Dairy Farmer May 2021 by AgriHQ

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CONTENTS NEWS 17 Milk Monitor Dairy prices holding steady

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18 Export ban Government bans live animal exports

ON FARM STORY 8 Leap of faith Taranaki farmers ditch ag careers to go farming 20 Living the dream Canterbury farmers Dinuka and Nadeeka Gamage rise in dairying

FARMING CHAMPIONS 7 Guest column – Vanessa Winning 28 Dairy champion – Cherilyn Watson 36 Women in agribusiness – Lyn Webster

FEATURE 56 Special Report: Sustainability on NZ dairy farms 60 Better bull better calf

REGULAR FEATURES 34 Industry good – DairyNZ 40 Technology

48 Farmstrong 50 Research

Editor SONITA CHANDAR 06 374 5544 / 027 446 6221 sonita.chandar@globalhq.co.nz

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May 2021

COVER STORY Despite changing careers, two Taranaki farmers can’t stay away from their gumboots

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GUEST COLUMN

Focus on water By Vanessa Winning

IrrigationNZ’s chief executive takes a look at the vital resource that is water.

hat a great time to be involved in water in New Zealand. Aside from the infrastructure developments in the 1940s or the ‘think big’ days of the 1970s, we haven’t had as grand a discussion as we are now – from capture to storage, harvest and use. These infrastructure conversations at local and central government, along with policy changes, are focused on ensuring we have adequate drinking water, sewerage and stormwater, as well as improved environmental outcomes and the additional production of renewable electricity. All of this leads to the logical conclusion that NZ needs a significant and immediate investment in water. When people think about irrigation, it’s often at the application end of the process of food production – but it starts with the rain and the snow, and importantly, our ability to capture and store it. While our population, and growing and harvesting of food has expanded significantly since the 1970s, our water infrastructure has remained stagnant. It’s also gotten drier and warmer, most especially on the East Coast. Te Mana o Te Wai is an attempt to get us thinking about the river or the body of water being a living breathing thing itself, and therefore the rights start there, with iwi and community next and production of food after that. To ensure we can work towards these worthy goals, we need investment in infrastructure. We shouldn’t have an “us and them” when it comes to water in the land of the long white cloud, there is more than enough for all of us, but we can respect the hierarchy. If we then look at the Climate Change Commission report and suggestions about reducing our reliance on fossil fuels and changing the use of land to increase horticulture and reduce animal agriculture, we see a need for water

DAIRY FARMER

May 2021

IrrigationNZ chief executive Vanessa Winning says New Zealand needs a significant and immediate investment in water.

infrastructure on both sides of this equation. If we need about 170% more renewable energy in NZ to electrify – and we are not prepared to set up a few nuclear power plants, then we are going to need more investment in hydroelectricity to complement the increases in wind and solar energy. These hydro generators are going to need to be closer to their customers to further reduce wastage in transmission. On the other side, and probably for me, the more controversial side, to reduce animals in our system we are going to need to get more efficient, reduce our waste, increase crossbreeding across beef and dairy, set up farms for multiproduction systems, and some of that will be an increase in horticulture, viticulture, and even medical marijuana. This land-use change will also need more water at the right time in the growing cycle. What is pleasing though is that the conversation and stigma of irrigation is changing – we are being approached to be involved in a number of activities from rural water suppliers, regenerative agriculture, water security and availability, and how we join these things up.

We are hearing new infrastructure options being discussed, working through business cases, getting approvals and even starting to break new ground. We are providing options of multi-use irrigation schemes, focused on providing drinking water, power generation and recreation, as well as productive use. We are seeing local government investment exploring options of multiple sites in a region to reduce reliance on some of our rivers, and using this newly captured water to regenerate water bodies that are struggling. As the member body for irrigators, schemes and the sector’s supply chain, we are getting pulled into lots of conversations across all government departments with a focus on water – and while it is hard to keep up – it’s pleasing to see such a focus and understanding of its importance to both our future production, and our decarbonisation. We are also seeing our member farmers and irrigators continuously improving their techniques, getting the recognition for this in their environmental planning and working on lowering their environmental footprint. As I say, it is a great time to be involved in water. n

Leap of faith Changing careers pays off for OAD sharemilking duo

Matt Thomas and Sophie Parker are the 50:50 sharemilkers on his grandparents’ 100ha farm in Taranaki, milking 270 cows. Matt, Sophie and daughter Hazel on the farm. Photos: Ross Nolly

By Ross Nolly

Working in the agricultural industry meant a Taranaki couple knew a bit about dairy farming but still needed to learn everything from the ground up to find the system that suited them.

eaving the security of their established agricultural-based careers behind them, a Taranaki couple took a leap of faith into the unpredictable world of dairy farming. Oakura couple Matt Thomas and Sophie Parker are now 50:50 sharemilking on his grandparents Norton and Coral Moller’s 100ha farm. The farm nestles between Mount Taranaki’s Kaitake Ranges and the Oakura coast. Oakura’s Kaitake Golf Club and the township also border the farm. Before farming, Matt was working as a large animal veterinarian and Sophie was a DairyNZ consulting officer. “We were fortunate to come into the industry as contract milkers, a level that normally takes around five years to attain,” Matt says. “Sophie worked with Shirley Kissick at DairyNZ and when she told her that we were considering farming, Shirley mentioned that she and her husband Bede were considering employing contract milkers on their Auroa farm.” Under the Kissicks’ tutelage, they milked 360 cows for one season. They then contract milked 380 cows for John and Jocelyn Hartley at Okato. After a season at the Hartleys, Matt and Sophie moved to the family farm as 50:50 sharemilkers, milking 270 cows once-aday (OAD). Matt and Sophie are now in their fourth season on the farm and run a System 2-3 operation, with the back-up

of two run-offs – 36 and 12ha – under the mountain and a 12ha coastal run-off. The farm has nearly 20ha of riparian planting and QEII National Trust areas. The run-offs have a great deal of native forest and some Significant Natural Areas (SNAs) that can’t be altered. Possum and predator control has been taking place on the farm for 10 years. Now the farm and run-off properties are part of the Towards Predator-Free Taranaki scheme, and contractors are undertaking the control work. The properties are now mostly possum free. The coastal location means they regularly contend with dry spells. They could run a low-input system, but their production would fluctuate on a seasonal basis. Sophie and Matt knew that OAD was the way they wanted to farm. Removing the second milking meant spending less time in the cowshed and attaining greater animal health benefits. “Our run-offs are situated up under the Kaitake Ranges and OAD milking gives us more time to keep on top of them. OAD is very attractive when you’re hiring staff too, as it’s a bonus for them to do less milking,” Sophie says. “We can continue jobs without being interrupted by afternoon milking. There’ve been no downsides for us. Nothing has happened to make us question running an OAD system.” Their careers before going dairying gave them the opportunity to witness

FARM FACTS • Owners: Norton and Coral Moller • Sharemilkers: Matt Thomas and Sophie Parker • Location: Oakura, Taranaki • Size: 100ha (84ha effective). Three • run-offs, 36ha, and two of 12ha • Cows: Milking 270 crossbred (mostly J10F6) cows at the peak • Production: 2019-20: 102,000kg MS • Target: 2020-21: 105,000kg MS

many farming methods, which spurred them on to try their hand at farming. “We probably had a romantic ideal about farming compared to the reality. Understanding animals is a big part of farming. Matt had that covered and I had the pastoral knowledge. It was the practical day-to-day running of the farm that we needed to learn,” she says The couple saved hard and bought two

Continued page 10

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herds to bring to the family farm. “We purchased two quiet, small owneroperator herds and both herds have been good to us,” Matt says. Last season their herd produced 102,000 kilograms of milksolids and this season are on track to produce around 105,000kgs MS, which equates to 12001275kgs MS/ha. “It’s all about managing risk. Our system is mostly focused on pasture,” he says. “We use our run-offs for supplements and use a bit of PKE and soy hull to reduce the risk during our January to March dry period to keep the cows producing. We aim to have 60 days of supplemental feed on hand for that period.” Four to five hectares of turnips, PKE, soy hulls (for FEI management), 380 silage wraps from the run-offs and the farm are used during the dry summer period. The turnips are planted in October and fed from January to March. They aim to make 100 bales of hay. “OAD milking helps retain cow condition during the dry spell, and we can dry off some cows to our run-off.

We pregnancy test early and get rid of 10 culls in December to begin reducing stock levels,” he says. “We don’t have a feedpad, so haven’t gone to that next level. Potentially, it’s something that could happen here by growing maize on the run-offs. We’ve toyed with the idea but prefer to use grass silage.”

“There’ve been no downsides for us. Nothing has happened to make us question running an OAD system.” Sophie Parker Calving begins on July 25 and they rear 60 replacement calves and the bobbies. They also keep 25 Jersey bull calves, five of which are used to put over the heifers and tailing the herd. The rest are sold. They have recently built a new FlexiTunnel calf facility. The calves are fed colostrum twice a day, then a mix of milk

powder and vat milk when the stored colostrum runs out. The FlexiTunnel has proved to be a spacious, cost-effective calf rearing option, with the capacity to hold 80 calves. It cost $18,000 and took only one day to build. “You couldn’t build a shed for that price. We have a three-bay shed and use two bays for bobby calves, so they have plenty of room too. The calves are always warm and the copious sunlight helps keep any unwanted organisms down,” Sophie says. “Plenty of living space lessens the chance of diseases spreading through the calves. We put a lot of replacement calves through because that’s the farm’s sharemiker replacement rate policy.” Mating begins on October 15 and although both are AI technicians, Matt undertakes most of the 10-week mating period. The couple use AI for five-and-ahalf weeks and their own Jersey bulls for the remainder. There are a number of J16 Jersey cows in the herd and Jersey straws are used on them to obtain J16 bulls. “There are some great Jersey sires and

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Sophie, Hazel and Matt in the new cowshed.

a market for straight Jersey bulls. We tried Red Devon bulls for one season but had too many calving interventions. Our herd’s genetics are approximately 65% Jersey and it’s just too hard on them,” Sophie says. “It doesn’t make sense to risk losing a cow for a calf, and it’s not good from an animal welfare point of view either. It’s a critical time for a cow and we need to keep it as easy as possible for them.” Sophie says Jerseys are more suited to OAD milking due to their higher milk component concentrations to volume. “If we were just thinking about having the best cows for OAD milking, we’d probably have a purely Jersey herd. But we also have to be mindful of the herd’s value,” she says. “If we owned a Jersey herd and wanted to sell it, there’d be a limited market for it. Crossbreds are the predominant New Zealand cow and a crossbred herd provides us with a bigger market.” They believe that the rise in cow fertility is probably the biggest benefit of OAD milking. They now achieve a 95.3% in-calf rate and a very high “days in milk” due to their concentrated calving period. Their 79% six-week in-calf rate provides a compact calving period that results

DAIRY FARMER

Matt Thomas and his grandfather Norton Moller, who with his wife Coral, bought the farm in the early 1970s.

Continued page 12

May 2021

The farm at Oakura borders the Kaitake Golf Club and Oakura township.

Young Hazel, 18 months, is keen to help out wherever she can.

in more milk in the vat during the early months of the season. The fertility increase has enabled them to achieve a high level of herd improvement. This has been accomplished because the high herd fertility allows them to realise more discretionary sales and culls because they’re not solely limited to removing empty cows. “We’ve made massive gains in our herd, which builds on itself because the cows we keep are much better OAD cows. We can then drop our stocking rate to cows highly suited to our OAD system,” she says. When they bought their herd it had a BW of 90 and a PW of 102. The herd’s current BW is now 163 and the PW is 199. “If you have a high empty rate, those cows have to go. You can then only remove a few more cows that are lacking

PODCAST

in traits. Our high in-calf rate allows us to be much more critical. Each year we have a really good pool of cows to choose from,” Matt says. This year they only had 11 empty cows, but 30 in-calf cows had to be removed from the herd because 60 replacements were due to come through. “The cows we must sell are still desirable cows, they’re not budget cows. Our cows have to keep performing in our OAD system, otherwise they don’t stay here. However, they may be highly suited to a twice-a-day (TAD) system,” Sophie says. “We tend to have more discretionary sales to farmers but don’t have the same ability to simply offload 30 cows to the works when it’s dry. Farmers usually want to take our cows on June 1, so we must continue milking them.” Sophie and Matt look for similar traits

Covering critical times of the season, FIL Your Boots covers a range of useful and interesting topics, from teat sprays and mastitis, to treating bloat and hygiene grades.

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that are needed for cows in a high-input system. They must have very strong udders with high udder support scores. A poor udder is the primary reason why cows are removed from their herd. A high emphasis is put on cow capacity and BW. The farm is kept as a closed system as a biosecurity measure. They feel that their farm was quite low-risk, but as soon as Mycoplasma bovis was discovered here, they stopped all inward stock movements. No external animals have entered their farm for three years. They keep a close eye on animal health and being OAD, they have to be proactive to prevent mastitis. “We only get one chance per day to see our cows. In a TAD system you’d likely see the cow with a mastitis problem in the afternoon if you missed her in the morning. We don’t get that opportunity,” Sophie says. “Sophie and I milked this morning and two cows came around with their cups off so hadn’t been milked out. They’d already gone 24 hours without being milked, and another 24 hours would pass before their next one. We could get away with it at this time of year because they’re not producing as heavily, but it’d be a different story in spring,” Matt says. Their new 44-bail rotary shed helps them to keep an eye on their herds. Previously, they were milking through a 14-a-side herringbone that was built in 1973 and each milking took four-and-ahalf hours and OAD put a lot of pressure on the shed system. A 44-bail rotary shed was built by Fabish & Jackson (2010) Ltd at the end of the couple’s first season on the farm, and was finished in 2018. It’s a big shed for the size of the farm, but it future-proofs the farm in case more land ever becomes available.

The crossbreed herd is milked once-a-day and is on track to produce 105,000kg MS.

“The old shed couldn’t cope with the cows on OAD. The lines were skinny and the pump couldn’t keep up with the milk flow, which caused many flooding issues. We could only put on half a row of cups at a time. Whenever we tried putting on more you’d hear it struggling and need to take them off. It was very frustrating,” Sophie says. “OAD’s heavier milk flows just accentuated the shed’s problems. The milking took so long that we worked half shifts. One person did half a milking and then came home for breakfast, and the other person replaced them. Four-and-ahalf hours is a long time to be milking.” The old shed had a very shallow pit that was only knee height for Matt. It was situated in an awkward location where the cows had to walk up a steep hill to reach it. The new shed is situated in a more central location. Although the shed is fairly new, it is relatively simple in terms of technology.

It has automatic washdown, in-bail smart teat spray, a square yard, ACR and a very simple drafting system and automated drafting gate operated by EID tags. The system counts the cows which is ideal due to the farm’s gullies and riparian plantings. They made their tech decisions on whether they needed it and if they’d use it. They felt that people often installed so much technology that it resulted in excessive data. They’re unsure whether that data is fully utilised. “Milk meters are nice to have but we can still herd test. We wanted practical tech that we’d use. We looked at robotic systems and came away thinking that they use a lot more power, are quite technical and need support staff. What happens if it breaks down? You’re kind of on-call 24/7. They’re expensive and change your system,” Matt says.

Continued page 14

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Matt and farm assistant Daniel Downes discuss which paddocks to feed.

Vet and lameness expert Neil Chesterton gave the couple advice for the transition area between the concrete and metal race. He had recommended using a square concrete lip rather than the standard small hump to other farmers, but none had ever installed one. The square concrete lip prevents stones from entering the yard, which minimises lameness. “Everyone does a ‘hump’, but ours is square. Where the gravel ends there is a metre of concrete, before a square concrete barricade that the cows must step over before continuing onto concrete and into the yard,” Matt says. “Usually people have gravel before a small concrete lip. But when the cows leave they get into the same step going over it and rut out the same spots which retain water.” Stepping over the square lip prevents the cows getting into the same step. Another benefit is that any stones fall out of the cow’s feet as they step over. There are now very few instances of lameness on the farm. OAD milking minimises lameness because the cows don’t have to walk as far each day. The new cowshed has a large yard, and the in-shed feeding ensures that the cows walk smoothly onto the platform with no need to push them. The race concrete to metal transition area is also much cleaner. “The transition area in many cowsheds is usually where they’re hosing and where the water pools. Our transition area has been protected and it’s amazing how something so simple can make such a big difference,” Sophie says. They say it is easy to concentrate on the type of tech that goes into a new

cowshed but not put that degree of thought into the yard layout. When looking at what shed to build, they often saw sheds that were built without too much thought going into the yard layout. They spent a great deal of time ensuring their yard design was right for them, and feel that it’s worked well. They spent many hours mulling over the scenarios that the yard would have to contend with.

