Dairy Farmer September 2022

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September 2022 | $8.95 GlobalHQ is a farming family owned business that donates 1% of all advertising revenue in Farmers Weekly and Dairy Farmer to farmer health and wellbeing initiatives. Thank you for your prompt payment. 20 Editor SONITA CHANDAR 06 374 5544 sonita.chandar@globalhq.co.nz 027 446 6221 Publisher DEAN WILLIAMSON 027 323 9407 dean.williamson@globalhq.co.nz Sub-editor CLAIRE claire.robertson@globalhq.co.nzROBERTSON Contributors ROSS NOLLY 027 332 6867 GERALDross_nolly@yahoo.co.nzPIDDOCK 027 486 8346 SAMANTHAgerald.piddock@globalhq.co.nzTENNENT 021 217 3590 CHEYENNEsommer.limited@gmail.comNICHOLSON 021 044 1335 offthehoofmedia@gmail.com TONY BENNY 021 383 156 GERARDtroutstream@farmside.co.nzHUTCHING 027 836 2051 ANNEgerard.hutching@gmail.comBOSWELL 027 394 3904 anne@anneboswell.co.nz Sales ANDY WHITSON 027 626 2269 New Media & Business Development Lead STEVEandy.whitson@globalhq.co.nzMcLAREN–Auckland 027 205 1456 JODYsteve.mclaren@globalhq.co.nzANDERSON 027 474 6094 DONNAjody.anderson@globalhq.co.nzWaikato/BOPHIRST 027 474 6095 Lower North donna.hirst@globalhq.co.nzIsland GRANT MARSHALL 027 887 5568 Partnership Manager South Island and Real Estate South Island ANDREArealestate@globalhq.co.nzRealgrant.marshall@globalhq.co.nzenquiriesEstateenquiriesMANSFIELD 027 602 4925 National Livestock Manager Salesforce classifieds@globalhq.co.nzDEBBIElivestock@globalhq.co.nzDirectorBROWN–Directory 06 323 0765 Production LANA KIESELBACH 027 739 4295 Production Advertisinglana.kieselbach@globalhq.co.nzManagermaterial:adcopy@globalhq.co.nz Subscriptions subs@globalhq.co.nz CONTENTS ONNEWSFARM REGULARFEATURESSPECIALFARMINGSTORYCHAMPIONSREPORTFEATURES 16 Milk Monitor GDT drops again 18 Blue SupportingSeptemberprostate cancer 8 One big Canterbury‘Farmily’equity partners share their experience and knowledge 20 The right stuff Fonterra Sustainable Dairying Award winners 6 Andrew Hoggard 28 Karl Gradon 32 Donna Herrick 38 Alltech ONE conference in the US 35 Industry good – DairyNZ 36 Research 44 Animal health 48 Road to dairying 49 Farmstrong 50 Pasture and cropping renewal 55 Better bulls better calves Printed by Crucial Colour Ltd Delivered by Reach Media Ltd ISSNwww.farmersweekly.co.nz2624-0939(Print)ISSN2624-0947 (Online)

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The next drama I see coming concerns the winter grazing regulations. These are to become operative this coming planting season, and all those who By Andrew Hoggard

Call our team today Scan to find out more Environmental gain – or expensive tick-box exercises in futility?

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The Federated Farmers president says the organisation warned the government about timeframes and the work required but it did not listen and now is missing its own deadlines. I would hope that someone in the Beehive is currently asking “Have we bitten off more than we can chew?” questions. Because it is becoming more and more apparent that warnings that we gave the government about timeframes and the ability to do the work – and quite frankly the need to do some of this stuff anyway – are coming to fruition.Firstcab off the rank was the N reporting deadline. This is where all dairy farmers are supposed to report back to their council that they haven’t exceeded the 190kg/ha nitrogen cap. The vast majority of dairy farmers never use more than this anyway, and we are already reporting all this stuff back through our dairy companies, but hey, let’s do the job a second bloody time because what else do we have going on at this time of year ... sorry I mean third time, because Stats NZ would also like to know how much fert I applied. It turns out the reporting tool wasn’t ready so now we can’t actually submit our numbers. However, rather than making a quick change to the regulation with regard to the compliance date, we are asked to ignore the deadline and just wait a few months, but “don’t worry, we won’t prosecute you”. I guess that’s “pretty legal”, right? Winter grazing

GUEST COLUMN

DAIRY FARMER September 2022 7 are going to graze a paddock that has a 20m stretch over a 10 degree slope (a fairly gentle slope) won’t meet the permitted activity rules for it and thus must either have a Freshwater Farm Plan with the Intensive Winter Grazing module in it, or they must get a resource consent. Obviously, the Farm Plan will be the preferred option for most farmers as many of us are already having to have “farm plans” to meet processor requirements.Makesmore

The big issue These two examples should stand as a warning signal for what I believe will be the big issue, one that will be of concern not just for farmers but the entire community. That is the fact that under Freshwater National Policy Statement 2020, every council must have redone its water plans to be in compliance with the NPS. That needs to be done by 2024, only two years away. Quite frankly I seriously doubt that any of them have any ability whatsoever to achieve that target in any sort of meaningful way, meaning that if they do hit that deadline it will be a very rushed process and likely one that will cause headaches and legal battles for years.Many, if not all, of these councils have been working on freshwater plans for years now, and some are just completed. But they will need to be thrown out and redone. This is all going to cost a massive amount of ratepayer money – again for what additional improvement? The only gain seems to be that a politician can point to a law that was passed and pretend in their retirement that they did something (and purposefully ignore the absolute carnage and mess that followed).

n Federated Farmers president Andrew Hoggard says there is plenty of drama still to come with rules and regulations.

sense to kill two birds with one stone, as the saying goes. However, at this point there is no government-approved form for these plans, so everyone will in theory have to get a costly resource consent to comply. These resource consents will be useful for only a short time and cost upwards of $10,000 each – but will the regional councils even be able to handle the thousands of consent applications that will have to come through in the next few months? And if they do manage to pull this off, will it be anything other than a tick-box exercise? In which case, what is the actual environmental benefit given all the cost? The reports from this winter from the regional council inspections are showing really good practice out there. So is education and assistance achieving the outcome we desire anyway?

The government set the N reporting deadline for farmers but did not have the reporting tool ready for farmers to meet the deadline.

“First cab off the rank was the N reporting deadline. This is where all dairy farmers are supposed to report back to their council that they haven’t exceeded the 190kg/ ha nitrogen cap.”

ON FARM One ‘Farmily’big The Millers have created a career in dairy on their terms, just like they set out to do. Rebecca and Brent Miller are equity partners in River Terrace and sharemilkers on Ealing Pastures, milking a total of 2500 cows. Photos: Tony Benny

The Millers believe that by sharing their journey and “being the change”, they can inspire other farmers to be the type of people and employers that will attract the next generation of farmers and keep the industry moving in a positive direction.Thehusband-and-wife team and their three children, Blake, 17, Blair, 14 and Rhianna, 12, operate two dairy farms in Canterbury milking a total of 2500 cows.

Miller • Location: Ashburton, Canterbury • Farms size: River Terrace 326ha, and Ealing Pastures 400ha eff. • Cows: River Terrace 1150 Kiwicross, and Ealing Pastures 1385 Kiwicross • Per cow production average: Both farms 500kg MS per cow Continued page 10

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A Canterbury farming couple who have spent most of their lives on the land are now dedicating themselves to being the change they wish to see in the dairy industry and showcasing that to others.Wanting to create active change in the industry through being industry leaders, Brent and Rebecca Miller have worked hard during their 20-year dairying careers to gather as much knowledge as possible to set up a top-notch farm business. Their efforts have been noticed by way of numerous awards and now they’re sharing their knowledge and experiences to help other farmers. The couple farm under the business name MilkIQ, which over time has developed into a platform for them to share the ins and outs of their dairy operation with the wider dairy community.“AttheDairy Business of the Year awards we won eight awards, and on one of the on-farm days we were asked how we could operate our business on such a low farm working expense. The answer was we capture a lot of that with high production. But we had so many questions on the ‘how’ of that. So we decided to create a website and social media platforms to share what we are doing,” Rebecca says. They are as transparent as possible, opening up their financials and other figures in the hopes that someone takes away a golden nugget from them that they can implement on their own farm. “MilkIQ is about going out and talking to people, sharing what we’re doing, listening to people and helping with their problems through our experience and knowledge. We want to see other people thrive in the industry and leave the industry better than we entered it,” sheLandevesays. is another of their projects. It is a platform designed for farmers, the community, primary industry and associated businesses. It’s where you can find all events in your community region, nationally and eventually internationally. “It’s also a forum where we can have discussion points, all fed back through back analysis to the industry for the creation of more events. It’s providing a communication pathway between industry and provider to give people what they need for training and events,” Rebecca says.

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Rebecca grew up in a dairy farming family but, though she loved the country lifestyle, being a farmer wasn’t her first career choice. Cheyenne

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“The ticket to our fat, happy cows really sits in our ability to feed our cows well year round and the foundation of this is our pastures. We have predominately diploid pastures.”

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A Canterbury farming couple have spent their dairy careers learning and sharing what they know with others in the industry.

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“I saw my parents work long, hard days. They experienced burnout and all the other struggles that can come with farming, and I’ll admit it didn’t really appeal,” Rebecca says. Instead, she launched into a career in the corporate world, working in wholesale travel after completing a degree in travel and tourism. She then jumped at an opportunity with American Express that would see her learn a plethora of skills that would help her when she eventually found her way back to “Ifarming.wasfairly young working on these massive accounts, monitoring card spending, analysing data and streamlining expenditure. It’s been invaluable for farming and has given us a bit of an edge when it comes to bookkeeping and keeping on top of the financial side of our business,” she says.

