sector not just farmers.

The new settings include an increase to the current border exception for assistant dairy farm managers, 2ICs, dairy herd managers and dairy farm assistants by 500 to a total of 800 for those earning at least the median wage plus $1 per hour (equates to $28 per hour).

But the announcement is timely as we now have only a month to go before the new season and the busy calving season starts. If you need staff, then take up these places.

The good news continues for farmers and while the GDT may have dropped for the third time, prices are still higher than last year and a record milk payment is on its way.

It may not be the $10 per kilogram of milksolids that some were hoping for, but it’s right up there.

That means there may be a bit of money in the coffers to take a welldeserved holiday and with the border open and MIQ a distant memory, there are endless possibilities.

66

And with the Government shifting the entire country to alert level orange, it is all go for industry events and awards.

The 33 finalists from 11 regions in the 2022 Dairy Industry Awards will be competing for the honour of winning either the New Zealand Share Farmer of the Year, New Zealand Dairy Manager of the Year or the New Zealand Dairy Trainee of the year title.

Good luck to all you and to all you hard working farmers, take a break and put your feet up, you deserve it.

Thanks to Kristin Pedersen for this

month’s photo of one her girls deciding the pit was a better place to be milked.

Pedersen milks 400 cows for Petfield farming in Clinton, Otago and says “she’s one of my favourites and she won’t leave till she’s milked properly”. Classic.

Sonita Like us: farmersweekly.co.nz Follow us: @DairyFarmer15 Read us anywhere: farmersweekly.co.nz

DAIRY FARMER

May 2022

Proudly brought to you by WelFarm

Dairy Diary May 2022 May 4 and 5 – DairyNZ West Coast Focus Farm Trust Field Day, Kowhitirangi Pasture measurements on the West Coast with the SPACE, farm environment plans and West Coast Focus Farm Trust.

Info at www.dairyevents.co.nz May 4 – DairyNZ Tutira and Patoka Winter Grazing This event is all you need to know for grazing winter forage crops and an introduction of the new rules that apply to everyone for the 2023 grazing year. We have some great guest speakers lined up for this event: Info at www.dairyevents.co.nz May 4 – DairyNZ Join us at the P3 Monitor Farm Field Day at Pouarua Farm A. We will be covering: Performance of the 4 P3 monitor farms with one month to go in the season, how are they tracking actuals vs budget?

The Trev team will show us how to pull data and insights from the weekly monitor farm reports sent out, the farm system, cropping and grass program and the technology they use to ensure they are a resilient farming business from all angles.

BNZ will provide a market update.

Info at www.dairyevents.co.nz May 4 and 11 – DairyNZ Wintering – Not just a Southland Issue, webinar Winter cropping is increasingly under the spotlight. Are you prepared and do you have a plan B? Hear from DairyNZ and farmers about having a plan B for this coming winter cropping season.

Info at www.dairyevents.co.nz May 5 – SMASH Field day – Spotlight on the System, Glenham Our host, Michael Kiernan milks 172 cows on 57ha for farm owners Dean and Sara Rabbidge. At this event we will find out about his system, getting the most out of your soil, now and in the future and the ins and outs of flexible milking.

Info at www.smallerherds.co.nz

Benchmarking

May 5 – Owl Farm Owl Farm Focus Day Season update from farm manager Tom Buckley and demonstration manager Jo Sheridan.

Guest speakers are Nathan Penny on covid, conflict, carbon and capital, Dave Whillans on the sustainable agriculture finance initiative and look at the strategy for growing replacement calves – calf milk replacer, chicory crops and heifer synchrony program with sexed semen.

Info at www.owlfarm.nz/ May 10 – Dairy Women’s Network Your on farm sustainability questions answered, webinar.

Hosted by Julia Jones, a panel of experts will talk through the issues facing farmers including climate change and environmental risk, how you can plan, measure monitor your environmental footprint including how technology can assist.

Info at www.dwn.co.nz/events May 11 and 12 – SMASH Streamline your Business with Lean, Te Awamutu and Edgecumbe Learn how Lean can help you to make continuous improvements in your operation, regardless of whether you are a one-man band or have a team.

Info at www.smallerherds.co.nz May 17-19 – Agri-Women’s Development Trust AWDT Next Level, Wairarapa, Christchurch, online To step up and make change happen, join our friends at the Agri Women’s Development Trust on “Next Level” -–a six month leadership and governance programme for developing the confidence, skills and connections to inspire others.

Info at www.awdt.org.nz/programmes/next-level/ May 18 – SMASH Field day, Hokitika Details to come Info at www.smallerherds.co.nz

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Reaches under the cows udder.

Measures cow position for efficient use of teat spray.

TM

Measures cow speed for accurate spray placement.

4 spray nozzles operate in pairs for total teat coverage.

Automatic nozzle wash system for enhanced hygiene.

Unique design improves teat presentation.

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© Onfarm Solutions Limited 2021 DAIRY FARMER

May 2022