“It’s all about managing risk. Our system is mostly focused on pasture.” Matt Thomas “How do I draft a cow and get her back onto the platform? If a cow goes down in the exit race will it stop me milking? Is there another gate I can quickly open so the cows can exit another way? Can I get a tractor in there? These were questions we asked ourselves when designing the yard. So we strategically placed small gates for easier access,” Matt says. The aim of the shed race system is that when a cow is drafted she won’t see a dead end ahead. This keeps her flowing and she doesn’t stop and balk the other cows. Sophie also came up with the idea of putting a shelter over the head bail. A new Clean Green Effluent System was installed due to the expiry of the farm’s current consent. The biggest difference they noticed between working a salaried job and farming is the tie they have to the farm. It’s difficult to imagine what the seven

The farm has nearly 20ha of riparian planting and QEII National Trust areas, as well as some significant natural areas that cannot be changed.

days a week aspect and lack of time off is like if you’re accustomed to working a regular job. They both find spring to be the most taxing time of the year, but also the most interesting time. “You tend to think farmers take more time off than they actually do. Some people are good at getting away, but we aren’t. We find it difficult to just leave the farm in someone else’s hands,” Matt says. “If you’re the person on the ground making the day-to-day decisions, the buck stops with you. You have to make those final decisions. It’s difficult to take time off, but if you have someone who can make those decisions it’s potentially easier.” The birth of their daughter Hazel, who is now 18 months old, gave the couple a new perspective on leisure time. Prior to her arrival they were running the farm on their own with spring help. They then hired a full-time farm assistant who lives on the farm and knows it well. “Having a reliable worker like Daniel (Downes) on the farm has enabled us to get away for breaks. I can nip out and go surfing or Sophie can go to town,” Matt says. “It’s quite easy to do something locally. I still find it difficult to say ‘hey, we’re going to leave the farm for an extended period’. We spent a week in Northland this year, which was manageable.” They have enjoyed being selfemployed and have learnt the importance of being self-motivated. They’ve also learnt a great deal about interacting and working with people, running a business and working together. They both enjoy the job’s physical nature, and the satisfaction gained at

DAIRY FARMER

May 2021

Sophie feeding bobby calves earlier in the season. They rear 60 replacements. Photo: Supplied

the culmination of that work. The job has technical and business aspects that nicely counteract the physical work. They also enjoy the satisfaction of seeing their cows perform well and getting their spring pasture management right. “You have to really look after your animals to get them to perform well. It’s

nice to be on a smaller farm where you can treat them like individuals. We know most of our cows and many of them are like pets. I think you have a closer relationship to your animals on a smaller farm,” Matt says. “There are many aspects to a farm business and that makes it very

interesting. I’m really interested in the breeding, herd improvement and pasture management aspects. It’s a challenge to get the pasture right in the spring when you’re under pressure and trying to make the correct decisions to achieve the outcome you desire,” Sophie says. n

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MILK MONITOR

Dairy prices look steady 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.

wo flat GDT results in April have cemented the gains dairy prices made earlier this year. The 0.3% lift and 0.1% fall this month meant whole milk powder prices (WMP) are at US$4097/tonne. NZX analyst Stu Davison says the latest result looked as if the GDT index had now settled into a new price range and the move prompted three of the banks to raise their milk price forecast for the new season. Westpac was the most optimistic, lifting their forecast 75 cents to an eyewatering $8/kg MS. Writing in the bank’s Dairy Update, senior agri economist Nathan Penny says he expected prices to start the new season on the front foot. “For example, in milk price terms, the auction result overnight (using the auction results and today’s level of the NZD/USD) equates to a milk price of over $9/kg.” He expected global prices to moderate over the course of the season, with WMP prices expected to fall 18%. Penny says he expected a modest supply response to the prices with constraints expected to come on from environmental pressures, competition for land and water, and constraints on capital and labour. Global dairy supply is similarly constrained. The European Commission and the USDA expect relatively modest growth over 2021 of 1% and 2%, respectively, for reasons similar to New Zealand’s, he says. Demand, however, is strong and ongoing largely thanks to continuous demand out of China and South-East Asia, which Penny believes has no signs of ebbing. ASB is a bit more conservative, lifting its new season milk price 20c to $7.50/ kg MS in their Commodities Weekly publication. Its chief economist Nick Tuffley emphasised it was “very, very early days”

DAIRY FARMER

May 2021

Farmers should expect a $7-plus payout for the new milking season.

and expected Fonterra’s forecast to be at a wide range. The latest auction saw Chinese buyers return after being absent in early April. “The vast majority of product on offer was captured by the North Asia region, with other parts of the globe taking lower volumes than at the last auction,” Tuffley says. He expects commodity prices to hold their ground in the coming months. “There is scope for further gains in meat and forestry prices and, while we expect further easing in dairy prices, we remain sceptical that a sharp correction is on the cards,” he says. ANZ’s April Agri Focus emphasised the effect the strong global markets were having on milk prices and it forecasted $7.30/kg MS for next season. “The recent strength in global markets, combined with a slight softening in the NZD, has been supportive of farm gate milk prices. We are forecasting $7.70/kg MS for this season and $7.30/kg MS for next season,” it said. The bank also expected prices to soften, predicting WMP prices to ease back to USD3500/t and the NZD will be at USD0.77 by the end of this year. Like Westpac, it says while global supplies are growing, it was not enough to negatively affect prices despite the Northern Hemisphere hitting its peak production period.

If history is to go by, Fonterra will stick to a conservative forecast with a wide range when it announces it in late May. This is after past criticism of posting a high opening forecast only to have to correct it mid-way through the season – after many farmers had already committed to spending decisions. It’s a point Rabobank’s Emma Higgins made in the bank’s Agri Business Monthly. “At this stage market fundamentals support another profitable milk price, but with the re-emergence of more volatile price signals it’s likely there will be an element of conservatism in opening ranges.” As this season starts to wind down, most will be pretty happy with how it has gone, largely thanks to persistent and timely rain throughout March and April, which has helped retain pasture growth. There have been fishhooks: high facial eczema-causing spore counts in many areas of the North Island, bonedry weather in eastern areas, a jump in on-farm expenses and of course, the staff shortages brought about mostly by the covid-19 border lockdown. But most farmers should look back at this year with the good returns and the small part they played in propping up the economy during the covid lockdown with a great deal of pride and satisfaction. n

NEWS

Live exports shake-up By Gerald Piddock

he Government’s ban of live animal exports by sea will mean a significant farm system change for those farmers supplying stock to export. It will be an adjustment for those who relied on the practice for a significant portion of their income, as well as those who used it to sell any surplus heifers that were export quality, Federated Farmers animal welfare spokesperson Wayne Langford says. He says the dollar value of these animals being exported was significantly higher than what they are worth if sold on the domestic market. “Now they will have to adjust their systems with what they were doing,” Langford says. The stock that was bound for export could now be sold at the sale yards and Langford says it would affect that market. “I can’t see how this is not going to flood the market, and I would expect a downturn in dairy heifer prices,” he says. “I’m yet to hear how this can be avoided and it will be interesting to see how farmers change their systems and how many animals are raised over the next few years.” It was not just the farmers growing the cattle that would have to adjust. There was a wider support industry, including farmers who ran quarantine facilities for the cattle prior to shipment, stock agents and veterinarians. “There’s everything that goes along with this process. It’s a $250 million business. We shouldn’t downplay how much that is.” Langford says the announcement surprised him. Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor says the decision would protect New Zealand’s reputation as the most ethical producer of food in the world. “Those farmers who support livestock exports would point out our trade in this sector operates to some of the highest animal welfare standards anywhere – standards that were further bolstered after last year’s Heron Report,” Langford says. “Our farmers care deeply about animal welfare. The government has seen fit to

The Government has allowed for a two-year phase-out period for live cattle exports by sea to allow farmers time to adjust.

bring in this ban, but Federated Farmers has no information about any breaches of the high standards relating to livestock exports.” So far, about 110,000 animals have been exported this year and he estimated around 500-1000 farmers will be impacted. He says the two-year phase-out period was important and should allow for farmers to make the necessary adjustments. “That’s definitely a positive that it’s not a ban overnight, as that would be even harder to take,” he says. Once the ban was in place, he believed farmers could choose to grow more dairy-beef cattle and could either sell the animals as calves or cull them as bobbies. “It could be a bit of everything, but you’ll see farmers making more choices around their beef sires.” Langford says his phone had “been ringing off the hook” over the 24 hours since the announcement. He says the calls had been an even mix of farmers supporting the move and those who are against it. “There’s been a real mix of views. It’s a bit like the vegemite-marmite debate,” he says.

One of those views came from dairy farmer Matt Pepper, who emailed O’Connor expressing his disappointment at the decision. “I have just sold export heifers for $1900 each at only nine months old. I have been to China and have seen where these animals go, which is to modern, well-run farms that are far better than many I have seen in Europe,” Pepper says. “Now I will have to go back to culling them as a bobby at four days old for $30 – where is the logic?” On the flipside, it has been welcomed by animal welfare groups such as SAFE and the SPCA. The latter’s chief executive Andrea Midgen says media coverage of numerous disasters in which exported animals have suffered or been killed, resulted in overwhelming public support for the ban of live exports. “We know that New Zealanders are appalled by live exports and we are thrilled the Government has listened to the experts, scientific evidence and the general public. It’s a historic moment for animal welfare in NZ,” Midgen said. “Enough is enough, and we are relieved that those elected to represent us have done the right thing. Common sense has prevailed.” n

DAIRY FARMER

May 2021

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Dinuka and Nadeeka Gamage emigrated from Sri Lanka for better opportunities and are now contract milkers on a 980cow farm in Canterbury. Photos: Tony Benny

Living the dream A migrant couple are leaving their mark on NZ dairy and encourage others to aim high too 20

DAIRY FARMER

May 2021

By Tony Benny

An immigrant family from Sri Lanka started their dairy farming careers in New Zealand from scratch, but their determination has seen them rise to the top.

reams of a better future are coming true for Sri Lankan immigrants Dinuka and Nadeeka Gamage, as they climb the dairy career ladder and become part of the Canterbury farming community. They were recently named Regional Share Farmers of the Year. Dinuka came to NZ 13 years ago, a couple of years ahead of Nadeeka and their two sons, believing there were far more opportunities here than they could expect at home. “I wanted to get into the agricultural industry and I’d read about New Zealand, so for a couple of years I was thinking that was the best place to go for a better future for me and my family,” Dinuka says. In 2008 he applied online through a recruitment agency and was offered a job as assistant herd manager on a farm near Kaikoura, a world away from his family and the life he knew. “It was a bit tough in the beginning,” he says, especially as it was before smartphones made keeping in touch with loved ones back home easy. The property he was working on was on the Inland Road that connects Kaikoura with the South Island interior, the last dairy farm before the steeper hill country, about 20 minutes out of town. “There was no proper reception for cellphones, it’s really rural that Inland

FARM FACTS • Owners: Dairy Holdings Ltd • Contract milkers: Dinuka and Nadeeka Gamage • Location: Ealing, Canterbury • Farm size: 246.2ha effective • Cows: 980 Crossbred • Production: 2019-20; 330,000kg MS • Production target: 2020-21; 330,000kg MS

Road, a lost world in there,” he says. On his days off he’d go to an internet cafe in Kaikoura so he could use Skype to call home. “I could show the internet cafe to Nadeeka but that’s full of people and I couldn’t go outside with my phone. So I would sometimes print photos at The Warehouse and send a parcel,” he recalls. On-farm, Dinuka was on a steep learning curve. “I think compared with around the world, not just Sri Lanka, New Zealand

farming is more developed, there’s a different system here. There are different words used in farming that you won’t find in any dictionary. I’ve learnt from zero,” he says. Realising how much he had to learn, he started a milk quality course with Primary ITO on his second day in the job and he’s done just about every available course since then too. He has since completed a NZ agribusiness management diploma. “I started learning something every day and every year I did a course to get the knowledge I needed of New Zealand farming,” he says. “I learnt from colleagues and managers, my bosses, looking at what they were doing and I always looked at how they were progressing in the industry.” From the beginning, Dinuka wanted to progress too and to help fund that he saved hard. “I never sent any money to Sri Lanka, I saved money here,” he says. “Most of the time migrant workers are sending money home but I wanted to stay here so I saved and that’s why I’m here today in the dairy industry.” Meanwhile, Nadeeka and their sons stayed with her parents in Sri Lanka. Looking at her husband’s photos she

Continued page 22

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The 980-cow herd produces about 330,000kg MS.

thought NZ looked like heaven, but it would be two years before she came here and in that time she only saw Dinuka once, when he came home for a holiday after a year in NZ. The couple were teenage sweethearts and met in high school. Nadeeka grew up in Kandy, in central Sri Lanka and Dinuka in Ampara in the east. They married in 2005. After graduating with a National Diploma in Technology Agriculture Engineering, Dinuka, whose parents are cropping farmers, worked for Pfizer Pharmaceuticals Sri Lanka selling veterinary products all over the country. Among his clients were dairy farmers and Dinuka was attracted to the industry, albeit not at home but in NZ where he could see more scope to get ahead. He stayed in Kaikoura for one year and then moved to a farm in Culverden where he started as assistant herd manager, then moved up to herd manager/2IC and finally to farm manager. After two years in NZ he returned to Sri Lanka to bring Nadeeka and sons Anu and Thejan to Culverden in North Canterbury. “In the pictures it’s like heaven but when we arrived, we were alone. There was nobody here, it was isolated, we couldn’t talk, and we had no connection

to back home. The first year was very hard for us,” Nadeeka says. As the only Sri Lankans in the district, Nadeeka found life in NZ very lonely at first but gradually built a network. “I started going out to Playcentre and Plunket and met people there, and when my sons started school I made a lot of friends there,” she says.

“When I’m milking, putting the cups on, I’m thinking. It’s a good place for thinking about what to do next.” Dinuka Gamage

Nadeeka studied childhood education via Open Polytechnic and then worked at a pre-school in Hanmer Springs, about half an hour from Culverden. On the farm, Dinuka kept learning and rising up the hierarchy, all the time thinking about the next step up the ladder. “I was busy, busy. When I’m milking, putting the cups on, I’m thinking. It’s a good place for thinking about what to do next,” he says. In 2016 he entered the dairy industry awards and was placed third in the

regional dairy manager section. That proved a pivotal moment. “I’m here today because of the dairy awards,” he says. “They’re a good opportunity to go through progression in the industry because you can find and meet the people and establish a good reputation.” One of the people he met was judge Mick O’Connor, a farm supervisor at Dairy Holdings Ltd (DHL), a large-scale South Island corporation that owns 60 farms. The following season the Gamage family moved to a DHL farm at Ealing, just north of Rangitata River in Mid Canterbury, where Dinuka took on a contract milking job. DHL has a hybrid system, something of a cross between contract milking and lower order sharemilking. The Gamages employ their own staff, have their own farm machinery and pay 20% of costs, including winter grazing, power and irrigation, and are paid at a higher rate than standard contract milking jobs. They also have the opportunity to rear and own excess calves for a charge of $100 each, basically the cost of milk to get them to 100kg. When the calves leave the dairy farm for a grazing block they take ownership of their share and pay the cost of grazing them on Dairy Holdings pasture. Dinuka and Nadeeka now own 250 cows, comprising 14 they brought

DAIRY FARMER

May 2021

The farm the Gamages contract milk on is owned by Dairy Holdings Ltd.

from Culverden and the rest acquired cow, and that 15 for me has now grown from DHL, which are leased into the into 2000,” Mick says. 980-strong herd on the 246ha effective “It starts small and then it gains farm. momentum so we are prepared to give Supervisor Mick, who oversees 13 farms something away but there’s also some including South Ealing Dairy where the opportunities. We get some really good Gamages live and work, says giving staff people so there’re wins on both sides. the opportunity to own their own cows “They’re building their equity through is good both for them and for DHL. As livestock and we can’t run 60 dairy units well as his supervisor role, Mick 50:50 without really good people — they’re the sharemilks on a DHL farm and grew his key to what we do.” herd the same way as the Gamages are Since he arrived in NZ, Dinuka has doing. seized every opportunity he’s been given. “I still remember when I had my first “Dairy Holdings is a good corporate 15 cows and I would go out and find one company with support from farm owners in the herd of 1100. It’s a pretty special and management. There are good HFS ad - Mar 2020 - Dairy Farmer - 210x86mm-PRINT.pdf 1 18/02/20 2:40 PM feeling putting your own tag into that options inside Dairy Holdings, including

sharemilking opportunities, so I’m quite keen to stay here,” Dinuka says. “Our main target now is rearing stock and to keep increasing our cow numbers with the ultimate goal of 50:50 sharemilking in 2023.” As well as heifers, the Gamages rear bull calves, which they sell to supplement their income. Since moving to Ealing, Nadeeka hasn’t gone back to working with preschoolers but is fully involved in the farm business, looking after administration, staff, relief milking and calf rearing.

Continued page 24

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Dinuka Gamage came from a cropping background and gained a National Diploma in Technology Agriculture Engineering in Sri Lanka.

In addition to Dinuka and Nadeeka, there are three permanent staff, all Sri Lankan, with an extra worker taken on for calving. The Gamages know how hard it can be arriving in a new country so they do their best to make it easier for new arrivals. “When a new overseas person starts a job we offer food for two weeks until they get their first payment, we offer them a cosy warm house and other basic needs, basically everything,” Nadeeka says. But more than that, they encourage new arrivals to look beyond milking cows and collecting wages to the opportunities that exist for progression. “A lot of dairy staff just come to New Zealand for the milking, they don’t want career progression, they’re stuck in a dairy shed milking and thinking that’s why we came to New Zealand,” laments Dinuka. “But I always tell them ‘look at us, this is a good country and there are good opportunities, so think about it and start learning’. I always encourage my staff because all of them are immigrants.” When new people start, their skills are assessed and then the Gamages suggest goals and give them a training plan with Primary ITO. “I’m mentoring them and showing them the path. This is not only milking,

DAIRY FARMER

May 2021

you can own the cows one day, you can own the herd, there’s a pathway for us and I show them,” he says. Mick visits the Gamages fortnightly. “Whenever we have a catch-up you definitely get the benefits when you have both of them in the room, they’re a good strong team,” Mick says.