CONDITIONIMPROVEBODY PRODUCTIONINCREASE&PROFIT 3164_156x210_S

Now, along with keeping the books in order, she’s also chief designer for all their business branding. Brent grew up in Christchurch city, with his first proper exposure to farming being when his parents purchased land in Oxford and started a small deer farm. “It was a bit out of the blue, but once I got over the move I really enjoyed the outdoors. I decided to head to Telford Brent and Rebecca Miller farm under the business name MilkIQ, which over time has developed into a platform for them to share the ins and outs of their dairy operation with the wider dairy community.

Ealing Pastures has been part of the business for three years and neighbours River Terrace. The 400ha is home to 1385 cows and run by six staff. They have separate staff for each farm to keep things“Initially,simple.Ealing was milking around 1450 cows, but we did an analysis and figured out that the farm wasn’t operating efficiently as it could with that number of cows, so we dropped numbers slightly,” Rebecca says. The Millers are known around the district for their happy, fat cows. Twiceyearly condition scoring ensures cows are dried off at 4.5, and anything dropping Brent and Rebecca catch up with assistant calf rearer Katrina Keenan on River Terrace farm to see how the newborn calves are doing.

Continued page 12

“They are probably one of our biggest business strengths. We have an openbook policy on both sides, so we all know what’s going on. It makes decisionmaking a lot easier and faster. There’s mutual respect and trust between us, which means we can confidently make decisions and explain them afterwards,” Rebecca says.

A staff member dusts the paddock with magnesium.

DAIRY FARMER September 2022 11 to study a diploma in agriculture, and I quickly figured out that deer farming wouldn’t get me far unless I had a family business, which for us was only small. In learning about the dairy industry, I saw multiple pathways to progress up the ranks,” Brent says. During his time at Telford he met Rebecca, and the two kicked off their farming careers not long after. They set about gaining as much experience in different farming systems as possible. From the West Coast to Northland, there’s hardly a part of the country they haven’t farmed in or system they haven’t seen.“Itwas important for us to get all of that experience under our belts. It’s given us key insights and observations that a lot of people don’t experience and has been important in setting a foundation for our style of farming now,” Rebecca says.Asked how they got to where they are now, the couple says two big moments changed their course – the first when they were climbing the ranks through farm assistants to second in charge. “During this time, we hit a point on a few fronts where we had to decide if we would continue dairy farming. Brent injured his shoulder and couldn’t milk. We decided that if we were going to keep going with dairying, it would be on ourTheterms.”couple had to look at what they needed to learn to do just that. They approached Spectrum Group, who mentored, guided, and trained them and were instrumental in reigniting their passion for the industry. River Terrace and Ealing Pastures, owned by Andy and Rachele Morris, are the two farms the Millers run under their MilkIQ business – and they credit the Morrises with providing their next business breakthrough.

“The second big moment was finding our current farm owners, Andy and Rachele. They’ve been a real turning point in our careers and enabled the success and progression we are experiencing now,” Rebecca says. Working with them, the couple have gone from management to contract milking to lower order sharemilking, and from one to two farms, to being equity partners on River Terrace and now milking a total of 2500 cows.

River Terrace was originally used as a dairy support block for the larger partnership that was Ealing Pastures and eventually converted to a dairy platform in the 2014-15 season. The 326ha property started off milking 950 Kiwicross cows, eventually growing to 1150 with the addition of another 75ha of land. It’s mostly flat country with Lismore soils and irrigated by six pivots, and the corners in long-line lateral sprinklers. The farm is run by four full-time staff plus the Millers.

DAIRY FARMER September 2022 SIGN UP TODAY FOR FREEYOURDIGITALSUBSCRIPTION

SCAN THE QR CODE SUBSCRIBEAND TO below 4 is separated and put onto OAD milking, and steps are taken to see what else needs to be changed to improve thatWithscore.some long walks from bottom paddocks to sheds, the longest being 2.6km, they have management protocols in place to reduce the impact on the cows.“We set it up so they’re only doing that long walk once a day and will graze closer to the shed during the day. We will also tweak their feed allowance to ensure they’re getting appropriate feeding rates for their energy expenditure. This saves their feet and keeps their condition,” Brent“Thesays.ticket to our fat, happy cows really sits in our ability to feed our cows well year round and the foundation of this is our pastures. We have predominately diploid pastures. We’ve tried tetraploids in the past, but they don’t have the persistence when going in alongside the diploids.”Plantain is added into the mix to give persistence during the dryer periods, plus 13ha of fodder beet for transition and autumn feeding. They utilise LIC Land and Feed for pasture walks, which are done twice a week on a Monday and Thursday.“Wedo pasture walks on Mondays and Thursdays because pasture growth can get away from us if we aren’t on top of it, especially in September when it starts us,”gettingtopagain.reproductivegoingWewillbehindifit’sawayonBrentsays.Cowsare allocated about 19kg per cow per day, with 85% of their allocation being given at night to ensure they aren’t going hungry. It also encourages good intake over the hotter summer months. They feed in the shoulders to extend lactation and support feed shortfalls to maximise pasture intake by feeding grain and palm kernel in the spring. During the bulk of the season they have pre-grazing targets of 2800kg2900kgDM/ha and postgrazing residuals of 1600Kg with a target of 2050kg-2100kg cover at drying off. “Like everything we do, we want the whole team to be across the pasture

Farm manager Osler Dutdut and Brent Miller discuss which paddock the herd is going to after milking.

It is a chilly start to the morning on River Terrace with plenty of snow on the ranges.

“Our monitor is fairly simple; we want every cow on the farm producing milk. The herd has gone from producing 400kg of milksolids per cow to 500kg MS since we took it on and this has primarily been through our focus on feed,” Brent says.Aportion of the herd is older than 10 years old. While age is taken into account for their culling policy, they believe that if she’s in good condition, in calf, looks sound and is happy, she stays. R2s are grazed off farm with a grazier before rejoining the herd as in-calf cows. First-time calvers start calving around July 25 with the main herd starting on August 1 when grass growth starts hitting its Rebeccastride.used to look after the calf rearing on her own, but she quickly found it not to be a viable option after taking on a second farm. Now, they hire dedicated calf rearers on each farm. “Myself and Rowena, the wife of one of our staff members, run the sheds, and we hire calf rearers as well. They’ve been hard to find this year, though, due to the

“We culled those cows, and for some cows, we know we need to keep away from certain brands of penicillin. We have a slightly higher SCC than we would like, but we are aware that a big reason for this is the slightly older average age of our herd. We expect this to improve as we work towards breeding from our top 25%,” says FertiliserRebecca.useisdone on an as-needs “Employment is layered and complex, as all people are different. It’s about developing employeroftoheightensrelationshipsauthenticandtheneedbeanemployerchoiceandanoftrust.”RebeccaMiller

“We’ve been finding that we have some cows who aren’t getting pregnant till they hit the bull. So we’ve been looking in particular at the protein in their feed. We don’t think it’s the fodder beet causing it but likely the protein in feed in that second week of mating.

An aerial view of River Terrace Dairy, which is 326ha and milks 1150 Kiwicross cows.

To keep pasture quality high, they regrass around 10% of each farm yearly, depending on what things look like. One year, they had a third of one farm taken out by grass grub, which meant a higher regrassing percentage to recoup growth. When it comes to their cows, keeping cows at optimum health and fully fed throughout the season is key to their low farm working expenses and high production. When first starting out, their priority was building herd numbers, but that has now shifted to improving the quality of their stock. Their combined herd is in the top 25% in the country, but they know that they have room to improve.“Weare now evaluating the bottomof-the-rank cows and are strategically culling out the bottom of the herd on not just physical traits like production or teats but genetics as well. We want to bring out our herd’s top 25% genetics,” Brent says. To assist with this, they have been experimenting with sexed semen, with this season’s calves being the first progeny from sexed semen. The herd is Genemarked, and BVD tested regularly.

flow-on effects of border closures and covid-19,” Rebecca says. Each calf gets colostrum for the first four feeds; anything that won’t drink is tubed to ensure they get a good dose of liquid gold. From there, they are fed twice a day for two weeks before transitioning to once-a-day feeds. “They get milk, free access to pea straw and some concentrates with molasses. We’ve also been doing pro-calf as well, 5ml on entry followed by 2ml per calf per day. Once we get to a mob of 80 we debud then transfer to a new shed where they are trained on our 120-feeder truck in preparation for going out in the paddock,” she says. Planned start of mating is on October 25 each year with premate checks starting from August 30. Tail paint is used during premating, and once mating kicks off, Kamars are also introduced. Mating consists of seven weeks AI followed up with the bull.

“With this being our first season getting calves from sexed semen, we’re keen to see how it will go. If we get too many replacements, we may knock back AI a few weeks. We eventually want to go to five weeks AI,” Brent says. Empty rates across the farms tend to sit between 13%-17%. They have been working at pushing that back a bit through their work with their genetics and looking at their nutrition.

‘We’ll look to do some herbage tests this year to confirm, so that will be interesting to see those results,” Brent says.Antibiogram testing revealed that the Ealing Pastures herd had problems with streptococcus and staphylococcus aureus infections that had immunity to most drugs. The problem was isolated to about 70 cows in the herd.

DAIRY FARMER September 2022 situation. Everyone on farm knows where the next paddock is once they hit target residuals, all the information they need is up on the board. Our blanket policy is that cows will never be standing at the gate hungry.”