“It’s a pretty special feeling putting your own tag into that cow and that 15 for me has now grown into 2000.” Mick O’Connor “Nadeeka has a really good thought process around what could work and Dinuka has a lot of good ideas. They’re very smart people, very well educated and they see the opportunities.” DHL uses System 3 on its farms, fully grass-based with minimal supplements. If supplements are needed during the season, they’ll be bought in. “We don’t buy supplements to extend lactation. We try to harvest all the pasture and produce milk. We make our own silage when we have a grass surplus and feed that back to the herd if we need

to,” Dinuka says. The farm is irrigated by three centre pivots and a lateral irrigator that covers 224ha, with two rotorainers and K-line watering the remaining 21ha. Dinuka does a weekly farm walk to measure pasture and uses DairyNZ’s spring rotation planner as well as their autumn feed planner to help manage the grass. Empty cows are culled early, with all gone by the end of March to reduce feed demand. The cows are independently conditionscored four times a year, pre-calving, premating, early autumn and late autumn, and lighter cows are dried off early. Mixed-age cows are wintered offfarm on a DHL grazing block for 60 days where they’re fed fodder beet managed by Dinuka and his staff. They winter 230 heifers on the dairy platform feeding grass and straw. Since the outbreak of Mycoplasma bovis, DHL has operated a closed herd and breeds its own crossbred bulls. Mating runs for 10 weeks, six weeks AI with LIC Premier Sires Daughter Proven crossbred and Jersey bulls, and four weeks with DHL-bred bulls. Heifers are mated one week before the main herd. Heifer calving is due to start

Continued page 26

As the only Sri Lankans in the district, Nadeeka found life in New Zealand lonely at first but soon built up a network. Nadeeka and Dinuka Gamage with their herd.

on July 25 and the main herd on August 1. Total production on the South Ealing farm was 330,000kg MS in 2019-20, up 6000kg MS on the previous year. Dinuka and Nadeeka reckon every step they’ve taken since coming to NZ has been a forward one and put their progression down to not only hard work and study but also to the Dairy Industry Awards. The first time Dinuka entered he was disappointed not to do very well, but he learnt from that and came third in the managers section of the Canterbury North Otago regional final in 2016. This year he and Nadeeka did better, and were named Canterbury North Otago Share Farmers of the Year. “This is not from one month or two months’ efforts, this is one of the results of our 13 years of farming knowledge and experience,” Dinuka says. “Our win will be good for other people, for lots of migrants who are here, to see what people can do, they’re not just milking, they can grow too and that’s good for the New Zealand dairy industry as well.” He and Nadeeka believe they’re better farmers as a result of their involvement in the awards. “We learnt about our own business,

what our weaknesses and strengths are. Because of the awards, we deeply went through our finances, our strengths and weaknesses, our expenses and our bottom line and what we can improve, so we have a good understanding of our business,” he says. Mick says the Gamages are fiercely competitive. “They entered the awards not just

for themselves but for Dairy Holdings and their family. It meant a lot for them and they didn’t just want to go with the motion, they put in everything they had.” Mick says. “I suppose that just shows their true colours and it’s no different with their other goals, they’re really competitive to make sure they’ve got a plan and it’s going to be executed.” The Gamages are Buddhists and are involved in the Samadhi Buddhist temple in Rolleston that serves the area’s growing Sri Lankan population. They donate to a variety of charities, including a water project at Christchurch’s Buddhist temple, a cancer hospital in Sri Lanka and give calves for fundraising at Carew Primary School where their son Thejan, 10, attends. Anu, 14, attends Geraldine High School. “During harder times we like to have a clear mind and try to begin each day that way,” Nadeeka adds. “We try to accept that sometimes things happen or change and worrying won’t change it.” They try to visit Sri Lanka every third year but covid has changed that for now, and Nadeeka was lucky to get back to NZ from her last visit to family. “I went there in 2020 just before covid hit. The day after the first person was diagnosed in Sri Lanka, my kids and I flew back. It was scary and we were lucky not to get stuck for another couple of years,” she says. The Gamages are now NZ citizens, having negotiated the difficult and expensive path from work visa status to permanent residency, then citizenship.

Dinuka came to New Zealand two years before his wife Nadeeka and their two sons joined him. They are well settled with the boys attending local schools. Thejan, 10, Nadeeka, Dinuka and Anu, 14.

DAIRY FARMER

May 2021

As contract milkers, the Gamages employ their own staff, own farm machinery and pay 20% of costs, including winter grazing, power and irrigation. They are paid at a higher rate than standard contract milking jobs.

“It’s not an easy journey, the road has not been a straight one,” she says. “We had five years on work visas. Every year we don’t know what the Government is doing, changing the immigration rules – do we go back home or do we stay here?” When they lived in Culverden, the

Gamage family were the only Sri Lankans living in the area but 13 years later they’re important members of a growing community of fellow immigrants in Canterbury. This was recognised when they won the Federated Farmers Leadership Award at the Dairy Industry Awards ceremony

and their award citation pretty well sums up what they’ve achieved: “This couple are clear advocates and mentors for the Sri Lankan community and have helped multiple immigrants establish their careers in the dairy industry. You should be proud of your leadership and mentoring in this space. Well done.” n

Kerry’s Found a System That Works! Kerry’s 500 cow dairy farm in Northland is lush with green pastures…and it doesn’t take him long to get it that way with his Nevada Drag Hose System! The farm has a large effluent storage pond with enough capacity to collect effluent all year round. This allows Kerry to apply large amounts of effluent when it’s most needed, and at times that fit around other key tasks. He uses a Nevada Turbostir6000 PTO stirrer to keep the pond well mixed before pumping. ‘We winter milk so eff luent is being added to the pond all year round. We only need a few fine days and we can get stuck in and drop the pond level quickly.’ Kerry had tried a few different methods for spreading, but none quite hit the mark. ‘Everything was to slow. We tried pods and other irrigators but everything was too hard on our hilly farm.’

Spreading over hills can be a challenge in that the irrigator needs to have stability over uneven ground, but also that the application needs to be council compliant…so it doesn’t result in ponding or run-off. Nevada’s drag hose system is ideal for hilly areas. With the applicator being attached to your tractor you have control and stability, and by using the RainWave™ applicator there is little chance of ponding or run off due to its unique design which allows it to produce larger droplets that are spread in a rain-like pattern that allows the effluent to reach and absorb into the ground. As they say, the grass is always greener on the other side, and it turned out the Nevada solution was right under Kerry’s nose… ‘A neighbour bought one [Nevada Drag Hose System] and was thrilled with it.’

Kerry’s new system consists of a Nevada RainWave™ 3pL applicator, Rovatti TL4-100 PTO pump, 600m of heavy duty layflat hose, and a Nevada LRB800 hose reeler. This system has been the ideal solution, giving Kerry the ability to make the most of a few fine days of weather to quickly and easily spread over the entire farm. Being attached to the tractor, hills are no issue, and the RainWave™ provides a fast, even, and accurate application.

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DAIRY FARMER

May 2021

DAIRY CHAMPION

One for the books By Samantha Tennent

After more than 17 years with Holstein Friesian New Zealand, Cherilyn Watson has a front row seat to how the dairy industry has changed over the years, and recently made history as the first female president of the World Holstein Friesian Federation.

Cherilyn Watson was recently appointed president of the World Holstein Friesian Federation

ioneering her way in the dairy breeding industry, the general manager of Holstein Friesian NZ, Cherilyn Watson, found more of a challenge being one of the first women in some of her roles than not coming from a farming background. “I joined Holstein Friesian NZ 17 years ago and back then there weren’t typically women in these sort of roles. Things have come a long way since then, but I am still regularly the only woman on some of the committees I am involved with,” Cherilyn says. She was recently appointed president of the World Holstein Friesian Federation (WHFF) Council and is the first woman to hold the role in the 45 years since the federation started. Holstein Friesian NZ president Hennie Verwaayen says Cherilyn’s appointment as president was recognition of how far the breed society had come in NZ, and proof that NZ was producing some of the best leaders in the field. “For a little country at the bottom of the world, I think Cherilyn’s appointment shows we can and are footing it with the best in the dairy industry,” Hennie says. Cherilyn is honoured to accept the role and takes pride in representing the Holstein Friesian breed as well as women. “I’m a fierce advocate for women holding more roles within the industry. I believe if they have a passion for something they should be able to apply it and achieve anything they want,” she says. “Sometimes, as women, we look at jobs and lack the confidence to apply where a man won’t think twice. Even if they don’t have the entire skillset, they

DAIRY FARMER

May 2021

will still apply because they recognise the potential from what they do have, but women tend to hesitate. “I think it’s important everyone enjoys the path they choose and has the confidence to make those decisions and if that’s a woman choosing a role in a male-dominated industry, that shouldn’t hold them back.” Cherilyn is an accountant by trade and relocated to Hamilton from Auckland 30 years ago and worked at a chartered accountant firm looking after farm accounts. That was when she developed a passion for dairy farming. Away from the office, one of her favourite pastimes is walking the many great trails of NZ, having recently completed Abel Tasman and is looking to do the Heaphy Track later this year. She held the accounting role for a few years before leaving to start her family. When her daughter was 10 months old, her former employer approached her about an opportunity to rebuild an accounting system for Ayrshire NZ. “The project was only supposed to take around six months, but once it finished they offered me a role and I ended up

working for them for nearly a decade,” she says. “It was part-time initially, but my role grew when NZ hosted the 2004 World Ayrshire Conference. We had 120 delegates travelling in NZ for three weeks and it took a lot of organising.”

“I’m a fierce advocate for women holding more roles within the industry. I believe if they have a passion for something they should be able to apply it and achieve anything they want.”

After the conference, she was ready for something new and explored her options. She found a systems manager role at Holstein Friesian NZ. “I was only there 12 months before the general manager, who had started just

before me, went back to the UK. I wasn’t remotely interested in applying for the role as I had a young family and was concerned about the commitment, but I was coerced into it. There were a few applicants, but the board liked the business knowledge I could bring, and I took the role on the condition it was a flexible working arrangement around family life,” she says. Seventeen years later, she is still thoroughly enjoying the role. “I had to grow into the role and build rapport in the industry, and I’m by no means an expert. There’s always a new challenge or something comes around the corner you need to learn,” she says. The association has a team of six staff and almost 800 members; most are engaged, full-time farmers. They support people from the time they enter the industry and right through their farming careers, with a focus on the development of youth through an annual leadership camp. “The association supports members with information through a number

Continued page 30

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of channels. And work with breeding companies on various programmes to continue to improve Holstein Friesian genetics,” she says. “It isn’t our role to tell our members how to breed their cows. We are a platform of information on more than just breed-related matters. “The society exists to improve, promote and develop the Holstein Friesian breed in NZ. We support and advocate for our members and offer services to add value such as pedigree registration and traits other than production (TOP), including contracting to LIC and CRV to inspect heifers in their sire proving schemes. “The association writes submissions to the Government on behalf of our members regarding regulations and is connected with anything dairy-related,” she says. They register pedigree stock and members can get their heifers and cows classified (TOP scored) through the association, which feeds into the NZ Animal Evaluation System. And they offer an open female genomic testing service that is not available anywhere else in NZ. The samples are tested in Ireland, which goes to an extra level of detail than DNA testing alone, providing another tool for farmers to make their breeding decisions. “Genomics allows farmers to identify which are their best animals to breed from when they’re still young, and increases their rate of genetic gain,” she says. “But one of the biggest challenges currently facing the NZ dairy industry is the development of genomics and the ownership of genomic information for the national herd. “Overseas the development of genomic testing has already led to more structured breeding decisions about the type of cows farmers both want and need to breed. In NZ, we haven’t quite got there yet because there is currently no one industry good source of genomic data.” Cherilyn sits on the Industry Genetics Steering Group looking at access to data and genotypes across the NZ dairy industry, working towards a solution in the genomics space. She also sits on the Breed Association Working Group of ICAR, an international committee setting standards for animal recording, is secretary of the NZ Dairy Breeds Federation and serves on the TOP Advisory Committee which steers the development and implementation of TOP traits in NZ.

Cherilyn and daughter Amber on a weekend walk.

And to top it off, she has been instrumental in securing funding and is leading the development of a new $1 million project, backed by the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI), to develop an information system to shape the genetics powering NZ’s dairy sector on behalf of the NZ dairy cattle breed societies. She is passionate about the Holstein Friesian breed and NZ dairying and joined the World Holstein Friesian Federation Council in 2016 representing Oceania. Cherilyn believes having a representative from a predominantly pastoral farming system is key to maintain a balanced view on the world stage. Her new role as president is an exciting venture and she will be sure to make an impact. On the council, she will represent the

Oceania region – Australia and NZ, which is strong in pasture-based farming and she believes that it is an important voice on the council. “My role as president involves overseeing the running of the organisation, chairing the meetings and working with the 41 members countries from around the world to improve, promote and continue to develop the Holstein Friesian breed around the world,” she says. “NZ farmers are facing similar issues to dairy farmers around the world, from managing our social licence to operate, to addressing environmental challenges. I’m looking forward to working with the council and continuing to both facilitate discussion and help address those challenges.”

DAIRY FARMER

May 2021

Cherilyn Watson has been involved with Holstein Friesian NZ for 17 years.

Generally, the WHFF Council holds a meeting once a year somewhere in the world, however, with borders closed due to covid, the council meetings are held

by video link every three months. The hope is if travel opens up, the council will be able to meet face to face in 2022. “It is an honour to accept the role of

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WHFF President and I love the fact that there’s a whole economy in NZ driven by agriculture, and that in my role I am contributing to it,” she says. n

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NEWS

Whanganui farmer wins top award By Gerald Piddock

elinda Price has been named as the top dairy woman at this year’s Fonterra Dairy Woman of the Year at the Dairy Women’s Network (DWN) gala awards evening. The Whanganui dairy farmer says winning the award was not only a huge honour, but recognition for her contributions to the industry so far. “It’s acknowledgement that what I have done to date has been really helpful and beneficial, and allows me to upskill and continue that journey to help others achieve their goals in the industry that has given me so much and that I love,” Price says. Price was named the winner at the awards dinner following the network’s conference in Taupō. The other finalists were Ashburton dairy farmer Rebecca Miller and contract milker and LIC farm consultant Chevon Horsford from Whangarei. As the 2021 Dairy Woman of the Year, Price receives a scholarship of up to $20,000 to undertake a development programme, professional and business coaching, a learning experience, or a combination of all three. After entering the industry 12 years ago through a sharemilking contract, Price and her husband now own a dairy farm in Taranaki and sharemilk 650 cows in Nukumaru, where she is responsible for the day-to-day running, calf-rearing, human resources and administration for their two businesses. Price completed the Kellogg Rural Leadership Programme to upskill herself and shares her knowledge and experience across many mentorship roles within the industry, including PrimaryITO, DairyNZ’s Dairy Connect Programme and Rural Support. Her influence on the industry is widespread, with additional roles with Environment Leaders Taranaki and the Step Change Pilot Programme with DairyNZ, to make changes to their farm

The 2021 Fonterra Dairy Woman of the Year winner Belinda Price with Dairy Women’s Network chief executive Jules Benton (left) and Fonterra chief executive Miles Hurrell (right).

operations for better environmental outcomes. The awards night also saw Northland dairy farmer Donna Griggs named as the 2021 DWN Regional Leader of the Year, which celebrates the grassroots work of the network’s regional leaders nationwide. The other finalist this year was Rebecca Green, a dairy farmer from Cheviot, North Canterbury. Griggs says she was “humbled” to be nominated for the award, which means “representing all of the DWN leaders in New Zealand as a whole”. “For me, the title means an opportunity to grow in leadership skills and to bring that knowledge forward into the DWN community, our farming community and our business,” she says. Griggs has been heavily involved in her community for over a decade, working for and leading fundraising committees, the Waipu Playcentre and the local school’s parent-teacher association while her children were attending. With three adult children having left the farm, and three teenagers, Griggs now focuses on 50:50 sharemilking

900 cows on the Ruawai Flats with her husband, and volunteers as regional leader and the coast to coast business Group leader for DWN. She also hosts DairyNZ discussion groups on their farm and organises industry workshops for local farm teams to build their knowledge. DWN chief executive Jules Benton says regional leaders were at the core of the network’s organisation. “Both our finalists show a real passion for people and work to strengthen the dairy industry through connection not only between farmers, but at a social and community level as well,” Benton says. “Donna and Rebecca were noted by the judges as having strong value foundations and for helping people to find their place within the industry, which will ultimately help our sector to thrive.” As the 2021 Regional Leader of the Year, Griggs receives registration to the Dare to Lead programme facilitated by Kaila Colbin from Boma NZ, as well as accommodation and travel to the location of the programme, to help her on her leadership journey. n

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May 2021

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INDUSTRY GOOD

A window of opportunity DairyNZ’s popular farmer’s Forum is a good place to catch up on what is happening in the industry and find out what may lie ahead.

Ashley Greenwood DairyNZ animal care extension specialist

s we know, the Government has deferred the new winter grazing rules until May next year. This extension is a window of opportunity for farmers to show we can voluntarily do a good job at implementing sector-agreed good management practice (GMP) for winter grazing. This is a chance to take ownership of our way forward. Implementing good management practices this winter is essential as they bring benefits for freshwater quality and animal welfare. There are a few things you can consider now to make this happen smoothly on your farm. Cultivation For next winter, we need to ensure our land is cultivated across slopes, leaving grass strips to trap sediment from the cultivated areas. However, if you have cultivated in a different way this year, there are ways to mitigate the effects now. Firstly, identify the critical source areas and fence these off. Critical source areas are low-lying parts of the paddock, such as gullies, swales or any area where runoff can accumulate. Next, create crop buffers around the critical source areas and at the bottom of slopes. A crop buffer is a strip of fenced

“Implementing good management practices this winter is essential as they bring benefits for freshwater quality and animal welfare.” 34

Good winter management practices have a number of benefits, including better animal health and improved water quality.

with DairyNZ off crop at least five metres wide that helps filter and slow the run-off from the crop paddock. Paddock set-up Setting paddocks up strategically is important, including placing bales, portable troughs and feeders on high ground to help reduce pugging. Easy access to water is also good for cows, reducing energy use walking to the trough. Grazing options When grazing during winter, there are a few different options to consider: • Graze towards critical source areas or water bodies to protect them from overland flow. Alternatively, leave a larger buffer strip and graze it last, during fine weather. • Graze from the top of the slope down to reduce overland flow, by maintaining soil structure and allowing water to soak into undamaged soil. • If you don’t want to graze your animals downhill, graze across a slope with a buffer at the bottom.

• Save breaks near hedges or higher areas for bad weather use. Animal care During winter, monitoring and assessing our animals’ behaviour is crucial. There are two things you should consider: are they getting enough rest and what can you provide to enable them ample opportunity to lie and rest? Some of you may have a paddock that naturally provides drier spots for animals to lie, but many farmers will need to change a paddock’s management to ensure cows are well cared for. If the weather starts getting wet or there is an adverse weather event, use those breaks near hedges or higher ground you saved during grazing, to provide cows with suitable ground for lying. Another option is to shift the break to twice a day to keep the stock moving to better ground. These are all things we need to be considering to help prepare us for when the new rules come into effect next year. n

More information is available at dairynz. co.nz/wintering

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May 2021

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WOMEN IN AGRIBUSINESS

Back to traditional roots By Cheyenne Nicholson

A Northland dairy farmer became a nationwide sensation when she made the decision to give her spending an overhaul and spent just $1000 a year on groceries. Now she’s helping others do the same.

Lyn Webster wears many hats, including dairy farmer, author and sustainability champion.

Supporting farmers for over 40 years

hen Lyn Webster started her journey, saving money was her goal. She never thought she’d end up with interviews on The Project and Seven Sharp. “It started as a necessity to get through a really tough time, but now it’s just my lifestyle. It’s odd because people look at me and think I’m the weird one. It’s a mindset shift,” Lyn says. Lyn is a 50:50 sharemilker in Northland, milking 380 cows. But dairying wasn’t always her dream. While now she’s got ambitions to keep moving up the ladder, when she was in her 20s, she was a keen writer. She grew up in town and didn’t get a taste of farm life until she was in her 30s when she met her then-partner in Taranaki. “My partner at the time was working on a dairy farm, while I was a freelance writer. He loved it so much, and his father ended up buying a dairy farm. We worked on that farm for a time,” she says. “Through my writing, I’d go to all

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Lyn Webster 50:50 sharemilks in Northland, where she milks 380 cows.

these dairy events, so I was meeting these cutting-edge Taranaki dairy farmers in the 90s. As a writer, it was really motivating, and as a townie, it was an eye-opening experience. But these people were just so inspiring and motivating.” When the relationship ended, Lyn found herself in a sticky situation of needing a place to live and extra income to support herself and her children. Through a twist of fate, she was offered a job on a 150-cow farm as a farm manager. “The farmer had broken his leg and through circumstance, ended up hiring me; a female single parent. That first season I managed to beat the farm record, which I think gave me the confidence I needed at the time in my life,” she says. From there, she worked her way up through the ranks to her current job as a 50:50 sharemilker. She even joined the ranks of those inspiring dairying farmers she met during her writing career by winning Taranaki Variable Order Sharemilker of the Year. She had ambitions of going 50:50 and achieved that dream with the help of a business partner. But amid an $8.20 pay, the opportunity was too good, and she found she was on a different page to her business partner.

DAIRY FARMER

May 2021

“While I’d love to say I had a plan with all of this, I don’t think I did really. It’s grown all by itself, and it ticks along fairly nicely in the background, which I like, because it means my focus can be on the farm.” “They decided they wanted to sell the cows and get the cash. It was devastating. I’d worked hard to buy those cows, and I wanted to milk them. We were just on different pages. I went to the bank to see if I could buy them out, but they laughed at me all the way to the door,” she says. Deciding to take the bull by the horns and find a way to make it work, she sat down that evening and went through her finances. Like so many of us, she found she was spending an extraordinary amount of groceries. She decided to make a $100 a week budget for herself and her two daughters in a bid to stop wasting so much money. “I ended up writing a general farming

Continued page 38

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column for the Taranaki Daily News, and I wrote about my experience. It started to get me thinking and questioning a lot. Why do I have to buy washing powder for $8 a week when I could just use baking soda? I started making a lot of my own household cleaning things, including toothpaste, laundry powder and shampoo,” she says. She started doing classes that allowed people to come along and pick her brain, and there were quite a few people who were keen to learn some of Lyn’s thrifty ways. An appearance on Seven Sharp caused an influx of people wanting recipes, tips and ideas, so she then formalised all of her knowledge into a website. “This was probably around 10 years ago. So I was farming, writing my column and had this website on the side. It’s become my passion to not go to the supermarket now. If I can grow it or make it myself, then I will,” she says. A move to the Waikato saw Lyn’s writing being picked up in the Waikato Times, where she had a fortnightly column. This was quickly followed by a call from Penguin Books, who wanted Lyn to write a book. Pig Tits and Parsley Sauce became not just the name of her column, but of her book too. The business took on a life of its own, bolstered even more with the help of Facebook. “While I’d love to say I had a plan with all of this, I don’t think I did really. It’s grown all by itself, and it ticks along fairly nicely in the background, which I like, because it means my focus can be on the farm,” she says. Lyn took on a $1000 a year grocery budget that she has smashed out the park since then. But it hasn’t all been easy. As a female single parent entering a brand new industry through her writing and business, she says there have definitely been times when she’s wondered why she does it all. But it all comes down to passion. “This isn’t just a side hustle. Yes, I sell things on my website, and I make money off it, but realistically speaking, it’s just my way of life. I choose to live this way, make what I can, grow what I can, and go without many modern-day supermarket conveniences,” she says. “I produce very little rubbish through this way of life, and honestly, I couldn’t imagine things any differently.” Her children, who were 11 and 16 when she started out on this new way of life, embraced the journey every step of the way. Now both in their 20s, they have

Lyn Webster found she was spending an extraordinary amount of groceries each week, so set a budget of $100 a week for herself and her two daughters in a bid to stop wasting so much money.

kept some of her teachings and ways of life with them. Lyn says she’s proud that her daughters embraced the journey growing up and that they each continue to do small things towards living sustainably. “I had a lot of people saying that I was

Lyn Webster has not bought household cleaning things, including toothpaste, laundry powder and shampoo for some time and instead, makes her own.

starving my kids when I started on the $100 a week grocery budget. We all ate well, I can assure you. It’s just a nicer way of living, fewer things, more outside time learning about important things,” she says. While she admits being from a farm helped in terms of access to milk and other animal products, it was still an adjustment at the start. “I think a lot of people think making your own food or cleaners or such is hard. It’s not, and it doesn’t have to be. The other day I made cheese in my test bucket. I threw in the two ingredients, left it and got some wonderful cheese,” she says. She continues her story via her Facebook page, and while she doesn’t have any plans for the business any time soon, she hints that she might have another book in her. For now, she’s enjoying living a life a little more sustainably. “I don’t think business has to be all business plans and strategy. Yes it helps, but you have to love what you do. I love the lifestyle I have, even though others may think it odd, but I sometimes think maybe they’re the odd ones. It’s just getting back to traditional roots at the end of the day.” n

DAIRY FARMER

May 2021

NEWS

A win for Manawatu farmers By Gerald Piddock

he adoption of a hearing panel’s recommendations for proposed Plan Change 2 (PC2) by the Horizons Regional Council has been welcomed by Federated Farmers and DairyNZ. The decision will provide a pathway for consent for intensive farming landuses located in 32 Targeted Catchments, effectively opening the door to farmers shut out from gaining consent as a result of 2017 Environment Court declarations, Federated Farmers National president and Manawatu dairy farmer Andrew Hoggard says. “This gives some certainty for farmers who have been in limbo,” he says. PC2 is an interim measure to address issues about the One Plan’s workability, while a more region-wide programme is completed to give effect to the Government’s National Policy Statement for Freshwater (NPSF). The plan change enables a technical update to nitrogen limits – to reflect Overseer version changes – and also provide an alternative pathway for those who cannot meet these limits. Those version changes to Overseer had unintentionally made it extremely difficult for some farmers in the region to gain consent to continue farming. The consent pathway put forward by the council enables farmers to achieve a series of nitrogen loss targets – these vary based on land-use capability class of the farm. The second option put forward by DairyNZ and Federated Farmers provides a pathway for farms to make a minimum 20% reduction in nitrogen losses from their previous farm baseline numbers. Consents approved under the two pathways will last for a maximum for 10 years. Both pathways will now be available for these farmers to seek consent, while looking after the environment, DairyNZ strategy and investment leader Dr David Burger says. The evidence from both organisations showed the new consent pathway

DAIRY FARMER

May 2021

provided balanced environmental and economic benefits. “DairyNZ and Federated Farmers have been working to support farmers through this process over the past six years, which has included significant investment,” Burger says. “After years of uncertainty, this decision now provides clarity for farmers and the community on what targets need to be met and by when.” Hoggard says he was pleased to see the council and commissioners endorse that approach.

“After years of uncertainty, this decision now provides clarity for farmers and the community on what targets need to be met and by when.” Dr David Burger There are sound scientific and economic reasons why the two organisations’ joint proposal made sense, particularly when further work is coming to better understand the catchment and implement the NPSF. Experts from the two groups demonstrated there was minimal difference in what would be achieved in improving water quality from implementing its proposal versus the council proposal, yet economically, PC2 as proposed would have had a considerable economic impact on farms and the region. “We look forward to working with Horizons to ensure the plan change can be implemented as seamlessly as possible,” Hoggard says. “Both options need farmers to make significant nutrient reductions, but give farmers choices as they work to reduce their environmental footprint. “This is a great win for farmers, local communities and the environment.” n

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TECHNOLOGY

ProTag Microsoft finalists Massey PhD students Nathaniel Faulkner, Tyrel Glass and Baden Parr’s creation ProTag has made the finals of Microsoft’s global competition the Imagine Cup.

Student innovators By Gerald Piddock

A trio of Kiwi innovators are getting their invention noticed on the global stage.

smart livestock ear tag developed by three Massey University engineering PhD students as an agritech startup is a finalist in the Imagine Cup, a worldwide technology competition organised by Microsoft. Baden Parr, Tyrel Glass and Nathaniel Faulkner founded ProTag, an innovative smart ear tag for livestock. They liken their product to a Fitbit – an activity tracker which applies detailed machine learning to movement data in order to extract behavioural information. The tag detects the movement of an animal and can recognise when it’s grazing, sleeping or running. This information is then sent to the cloud and used to predict if the animal is developing an illness. Farmers can use these insights to take preventative health measures that reduce vet fees, boost productivity and increase animal welfare. The product idea came from a meeting with a young farming couple who were seeking help to invent a smart ear tag that could give them insights into their herd’s health. The New Zealand trio are recent graduates of Massey’s Bachelor of Engineering programme, specialising in electronics and computer engineering, which is how they met. They are now

all studying towards their doctorates at Massey’s Auckland campus. Parr says it’s surreal to have made the finals. “We’re proud to be representing NZ, it puts us on the map with Microsoft and hopefully we can do everyone proud,” he says. The idea beat tens of thousands of challengers from across the Asia-Pacific regional finals, before making a world shortlist of 12, and then being named the winner of the Earth category. They will now compete against the winners of the education, healthcare and lifestyle categories, which were won by teams from the US, Kenya and Thailand, respectively. The competition brings together student innovators to tackle social issues with technology and has been run by Microsoft for 19 years. The winners of the competition will receive US$75,000 (about NZ$105,000) in prize money and a mentoring session with Microsoft chief executive Satya Nadella. The three students cite their experience at Massey’s engineering programme and their supervisor associate professor Dr Fakhrul Alam’s approach to learning as major motivation behind getting involved with a competition like this, over and above their study.

“Entering this competition is a reflection of Fakhrul’s mentoring style – he’s thrifty with student expertise,” Glass says. “He’ll connect a group of us who are working on similar projects in a room and say we should learn off each other.” Faulkner agreed. “He (Dr Alam) has a lot of trust in our abilities, he recognises what we’re good at and lets us get on with it,” Faulkner says. Alam has been with Massey for more than 15 years and says he has always encouraged his PhD students to extend their skills and interest while studying. “I want to keep my students engaged and motivated to try new things and be entrepreneurial – I often ask them ‘why do you want to work for someone else?’” Alam says. He says being a student is the time to experiment with taking risks, making mistakes and using those lessons to grow personally and professionally. He is proud the team has made it this far. “When you see your students competing and winning against the world’s best, it validates what we do here and why we come to work each day,” he says. “We are producing world-class engineers and that’s what the world needs. It’s an incredibly satisfying feeling.” n

DAIRY FARMER

May 2021

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TECHNOLOGY

What’s your number? By Samantha Tennent

Measuring greenhouse gases will be a key to help farmers reduce their emissions.

y the end of 2022, all farmers in New Zealand need to know their greenhouse gas (GHG) numbers. He Waka Eke Noa: The Primary Sector Climate Action Partnership has assessed several calculators and Alltech E-CO2 Dairy EA has been assessed and classified by the organisation as a GHG calculator for dairy farms. “Farmers are always striving to improve animal health, welfare and productivity,” Alltech NZ innovation sales manager Nigel Meads says. “What makes the Alltech E-CO2 approach such an exciting concept is that it quantifies the gains in environmental performance that come along with these improvements and is focused on the animal, the environment and profitability.” The Dairy EA model has been developed to help producers measure and lower the carbon footprint of their dairy operation. These accredited assessments capture vast in-depth data on animal production, health, feed, fertiliser, water, energy and resource-use. The model goes on to provide producers with a summary report that splits out the three key GHGs and identifies the sources of each. The report also provides guidance on recommended actions for the farmer to help improve their numbers. Knowing a farm’s nitrous oxide and methane numbers is the first step toward managing and knowing how to reduce on-farm emissions. “Measurement is key. Our farmers understanding their numbers means they are in a position to decide how to make changes to their farming practices to mitigate or reduce emissions,” He Waka Eke Noa: The Primary Sector Climate Action Partnership programme director Kelly Forster says. Sequestration is one of the most important pillars that the He Waka Eke Noa partners are working through this year. The partnership is developing

Knowing a farm’s nitrous oxide and methane numbers is the first step toward managing and knowing how to reduce on-farm emissions.

recommendations for an appropriate farm level emissions pricing system, which includes recognition and measurement of on-farm sequestration. The pricing system needs to be recommended to ministers next year and be functioning in 2025. “All farmers knowing their numbers by December 2022 is an ambitious target,” Forster says. “He Waka Eke Noa’s partners are committed to supporting their farmers. This includes development of new calculators to support farmers across sectors to know their GHG footprint and how to reduce it well before our pricing system is ready to kick in.” Since December last year, when the first Greenhouse Gases: Farm Planning Guidance was released, industry bodies have been incorporating information relevant to their levy payers into their Farm Environment Plans (FEPs). The guidance sets out basic principles to guide farmers, growers and advisors, with practical information on opportunities to reduce GHG emissions and to capture carbon.

Alltech has a mission of Working Together for a Planet of Plenty, which calls for the agri-food industry to utilise science-based solutions, collaboration and innovation to help ensure sustainable food production, while conserving the Earth’s natural resources. Working with He Waka Eke Noa and NZ farmers to provide measurement tools to ensure their sustainability and profitability contributes to Alltech’s Planet of Plenty mission, as well as the UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 13: Climate Action, which is one of the nine SDGs to which Alltech is committed. “We always aim to provide farmers with the information, advice and support they require to implement positive environmental management steps,” Meads says. “Lowering a farm’s carbon footprint goes hand-in-hand with increasing farm efficiency and therefore profitability, which is a win for everyone.” n

For more information check out alltech-eco2.com and hewakaekenoa.nz

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May 2021

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TECHNOLOGY

App to combat buttercup By Tony Benny

A phone app developed by AgResearch has proven to be universal with greenkeepers using the app to keep weeds down on the fairways.

phone app developed by AgResearch to help New Zealand dairy farmers find the best way to control giant buttercup in their pastures has found a new use on the fairways of golf courses in North Carolina. The Grassland Cover Estimator phone app was launched by AgResearch in February to give farmers a simple way to quantify how badly the unpalatable, invasive pest has infested their pastures. A companion web app can then recommend which of nearly 50

herbicides would be the best weapon against the weed. AgReseach principal scientist Graeme Bourdot says the phone app has already been downloaded more than 400 times, both in NZ and globally, and the companion web app has attracted similar attention. “It’s a pretty cool little tool,” Bourdot says. “A dairy farmer can grab the app, walk across the paddock, get the percentage of giant buttercup cover and then put that number into the web app to decide which herbicide is the best option and if

indeed that’s going to be profitable.” While the companion apps were developed specifically to assist farmers dealing with giant buttercup, the phone tool works with any plant and is attracting plenty of attention, some of it from outside the dairy industry. “Fonterra are interested in using it to measure the amount of clover in a pasture and another group of dairy farmers are interested in using it to measure plantain because they have to show that at least 30% of their pasture is in plantain,” he says. “And now the pig industry, who

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“Now a web app has been developed, with nice graphs that enable you to simulate what will happen for a given farm with a given starting population, if you don’t do any grubbing over the next 50 years.” Graeme Bourdot have to show that the amount of bare ground in their paddocks is less than a certain minimum level for their farm environment plans (FEPs), are interested in using it to measure that. “The thing’s kind of snowballed in terms of interest out there, so I’m pleased we made it a generic tool. We developed it for this particular giant buttercup project but you can set up any sort of project in it you want.” While the interest shown by NZ farmers outside Golden Bay where giant buttercup is a significant issue was gratifying, Bourdot says he was surprised to hear that greenkeepers on golf courses in the US had also seen it’s potential. They heard about it from North Carolina State University weed scientist Professor Joe Neal who spent last

AgResearch principal scientist Graeme Bourdot using the buttercup app which has been downloaded more than 400 times in New Zealand and globally.