Continued page 14

14 DAIRY FARMER September 2022 basis. The two farms mostly lack in selenium and copper but have a steady Olsen P average that sits between 22 and 27. About 180kg of nitrogen is applied across both farms at a variable rate based on soil-testing results with proof of placement through Hawke Eye and Ravensdown.“Wedoper-hectare

Riparian planting has been done around the cowshed and other areas.

Assistant herd manager Alesha Keenan rounds up the newborn calves from the paddock and brings them to the sheds to be fed.“We want the whole team to be across the pasture situation. Everyone on farm knows where the next paddock is once they hit target residuals ... our blanket policy is that cows will never be standing at the gate hungry.”Brent Miller

soil testing every three years, so we only prescribe what we need on each hectare. While it costs $30,000 for the test, we save a lot more than that on base fertiliser alone. Ealing farms has its own fertiliser truck with GPS and variable rate system enabling accurate placement,” Brent says. River Terrace has two stage effluent ponds with a second pond with an artificial bladder on it and irrigates over 50% of the farm. “We can go down to 5ml applications on both farms. We are consented across both farms to apply effluent on the whole farm, it’s just a matter of when and where we utilise this. We have 60-day storage on River Terrace and 40-day storage on Ealing Pastures,” he says. Along with focusing on their farm business, the two have completed the Kellogg’s Rural Leadership programme and Rebecca is active in Dairy Women’s Network.Thecouple often uses the term “Farmily” when discussing their business. They developed and trademarked the word, which they say refers to an intentional community on farm who look out for one another – a cohesive environment where they look at the whole“Employmentperson. is layered and complex, as all people are different. It’s about developing authentic relationships and heightens the need to be an employer of choice and an employer of trust,” Rebecca“Peoplesays.are key to the cream on top, and the environment we live in as farmers is always changing, volatile and dynamic. We cannot leave the farm and expect that the farm will be okay if we lock the gate and just walk away. So having a great team that knows the intricacies of the whole operation is so important.”Having10 staff across two farms to manage is a big task for them, but during their time in the industry they’ve honed their skills in this area and look to lead by example. “We’ve hunted out our shortfalls and places where we can grow. Staff management was one of these and is an area we now really pride ourselves on. We want to provide our staff with a working environment that allows them to thrive on all levels,” Rebecca says. They aim for zero skill gap loss, meaning everyone on the farm is trained to do everything while maintaining the ability to go into a hierarchy when need be. They also focus on ensuring they know what their team wants and tailoring training and opportunities to suit.The staff take an active role in how the farm is run and their employment terms. A great example of this is their roster, which has evolved to a 6 in 2 system with light duties on weekends. “It’s a setup they decided on together. A typical week is 42 hours, but even over calving, the maximum they’ll do is 52. They’ve chosen that on the last day of their roster, they work a half day, and on their first day back, they get a sleep-in and begin work at the morning team meeting. It makes it less stressful to return to work,” said Rebecca. There is flexibility in the team for people to take off to attend school events, doctor visits and other things

There are few things in farming that are certain. But a great, reliable price for your farm supplies is now one thing you can be certain of. We’ve worked with our suppliers and leading brands to introduce the Farm Source Certainty Guarantee. It means you can be certain that our everyday low pricing won’t increase on a wide range of products and supplies until October. Which means you can budget with certainty. It’s another way we’re working to strengthen your bottom line. without repercussions on farm or on their annual leave balance. When it’s time to look at hiring new staff members, they involve the team to ensure any new hires are a good fit for the team. “Because we aren’t operational any more, it’s essential to involve the team to ensure we’re hiring someone who is going to fit the culture of the existing team. We’ve included the team and they know that this is their farm too. This approach means they are great at voicing their ideas and take real ownership of the place,” she says.

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A large focus when it comes to their team management is ensuring their people don’t burn out or get injured on the job. This comes after Brent’s days in the milking shed were cut short when he injured a rotator cuff several years ago. “Our staff only milk 1.5 hours a day once a day each. We want to reduce that repetitive use syndrome and, across the whole farm, work out ways of reducing risk of injury. This comes down to good training and health and safety protocols,” Brent says. The farm business is now at a point where they can leave for two weeks and know it will be well cared for by their teams. They joke that they’ve almost made themselves redundant in that respect, but it’s allowed them to keep their focus on the high-level aspects of the business to help it keep moving forwards. Ultimately, they have created a career in the dairy industry on their terms, just like they set out to at the start. n Assistant calf rearer Katrina Keenan looks on while assistant herd manager Alesha Keenan brings the newborn calves in for breakfast.

Despite the slide, the banks – and more importantly Fonterra – are so far holding firm on their price forecasts, with the dairy co-op retaining its $8.75-$10.25/ kg milk solids forecast. Having such a wide forecast range is certainly paying dividends for the co-op, allowing it to absorb the price slump while banking on an improvement when production starts cranking up. Westpac is holding its forecast at $9.25/kg. Global dairy supply remains very weak, and the bank continues to expect Chinese demand to rebound over

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Fonterra holds firm despite GDT slump

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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. By Gerald Piddock G lobal dairy prices continued their slide through July and August, having fallen 2.9% in the August 16 sale. Since peaking in March, WMP prices have fallen by 20%-30%, having dropped 10 auctions in a row. In US dollar terms, that’s a drop from $4757 to $3544. Rabobank analyst Emma Higgins said there is a “fog of uncertainty” lingering over the question of demand, driven by inflation, recession fears and doubts in global economic growth. “These concerns are not limited to dairy, with a basket of commodities experiencing price volatility.”

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The drop was blamed on a combination of factors – inflation and supply chain issues from covid-19 and the Ukraine war as well as the pace and direction of government regulations and staffThatshortages.finalpoint cannot be overstated: this is the third season in a row where there have been staffing issues and this, along with all those other factors, has had a cumulative effect that’s being seen now.On the positive side, the wet weather and generally warmish conditions have seen grass covers take off, lifting the prospects of a potential early spring.

The two industries have enjoyed a symbiotic relationship and this contract should hopefully see that continue. n WMP prices have fallen 20%-30% since March. “Having such a wide forecast range is certainly

This is being developed after many contractors got burnt last season when the costs of inputs including fertiliser and fuel lifted over the period from when the crop was sown to when it was harvested. For many contractors, those costs jumped 20%-25%.

startswhenonslumptoco-op,dividendspayingfortheallowingitabsorbthepricewhilebankinganimprovementproductioncrankingup.”

But on a more encouraging note, prices are still historically high, and a milk price within Fonterra’s appropriately wide (but high) forecast range for next season is very

DAIRY FARMER September 2022 17 coming months as covid restrictions ease further and the stimulus policy takes hold.“On that basis and with the NZD/USD still supportive, we still expect a healthy milk price this season,” it said in its midAugust Dairy Update. The bank believes Fonterra may have increased the downward pressure on prices when it increased WMP volumes going to auction in August and September.“Thismove suggests that previously contracted sales have now fallen through as buyers have either been able to point to lower prices elsewhere (for instance, in the US or the EU) or simply that they don’t have the consumer demand to justify the earlier sales contracts. That’s seen product pushed back into the marketplace.”Rabobankiskeeping its $9.25 forecast, saying in its August Agribusiness Monthly that with the added support of a weak NZD/USD, it still expects a healthy milk price this season. ASB retained its $10/kg MS forecast with economist Nat Keall writing in the bank’s Commodities Weekly publication that the price hinges on prices over the spring and summer months. “We will need signs of improvement at coming auctions to support this forecast.

GrainCorp Feeds general manager Daniel Calcinai recently urged farmers to plan ahead as feed availability is affected by global shortages along with slow and intermittent international shipping.“Weare continuing to see the impact of a grain shortage, especially relating to starch-based feeds for this season. “There may be a few options available in some areas, but generally starch is short until next years’ harvest.”

He said some are choosing fibrebased feeds, such as soyhull or oat hull, complemented with high-energy bypass fats such as polyfat to offset the shortage in starch products. Moves are also underway by the contracting industry to ensure contracts between contractors and farmers fairly reflect the cost volatility of inputs.

Outachievable.”onthefarm, the season has barely started from a milk collection perspective and most farmers are still concentrating on calving. Morale has also taken a hammering. Federated Farmers’ confidence survey of 1200 farmers, undertaken in July and published in August showed that 47% considered current economic conditions to be bad, down 55.6 points from January where 7.8% considered conditions to be good.

The constant rain through July has well and truly replenished water tables and has saturated the soils, and while it makes for a miserable time out in the paddocks, hopefully most farmers are following proper grazing strategies to protect their pastures. The covers will also be a welcome relief after many chewed through their supplementary feed reserves in autumn because of the drought. But farmers will still need to plan ahead and ensure they have the necessary feed reserves on hand if the growth suddenly stops. Those looking at importing feed can again expect to pay high prices and expect shipping uncertainties.

Te

“Every year we are blown away by the support we receive from across New Zealand during Blue September,” Peter Dickens, chief executive of PCFNZ, says. “Without the passion and commitment shown to us by our Blue September community, we would not be able to provide the services that patients and those close to them rely on every day across Aotearoa New Zealand.”

“Funds raised are used for vital research into the disease and its impact, to create awareness through our education and outreach programmes, and to advocate for better access to diagnosis and treatments that are so desperately needed.