DAIRY FARMER

May 2021

An app is now available for farmers to measure the quantity of buttercup in pastures.

summer in NZ working with Bourdot to formally evaluate the app’s precision and accuracy. He’s since returned to the US but the pair keep in touch, working together on a scientific paper about the app. “He phoned me the other day and said the greenkeepers in North Carolina are really interested in using this app because they have to keep the weeds down to below 5% of the total pasture and this would show their manager they’ve achieved that goal,” he says. “It’s surprising how many people out there with various sorts of pastures and grassy areas have a requirement to measure the cover of different elements.” Now Bourdot has turned his attention to another weed, nassella tussock, also unpalatable to stock and highly invasive. Nassella can be found on sites throughout NZ but is worst on North Canterbury hill country where back in the 1940s, it covered thousands of hectares and it took gangs of workers armed with grubbers to bring it under control. Grubbing is still the principal method of control and it’s compulsory for landowners to grub out any nassella plants they see in spring, when it flowers and is easiest to identify. But not all farmers take well to being

told they have to grub the weed and that can be a source of conflict between them and the regulating authority Environment Canterbury (ECan). So Bourdot’s team at AgResearch have come up with a tool to show farmers what will likely happen, depending on whether they grub as instructed if they fail to take action. “We built the model based on a decade’s worth of data and published that and then we thought this model’s capable of so much more,” says Bourdot, who’s spent much of his scientific career studying nassella. “Now a web app has been developed with nice graphs that enable you to simulate what will happen for a given farm with a given starting population if you don’t do any grubbing over the next 50 years. And if I grub it the way ECan says I have to, what will the result be?” The app hasn’t been released yet, but Bourdot believes it could be a valuable tool for the regional council to show farmers the value of keeping on top of the potentially devastating weed. “Here’s a scientific model that tells us if you stop grubbing now, this is what your farm is going to look like in 25 or 50 years, and this is what the impact will be on your neighbour,” he says. n

TECHNOLOGY

Accelerating IoT By Samantha Tennent

Global Internet of Things (IoT) availability will make life for farmers much easier through a new programme that will provide greater connectivity.

onnectivity issues can hinder business performance, and prevent adoption of new technology. But global mobile satellite communications company Inmarsat has launched an Application and Solution Provider (ASP) programme to support companies operating in areas with unreliable connectivity and accelerate the availability of Internet of Things (IoT) solutions. “Inmarsat and our partners have been pioneering satellite-enabled IoT for a number of years. With this new initiative we are set to accelerate the roll-out of IoT into remote areas of the world where the data points might be the most valuable,” Inmarsat enterprise president Mike Carter says. “Turnkey solutions are ready-to-go; full package solutions that are easily deployed or implemented in a business are key to this acceleration, and will be created in our ASP. Along with Inmarsat’s reliable connectivity to ensure that the IoT solution works wherever it is needed.” IoT describes the network of physical objects that are embedded with sensors, software and other technologies for the purpose of connecting and exchanging data with other devices and systems over the internet. In agriculture, IoT solutions are focused on helping farmers close the supply demand gap, by ensuring high yields, profitability and protection of the environment. Precision agriculture is the approach of using IoT technology to ensure optimum application of resources to achieve high crop yields and reduce operational costs. IoT in agriculture technologies comprise specialised equipment, wireless connectivity, software and IT services. Under Inmarsat’s ASP, an ecosystem will be developed that will ensure that companies operating in areas without reliable connectivity, or with missioncritical connectivity needs, including farms in New Zealand, will be able to

Swedish-owned engineering product company MinFarm, who are focused on supporting hardware engineering for extreme environments have partnered with Inmarsat to provide greater connectivity to rural areas.

access a broad choice of IoT solutions to enhance the efficiency, safety and sustainability of their businesses. The ASP programme will provide a support framework and is open to new entrants, disruptors and established brands of any size who have developed an innovative digital product or service but may need additional support to exploit the benefits of satellite-enabled IoT solutions. Inmarsat will provide dedicated technical guidance on how to integrate and support its highly reliable satellite services, go-to-market strategy planning and exposure to the Inmarsat distribution channel to enable access to new markets. Providers working across a highly diverse range of industries, including agriculture, aid and NGO, energy, exploration and leisure, media, mining, transport and utilities, as well as agnostic technology providers, will be considered for membership. “The ASP Programme is a flexible initiative to nurture those relationships that fit each organisation’s specific needs, either directly or through one of

our main distribution partners. Some providers may simply need reliable satellite connectivity, while others might benefit from deeper involvement to expand their business globally,” he says. The programme launches with two innovative partners on board – Australian-based agri-tech company Farmbot Monitoring Solutions and Swedish-owned engineering product company MinFarm – who are focused on supporting hardware engineering for extreme environments. They plan to bring more partners in over the coming months. “Being involved with Inmarsat’s ASP project is an exciting step forward in the development of Farmbot solutions,” Farmbot Monitoring Solutions managing director Andrew Coppin says. “It has the potential to significantly improve the management of critical water resources for farmers worldwide, resulting in tangible productivity gains, carbon reduction and ultimately more sustainable outcomes. We look forward to announcing the development of ondemand cameras for farmers over the coming months.” n

DAIRY FARMER

May 2021

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FARMSTRONG

Farming hasn’t always been easy for Oxford farmer Darcy Bishop but despite that, he has overseen substantial growth on the family farm.

Text does the trick Getting time off-farm is a big issue for many farmers. But a group of Canterbury farmers have found a solution – texting each other to arrange short breaks.

xford dairy farmer Darcy Bishop has never forgotten the advice his father gave him. “Dad always taught me in farming you should always take time to smell the roses,” Darcy says. Easier said than done, however, when you’re as busy as Darcy is. This third-generation, dairy farmer milks 945 cows on 285ha near Oxford in Canterbury. Darcy’s overseen substantial growth in the family business, and it hasn’t always been plain sailing. “We’d just scaled up our operation to progress as a family. So, we took the plunge and came down south. It was a $7 payout when we decided to make the move and by the time we arrived, it had

suddenly dropped to $3.90, so that was really tough. If someone had told me it was going to be like that, I probably wouldn’t have carried on farming. It was stressful,” he says. That’s when Darcy realised he needed to start taking care of himself as well as the farm. “That experience really taught me that no industry is always ‘up’. There are going to be fluctuations in the market. You’ve got to learn to live with that and still be able to enjoy the ride as much as you can,” he says. “Scaling up like that also made me realise there’s no limit to the number of hours you could put into an operation like this. To avoid burnout, you need to be proactive and do other things and

get off-farm. After all, you’re only young once. You’ve got to make the most of that.” Luckily, Darcy’s mate Ben Peake, another dairy farmer, was on the same wavelength and came up with a simple but effective solution. Occasionally, he’d randomly text his local farmer mates a short message “tools down” – and then suggest a time and place to meet offfarm. It worked. “It was a bit of a shock at first,” laughs Darcy. “But getting that text definitely made my ears prick up. I guess it just took off from there.” Now when things are a bit quieter onfarm, Darcy and half a dozen mates will flick each other a text and then head out for an afternoon lunch, a run or a bike

DAIRY FARMER

May 2021

ride. Sometimes farming’s in the mix too. “Quite often we’ll go to the pub for lunch and then do a tour of someone’s farm. We did it here last week. All the guys that farm round here are likeminded; if they know something that could be helpful to your farm, they don’t mind sharing it,” he says. “It makes you realise as a farmer that you’re all going through the same thing. You might be worrying ‘is everyone short of grass like me?’ But if you don’t meet up with your mates then you don’t talk about it. It’s really important to stay connected to people. A quick text to someone doesn’t cost anything and could make someone’s day a lot better.” The overall impact has been profound. Darcy manages his operation differently these days. He’s found time in his schedule to take up kayaking and compete in iconic events like the Coast to Coast race. “I’ve really enjoyed it. What you see down the river, you don’t see anywhere else. And going down rapids, it’s a feeling like no other. It’s something I never thought I’d do and it’s really energising,” he says. How does he do it and still run a busy farm? Teamwork. “I have great staff who’ve been with me for many years now. It’s all about

Darcy Bishop says to avoid burnout, farmers need to be proactive by downing tools and get off-farm.

respect – paying people what they’re worth and then organising decent rosters so that everyone gets the time off they need,” he says. He says he also times his breaks carefully. “There are definitely times on-farm when you’re flat out and can’t go anywhere. As a farm manager and owner, you realise that, so you just have

When things are a bit quieter on the farm, Darcy Bishop likes to catch up with his farming mates or go kayaking on the Waimakariri River.

to knuckle down and do the farm work. But when things quieten down, that’s when you need to take time to smell the roses. If you don’t do that time passes by pretty quickly.” “Once I get through calving and mating, and I’ve been on the farm for three or four months without leaving much, it feels bliss going for a kayak. It’s my reward and you’ve got to reward yourself in farming because if you don’t do it, nobody else will.” “It’s easy in farming to go into your little cocoon and not socialise with people. So these days I make sure I get off-farm regularly whenever I can. Christchurch is only 40-minutes’ drive and the Waimakariri River is handy for my kayaking.” He says there are wider benefits to achieving better work-life balance too. “Getting that balance right between your family, your farm and your own personal wellbeing can be difficult, but it’s important. For me nowadays farming’s all about family. I get great support from my wife. I’ve got three awesome children, a great mum and dad. If I’m in a good space, the farm goes better, and everyone benefits,” he says. n

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DAIRY FARMER

May 2021

RESEARCH

Tool to reduce nitrate loss

coustic urine sensor technology for dairy cows is being developed by Crown Research Institute AgResearch and will be tested on commercial dairy farms, with a view to giving dairy farmers a new tool to help reduce nitrate leaching loss to waterways. The prototype urine sensor device attaches to the hind leg of the cow and by identifying acoustic patterns, can monitor the cow’s “urination events” by volume and frequency. This provides important insights into the urination characteristics of cows in the herd and subsequent potential to reduce nitrogen leaching loss. Nitrate leaching is a crucial issue for farmers to manage given public expectations and regulations around the impact of the leaching on water quality, and the associated impact on the climate through nitrous oxide emissions. “Previous research has shown that dairy cows typically urinate 10-12 times per day, with an average volume of about two litres per urination event, and these events represents the main source of nitrate leaching loss from dairy farms,” AgResearch senior scientist Dr Brendon Welten says. “Our research has shown that while the total amount of nitrogen excreted in urine per day can be similar between individual cows, we have found there is large natural variation between cows in urination frequency and volume per event. “Ideally, cows that urinate more frequently per day, coupled with a lower volume of urine each time, tend to excrete lower amounts of nitrogen per event and therefore present a lower risk to the environment. In fact, our preliminary modelling suggests this can mean a difference of up to 15% reduction in nitrate leaching loss at the paddock scale.” Broader development of urine sensor technology has been undertaken by AgResearch for over a decade, with sensor use predominantly focused on research trials for nitrogen mitigation strategies such as salt and plantain. Latest work is focusing on the sensors’ use as a farm management tool.

An acoustic urine sensor attached to a cow’s hind leg is giving AgResearch scientists insights into cow urination and helping them find ways to reduce nitrate leaching loss from dairy farms.

“Our preliminary modelling suggests this can mean a difference of up to 15% reduction in nitrate leaching loss at the paddock scale.” Dr Brendon Welten Funding has been obtained through the Ministry for Primary Industries’ Sustainable Land Management and Climate Change (SLMACC) Fund to advance previous research to explore the potential for its use in environmental nitrogen herd testing across a number of commercial dairy farms. Data generated from this will allow scenario-based modelling and subsequent research into how this information can be integrated into the Overseer decision-support model. “As we further develop the technology from the current prototype, our vision is of a product that could be used to help farmers in the monitoring and management of nitrate leaching on farms,” he says. “The concept underlying this environmental nitrogen herd testing is

based on a similar method as routine herd testing for milk. "We are focused now on developing the technology that can be applied onfarm in a cost-effective way, which is no small task. “Ideally, the urine sensor technology would be deployed on several occasions throughout the year on a dairy farm to provide an estimate of individual cows’ urination volume and frequency, and therefore potential for urinary nitrogen loss from a herd.” Aside from being able to demonstrate gains through the likes of Overseer, farmers could also benefit from this technology and herd testing approach by helping with decisions around animal management based on the potential leaching risk from the herd, including feeding strategies. “Our aim longer-term is to be able to provide a tool that is low-cost and supports sustained reductions in nitrate leaching over time, without too many logistical challenges for dairy farmers,” he says. Depending on progress of the research and proving the potential for the urine sensors to be used as a farm management tool, it is hoped discussion with prospective commercial partners may begin in the next few years. n

DAIRY FARMER

May 2021

DairyNZ disagrees with the Climate Change Commission’s assumption that methane can be reduced while maintaining current production levels.

RESEARCH

R&D crucial to meet GHG goals By Anne Boswell

New Zealand farmers are already doing their bit, but more tools will be needed if they are to meet the targets outlined in the Climate Change Commission’s proposal.

airyNZ says a substantial investment into research and development (R&D) is crucial if farmers are to meet the recommendations set out in the independent Climate Change Commission’s (CCC) draft carbon budgets proposal, released in January this year. As an industry body, DairyNZ has made a comprehensive submission to the commission on farmers’ behalf, backed by economic, farm systems and scientific evidence. The submission outlined two key messages: don’t shift the goalposts, and that substantial investment in research and development was critical to the success of the proposal. “To accelerate the changes underway already, we need to work with the Government, our research partners and other sectors,” DairyNZ chief executive Dr Tim Mackle says. “Solutions, while keeping farmers at the top of their game, will require support and investment from the Government and agriculture.” Mackle says the transition to a lowemissions economy must be grounded in science, economic and social considerations; the draft carbon budgets does some of those things, but not all. “This effectively increases the scale of our challenge. The commission’s pathway

for biogenic methane also requires significant changes on farms and rapid technological breakthroughs, that we are not confident will be achieved in such a short timeframe,” he says. “We need substantial research and development investment to accelerate the approaches and solutions available. “Kiwi dairy farmers are world leaders in sustainable and low-emissions dairy products, but we need to continue making improvements behind the farm gate to keep pace with changing community and consumer expectations.” DairyNZ strategy and investment leader Bruce Thorrold says the commission’s report suggests a 13% reduction in methane by 2030, and makes the assumption it can be done while maintaining current production levels. “Our submission outlines our disagreement with the assumptions that the commission makes that these methane targets can be achieved without reducing milksolid production,” Thorrold says. “Without new technology, we just don’t think it will be achieved in practice.” Thorrold says the reduction of biogenic methane must be the top priority when it comes to research and development. “On an average farm, biogenic methane makes up 70-80% of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions,” he says.

“There is a direct link between feed eaten and methane emitted, and we need to break that link. “Other areas of interest to us are nitrous oxide, a long-lived gas that may improve as we reduce nitrogen leaching, and for the pastoral sector as a whole, carbon sequestration.” Thorrold says there is already a lot of investment, research and development into methane mitigation underway internationally, but the big challenge lies in getting the overseas technology developed in a feedlot/barn environment to work in NZ’s grazed pasture systems. “We have some incredibly innovative companies working on GHG mitigation technology, which we welcome, and may produce some of the tools we are after,” he says. “There is a range of products and ideas that are now being trialled in NZ.” Thorrold says with the Zero Carbon Bill in place – targeting a reduction in carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide emissions to net zero by 2050, and methane reduction by 10% by 2030 and 24-47% by 2050 – we need to look at both short-term and long-term strategies. “If we are to reduce methane emissions by 10% by 2030, we have small sets of mitigation technology under development that need to be accelerated,” he says. “We also need to plan for bigger

DAIRY FARMER

May 2021

targets by 2050, which is where technology such as methane vaccination and genetics come into play. “We need to design a programme to get us where we need to be, and then figure out how we can do it and how much it will cost. “We can’t just say we’ll throw another $6 million dollars into R&D and hope that will do the job.” Mackle says farmers are committed but need practical approaches, with pragmatic timeframes. “Farmers also want confidence that the goalposts won’t continue to shift if they make significant investment and changes in how they farm. “We will work with the commission as they finalise their advice to the Government, and will continue to keep farmers informed as the next steps in the process develop.” Mackle says future solutions for biogenic methane can benefit farming and give flexibility to NZ’s overall pathway to the 2050 targets. He acknowledged the commission’s reference to the success of He Waka Eke Noa, the partnership between the

DairyNZ chief executive Tim Mackle says any transition to lower emissions must be grounded in science, economics and social considerations.

DairyNZ strategy and investment leader Bruce Thorrold says the reduction of biogenic methane must be the top priority when it comes to research and development.

primary sector, Government and Māori to reduce emissions and enable sustainable food and fibre production for future generations.

“We are committed to this partnership and believe it will achieve our shared objectives of managing and reducing emissions on-farm,” he says. n

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RESEARCH

Call to cut pesticide use By Samantha Tennent

Global pesticide use is putting agricultural land at risk of pollution, which will degrade the environment.

recent study has found that 64% of arable land across 168 countries is at risk of pesticide pollution. Worryingly, nations responsible for producing large portions of the world’s food fall into the high-risk category and pesticide use is expected to increase as the global population grows. The statistics were revealed in the study carried out by the University of Sydney, published in Nature Geoscience. “Widespread use of pesticides in agriculture boosts productivity, but can also have potential implications for the environment, human and animal health,” says Dr Fiona Tang, Research Associate and the lead author of the study. The study produced a global model mapping pollution risk caused by 92 chemicals commonly used in agricultural pesticides in 168 countries. It examined the risk to soil, the atmosphere, and surface and groundwater. “Globally, our work shows that almost a third of the countries are considered high-risk, and 34% of those areas are in high-biodiversity regions, 19% in low and lower-middle income nations and 5% in water-scarce areas,” Tang says. “We discovered that Asia houses the largest land areas at high risk of pollution, with China, Japan, Malaysia

and the Philippines at highest risk. And watersheds in South Africa, China, India, Australia and Argentina as high-concern regions because they have high pesticide pollution risk, bear high biodiversity and suffer from water scarcity.” Pesticides can be transported to surface waters and groundwater through run-off and infiltration, polluting water bodies, which reduces the usability of water resources. There is concern that overuse of pesticides will tip the balance, destabilise ecosystems and degrade the quality of water sources that humans and animals rely on to survive.

Dr Fiona Tang says widespread use of pesticides in agriculture boosts productivity, but also has implications for the environment, human and animal health.

“Although protecting food production is essential for human development, reducing pesticide pollution is equivalently crucial to protect the biodiversity that maintains soil health and functions, contributing towards food security,” she says. “In a warmer climate, as the global population grows, the use of pesticides is expected to increase to combat the possible rise in pest invasions and to feed more people,” says co-author associate professor Federico Maggi from the School of Civil Engineering and the Sydney Institute of Agriculture. “The agricultural land in Oceania shows the lowest pesticide pollution risk, but Australia’s Murray-Darling basin is considered a high-concern region both due to its water scarcity issues and its high biodiversity.” The study shows it will be important to carefully monitor residues on an annual basis to detect trends in order to manage and mitigate risks from pesticide use and the authors of the study recommend a global strategy to transition towards a sustainable, global agricultural model that reduces food wastage, while reducing the use of pesticides. n

DAIRY FARMER

May 2021

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SPECIAL REPORT

A different perspective By Andre van Barneveld

Andre van Barneveld is a consultant who lived in Ireland for several years. He recently returned home and shares his thoughts on sustainable farming practices in New Zealand dairy farming.

ollowing seven years in Ireland, the last five working under my own Graise Consultancy banner, it has been interesting to come back to NZ and travel around the North and South Islands looking at dairy farms/dairy businesses through different eyes than when I left. I have been a little surprised at how much NZ has changed and how far removed the dairy industry is from where it was when I was sharemilking in the 90s, farm ownership in the early 2000s and even when I was consulting here in the late 2000s. Chemical nitrogen use was minimal, palm kernel was just starting to become available and 300kg MS/cow was considered

reasonable production. Fast-forward 30 years and there has been a huge rise in nitrogen use, feeding 500 to 1000kg of palm kernel/cow is accepted practice, stocking rates have risen dramatically, but the two things that have not changed for many farms are that production is still below 350kg MS/cow on a large percentage of farms and profitability is pretty much static. Dairy farming in NZ is driven by two factors: profit and regulation. Change is only considered if it will be more profitable or it is forced by regulations, mainly environmental. Much of the decision-making should be based on the direction the industry is moving in and we know that dairy farming

will be governed by strict regulation around chemical nitrogen use, nitrate leaching and water quality, both in run-off as well as leached. So looking ahead, the question is how to remain productive and profitable with reduced input/ environmental impact. I don’t want to discuss “regenerative farming” here, it is not something I believe is a necessary direction, it is promoted as a system at the expense of all other farming systems, which is not healthy dialogue/ perception to create. It is a system that risks leading to a reduction in output which the world cannot afford – any reduction in output in NZ will be compensated for by an increase in output elsewhere

with much greater global environmental impact – and NZ soils are already bloody good, there is no need to “regenerate” soils, but we could do so with some finetuning. I recently heard that NZ soils are storing an average of around 90 tonnes of carbon per hectare, whereas Australia is at around 35t/ha and US at 45t/ha – NZ dairy farms run at 100-300t/ha. This means “regenerative” doesn’t really apply here, but “sustainable” does. Looking at the irrigated land, especially in Canterbury, it seems to me that soil quality has improved dramatically with the arrival of water, which initiated a large-scale conversion from cropping to dairy.

Why do we love our cows like they’re family? Because they are family Treating your animals with respect and kindness is vital. To us, it’s how we farm. In fact, we aim to be world leading in animal care. Why? Because we’re dairy farmers and we rise to the challenge. And it’s in these moments we shine.

Riseandshine.nz 56

DAIRY FARMER

May 2021

Andre van Barneveld of Graise Consultancy says there are plenty of opportunities for farmers to be sustainable.

Nothing erodes soil organic matter levels more than regular severe droughts and repeatedly tilling soils. These huge irrigated areas of land are now storing much higher carbon levels, are productive and sustain a much greater social network than before the arrival of water. The challenge going forward will be to do it with a reduction in chemical N use and by using water that would otherwise run into the ocean in surplus rather than impacting on lower river levels and groundwater reserves. In non-irrigated areas, and I am especially looking at what is happening in the Wairarapa where I am living and looking to establish my consultancy business, the challenge is to achieve greater summer growth, lower imported feed reliance and to increase output per cow with reduced methane greenhouse gas (GHG) levels, mainly through reduced enteric fermentation. Achieving the same production from less cows will achieve several factors; the first is economic. Before a cow produces one kilogram of milksolids, she requires around 2.2-2.4t of dry matter per year to, for example, live, walk, get back in calf and calve. Once she achieves her

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May 2021

daily maintenance intake requirements, whatever she consumes is available for production and weight gain. Therefore, if you reduce cow numbers from, say, 300 down to 250, you are not only releasing the feed eaten for production but also the feed eaten for maintenance, making that overall feed available to the remaining 250 cows, which have already accounted for their maintenance intakes, so the extra feed is all available for production/weight gain. Of course it is not quite as simple as that but, in a nutshell, that is how it works. The question is around the ability of the remaining cows to consume the extra feed and how efficiently this can be achieved/converted to output. If at peak the 300 cows are currently being fed 16kg DM/ cow/day, then this is 4800kg DM/day total feed demand. This 4800 divided by 250 cows = 19.2kg DM/cow/day, so you would need a capacious, mature herd to achieve those intake levels. Even 18kg DM/ cow intakes would provide sufficient energy intake levels to produce 2.2+kg MS/ cow – assuming 12-12.5MJME/ kg DM – and it would mean

Continued page 58

Trials show a mixed species crops such as plantain and clovers grow well and could provide greater security around summer feed and protein intake requirements.

achieving 250 X 420+kg MS/ cow, which would be much more profitable than 300 X 350kg MS for the same total production. The other angle is the GHG emissions. I would hope that these will be calculated as a base kilogram GHG/ cow, plus total feed in the system to achieve output. Right now it looks like it may be on a simple basis of feed consumed in the overall system but again, it has to be more efficient to consume that same volume of feed with 250 cows than 300 cows with lower GHG emissions, I hope submissions to the model will ensure this is calculated accurately. The above will then also have a huge influence on dry period feed requirements and FWE that tend to come more on a per/cow rather than per/ ha basis, for example, vet, electricity, labour and grazing. Looking at the other issue

non-irrigated land has, the reduction in summer growth rates and impact of dry periods on soil organic matter (OM) levels, carbon storage capacity, which all combines to impact on system resilience and sustainability, I see massive opportunity to get away from the perennial ryegrass/clover swards that are still dominant.

“Change is only considered if it will be more profitable or it is forced by regulations, mainly environmental.”

I have been working with many farmers in Ireland and the UK with varying climate and soil types growing

different mixes of plant varieties in “conventional” systems – high digestibility grazing systems on 18-25 day rotation lengths – and have run trials in Ireland and the UK on introducing mixed species into existing swards and using foliar urea plus humates versus granular urea, with mixed results, but more clarity around what works and what doesn’t. Monitoring performance on the mixed swards versus PRG pasture has left me in no doubt that the mixed species have massive opportunity to improve profitability, with many added benefits around animal and soil health. I attended a plantain open day on a dry Wairarapa farm recently and was astounded at how poorly attended it was; less than 10 farmers showed up to what I felt was an interesting day to look at a different way of doing things. Maybe it is because it is seen

to be driven by the “lower your nitrate leaching in the urine patch” pressure rather than the “opportunity to improve profitability” message, which I strongly feel it should be driven by? What we saw was paddocks that were sowed at 8kg plantain, 2kg white and 2kg red clover seed/ha in spring now (in summer dry spell) growing at 60+kg DM/ha/day, when the rest of the milking platform was growing at 20kg DM/ha/day, with zero N input for the last three rotations. In this case the farmer was using it like a crop, break feeding the cows through it every 25-30 days and was then planning to drill some perennial ryegrass into it when it rains and leave it in to continue as a normal rotation paddock for autumn and into next season. There is no doubt in my mind that this is an area with so much opportunity, with a greater proportion of milking platform growing more mixed species, including chicory, plantain, and a few different clover varieties at minimum, it would mean much greater security around summer feed and protein intake requirements, with reduced chemical nitrogen reliance (the air we breathe is 78% nitrogen, legumes allow us to efficiently mobilise this to be plant available), less nitrate leaching, improved rumen efficiency and health resulting in lower GHG emissions. With the right mix to suit every individual farm soil type/ rainfall/feed demand scenario, it would reduce imported feed requirements, improve output and overall profitability with greatly improved environmental impact/ compliance. n

Andre van Barneveld operates Graise Consultancy which helps farmers to look at opportunities and targets, and gives advice on how to achieve greater profitability to fit in with your own goals.

DAIRY FARMER

May 2021

BETTER BULLS BETTER CALVES James Dallinger is an equity partner in a 220ha Waikato farm that is aiming for zero bobby calves. James with his 580-cow herd.

Combination for success By Anne Boswell

Maungatautari dairy farmer James Dallinger has admirable goals when it comes to his herd’s breeding strategy – and his use of technology ensures the cows are on the mating platform at the optimal time, every time.

ames Dallinger, an equity farmer on his 220ha Waikato farm, is striving to reduce the number of bobby calves born to the 580-strong herd, while increasing genetic gain. An electrician by trade, he is always interested in what technology is available to the dairy industry. In his third season using Senztag CowManager, it has allowed him to pinpoint the cows’ heats with precision. Full AI mating lasts 10 weeks, which he hopes to reduce to nine weeks going forward. His Samen representative Victor Kooter has categorised the herd to three bull teams based on conformation: Red team, Blue team and Beef; the latter being undesirable to breed from. “With this coding system we should end up with a more uniform herd,” James says. He spends the first four weeks mating for replacements but if a good cow comes on heat in the fifth week, they will still mate her for a replacement. After that, all mating is to beef – the low end of the herd not worth breeding future replacements from. Sexed semen goes to the better

producers in the herd that have historically held to their first mating, and have no health issues in the current season that could compromise conception. Samen Belgian Blue short gestation genetics are used to ensure all beef calves are of a good quality.

“Sale prices for the Belgian Blues have been great so far,” he says. “We have definitely noticed the demand for them is getting stronger year-on-year. “With help from Trudy at Dairy Beef Collective, we have been matched with a buyer for the coming season, so all our

James Dallinger’s cows are drafted using his CowManager and Protrack software.

DAIRY FARMER

May 2021

“This software is so powerful, especially around calving time where we are really monitoring cows.” James Dallinger

beef is taken care of – it is a great step in the direction of our journey to zero bobbies.” All of the good, strong Friesian bulls calves born are sold as four-day-olds. James says historically the herd produces between 130-140 replacements, but that is by mating everything for replacements and keeping everything. “This season, with the new regime, we have kept 150 replacements with the use of sexed semen,” he says. “In the coming season we may have more, as our R2 heifers have been put to AI to enhance our genetic gain.” He is happy to witness genetic gain in increased efficiency, fertility and longevity, rather than a breeding worth number. Now three seasons into using CowManager, he is enjoying making decisions based on the data generated by the software. He uses two of the system’s three modules – health and fertility – which provide accurate information about the herd via an ear sensor which can be placed into the cow’s ear in a single action. Any suspicious behaviour – measured by movement, variance in body

James Dallinger’s one-man dairy shed is highly automated.

temperature or a change in eating and ruminating patterns – is tagged within the system and then compared against the herd or group average for that particular time of day, or any longer period being analysed. Over time, the system builds up a stronger picture of each animal and becomes increasingly accurate. James uses the health module yearround, identifying potential health issues before they escalate. “This software is so powerful, especially around calving time where we are really monitoring cows,” he says. “CowManager is great for identifying metabolic issues and treating symptoms

James Dallinger receives real-time herd data on his mobile phone with Senztag CowManager.

DAIRY FARMER

May 2021

before they become a problem. “Being able to identify issues and treat them sooner means there are fewer down cows.” The fertility module is where he can get the most out of the premium genetics he invests in, lowering insemination costs and increasing pregnancy rates. When a cow becomes agitated and delivers movement patterns synonymous with oncoming oestrus, the system verifies actual oestrus by comparing the temperature variation against the current average of the herd. It then compares recent movement activity against the patterns most symbolic of oestrus behaviour. It is this process that guarantees the system provides accuracy in helping farmers identify the absolute best time to inseminate individual animals. “As we’re using more sexed semen, pinpointing the timing of heats is more crucial than ever,” he says. “With CowManager, the precision of mating is increased; the efficiency of the software makes it cost-neutral.” Cows that are alerted in CowManager for heat reasons can be requested for drafting via Protrack Draft Integrate in the next milking. All cows on heat are drafted into a pen, onto the platform and mated. “It’s just easy,” he says. “The technology allows us to maintain the one-person operation of our 50-bail rotary shed. It’s so easy to use, anyone can step in. “Staff spend less time in-shed and more time at home with their family.” n

BETTER BULLS BETTER CALVES

Best of the best

ew Zealand Hereford Selection Indexes are designed to make life easier for bull buyers. For buyers of registered Herefords, selection indexes put a convenient dollar value on the breeding values according to the situation that bull will be used. Hereford Selection Indexes have been developed to assist farmers make a “balanced” bull-buying decision, in a similar way that the BW (breeding worth) is calculated for your dairy herd. NZ Herefords recently identified three markets which they believe best meet commercial bull buyers’ requirements. • Hereford Prime Index – aimed at commercial beef farmers to use over their mature aged cows, with moderate to medium birth, good carcase traits, including IMF and positive fats suited to moderate mature cow size, offering good fertility and days to calving. Refer to the website for specifications: • Beef Heifer Index – ideal for the beef farmer looking for calving ease for heifer mating, but also some focus on maternal traits so heifers can be kept, and growth traits, so steers can be finished. Suited for bulls to be used over Hereford heifers and also Angus, and other beef herds looking for hybrid vigour and replacement heifers offering fast growth and calving-ease. • Dairy Beef Index (replacing the Dairy Terminal Index) designed for dairy farmers looking for registered Hereford bulls to use over their mature aged dairy cows, to sire calves which are born easily and grow quickly. Dairy Beef Index is a new index but broadly similar to the superseded Dairy Terminal Index. Changes from the Dairy Terminal Index include an increased emphasis on improving intramuscular fat (marbling) at the expense of a slight drop in growth. There was also an increased emphasis upon reducing birthweight. How to rank bulls using selection indexes on online catalogues Incorporating selection index

The Dairy Beef Index is designed for dairy farmers looking for registered Hereford bulls to use over their older dairy cows.

“NZ Herefords recently identified three markets which they believe best meet commercial bull buyers’ requirements.”

information into buying decisions takes all the hard work out of trying to decide how much emphasis you need to put on individual EBVs when determining which bulls you want to purchase. The recommended strategy for selecting bulls is to complete the following steps: 1. Identify the selection index of most relevance for your commercial herd. 2. Rank animals on the selection index. This can be done using the NZ Herefords website www.herefords. co.nz by accessing the red drop-down menu titled Online Search on the left of your screen and clicking on Sales and Semen Catalogue. Then select the sale catalogue of interest to you. Once you have done that, click on Show All Entries followed by Show All EBVs. By selecting the index you are interested in you can then rank the animals in a catalogue that you have selected. 3. Consider the individual EBVs of importance. Selection indexes could be viewed as an initial drafting gate, but it is important to look closer. Two bulls could have a similar dollar index value but quite different EBVs. For

example, one could have more growth and another bull might have more marbling. Which traits are important to your breeding objectives? If you know the EBVs of previous bulls you have bought, you can use this to help your decision-making. If there is a particular part of your system that is letting you down, then you need to focus on the EBVs affecting it directly. For example, if you are disappointed with pregnancy scanning, keep a close eye on the Days to Calving and Scrotal EBVs. If you are happy with your growth rates but you are missing out on quality premiums, then look at the IMF EBV. Consider other traits of importance that aren’t included in the genetic evaluation. Structure, bull fertility, bull docility, genetic conditions and pedigree are all important considerations in this step. All selection indexes are reported as an EBV, in units of net profit per cow mated ($) for a given production/market scenario. They reflect both the shortterm profit generated by a sire through the sale of his progeny, and the longerterm profit generated by his daughters in a self-replacing cow herd, where applicable. n

Detailed information regarding each Selection Index can be accessed through the NZ Hereford website.

DAIRY FARMER

May 2021

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BETTER BULLS BETTER CALVES

Bruce Turpie’s zero bobby calf policy aligns with his gold elite status under Synlait’s Lead with Pride scheme.

Zero bobbies By Tony Benny

Using Samen beef genetics over the herd, a Canterbury farmer is reaping the rewards of saleable calves and no longer has bobby calves.

hanks to an innovative breeding policy that includes using sexed semen to get replacement heifers and beef breeds over the other cows, large-scale Canterbury dairy farmer Bruce Turpie sends away zero bobby calves. Turpie milks 1600 cows on a 500ha dairy and cropping property near Methven and has an additional 130ha at Geraldine. He milks year-round fulfilling a winter contract with Synlait and calves four times a year to keep the operation running. Spring calving runs for six weeks, then there’s a three-week calving in December, six weeks in February-March, followed by three weeks in May. He says while the system sounds complicated, it’s actually pretty simple. “We’re trying to keep the mating and the calving reasonably tight, so we’re not doing it every day of the year or anything,” Bruce says. “We just keep heifer replacements from the spring and the autumn mating

so it doesn’t get too complicated with having different sized heifers running around.” He aims for annual production of 600kg MS/cow, and says sometimes high-producing cows aren’t ready to breed as soon after calving as farmers would like, so he gives them a second chance to get in-calf once they’ve put on more condition. “If we have a 25% empty rate for each of those calvings, we’re very happy with that. They’re probably going to be some of the higher-producing cows that don’t want to get back in-calf until they’re 14 or 15 months apart,” he says. “They don’t get too many holidays but they do get one, when they’re allowed to breed 15 months apart.” Bruce reckons New Zealand farmers are sometimes too ruthless culling empty cows. “That’s exactly the problem with the NZ seasonal system. Everyone is culling their best-producing cows because they’re not ready to breed. It can take 80

days for some of these high-milk cows to reach the balance point as far as putting condition back on again after calving.” After a period of building up numbers to reach the current herd size, he says they no longer need as many replacement heifers, so each year only the top third of his cows are mated to dairy breeds, with the rest going to beef bulls. “We’ve got milk meters and anything that’s not doing more than 30 litres production per day doesn’t get the opportunity to give us a heifer calf so they’ll be AI inseminated with either Wagyu or a Belgian Blue followed with Wagyu bulls,” he says. The half beef-breed offspring are sought-after, with the Wagyus in demand from as young as one-week-old through to weaning at 90kg. The Belgian Blues are in demand too, but this year he’s finishing some on the Geraldine property. “We‘re just doing a wee trial at the

DAIRY FARMER

May 2021

moment to take some through to finishing and see how long that takes, and to see how the numbers stack up,” he says. For the dairy herd replacements, sexed semen is used, alongside heat-detecting electronic collars on the cows so mating can be timed perfectly to maximise conception. “You’re breeding them closer to ovulation than you do with conventional straws. With the electronic collars you get two lines on the computer screen that basically show the right hours to breed so we breed twice-a-day for about 12 days each time,” he explains. Bruce says he’d like to “toughenup” his Holstein herd so he’s adding American Holstein, Swedish Red and French breed Montbéliarde genetics to the mix. “Breeding is my favourite thing really. I don’t have time to put cups on or anything in the shed, we employ people to do that, and I spend hours on the genetic side of it,” he said. A positive side effect of his breeding policy, Bruce says is he no longer has any bobby calves to deal with, which ties

in nicely to his gold elite status under Synlait’s Lead with Pride scheme. “It’s not compulsory to have no bobbies, but they do expect you to explore every avenue to reduce them as much as you can and we just don’t want to be putting hundreds of bobby calves on the truck,” he says. He believes pressure against bobby calves is growing in foreign markets.