“Prostate cancer is the most diagnosed cancer in New Zealand but if it’s caught early, it is also treatable. It’s extremely frustrating and should be an issue of national concern that despite all evidence pointing to early detection and appropriate treatment making the difference between life and death, methods of detecting the disease, treatments and medicines for prostate cancer patients that are considered standard and funded in other countries are severely limited here, or even nonexistent outside of the main centres. “Inequities are also painfully evident, as the figures clearly show that tāne Māori diagnosed with prostate cancer experience a disproportionately higher death rate than other New Zealand men. It’s unnecessary and we should all find it unacceptable.“The42,000 men currently living with prostate cancer in New Zealand are not just a statistic, they are all dads, sons, grandads, and best mates who do not deserve to have the opportunity to share in the lives of their families and those around them taken away far too soon, when an achievable alternative exists. “The social impact of this disease is immeasurable and we’re in danger of losing a generation of men to prostate cancer without a co-ordinated national approach. We’re indebted to the people that take part in a Blue Do on our behalf – thank you, no idea is too small, too wacky, or too blue.”

NEWS True Blue

Māte Pukupuku Repe Tātea o Aotearoa

Blue September is the blue.toareNZFoundationProstatecampaignandfundraisingannualmajorawarenessforCancerofandpeopleencourageddosomething ProstateFoundationCancerNZ Kahui

This Blue September do something blue to help a mate through.

A cross Aotearoa New Zealand this year, 4000 men will be told they have prostate cancer, making it this country’s most diagnosed cancer.

Every year 4,000 kiwi men are diagnosed with prostate cancer. The funds raised by every Blue Do help us make a real difference to the lives of blokes living with prostate cancer. Organise your Blue Do or blueseptember.org.nz

DONATE NOW

MORE: Support the one in eight Kiwi men and their families affected by Prostate Cancer – do something blue this September. Visit www.blueseptember.org.nz

The Prostate Cancer Foundation of New Zealand (PCFNZ) is committed to being the voice of more than 42,000 men living with the disease in New Zealand advocating on their behalf for better health outcomes today and for future generations.Thisyear,Blue September hopes to raise more than $1 million in muchneeded funds, every cent of which goes towards providing essential wraparound support services for men and their families living with prostate cancer.

n

“Rural communities are the backbone of Aotearoa New Zealand and deserve equity in the provision of health services. “RWNZ is looking forward to working with the government and health providers to ensure that the rural health strategy and women’s health strategy work for rural communities – our lives depend on it,” Naylor says. n

THE NEW BLUE DISPENSER WITH STAINLESS STEEL DROPPERS INNOVATIVE AGRICULTURE EQUIPMENT Serving NZ farmers since 1962 www.pppindustries.co.nz sales@pppindustries.co.nz 0800 901 902 • installationsNew • Upgrades • supportgreatinstallsNationwide–backup LK0112466© NEWS Lack of rural health services distressing R ural communities are suffering because a lack of access to decent health services and it is time something was done about the dangerous situation, Rural Women New Zealand says. “The health and wellbeing of rural communities is at risk of further deterioration if something is not done soon to resolve the issues facing people who live, work and play in rural Aotearoa New Zealand,” RWNZ National President Gill Naylor says. “The challenges rural families face with access to health services are just about too many to list on one hand. However, a few that stand out are the lack of rural midwives, lack of rural nurses and GPs, lack of rural mental health services, delays in emergency services such as ambulances, and long distances to travel for such services as allied health and cancer treatment.“Whilewe are pleased to see the government commit to both a women’s health strategy and a rural health strategy, we are wanting to see resources and plans activated to ensure rural women and girls do not miss out on health needs because of their post code.“One of the solutions we have heard is increasing the availability of telehealth, which we support. However, that will only work where digital connectivity is fit for purpose – and there are many rural communities without this. “We know the challenges are because of a mixture of business models which don’t suit rural communities and global challenges with the covid pandemic, staffing and training. However, the government really has to take the lead by resourcing solutions.

stuffrightThe A Canterbury farming group is putting the best family farm traditions in harness with innovative solutions that benefit the environment – and its investors.

ON FARM

Matt Redmond, a former winner of dairy manager of the year, oversees the two Culverden basin farms owned by Craigmore Farming Services.Photos: Tony Benny

and

down to Oamaru and

It’s what Taylor calls an “empowerment model”, where the farmers have to meet certain expectations around how they look after their people and stock, how the farm is presented, and the budget, but beyond that, they’re encouraged to do it their own way.

Continued page 22

“They had the inspiration that New Zealand farmers actually want to do the right thing for their farms, their communities, their animals and for the environment but they were always constrained from being really creative and innovative because of balance sheets,” says general manager Stuart Taylor.“The idea was to bring international capital to New Zealand and put it together with young innovative farmers and then you get the synergies of change.”Craigmore takes a non-corporate approach to its operations and no attempt is made to impose the same centrally controlled system on every farm, recognising not only that all the farmers it employs have their own personalities, but so do the different farms.

DAIRY FARMER September 2022 21

“The founders and I don’t believe you can have one system that’s successful with every bit of land or every farmer,” Taylor“Thesays.philosophy is take the piece of land – and the land will have a personality based around her structure, topography, rainfall or soil types – and then take the farmer and they’ve all got different personalities and you try to get those two personalities to get expressed in the crossover pieces where the synergy really occurs.”

By Tony Benny FARM FACTS • Owners: Craigmore Sustainables – Farming • Location: 22 dairy platforms in Canterbury and

farm in Middlemarch • Farm size: All farms 7,963ha owned • Cows: All farms 17,460 dairy cows • Production: 2021-2022: Total across all farms 7,857,712kg MS • Production target: 20222023: Around 7.9 million kg/MS • Staff: Between 120 and 130 across the farms Agri-relationship manager Caroline Aymes and general manager Stuart

from

Flexibility and innovation are watchwords at the Craigmore group when it comes to both its people and its farming practices.

Alarge-scale Canterbury corporate farming group is working to harness New Zealand’s family farm ethos in a different way to bring innovation to agriculture.Craigmore, which has 22 dairy farms in Canterbury and North Otago and one sheep and beef property near Middlemarch in the Maniototo, has been recognised for its efforts and earlier this year won the Fonterra Responsible Dairying Award at the Dairy Industry Awards.Thejudges recognised Craigmore’s efforts to lead change and to trial innovations on its 22 farms to create solutions all farmers can use, something that’s been central to the enterprise since it was established by brothers-in-law Forbes Elworthy and Mark Cox in 2009.

“So you get the person in the right place and the farm in the right place with the right system and then you run a really good farm and on top of that you pick out the passion from those two personalities and then you do an innovation based around that passion.”

oversee the 22 farms and one sheep and beef unit owned by

For Matt Redmond, who won Manager of the Year in the 2019 Dairy Industry Awards, that means he can treat the two Culverden basin farms he oversees for Craigmore effectively as his own, though he has no capital investment. Landsend is 245ha with 800 cows and the adjoining Riverend is 217ha and carries 520 Redmondcows.has led two projects on the farms with the support of head office, one the creation of a wetland to arrest the loss of nitrogen into nearby waterways and the other the North Otago, Culverden one sheep beef Taylor Craigmore.

Across all 22 Craigmore farms, 17,460 cows are milked and produce a total of 7,857,712kg likes the security of working for a salary and hasn’t taken the opportunity to become a shareholder in the two farms but he and his wife, in partnership with Craigmore, have recently bought a 100ha farm near Hawarden.

The plants came from Synlait’s Whakapuawai nursery, ready to plant, complete with protection and support, in a swiftly dug hole. The aim is for the water that leaves the wetland, flowing into the Pahau and then on to the Hurunui, to contain no more nitrogen than when it emerged from the ground in the two Redmondsprings.isalso excited about the difference the Halter collars fitted to the herd at the end of last season are already making.“Youcan do without fences and it doesn’t matter where you put those fences in a paddock, those cows, as soon as they walk into a paddock, they’ll get pulled to that area that you’ve drawn on your phone.”

MattMS.Redmond

The solar-powered collars use a combination of vibrations and sounds to guide the cattle, each of which shows up individually on the app on Redmond’s phone and those of his staff. “I can draw a break on the phone and it will show how many metres per cow, how much dry matter and I can choose wherever I want in the paddock. I can make sure I get an exact area and not have to go to the next post to hold the reelTheup.”collars also give feedback on cow health and indicate which cows are on heat, which Redmond hopes will simplify mating.Partof his motivation for introducing the collars was to make better use of

22 DAIRY FARMER September 2022 introduction of Halter collars, which is transforming the way the farms are managed.Thefarms are near the junction of the Pahau and Hurunui rivers, and both have springs at the top end that feed streams that come together in a wetland area at the lower part of the two properties. Willows have been cleared and a small amount of earthworks undertaken, and recently a team from Craigmore’s head office in Christchurch planted 2000 native shrubs and trees around the sides. “The team planted them in a couple of hours, it was amazing how quickly they got it done,” Redmond says.

/HomeopathicFarmServices/HomeopathicFarmServicesfarmservices.nzinfo@farmservices.nz078584233

“The cows are in two herds, so if you’re in the shed at 5am, you can tell second herd to walk to the shed at 6am and they’ll turn up there and be ready to go. The other staff member is on a sleep-in and the cows have spent less time in the yard than if there were two people milking.”Anadded bonus of the cows spending less time in the yard and coming in at their own pace, not being pushed along by someone on a motorbike, is a sharp reduction in lameness. “We used to have 3-4 lame cows a The team in the cow shed at afternoon milking at Landsend.

Continued page 24

Instead of there being two milkings of 1.5 hours each, with two staff in the shed, it now takes two hours per milking but only one staff member is required each time. That means the farm manager and 2IC only have to milk once a day each. No one has to bring the herd in because they’ve had the message from Halter and make their own way to the shed.