“NZ farmers perhaps need to think a bit harder about some of these things, but realistically we can’t have every farmer in the country keeping all their calves because there’s just nowhere for them to go.” Nevertheless, he’s pleased to have found a way to stop the bobby truck from calling at his place and make the most of every calf born on his farm. n

Canterbury farmer Bruce Turpie milks 1600 on a 500ha farm, which milks year round and calves four times a year.

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BETTER BULLS BETTER CALVES

Purposeful lives By Anne Boswell

Owl Farm’s tailored breeding programme sees it make good on its goal to achieve breeding with purpose.

Waikato school’s demo farm’s “purposeful lives” strategy is much more than a nod to animal welfare, as they look to reduce the number of bobby calves. The introduction of a Sexed Semen/ Wagyu breeding programme has seen a Cambridge dairy farm reduce the number of bobby calves born, increase profitability, and minimise their carbon footprint. Owl Farm, a 125ha farm owned by and located on the grounds of St Peter’s School in Cambridge, milks 405 crossbred cows producing 1200kg MS/ha. Demonstration manager Jo Sheridan says the St Peter’s School community, as owners of the farm, are engaged in the decision-making process on-farm – and one widely-held principle led to the creation of an updated breeding strategy. “One outcome our community wished to see was an increased number of purposeful lives – or fewer bobby calves – so we incorporated that into the farm’s breeding strategy as an overarching goal,” Jo says. Farm manager Tom Buckley says in 2019, the team launched a Sexed Semen/ Wagyu breeding programme that aimed to reduce the number of bobby calves born while creating a marketable, valueadded product. Of the 718 semen straws used in the 2019 mating, 182 were Wagyu/short gestation length Hereford, 172 were liquid sexed semen and 112 were short gestation length (SGL) dairy, in addition to the 252 straws of conventional semen. SGL dairy was used between weeks 7-12 of mating, and sexed semen was used on the top 75% of the herd selected on BW, health status, age (2-8 years) and those who had a pre-mating heat. “We mated the best cows on the day that match the above criteria,” Tom says. When the team reviewed the 201920 year, they were pleased to see they were on the right trajectory: they had increased profit by $4240 and reduced bobby calf numbers by 31% as a result of

Owl Farm demonstration manager Jo Sheridan says the St Peter’s School community goal is to see an increased number of “purposeful lives”.

The running of the farm reflects the St Peter’s School community’s goal of 100% purposeful lives, and we continue to do that by generating high BW replacements for the herd and breeding valuable beef cross animals. Jo Sheridan

the Sexed Semen/Wagyu mating plan. “Based on the success of the 2019 season’s mating and calving programme,

we decided to continue with the Sexed Semen/Wagyu programme,” Jo says. “With the reduced replacement

DAIRY FARMER

May 2021

Tom Buckley and LaArni Bayquin working together to care for the calves in the early days.

numbers (90) needed to rear, we decided to synchronise the R2s to ensure we strive towards our goal of the herd being in the top 5% national BW.” On September 23, 2020, yearling mating synchronised blanket insemination commenced with 30 straws of Kiwicross sexed semen and 71 straws of Premier Sires Kiwicross A2/A2, before running bulls 10 days after AB mating. Milking herd mating commenced September 25, using eight sexed semen Kiwicross straws per day until October 14. Premier Sires A2/A2 Kiwicross matings were completed on the first day to the top 50% of the herd who were either unable to be mated to sexed semen or synchronised as non-cyclers. Wagyu or Angus were mated to the balance of the herd.

KEY STATS 2019-20 season: • 74% 6-week in-calf rate • 13% not-in-calf rate • 84-day mating duration • 70-day calving period

Warm dry facilities are important for healthy calves.

From October 15 to December 15, Wagyu or Angus semen was used until all straws were gone, and then SGL Kiwicross semen was used until the mating end date. Owl Farm had 350 Wagyu straws available to use before they switched to SGL semen. The Sexed Semen/Wagyu mating plan has made a significant contribution to the farm’s goal of purposeful lives. Overall, Owl Farm has seen a steady decline in bobby calves from around 275 in 2018, to around 165 in 2020. The number of high-BW heifer calves born has increased from 90 to 135 in the last three seasons. Owl Farm targets a replacement rate of 21% - selling the balance to improve the national herd – as rearing fewer replacements minimises the farm’s carbon footprint and greenhouse gases while ensuring all animals lead a productive life. By regenerating replacements from the top 75% of the herd, the herd has experienced accelerated genetic gain. With a BW of 212, the herd is in the top 6% nationally, teetering on the farm team’s aim of entering the top 5%.

The Wagyu beef aspect of the mating plan has also increased the value of the calves born. In 2020, around 70 Wagyu calves were born. They were reared on-farm for 21 days before fetching a contract rate of $165/calf – with an additional bonus of $6.50/kg above 35kg, heavier calves have the potential to earn a little more. “Wagyu prices are consistent and can be built into the farm’s budget, unlike Hereford calves,” Tom says. “Hereford calves born to crossbred cows can be a little smaller, and we’ve found that if they don’t get to the first sale of the season, they are not much more valuable than a bobby calf – there is less risk with Wagyu.” Jo says with calving due to start on July 3, the team is confident the Sexed Semen/Wagyu breeding plan will continue to generate positive farm business improvements. “The running of the farm reflects the St Peter’s School community’s goal of 100% purposeful lives, and we continue to do that by generating high BW replacements for the herd and breeding valuable beef cross animals.” n

BETTER BULLS BETTER CALVES

Mike Cranstone of Riverton Hereford stud is one of two that makes up the Ezicalve brand supplying dairy farmers with bulls that have easy-calving genetics.

Breeding bulls for dairy By Ross Nolly

Bulls that have low birthweight and ease of calving traits are a good option for farmers looking to use Hereford over their heifers.

he recent trend to move away from bobby calf production has led to a burgeoning interest in using low birthweight, easy-calving beef bulls over dairy heifers and for tailing the milking herd. Buying a random beef bull can be a gamble. Many dairy farmers now prefer to use beef bull breeders who specialise in breeding bulls with low birthweight and easy-calving genetics. Mike and Cath Cranstone own Riverton Herefords stud and, along with William Morrison’s Ardo Herefords, make up the Ezicalve Hereford brand. Their aim is to provide dairy farmers with Hereford bulls predominantly selected for low birthweights and calving ease, while maintaining high growth rates. Annually, more than 30,000 calves from Ezicalve bulls are reared and finished. Riverton Herefords stud sits in Whanganui’s Whangaehu Valley. The farm was originally a 470ha property bought by his great-grandfather in 1905. The couple have farmed the property for about 25 years. “The original 470ha has been in the family for four generations and runs a Hereford herd. My great-grandfather established the Hereford stud in 1906 and it has provided a great foundation for the following generations. It’s the oldest Hereford stud in the country,” Mike says. “We now farm 1800ha, built around the original 470ha. We’re proud to continue and build the business on what previous generations have developed.” The property is a mixture of medium to hard hill country supported by fertile river flats. They calve 650 cows that compete with 6500 ewes. The cows are not only part of the bull breeding business, they support the breeding ewes and work hard maintaining pasture quality for the breeding ewe flock. They feel that Herefords are the ideal breed for their own farming business and as breeding bulls for heifer mating for the dairy and beef markets. “We’ve concentrated on easy calving and low birthweight for the past 30 years, with the focus on breeding ideal bulls for dairy clients. We’ve got calving ease and low birthweight traits consistent through the herd for many generations now.

“A large herd allows us to put large selection pressure on growth and other important traits. We carefully record information and make selection decisions constantly focused on our objective. Calving ease is a non-negotiable trait,” he says. The first hurdle any potential bull must pass before it’s used in their herd is that they must have confidence in its calving ease. This has been a consistent focus for three decades, and that consistency is paying off in results. All calves are weighed and tagged at birth, and 200 yearling heifers are mated each year. This allows all potential sires to be quality tested, proving their genetics before being used over the main herd. “Selecting stock with a balance of traits is the challenge and enjoyment of breeding. The more generations stacked upon each other, focused on a consistent objective, allow you to reliably entrench those traits throughout the herd,” he says. When the Cranstones and Morrisons launched the Ezicalve brand they wanted to promote the differentiation that their herds are clearly focused on calving ease for heifer mating. Their

The original Wanganui farm was 470ha, which has grown to 1800 hectares and calves down 650 cows.

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May 2021

clients trust their heifers and cows to the Ezicalve bulls and that responsibility is taken very seriously. “Ezicalve bulls help reduce bobby calf numbers on dairy farms. It’s exciting to be able to offer one solution to that industry issue. We’re getting increasing enquiries from new clients who want to be ahead of the pack. Many are very proud that they no longer produce any bobby calves,” he says. “It’s very cool to speak to a new client and know that you can add some real value by taking a bobby calf of marginal value to a top beef animal. It’s a challenge for the industry that’s not going to be easily fixed, but our genetics may provide one tool that helps.” Dehorning calves is another contentious issue, and genomics is helping them to identify and breed homozygous polled bulls, which will consistently remove all the horns off their dairy cross progeny. Knowing that your heifers and cows aren’t going to need calving interventions lowers the stress on dairy farmers during a stressful time of year. While the primary focus for Ezicalve bulls is easy calving and low birthweights, they also focus on short gestation to offer a complete package.

“We appreciate that a dairy farmer’s main focus is to get their heifers to calve as easily as possible and get back in-calf again.” Mike Cranstone “We appreciate that a dairy farmer’s main focus is to get their heifers to calve as easily as possible and get back in-calf again. Their focus is milk production, not producing beef calves. So we must provide clients with the confidence to use our bulls to add value to their calf crop and provide the industry with a quality animal,” he says. Most of the Cranstones’ bulls are sold as yearlings. Yearling bulls are 400kg and are ideal to use over yearling heifers and are big enough to use over cows. “The cost of buying a two-year-old bull and only using it for one season can be prohibitive. Many of our clients are rolling over half of their bull team each year. Their bull teams are usually made up of 50% each of yearlings and two-year-olds.” he says. They place a huge amount of emphasis on bull temperament at all times of the year. “The last thing you want is a bull beating its chest at the gateway,” he says. “This is the 28th year that we’ve held our sale and we’re very fortunate to have a loyal client base. We place a very high emphasis on client support. It is fun getting our clients back on-farm, it’s a very enjoyable day. Many of our client relationships span a number of generations. “When a farmer uses one of our bulls over their expensive heifers and cows, they’re trusting their livelihoods with us. We take that responsibility very seriously. It’s rewarding to add value to their farming business.” n

SALE DATES • Riverton Ezicalve Herefords: Thursday, September 23 • Ardo Ezicalve Herefords: Tuesday, September 28 * There about 400 bulls for sale between the two studs.

DAIRY FARMER

May 2021

BETTER BULLS BETTER CALVES

Rethinking genetic selection

RV New Zealand’s latest bull team offers more than just a high index, responding to farmer demand for genetic solutions to tackle challenges around the environment, herd efficiency and animal welfare. CRV has introduced a wide range of new sires to its portfolio for 2021, with 22 newly graduated sires and 15 new genomic InSires, in addition to 13 new sires in its global portfolio. The bull team offers options for highindexing, high-production A2 sires, which CRV expects will sell out. The company’s 2021 dairy-beef FertaBull offer now includes Angus and Belgian Blue, in addition to Hereford. “Sustainable dairy farming cannot be achieved by index alone,” CRV product manager Peter van Elzakker says. “Farmers need to look more broadly than production figures and select genetics that will help them achieve their breeding goals based on the needs of their farm business. “This year’s bull team reflects the confidence farmers have in using genetic solutions, such as genomic (InSires) sires and sexed semen, when making breeding decisions. “Improving a herd’s environmental efficiency continues to be a priority for many farmers.” Breeding with CRV sires can also help farmers meet the requirements of dairy company payment programmes, like Fonterra’s new Co-operative Difference initiative. “LowN Sires is an option many farmers are considering, particularly given our innovative trait sires are first and

CRV’s topranking sire is Puketawa King Connacht JG who is number one for all breeds and Jersey. Connacht is a member of the LowN team offering fantastic longevity, low somatic cell count and strong capacity.

CRV product manager Peter van Elzakker says farmers need to select genetics for their herd to suit their farms rather than just production.

foremost excellent sires in their own right,” he said. NZAEL’s Ranking of Active Sires (RAS) list represents the top-ranking proven sires in New Zealand. The bulls are ranked according to the National Breeding Objective (BW). To qualify they need to have at least 70% reliability. CRV’s top-ranking sire is Puketawa King Connacht JG – first place in all breeds and Jersey. Connacht is a member of the LowN team offering fantastic longevity, low SCC and strong capacity. Glen Leith Quigley ET S2J – fourth place all breeds and Jersey – and Crescent Leo Dominator – eighth place, and ninth, all breeds – are new graduates offering excellent efficiency.

In the crossbreeds, Arkans Gurkha J9F7 is ranked number seven on the RAS list. Gurkha offers exceptional efficiency and excellent health traits. Both traits are highly sought-after by farmers. In the Friesians, last year’s graduate Lennan continues to rank highly and is joined by new graduates Alias and Baz. Alias and Baz are in our LowN team, with Lennan in our Facial Eczema (FE) team, offering more than just high indexes. CRV has a number of top-ranking new InSires. In the Crossbred team, Connolly Car Shark offers the full package – exceptional efficiency, excellent longevity (plus 450 days) and strong capacity. Friesian Alcameno MG Roadster S1F is high on both the Efficiency and Health index, a winner for production, as well as being suitable for farmers on a once-aday milking system. A very efficient and healthy Jersey is Lynbrook Floyd Gibson ET, which will produce long-lasting, very capacious and highly productive daughters. CRV offers a wide team of its highest index sires, with semen available as sexed or conventional. Examples of the calibre of sires available as sexed are Arkans Gurhka J9F7 for Crossbreeds and Crescent Leo Dominator for Jerseys. Ambzed Grand Lennan S1F is an excellent Friesian option. n

DAIRY FARMER

May 2021

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Pioneering dairy cow By Ross Nolly

The first cows to be introduced in New Zealand more than 200 years ago were Shorthorns and although they are still being farmed here, numbers are diminishing as farmers prefer other breeds but the Shorthorns have plenty going for them.

hen the first pioneering farmers arrived in NZ, the cattle breed that came with them was the Shorthorn – probably the most influential cattle breed in the global history of agriculture. Shorthorns have a magnificent NZ heritage. Most early pioneer self-sufficient, subsistence farming homesteads and bush cabins would have had a Shorthorn cow supplying them with milk, butter and cheese. Those cows were dual-purpose animals that provided milk and wonderfully marbled meat. They were the self-sufficient house cow from farms carved out of the bush that eventually established NZ’s dairy industry. Ross and Jo Soffe milk 360 cows, including 90 Milking Shorthorns on their 160ha (130ha effective) farm situated at Tariki in Central Taranaki. However, there are some NZ milking herds that are 100% Shorthorn. Shorthorn numbers are particularly strong in Manawatu and the South Island. Soffe is a director of the New Zealand Milking Shorthorn Association and began farming Shorthorns in 1994. He is also a member of the Friesian, Ayrshire and Guernsey associations. The Soffe’s Milking Shorthorn Oliver Woods Stud is named after his great-great-grandfather. “I’ve always been interested in doing something a bit different and to discover how other breeds compared in the dairy herd. When farming at Tikorangi we bought some neighbouring land and thought it was the perfect time to do something different. So we bought six or seven Milking Shorthorn cows the first

Ross Soffe from Taranaki milks 360 cows, including 90 Milking Shorthorns. The Soffes are aiming to produce around 440kg of milksolids per cow this season. Photos: Ross Nolly

year, and just kept buying more,” Ross says. Shorthorns are renowned for their ease of calving and Ross says “they can push out some pretty big calves without any problems at all”. He finds that they have far less calving issues than the other breeds in his herd. The breed has a good temperament as any bad traits were bred out many years ago. Shorthorns tend to have a good constitution and great longevity in dairy herds. He has seen a great photo of a 23-year-old Milking Shorthorn cow that won a dry cow class at the 1948 Canterbury Show. Shorthorns have good legs and feet, an important trait considering the longer distances that need to be covered on many modern farms. “A few years ago I analysed our hoof treatments statistics. We were experiencing an exceptionally wet year and correspondingly the number of lame cows had risen. The Shorthorn’s numbers rose too, but still at the typical 50% lower rate compared to the other breeds,” he says. “They don’t mind walking up and down the hills or back and forth to the shed. They’ve retained the hardiness

of their ancestors, which was built on natural attrition. “Their TOP numbers for udders and conformation are just as good as the rest of the other breeds. Their fertility rate is also top-notch.” He has heard many anecdotal instances of people with a lactose intolerance being able to drink Shorthorn milk. The New Zealand Milking Shorthorn Association is prioritising A2 bulls for marketing. The breed’s milk has a high proteinto-fat ratio, which seems custom-made for cheese-making and micro-dairying. Their milksolids produce a high cheese and butter yield per litre of milk, and the milk’s larger fat molecules are perfect for artisan micro-dairies. The association runs its own bull breeding scheme in association with Semex, a Canadian-based company with access to North American genetics. “We source our bulls from our association members who don’t receive any payment for their service. It’s all done for the benefit of the breed. The Shorthorn semen is marketed through Semex, but the farmer retains ownership of the bulls,” he says. “We can source pure Milking Shorthorn Genetics from the US and

DAIRY FARMER

May 2021

Canada, but because their fat and protein percentages are lower, these are becoming less popular.” The association sources a large amount of semen from the Scandinavian countries whose cows were predominately based on Shorthorn and Ayrshire breeding. The Scandinavian breeds have very similar components to NZ’s Shorthorn cattle. “There are reasonable numbers of Shorthorn cattle around the world, but they’ve been bred differently. The Americans and Canadians seem to prefer tall, rangy cows whereas the British prefer a rounded cow. It wasn’t that long ago that the British were still breeding their Shorthorns for dual purpose, with an emphasis on carcase size.” he says. Ross finds the breeding to be interesting and often quite difficult due to the limited genetic pool. Animals can quite easily become too closely related and it’s important for Shorthorn bull providers to continually seek out-cross bulls. The predominance of crossbred cattle in NZ makes the Milking Shorthorn a viable option for a three-way cross. Anyone using a Shorthorn for a threeway cross gains a total out-cross option.