“The founders had the inspiration that New Zealand farmers actually want to do the right thing for their farms, environment.”animalscommunities,theirtheirandfortheStuartTaylor

labour and solve the problem of not having enough houses on farm for all the staff. Now it takes only one staff member to milk the cows through the herringbone shed on one of the farms.

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A BVD outbreak could cause: week before Halter. Since then, there’ve only been about four in three months.”

• Abortions,

• Persistently

The most devastating impacts of BVD are on pregnant cattle and their unborn calves, so protecting heifers and cows from infection during mating and gestation is critical. Protect the health of your herd by keeping your herd BVD free with Ultravac BVD® the premium foetal protection vaccine proven in New Zealand.1 See your vet today. Decreased milk production conception rates infected calves mummies, and stillbirths R Packianathan, WJ Clough, A Hodge, DK Holz, J Huang, GL Bryant & C Colantoni (2017): Prevention of fetal infection in heifers challenged with bovine viral diarrhoea virus type 1a by vaccination with a type 1c or type 1a vaccine, New Zealand Veterinary Journal, DOI:10.1080/00480169.2017.1291376. Zoetis New Zealand Limited. Tel: 0800 963 847; www.zoetis.co.nz.

Redmond likes the security of working for a salary and hasn’t taken the opportunity to become a shareholder in the two farms, but he and his wife, in partnership with Craigmore, have recently bought a 100ha farm near Hawarden, about 20 minutes closer to Christchurch, with the intention that the property will be a support block for the two Craigmore farms. As well as putting the right farmers on the right farm with the hope of unlocking their passion to try new things, Craigmore is flexible in how it employs its people, tuning contracts to suit individuals, depending on what they prefer.“I’ve got a suite of different ways of paying people and that’s based on Riverend farm is 217ha and carries 520 cows, which produced 232,767kg MS last season.

1

Stop BVD in its tracks.

•

• Poor

“We used to have 3-4 lame cows a week before Halter. Since then, there’ve only been about four in three months.”MattRedmond

As well as giving its farmers the freedom to try new things, to follow their passions, Craigmore actively seeks partnerships with other innovators, offering a place to trial new ideas.

DAIRY FARMER September 2022 25 the individual,” Taylor says. “Some people just want the security of a salary, other people want profit-share, other people want KPI derivatives, other people want contract milking and others want to own the land. “It’s about understanding the individual’s goals and working with them to create the right solutions.”

Staff member Lou Anthony King on Landsend heads off to do some jobs on the farm.

It’s understanding how we look after our environment, people and animals and our governance which includes our business performance,” Amyes says.

“We break that down into different pillars because that helps us manage our focus and aligns with our strategy.”

A spring-fed wetland, created in an effort to capture any nitrogen runoff from Landsend and Riverend farms, was recently planted out by Craigmore head office staff.

Taylor is a fifth-generation farmer himself but he doesn’t believe that background gives him all the answers, especially in a time when farming faces many challenges. “It’s how do I help farming adapt to this changing world and it’s not by saying, ‘You need to do this.’ It’s about allowing people the space to keep trying different things because that’s where we were really successful as an industry in this country.”Among other innovations being tried on Craigmore farms are in-rumen boluses that monitor a cow’s health, when she’s eating or drinking, whether she has a temperature, has mastitis, is in heat or about to calve. On another farm, there’s a composting wintering barn. “Instead of having cows on concrete with stalls and effluent flowing off and getting treated, effectively it’s a big concrete box filled up with sawdust and then the cows manure and urine mixes in and starts [composting] and you end up with a compost that you spread on the“Hispaddock.farmlooks like a golf course, it’s beautiful. He has very high attention to detail.”Butwhile farmers are encouraged to follow their passions and try innovations, it’s also okay to “just focus on being a good farmer”, Taylor says. “Tell everyone you’re a good farmer, you look after you people, your cows, you’re running a profitable system, be proud. If you want to innovate and you’re passionate about it, have a go and then tell everyone about it. “Don’t try to do everything because each individual farmer can’t solve everything. There’s a storm of change coming, you can’t deal with all that change. But we [at Craigmore] can do everything because we have 22 farms so we’ve got the ability to specialise and take those risks.”

“If you go to talk to a farmer about ESG reporting you get a very blank look but farmers do understand what you’re talking about if you mention social licence and it’s the same thing.

Continued page 26

Agri-relationship manager Caroline Amyes says one of the things that goes with having international capital invested in Craigmore is the need to do environmental, social and governance (ESG) reporting, a concept becoming more common as it is adopted by banks.

A discovery by French researchers that shows a correlation between fatty acids in milk and enteric methane (burps) is to be trialled under New Zealand conditions too.“It will help us to understand the impact that supplement and pasture composition has on methane emissions. The more we understand, the better our decision-making can be to help us reduce our methane emissions. There won’t be one solution to the methane challenge, rather a suite of tools.” The equation the French scientists came up with is based on a total mixed feed ration rather than pasture, so the New Zealand trial is an attempt to validate that in our pasture-based farming system.

The farms will use Overseer to track the changes and Craigmore is looking at a variety of possible solutions, including a feed additive it expects to be available soon and which it is keen to trial on farm.

“It looks like a little quad bike with a tank on the back and a spray unit and it wanders round the property spraying weeds.”Amyes sees a potential health and safety benefit of the sprayer with staff less likely to be exposed to chemicals. “And if people like us don’t try them we won’t know how good they are.”

Craigmore has long-term goals, including a 35% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2035, believing that not only does it have a responsibility to do so but it has the capacity, too.

“We work closely with lots of different industry groups like Fonterra, Synlait and DairyNZ to try to understand what’s coming up so we can be one of the first commercial operations to try it once it becomes available,” Amyes says.

26 DAIRY FARMER September 2022

strengths and weaknesses, to make sure we’re actually managing those soils effectively, getting the best out of them and not degrading them,” she says.

“We’re not the researcher, we’re not the scientist, we’re still a commercial farming operation so we can be the first to trial it in a commercial setting, but we’re not going to be the ones necessarily creating the solution.”

The ecosystems in all streams on Craigmore farms are being probed using Beef + Lamb’s self-assessment tool, and from that information an improvement programme will be developed. Another focus is soil biodiversity. Craigmore has worked with a company to soil map all its farms with visual soil and plant assessments and assess carbon stores so changes in carbon can be monitored over time. “We’ll use that information, the soil’s

On another farm there’s a dung beetle trial going on. “There’s quite a bit of proven science around how they mobilise the dung and put it into the soil to improve soil composition,” Aymes says. The trial will take about five years, not only to see if the beetles are surviving but also what their impact is. Another trial under consideration is a robotic weed sprayer that works a bit like a robot vacuum cleaner or lawnmower.

On another farm, winter grazing trials are underway in an effort to find an alternative to crops. “What type of pasture species will work in a deferred grazing, round bale-type system to winter on that rather than crop?”Aspart of that trial, a self-feeding silage stack, as opposed to taking the feed to cows in the paddock by tractor and silage wagon, is being tested and a Lincoln PhD student has been taken on to bring some academic rigour to the investigation.Inatimewhen agriculture faces enormous challenges, be they environmental, changes in consumer preferences or the social licence to continue working the land, Craigmore is trying to lead the way by harnessing

Craigmore is also keen to try EcoPond, a solution being developed by Ravensdown, on one of its farms. “They partnered with Lincoln University and they inject ferric sulphate into the effluent system, which removes 99.9% of methane emissions from your system. We’ll be one of the first farms to have that in a commercial operation and we’ll work with them to test it and see how that works for the guys running the farm.”Methane from effluent accounts for only 3%-6% of farm emissions, a relatively small amount, but eliminating it would be a shift in the right direction, Amyes says.

The 800-cow herd on Landsend, coming in for afternoon milking, produced 363,000kg MS last season.“There’s

a storm of change coming, you can’t deal with all that change. But we [at Craigmore] can do everything ... we’ve got the ability to specialise and take those risks.”Stuart Taylor

farmers’ passions in a way similar to the traditional family farm while at the same time looking to adopt solutions that will both benefit the environment and make a return for investors.

n

Using the Halter phone app, Matt and his staff can draw in virtual fences that keep the collar-wearing cows on Riverend on the right feed breaks – and even call the cows in for Theremilking.isawinter chill in the air, with recent snow on the hills and mountains that surround the Culverden basin.

“It’s responsible investing and you’re getting that through the financial institutions now. It will emerge they’ll only lend to people doing these things, from an environment perspective, how animals are looked after and people looked after.”

“It’s an emerging way of thinking, you get impact investors. They invest to get an impact,” Taylor says. “Craigmore tends to attract investors who are keen to do things in a different way. None of the investors just want cash-driven returns, they all want a cashdriven return out of behaviour, so there’s expectation around how we behave.

A small company is taking a holistic approach in its business –and it’s paying off on the global stage. A small ismilkNorthcentralIslandcompanyprovingit can do big things. Based in Mokai, north of Taupō, Miraka is showing it’s possible to operate with kaitiakitanga (meaning guardianship and protection or sustainability) and te ao Māori values, and punch above its weight on the global stage. Kaitiakitanga was not a strategy, it was embedded in Miraka values and everything it did, chief executive Karl Gradon says. It is one of Miraka’s key values. It means more than just being sustainable, he told farmers and industry leaders at the Primary Industries of New Zealand Summit in Auckland. “That’s not the translation, it is much more holistic than sustainability and we are proving we can do this on a global scale.”

“It creates a very nice, closed loop system with milk being at the heart of it, steam being at the heart of it, and the outcomes of kaitiakitanga and the general enhancement of the whenua and the wai for the benefit of all of our community.”