“Shorthorns received a bit of a bad rap next product is going to come from,” back in the day when Jerseys came in he says. “Once those breeds are gone, and were crossed with the Shorthorns. they’re gone forever, and so are their Of course they produced great cows, but unique traits and genetics. Who knows they never fully understood the hybrid whether their genetics will be needed in vigour aspect. So they all thought the the future?” Jerseys must be miracle workers. We He believes that having a pet project have quite a few cows that are crossed that doesn’t sacrifice production in the with Shorthorns and they’re very good herd is just another good reason to get cows,” he says. up and go to the shed in the morning. “There is an old farm saying, ‘There’s But it’s also a way to give back to the never a bad blue cow.’ If you use a white industry and help keep alive the breed Shorthorn bull over Friesian cows, they that started the NZ dairy industry. will produce beautiful blue calves that He has noticed a growing number of grow into very good cows due to their younger farmers becoming interested in crossbred hybrid vigour. the Shorthorn breed. “A three-way cross works just as As they search for something a little effectively as a two-way cross, because bit different for their herds, they often you’ll still receive the 100% hybrid vigour remark that their grandparents once due to it being a total out-cross,” he says. farmed Shorthorns. Ross says a South African study “Milking Shorthorns are good sound demonstrated that Shorthorn outcows with an extremely long history in crosses were just as successful as Friesian NZ,” he says. or Jerseys crosses, and in some cases “They’re good foragers and are out they were better. This study has been eating grass in the rain rather than being supported by more recent US studies tucked up behind the hedges with the using Scandinavian Red dairy breeds. rest of the cows. They’re a good hard“Breed diversity is important. Someone working cow and definitely worth a must keep minor and rare breeds going look.” n because you don’t know where the New Zealand Milking Shorthorn

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Shorthorns were the first cattle breed introduced to New Zealand back in 1814.

DAIRY FARMER

May 2021

Ross Soffe 027 696 4299 soffee@farmside.co.nz

David Wood 027 200 2726 david.johanna.wood@gmail.com

Logan Kelly 027 426 5409 logankelly@hotmail.com

BETTER BULLS BETTER CALVES

Marrying beef and dairy By Cheyenne Nicholson

A Kellogg report outlines the beef forward marketing concept which would forge a partnership between beef and dairy farmers to create value.

ith global demand increasing and farmers struggling to source good quality calves that will finish with a profitable value, Kellogg Rural Leadership alumni Trudy Bensted says a beef forward marketing concept could be the answer. Beef forward marketing would involve marrying together the dairy and beef industries to form a partnership that benefits everyone in the production chain. Benstead says in this scenario, dairy farmers sell their bobby calves to a calf rearer at 10 days old, who then sells it on to a beef finisher at an agreed price and weight. At finishing, every shareholder would receive a percentage of the profits. Everyone shares the risk and gains to continuously improve, creating a quality product through collaborative planning. “It’s not a silver bullet fix, it’s about trying to find a system that’s going to be compatible for each farm. While the original idea behind the research was more focused on bobby calves since then, the focus has been on producing higher-quality dairy stock that are able to be finished,” Bensted says. During her Kellogg report research, beef farmers said they are suffering the consequences of dairy farmers dictating the genetics for the beef industry due to their focus on cost-effective systems and the need for easy-calving animals. While dairy farmers said on-selling beef dairy crosses is hard work with low profit, due to their focus on milk production decreasing the yield in beef carcases. “Forward marketing agreements are about developing long-term security for dairy farmers, calf rearers and beef finishers to complement each other’s business and smooth out that volatility and risk,” she says. Some common issues facing farmers when it came to their business included sourcing of low birthweight calves, easy-calving bulls that aren’t too pricey,

By working collaboratively, dairy and beef farmers could reduce the number of bobby calves born and produce valuable calves.

sexed semen being expensive with unconvincing conception rates and reproduction issues in general, meaning the requirement for replacement heifers is still very much there. “That’s where my forward marketing beef agreement comes in. It’s implementing that ‘two heads are better than one’,” she says. Having experienced dairy and beef farmers working together to create a higher genetic merit calf, quality will be driven and bobby numbers decreased. Dual-purpose breeds could also be an option for farmers to introduce genetics that benefits both dairy and beef. On paper, beef forward marketing contracts between dairy farmers, calf rearers, and beef finishers have substantial merit and while forging relationships between the various parties and hashing out individual agreements would require some work, the question remains – where will these animals go? Since 1990 dairy farming has taken up almost one million hectares of sheep

and beef finishing country, and many have been encouraged over to dairying swayed by more competitive returns. In recent years, sheep and beef farmers are being elbowed out of the high country by increased forestry, further limiting profitable finishing land. Bensted says that “new generation beef” could be part of the answer. The concept developed and researched by Massey University provides a new avenue to utilise lightweight, yearling steers of dairy origin. Cattle are culled between 10 and 12 months of age, producing small tender cuts of beef. “Beef farmers seem to be quite excited about new generation beef, they don’t have to carry animals over an extra winter. In saying this, I think a lot of work would need to be done to promote the end product to drive demand and increase the value of that product,” she says. Bensted says, along with renewed and focused marketing efforts, New Zealand’s grading system and processing plants would need an upgrade to make something like new generation beef an option. “Upgrades to NZ’s processing, with more automation, will extract more value and offer more feedback and confidence for the producers and information that can further drive their productivity.” A large percentage of finished beef already comes from dairy origins. Going down the route of beef forward marketing would need some solid leadership and relationship building between industries and individuals, as well as a means by which to connect farmers to forge suitable partnerships. “I think relationships are one of the biggest issues. There is little trust between dairy and beef farmers, but I see an opportunity for dairy to start taking on leadership and to bring the beef industry into a partnership that drives profits and exports higher while creating more quality in the end product,” she says. n

DAIRY FARMER

May 2021

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Farming and science are an inseparable partnership. You put in the hard yards on the farm, we burn the long hours in the lab. Since 1994, LIC has invested over $78 million in genomic science to improve genetic gain and productivity. Together, we’ve built a bank of incredible genetic wealth which you as dairy farmers share. Confidence in the science is growing and the use of Genomic Sires is expected to exceeded 1.4 million inseminations. Our drive to achieve better never stops and our latest breakthrough with Single Step Animal Model has improved genomic prediction accuracy by 8% - enabling you to make faster improvements to your herd’s breeding worth and profitability. Use LIC’s genomic sires to take your share of the genetic wealth built by shareholders for over 30 years.

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BETTER BULLS BETTER CALVES

Victoria farmer Andrew Delaney has been focusing on herd improvement using top genetics resulting in some of the highest ranking heifers in Australia. Jacqui, Andrew and his dad Ted Delaney with their herd.

Breeding the best

ustralian farmer Andrew Delaney isn’t short of replacement heifers. In fact, he has enough to satisfy his annual herd intake and extras. But it’s one thing to have quantity and something totally different to combine this with quality. He and his wife Jacqui who farm at Nirranda, south west Victoria, have both. If a trip down the paddock to view their “even” herd of rising two-year-old ABS Jeronimo P heifers – due to calve in mid-September to FB 53 Kenobi Giannis – isn’t proof enough, the genomic data tells an even more impressive story. In the most recent Australian Breeding Values (ABV) release, in April, the Delaneys not only held the top heifer spot, but they also bred six inside the top 100. These heifers were ranked according to their Balanced Performance Index (BPI) – an economic index which helps dairy farmers independently select sires for their breeding program. The top heifer was sired by the country’s highest ranked Holstein Jeronimo P and has a BPI$ of 544. Genomic testing results and the BPI underpin most breeding decisions for them and according to Andrew, the data doesn’t lie. “As soon as I get my genomic numbers back, I work out my good ones and my bad ones, and that gives me my cut off point,” he says.

“I work out my top 40-45 heifers, the ones I want, and then there is a line. Anything below that is gone. “Even if the animal looks phenomenal and has a beautiful appearance, it’s got to go,” Jacqui adds. Most recently this “line” was a BPI$ of 310. Anything below that number was sold. To put it in perspective, a BPI$ of 310 places the Delaney heifers among the top 2% of females for BPI in Australia. According to the latest ABV release, the Delaneys’ heifers in the top 100 – including five sired by Jeronimo P and one by Boghill Glamour Persuade – all had a BPI$ of more than 467. The Delaneys started genomic testing their heifers six years ago. Since then, their average BPI has risen 182% from 110 to 310 BPI$. Underlying their recent herd improvement acceleration has been their focus on selecting young genomic bulls with high BPI rankings and their use of ABS Sexcel™ sexed genetics to deliver more heifer calves. The story behind the Delaneys’ highflying heifers started when a young genomic bull called ABS Jeronimo P caught Andrew’s attention two years ago. At the time, the bull was fresh from breaking Australian records as the first genomic sire to hit the Australian market with a BPI$ of more than 400. In April 2021, he was labelled Australia’s highest-ranking sire with a BPI$ of 596 and a Health Weighted Index (HWI)

score of 602. For Andrew, the decision to use Jeronimo P as a Sexcel product made both economic and practical sense. “I was looking for a good type, and a sire with a BPI$ of over 480, he also delivered a bit of width in the rear udder – what we were looking for,” he says. One of these heifers, bred because of Andrew’s decisions three years ago, is now Australia’s highest BPI heifer. This heifer’s dam was sired by De-Su 12128 Tailor and is one of 40 owned by the Delaney’s due to be mated this month to Bomaz Episode. The couple along with their children Beau, 11, Jacob, eight, and Amelia, six, farm with Andrew’s parents Ted and Doreen. Ted and Doreen started using artificial insemination more than 50 years ago. While Andrew is pleased his family has bred the country’s top heifer, he doesn’t focus on individual cows when it comes to herd improvement. Instead, he looks to enhance the whole herd, preferring to lift the average rather than focusing on the odd outlier. To do this, he mates all heifers and top genomic cows – those cows with a BPI of more than 240 – to Sexcel semen and chooses about three bulls for each mating. Two heifers by short gestation sire De-Su 13530 Seville calved down on their farm in February. One of these Seville’s has a Production

DAIRY FARMER

May 2021

Index (PI) of 111 was producing 31.3 litres/ day or 2.15kg of milksolids a day. This included 1.13kg of protein and 1.02kg of butterfat. Outside of their highestranking genomic animals, the rest of the milking herd has been mated with conventional semen. But recently Andrew has been weighing up the economics of using ABS Beef InFocus™ dairy-beef semen and making the most of the established supply chain. “To get a couple of hundred bucks for a beef calf that is a few days old, could work,” he says. “You don’t have to worry about rearing them.” Andrew does all his own AI, having previously worked as a technician, and now he’s witnessing first-hand the fertility improvements in his own herd as a result of selecting young genomic, high BPI sires. One example was during the December mating when he used 50 straws of Episode to mate the first 50 cows on heat and 38 got in-calf. He’s also seen an improvement in the herd’s

The Delaneys have several animals in the top 100 heifers in the Australian Breeding Values, as well as the number heifer which was sired by Jeronimo P.

average bulk milk cell count which, in March, sat at 114,000 cells/ml – despite including 50 “older” cows due to be sold soon. Last year the Delaneys split calving

In April 2021, Holstein bull Jeronimo P was labelled Australia’s highest-ranking sire. His genetics are available to New Zealand farmers.

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Holstein herd made the most of favourable seasonal conditions, producing an average per cow production of 8100 litres, 289kg of butterfat and 284kg of protein across an average 305-day lactation. Andrew has always had an interest in genetics and enjoyed searching for the next avenue for herd improvement. He described breeding as his “hobby”, while Jacqui insisted it was his “passion”. “He only competes with himself,” Jacqui says about Andrew’s continual quest for herd improvement “He does what works for his system, the herd is for his benefit. “I want good cows to work with,” Andrew adds. “After all, I see them every day, I’m milking them every day.” n

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One last word …

t has been a busy month on-farm as the season starts to wind down. The harvesting is done and safely stored away, ready to be fed when growth stalls during the colder months. Many farmers are well into drying off their herds and sending stock to run-offs or graziers over winter. Of course, our autumn calving farmers are gearing up to keep the white gold flowing through the winter. And 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. 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 between farms as in previous years. I am picking this is a hangover of covid and the lack of skilled staff available. A DairyNZ staff shortage survey conducted recently shows of the 1148 responses, 49% reported staff shortages and of that figure, 24% have been shortstaffed for six months or more, and 58% of respondents reported increased stress levels. Overall, 87% said they have made improvements to employment conditions of that figure, 25% of farmers said they have made it easier to recruit staff, and 60% said they have made it easier to retain staff, while 65% said they have increased salary and wages. However, now that the travel bubble with Australia has kicked in, 1000-1300 beds each fortnight will be freed up in MIQ. The lack of space in MIQ facilities has often been the excuse as to why skilled immigrant workers have not been allowed back into the country, but now there is no excuse. The Government should move immediately to ensure skilled migrants are allowed back in; we have already seen the effects of the lack of workers in orchards where thousands of apples have rotted on the ground. Meanwhile, most farmers I have spoken with have been pretty happy with how the season has gone. Fonterra’s interim results were good, dairy prices are holding steady for now and Mother Nature is playing ball. The only big spanners in the works

are the Climate Change Commission recommendations and the Government’s announcement it intends to phase out live exports. Both of these will have farreaching implications for our farmers and only time will tell how they play out. Thanks to Danny Wano from Taupo for this months’ photo. Danny is an assistant manager on an 1100-cow farm with four crew and one full-time casual staff member. He is known as the joker

of the pack as he loves to see the crew happy and is always making them laugh. He says he took a dozen photos that morning and each one was better than the last. Have fun guys.

Sonita

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May 2021

Dairy Diary May 2021 May 5 – DairyNZ Workplace360 is a work environment and leadership

May 2021 S

assessment tool, designed to help you be the proud owner of a great workplace. Join our fortnightly Zoom meeting to find out more about this tool and have your questions answered by our DairyNZ expert Jane Muir. Info at www.dairyevents.co.nz May 6 – DairyNZ MilkSmart is all about increasing milking efficiency on the farm, resulting in benefits for farm staff and the cows. Debbie McCallum and the team at DTT Gibson Farm will be hosting us for the day in Taranaki, as they are keen to improve their milking times and milking efficiency. Info at www.dairyevents.co.nz May 6 – DairyNZ Waikato Autumn Calving Group will focus on the host farm’s system and seasonally relevant topics. It is an open forum that utilises the experience of all members in the group. Info at www.dairyevents.co.nz May 6 – DairyNZ, Webinar 1 In May, all farmers nationwide will be able to join two interactive DairyNZ Farmers’ Forum webinars, showcasing the forum’s economic insights and scientific solutions. Join DairyNZ’s economics team for insights into the competitiveness of NZ’s dairy sector against key international competitors, and a discussion on how we can develop and refine our systems to maintain competitiveness and performance. Info at www.dairyevents.co.nz May 11 – AgResearch Come along to the AgResearch seminars in Invercargill, supported by MPI, to hear the latest science and information on winter grazing. Topics covered will include animal welfare, health and nutrition, as well as looking at the environmental aspects of winter grazing. The free one-day seminar is for rural professionals. Farm consultants, veterinarians and rural advisers can register by emailing slu.team@mpi.govt.nz before May 5. Registration is essential. May 11 – DairyNZ Learn about the Waikeria farms and the agricultural training that the prisoners are receiving at Waikeria Prison Farm Field Day. It’s a chance to introduce the idea of farmers employing a prisoner and the options on how this could be done, and the support they will receive. To secure a place on this field trip, please RSVP to Sam Jenkins by emailing sam.jenkins@dairynz.co.nz

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May 13 – DairyNZ Bring your farm team to Practical Farm Safety Field Day in Shannon. Join us on-farm as we learn more about machinery and how to use it safely. This is a great opportunity to refresh/ upskill your team. Info at www.dairyevents.co.nz May 13 – Lincoln University Lincoln University Dairy Demonstration Farm (LUDF) Focus Days are aimed at dairy farmers – owners, managers and staff – and dairy industry professionals, who are invited to come along and hear about what we are doing, with season to-date performance and research and development updates. Info at http://www.siddc.org.nz/lu-dairy-farm/ May 13 – DairyNZ, Webinar 2 DairyNZ research to help farmers be globally competitive, locally responsible and resilient to regional challenges. Join the DairyNZ Farmers’ Forum discussion with DairyNZ’s science team about the latest science-based solutions to farming challenges. Info at www.dairyevents.co.nz May 19 – DairyNZ Come and see what Jared Whitfield is achieving in Moutoa at the Foxton-Moutoa Field Day. Join us on-farm, where we’ll discuss his farm’s system and management practices to identify opportunities and solutions that meet the host’s future goals and objectives. We will also discuss seasonal issues and challenges that are affecting farmers in the region. Info at www.dairyevents.co.nz May 26 – Dairy Trust Taranaki What does our future farm system look like? Dairy Trust Taranaki are trialling this. DTT has partnered with DairyNZ to run a Step Change programme to create change on Taranaki Dairy Farms, with respect to increased profit, lower methane output and lower N surplus. Come and see the results from the first year of the trust’s latest trial at the Gibson Farm: Step Change Open Day. Info at www.dairytrusttaranaki.co.nz/dtt-gibson/ May – LIC MINDA Roadshow, Various dates and locations. LIC will be hitting the road until July, holding free MINDA LIVE and MINDA app training sessions as well as a Protrack session to show you how to get more out of your Protrack system’s software from MINDA LIVE. Info at www.events.humanitix.com/tours/minda-roadshow-2021

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Dairy Farmer May 2021

Articles inside

Better bull better calf

Farmstrong

Special Report: Sustainability on NZ dairy

Technology

Export ban

Guest column – Vanessa Winning

Milk Monitor