The $300 million dairy company based in Mokai just north of Taupō is a key player in the Māori economy, being one of its largest exporters. It collects milk from 100 local farms within a 120km radius of the factory, which gives it a farm-fresh advantage and results in superior quality products.Miraka has the power and capacity to process more than 300 million litres of milk into powders and UHT products every year. The range of products has a global reach and it exports to more than 17 countries.“Miraka” means milk in te reo Māori, and bringing milk to the world and the nutrition that comes with it is at the forefront of everything it does.“We are proudly Māori and being a pakeha at the helm is quite humbling,” Gradon says. Gradon has been in the chief executive role since April and says the company has a culture that embraces people, and he is fortunate to be a part of it. He previously worked at Fonterra in roles in Brazil, North America, France and Singapore.Inthese roles he learnt customer insight, which he then took back to Fonterra to make better business decisions.Heshifted back to New Zealand when his children were born so they could be closer to his extended family, and worked for Kerry Group in its Asia-Pacific section. “What I learnt there was a very close focus on growth in a cash-conservative way.” He took on a role in the Eastern Bay of Plenty as New Zealand Mānuka Group’s chief executive. Working for that organisation was about taking something unique and compelling and telling a story to win the hearts and minds of consumers with the branding.Heresigned to focus on more governance roles in food organisations, many of which were Māori related. It was here that he developed a deep appreciation understandingandof the role and potential of the Māori economy in New Zealand. It is growing disproportionally faster than the rest of the traditional economy and is the future of the country’s economy, he says.When the Miraka job became available he was won over by its strong te ao Māori focus and its values putting an inter-generational approach back into the dairy industry.“Inever thought I would go back into management, but this organisation is special.”

Miraka marvel

28 DAIRY FARMER September 2022 DAIRY

CHAMPIONThe

Karl Gradon By Gerald Piddock

It was a uniquely New Zealand company that had an amazing story about NZ’s Miraka industry.intoapproachgenerationalputtingfocus.teandMirakaGradonexecutivechiefKarlsaysisspecialhasastrongaoMāoriItvaluesaninter-backthedairy

Samedelaval.com Cows. Same Pasture. Still Twice-a-Day. No Milkers. With DeLaval VMS™ you don’t have to change how you farm, just how you milk. B&DEL0577 cultural heritage and history. It put sustainability at the front of everything that is done, which he says is what consumers value most. Miraka’s shareholders include the Tuaropaki Kaitiaki Trust, the Wairarapa Moana Incorporation, the Te Awahohonu Forest Trust, the Waipapa 9 Trust, the Hauhungaroa Partnership and the Tauhara Moana Trust. companyVietnamese-basedVinamilkis a strategic partner. “It was a ‘truly Māori organisation’ that wanted to take its taonga to the world. The shareholders realised what they had on the whenua was special and did not want to be trapped in selling only commodities,” Gradon says. “They wanted to tell our story.”Itincentivised its farmersuppliers with carrots rather Miraka is a $300 million dairy company based in Mokai just north of Taupō, and a key player in the Māori economy.Continued page 30

It offered a 20-cent premium for farmers, giving them a significant top-up on theirMilkincome.creation and processing has an extensive recycling system where its milk production waste is recycled in the greenhouse facility close to the factory, and worm farm creation as part of a “closed loop” system it operates.“Itcreates a very nice, closed loop system with milk being at the heart of it, steam being at the heart of it and the outcomes of kaitiakitanga and the general enhancement of the whenua and the wai for the benefit of Miraka chief executive Karl Gradon was a speaker at the Primary Industries Summit, where he told farmers and industry leaders that kaitiakitanga is embedded in Miraka’s values and everything it does.

30 DAIRY FARMER September 2022 than sticks with its on-farm excellence programme Te Ara Miraka, which Gradon says puts it ahead of the curve. “When organisations are faced with environmental policy change at a government level, we’re already there. We’re able to tweak, not wholesale adapt.”

Miraka has the capacity to process more than 300 million litres of milk into powders and UHT products every year. Its range of products has a global reach and it exports to 17 international markets.

DAIRY FARMER September 2022

Partnering with farmers like Sarah Smart to reduce clinical mastitis.

Hillbrook Dairies are on top of mastitis with more knowledge and better practice than ever before. The 645-cow dairy farm in North Otago had experienced high numbers of clinical mastitis for seven years and were treating 20 percent of the herd annually. Not only was it was costing them in treatments and time, they also had the constant risk of penicillin grades.

With FIL and Farm Medix’s support, they were able to dig deep, find out which pathogens they were dealing with and implement a prevention plan. Today the herd’s somatic cell count is the lowest it has ever been. “We suddenly knew what we were dealing with,” says Sarah. “Knowledge is power.”

Today, Hillbrook Dairies are on top of mastitis with more knowledge and better practice – and the herd’s somatic cell count is the lowest it has ever been That’s what we call a good partnership. Ask us how we can help improve your farm’s profitability. Get in touch with your local area manager on 0508 434 569 or visit FIL.co.nz Sarah NorthHillbrookSmart,Dairies,Otago. all of our community. “We are leading the way and the world is catching up and we need to continue to innovate.“Ourfactory today – the average over the last three years – is 93% more carbon efficient than our competitors, 92% less than our competitors, 95% of our energy comes from renewable resources, the steam comes across the road from Tuaropaki.” This is a Māori trust that is one of the largest players in the renewable resources energy industry in the country as well as a shareholder. Over the past three years, the carbon footprint in its processing facility has reduced by 13%. “This was independently audited and accreditationtheprocess was being undertaken by Toitū Envirocare so it could be taken to the world,” Gradon says.“This is not a story, these are facts. These are deeply entrenched values that our organisation has taken to the world stage. “It’s not a veneer, because those veneers that are here today will be uncovered very quickly in this connected world.“Ifyou try and tell a story and it’s just not true, this connected world will find you out and the global consumer is looking for a reason to say, ‘Why is your story not genuine?’ Ours is deeply genuine.”Thatcarbon footprint difference was the equivalent of 7000 fewer cars on the road, he says. The company had a simple product mix. While at the core it was a whole milk powder company, it also made frozen milk concentrate for the food service markets and UHT milk for the Chinese market. It was a compelling market for it to be in, considering how the Chinese market was starting to wake up to the importance of renewable energy and its own commitments to carbon neutrality, he says. “It was also moving further up the value chain by customising its products and processing more A2 milk powder,” Gradon says. “Ultimately, we’re looking to customise as much as possible our products into the specialised area, but our story and our kaitiakitanga approach is what drives us. It won’t be at a sacrifice to the quality or the sustainability of our products and the impact we have on the environment.”

That’s what we call a good partnership. Ask us how we can help improve your farm’s profitability, visit FIL.co.nz. like Sarah Smar t to clinical mastitis for seven years and were treating 20 percent of the herd annually. Not only was it was costing them in treatments and time, they also had the constant risk of penicillin grades

With FIL and Farm Medix’s suppor t, they were able to dig deep, find out which pathogens they were dealing with and implement a prevention plan.

Its biggest limitation is that it needs more suppliers so it can expand. In July it made public a request for 40 more farmers to add to its current 100Gradonsuppliers.says

there has been an overwhelming response, including from some outside Miraka’s 120km collection area.“It’s because of the awareness of our farming community,” Gradon says. “Most farmers want to do the best thing for the environment as well as for their families and when you think about it most farms in New Zealand are owned by families and they want to be able to continue that legacy by handing those farms over to the next generation.” n

“Most farmers want to do the best thing for the environment as well as for their families and when you think about it most farms in New Zealand are owned by families and they want to be able to continue thatKarllegacy.”Gradon

clear dream

By Cheyenne Nicholson When the opportunity came knocking at the right time, a Wairarapa dairy farmer didn’t hesitate to open the door. G rowing up as a townie, a Wairarapa farmer had plenty of friends who lived on farms, so she knew full well that life on the farm could get busy. But at the time she never dreamed she’d end up on a farm, with her own business, creating the life and lifestyle she has today.

32 DAIRY FARMER September 2022 WOMEN IN AAGRIBUSINESScrystal

“One brother was working the original family farm, and he decided to get out of farming and pursue another career, so the opportunity came to Mike to take over,” she says.

The couple now co-own the property with Mike’s parents, who act as silent partners in the business. They focus on animal health and breeding and continue to make small changes to ensure they future-proof their herd and farm.“We’ve been here seven years now, and we are now at the point where many of our breeding and management decisions around the herd and farm are starting to show, which is exciting.”

Donna Herrick and her husband Mike milk 270 cows on the 100ha family farm at Carterton on once-a-day year round. Last year she bought an online business selling candles. “I look at the life my husband Mike and I have created here with our blended family on his family farm, and I sometimes have to pinch myself,” Donna says.“It’s a far cry from my career in hospitality, but it’s the best life. Every week we’re working towards being more self-sustainable on the farm, growing more of our own food and just enjoying this time in our lives with our young family.”Herrick grew up in the township of Carterton and was no stranger to farming with plenty of friends who grew up on farms and school trips out to farms, but she never caught the farming bug. Instead, she got into the hospitality industry, where the bulk of her professional career remained until she had her daughters a few years ago. She trained and worked her way up to become a chef, working at several cafes and restaurants in the Wairarapa area over the years. Her hard work paid off, and she invested in buying her first house at just 21 years old. She describes herself as always being “Miss Independent” and has always worked hard to be able to support herself and do whatever she sets her mind to. “As many young people do, I wanted to travel the world, so I worked my butt off to save up, rented out my house and headed overseas. I worked and lived mostly in London and Somerset but would make trips out all over the place. “It was an amazing time. I came home for a bit with the intention of going back out travelling, but then I met Mike and life had other ideas.” At the time, he was co-owner/operator on a farm in Eketahuna. She moved in with him and started a new life in the country. Going from the bustling city of London to the small town of Eketahuna was a big change, but she embraced the slower pace of life and quickly got herself a job at a local vineyard restaurant, Paper Road.After a few years in Eketahuna, an opportunity for Mike popped up that he wasn’t expecting – taking over the original family farm in Carterton. As one of three brothers, who were all into farming, he had thought the opportunity would likely never come his way.

Mike runs the farm himself with one full-time employee while she uses her many transferable skills from her hospitality career to manage the

business.runningupsheneverasHerrickfarmerWairarapaDonnagrewupatownieanddreamedwouldendfarmingandanonline

“We love being back here and living and working in the place he grew up. He made a real success of the farm in Eketahuna under some tough conditions, so the chance to put his farming skills to work on a more established farm and move back home was an amazing chance for him.”

On the dairy side, effluent from the cow shed is collected in a large, oddly shaped effluent pond which is kept regularly stirred with a Nevada electric stirrer. Being such a unusual shape, they also use a Nevada PTO stirrer to give the areas around the edge a good mix prior to pumping.

The farm is situated near a major intersection and has a few roads running through, and a couple of underpasses. Each underpass has a sump for capturing the effluent and a pump. The piggery also has its own effluent storage pond with Nevada electric stirrer to keep it well mixed. Effluent from the piggery is more fibrous and well…smellier than dairy effluent, so along with regular stirring Brian and Ollie have started to add Nevada PondBugs™ to the mix to help introduce more good bacteria and keep the smell down. Brian bought his first Nevada slurry tanker around 7 years ago, and they haven’t looked back. In fact, with being so versatile they recently upgraded from a 14,700L to a 16,500L. Ollie is very precise with his spreading. They have Tracmap connected to the tractor, and the controlled spread of the RainWave applicator on the slurry tanker means he can input the width of the spread and the system shows him exactly where to spread. ‘It gives us proof of placement and means there’s no areas being missed.’ Watching Ollie whip the new 16,500L slurry tanker around the farm it hasn’t taken any time for him to get used to the increased size. ‘They’re great machines. Extremely well built.’ ADVERTISEMENT administration side of the business. “Eventually, we will take over full ownership. Mike’s parents are amazingly supportive of everything we do and are always there to bounce ideas off and talk thingsHerrickthrough.”saysthere is some stunning scenery on the farm, some great secret fishing and swimming spots, and lovely river walks. – the perfect place for their young family. Mike has two children from a previous relationship, Cheyden and Zac. The couple also have two daughters together, Ava-Rose and Stevie. Needless to say, family life as a unit of six is pretty busy, and she decided after having Ava-Rose that it was time to leave the hospitality industry. “It’s not a very family-friendly career, and I like to be a really hands-on mum for all the kids. With the boys being that bit older and with us 50% of the time, it was easier to make my hospitality work around them, but with a baby, not so much.”Stillwanting to keep her independence and have a life outside of the farm, she dipped her toe into retail work and worked at some high-end retail shops in Greytown. After the pandemic, the birth of her youngest and everything else that 2020 threw at them, she again had to sit back and think about what was next for her career. “The retail shop I worked at decided to focus more online and set everything up from a showroom at their beautiful Bays & Leo is an online business selling crystal-embellished soy candles in handmade ceramic vessels instead of traditional glass. Although it is an online business, Donna travels to a select group of markets to promote and sell Bays & Leo.

Brian & Ollie have Effluent

Management Down Pat Brian Tucker’s farm in Wairarapa has it all – a dairy farm, piggery, roads, underpasses… and a solid effluent management system in place to keep it all ticking like clockwork… nevadagroup.co.nz | 0800 464 393

‘While it doesn’t sound like a big upgrade, every 7th load is a free load proving just how much further a slightly bigger tanker can go.’

Having a dairy farm and piggery there’s plenty of effluent on this farm, and Brian’s grandson Ollie Healey has become an expert at managing it all.

DAIRY FARMER September 2022 33

34 DAIRY FARMER September 2022 house. It got me thinking about online businesses, and I thought with my skills in hospitality and retail, it was definitely something I could do and would be the perfect fit for the farm and my family. The biggest thing I’ve always wanted is to have my job be flexible around our lifestyle.”Asfate would have it, a small but fairly new online business selling soy candles, called Bays & Leo, was put up for sale. The business’s original owner was moving on to new opportunities, allowing Donna to start her own business journey. She purchased the business in October 2021, and for the past 11 months has been hard at work adding her own flair into the business and working to grow it. She has taken the soy candle concept a step further and now sells crystalembellished soy candles in beautifully handmade ceramic vessels instead of traditional glass. Her aim was to create a unique gift for people with a multipurpose aspect. “I purchase the ceramic pieces from a wonderful business in the Hawke’s Bay called Sia Pottery. Each piece is unique and one of a kind.” A cornerstone of the business is sustainability and being eco-friendly. Everything used from product to packaging is recyclable and plastic-free. This can sometimes add to the cost, but she feels it is important from an ethical and a business perspective. “I’ve always been a bit creative, which I guess is why being a chef was something that came fairly naturally. When this business came on the market, it ticked many of the boxes I was looking for. I wish I had come up with the idea myself,” sheThesays.shift towards pottery and ceramics was a way of putting her stamp on the business and also making it more than selling just a candle. It’s creating a keepsake item that customers can either send back to be refilled or keep and reuse in other ways. The first few months of business ownership were spent perfecting the candle-making craft and getting the scents just right. She used old babyfood jars she had been collecting for her wedding as test pots and spent a lot of time making and burning candles to get the formula just right. Once she had her product development down to a fine art, she turned her attention to the marketing side. Because the business is still in its infancy, there’s been a lot of groundwork to get the Bays & Leo brand out there. To help with this, she met up with previous employers, who have been very supportive and helpful in helping guide her along the way. She also joined a local content club run by Digital Cactus, a digital marketing business based in the Wairarapa.“Thecontent club has been an excellent way to develop content ideas for my social media platforms, it’s helped me figure out what I should focus on, and just how to market my brand.” She wanted to inject more of a personal element into her content and branding, sharing the ups and downs of small business life and life on the farm. “The biggest learning I’ve taken from the content club, along with creating a good network of fellow small business owners, is that with things like social media, you just have to give it a go and realise that it takes time. You don’t have to rush everything. The whole reason behind buying this business was to have something that I could fit around the rest of my life, so why rush it?” Being based in the Wairarapa, she has plenty of opportunities to get the Bays & Leo brand out and about at local markets. She attended her first one earlier this year at the Greytown Winter Festival.“With markets, I have to be a bit picky about which ones I go to. Because of the type of product I have, it’s not really going to suit a farmer’s market. I’ve booked a few more markets into the calendar this year, including the popular Martinborough Fair, which I’m really excited about,” she says. As she approaches the end of her first year of business ownership, she is already thinking about future plans, including expanding her online shop offerings to include other small business brands from around New Zealand and one day hopes to have a little gift shop on the “Baysfarm.&Leo is something that gets me really excited. I love working on the books for the farm and doing my part, but I also love having this little business opportunity. The main thing is it has to fit our lifestyle, which can be busy sometimes. My main priority right now is getting the brand name out there and increasing sales.” With a busy family life, a farm to help run and a small business, the juggle struggle can be intense sometimes. She says she thrives on a busy life that revolves around her family but remains conscious of the need to take time for herself and of making the most of the life she’s worked so hard to achieve. “If the pandemic taught us anything, it’s the value of slowing down a bit sometimes.” n After returning from her OE, Donna met husband Mike who was milking in Wairarapa. They are now co-owners in the Herrick family farm at Carterton. Mike and Donna with their family, Cheyden, Zac, Ava-Rose and Stevie.

“Bays & Leo is something that gets me really excited. I love working on the books for the farm and doing my part, but I also love having this little opportunity.”business

Benchmarking your business against similar farms can help identify opportunities to save or increase your income. Focus on making incremental gains to boost your income such as improving cow reproductive performance or ensuring you receive all the premiums your dairy company is offering.Consider if you can increase milk production from pasture – the cheapest feed source. You can compare your current pasture use with similar farms using DairyNZ’s pasture potential tool at dairynz.co.nz/pasture-potentialTheremayalsobeopportunities to use pasture, supplements or fertiliser more efficiently. Drawing on advice from farmers, DairyNZ has information on options to reduce fertiliser use without reducing production. Visit dairynz.co.nz/ nitrogen-useYoumight find zero-based budgeting useful. It involves starting with a blank budget and reviewing each cost. Most farmers can find some savings using this approach.Ifyou’re finding it difficult to identify options to manage costs, it can be helpful to involve your farm adviser, or get in touch with your DairyNZ local team on 0800 4324 7969. With costs rising quickly, we encourage contract milkers to run their figures for this season through DairyNZ’s contract milker premium calculator, to check you’ll achieve a reasonable return. If contract rates are set too low, both parties should discuss the situation as a first step. Involving professional advisers can also be useful. You might identify opportunities to review contract conditions or to agree on how cost increases can be managed.

approach.”savingsfarmerseachbudgetstartinguseful.budgetingItinvolveswithablankandreviewingcost.Mostcanfindsomeusingthis

Increasing milk production from pasture is the most cost-efficient way to boost production.

MORE: To use the contract milker premium calculator, see dairynz.co.nz/homework have to with DairyNZ “You might find zerobased

DAIRY FARMER September 2022 35 R ising costs are a concern for households and businesses across New Zealand, and dairy farmers are also feeling the impact of high inflation. Many farms have had cost increases in their budgets of about $1 per kg of milksolids (equivalent to around a 19% lift from 2020/21 average operating expenses).Higherfertiliser, feed, wages and fuel costs are some of the key drivers of these increasingManagingcosts.your budget in times of high inflation isn’t easy. Any savings you can make in the current season will continue into future seasons, so it’s worthwhile being proactive now, before a fall in milk prices requires action. We’ve seen farmers prioritise paying off debt in recent years. This has left farmers better positioned to cope with tougher years. Continuing to focus on reducing debt is an excellent strategy to reduce future interest costs, so you can meet higher costs – or cope with a lower milk payout.

n

Paul Bird Solutions developmentand lead adviser

With costs changing rapidly, it’s important to set future contracts based on up-to-date figures, and ensure the contract can accommodate cost increases without penalising contract milkers.

Make savings now, before you

“From the managebeinggoingwhenbenefitswereperspective,farmers’thereadditionalofknowinganimalsweretocalveandabletoplanandaccordingly.”RichardNortje

Researchers also wanted to see if there were any additional benefits from calving earlier and found that, due to the higher pregnancy rates and higher conception rates, farmers were getting more AB heifer calves, with the resultant genetic gain. They measured flow-on effects the following mating but they did not find any additional benefits the following season. All of the benefits were realised in the first mating and in the extra replacement calves and genetic gain.

Veterinarians are finding it valuable to have evidence for farmers to show them the benefits of a heifer synchrony programme.“Thoseeconomic benefits, as well as better time management, more AB heifer calves and a faster rate of genetic gain have encouraged more farmers to consider synchronising their heifers each season,” Nortje says. “It’s certainly worth looking at for many farmers.” n

By Samantha Tennent A research study shows that synchronising heifers leads to a better conception rate. Alarge-scale research study has confirmed that heifers conceive earlier and there are fewer empties when they are synchronised with the DIB Co-Synch programme in their first mating, when compared with natural mating. This was the first study of its kind under New Zealand conditions and took place over two years in North Canterbury through Rangiora Vet Centre, with the support of AgriHealth. “We wanted to measure the reproductive outcomes for a heifer synchrony programme compared to a control group which were naturally mated,” Rangiora veterinarian Richard Nortje says. “It hadn’t been done in New Zealand under our farming management conditions before and we knew it would give us reliable information to support our farmers in their heifer mating decisions.”Theheifers involved in the study were weighed before mating started and randomly allocated to groups, some being synchronised and artificially inseminated and others being mated naturally. All of their management was the same otherwise. The study found that the synchronised heifers had improved reproductive and economic outcomes compared with their naturally mated counterparts. There were higher pregnancy rates at seven days, three weeks and four weeks in the synchronised heifers and they tended to have higher six-week in-calf rates. There were significantly more animals pregnant from the synchronised group at the end of mating. “A key benefit we saw from the synchronised group was an average of 11 more days in milk compared to the bull mating, and that means more milksolids and more income from those animals,” Nortje“Andsays.there were 3% less empty heifers at the end of the mating period in the synchronised group.”

36 DAIRY FARMER September 2022 RESEARCH Heifers in synch

“From the farmers’ perspective, there were additional benefits of knowing when animals were going to calve and being able to plan and manage accordingly,” Nortje says.

Heifer synchrony research shows higher pregnancy rates at seven days, three weeks and four weeks in the synchronised heifers – and they tend to have higher six-week in-calf rates, too.

“Plus the actual synchronisation and mating were simple to manage. There were three yardings including mating.”

The two entities share the state-of-the art research facility Te Ohu Rangahau Kai in Palmerston North, where the new position will be located.

Clerens says although there are several players in the market trying to produce lab-grown food alternatives, there is limited understanding of the nutritional repercussions of these products. Following the signing of the agreement between the two institutes, the position has been advertised globally. Clerens says cellular agriculture is still a niche area and only a select few scientists around the world are qualified in the specialty. n “It is extremely important for New Zealand to develop future capability in cellular agriculture and exploit new commercial opportunities.”

count to

in

“Mastatest has taken the guess work out of mastitis for us. Mahony, 650 cows, Waikato farmer 821 421 0800 821 421 high SCC cows identify the bug 24 somatic cell achieve milk

The Riddet Institute is a Centre of Research Excellence (CoRE), hosted by Massey University, focusing on advanced food research, and AgResearch is a Crown Research Institute specialising in the pastoral and agri-technology sectors.

or talk to your local vet Test

hours Reduce

T wo cutting-edge food research entities are combining to form a New Zealand first in advanced science, after an agreement was signed by the Riddet Institute and AgResearch recently. The first ever NZ chair in cellular agriculture has been created, with the new professorship destined for Massey University’s Palmerston North campus.

We’re to100,000cellcurehighergettingandfasterratesandourcountisdowncomparedlastyear” Paul

premiums AHMASTA-DF2.22 RESEARCH Lab-grown food under microscope

on-farm to

www.agrihealth.co.nz On-farmMastitisrapidtest Bugged by High Cell Counts? Contact us on

The position is to be jointly funded by Massey University and AgResearch. Cellular agriculture is a disruptive new technology that can produce animal protein-based foods using animal cell cultures, but without animals. The emerging field uses advances in biotechnology and will provide the means to eventually produce protein foods such as dairy- or meat-like products in a laboratory, according to AgResearch Science Group manager Stefan Clerens.

Riddet Institute director Distinguished Professor Harjinder Singh says the new joint role demonstrates the strength of the partnership between AgResearch, the Riddet Institute and Massey University. Singh says the field of cellular agriculture is rapidly growing around the world and “biotechnologies for producing animal protein-based foods without animals have the potential to significantly disrupt the traditional animal protein industry”.“Itisextremely important for New Zealand to develop future capability in cellular agriculture and exploit new commercial opportunities.”

AHMASTA-DEX2.22 Evidence based vet medicines 0800

By Samantha Tennent The Alltech ONE conference held in Kentucky in the US earlier this year covered everything from dairying to agribusiness, agritech, sustainability, climate change and more. T he largest robotic dairy farm in the world is already an enormous robotic milking operation, and has plans to expand even further. Agrícola Ancali in Chile, South America, has 90 robots milking 6,000 cows. It plans to grow to 10,000 cows with 150 milking robots in the coming years. It is producing 98.5 million litres of milk annually with aspirations of achieving 60L per cow within five years, as well as a dream to become net positive for emissions.Executive director of Agricola Ancali Pedro Heller is excited about the opportunities that technology and further expansion bring. “The benefits from the robots have been remarkable. We’ve seen 10% more production, on average an extra lactation per cow as well as better animal welfare conditions, and we decreased our labour requirements by 40%,” Heller says. “We have big visions for the future and want to become game changers. We are continually striving for excellence in our animals, our people and for the environment.”Hellerrecently spoke about Ancali’s journey and its philosophies at ONE in Kentucky in the United States, an international event hosted by Alltech. “We know we can be different and we want to be different and we are building our seal to differentiate us from other producers,” he told the conference. It deems its facilities a “cow five-star hotel” with an abundance of technology to monitor the health of the herd. It emphasises cow comfort with things like special nutrition, automatic brushes and an effort to have minimal machine noise.“Payback on our five-star hotel policy is an average of 45 litres of milk per cow produced daily, a 0.8% prevalence of mastitis, 0.5% prevalence of lameness, only 1.2% of the herd in hospital at any time,” Heller says. Its somatic cell counts are always below 120,000 with low bacteria counts and the cows are producing more than 7.5%“Wemilksolids.haveinvested a lot in welfare and technology but it pays for itself in the health status and yields the cows are producing.”AgrícolaAncali also invests a lot in its people, with a team of 505 working across the wider business and 39% focused on the complete dairy process. The business is relatively young.

38 DAIRY FARMER September 2022 SPECIAL

Agrícola Ancali in Chile is the largest robotic dairy farm in the world – and plans to expand to 10,000 cows with 150 milking robots in the coming years.

Heller’s grandmother and father bought a farm in southern Chile in 1987 and began breeding and racing horses, but his father wanted to produce more from the land. He had cropping in mind but was also considering cows when he bought a small 50-cow dairy farm in 2002.“Ishare my dad’s passion, we are a bit mad and crazy sometimes,” Heller laughs.“Butwe have come a long way in a short space of time.” Market conditions indicated they needed scale in the business. In 2006

RobotsREPORT of scale

n Executive director of Agricola Ancali Pedro Heller, presenting at Alltech ONE in the US, says the business has big visions for the future and wants to become a game changer in the excellence of its animals, people and the environment.

DAIRY FARMER September 2022 39 they expanded to 4,500 cows with rotary milking sheds. In 2008 they created their own breeding centre and continued to expand, to 6,000 cows with about 8,300ha of productive land in the operation.Thetransition to robots took place in two stages. In 2014 they compared the benefits of using a DeLaval VMS system to those of a rotary milking system, using eight robots for 500 cows. Once they realised the benefits from the perspective of economics and cow wellbeing, they explored further and modified the farm to suit an automated milking system. But environmental pressures were mounting and Ancali also diversified into producing energy through biodigesters that digest the manure. “We produce and sell energy because the market conditions were perfect for it but we were also thinking of the environment and what we can do to be sustainable.”

“Thebusiness.benefits

bylabourandwelfarewelllactationonmoreWe’veremarkable.seen10%production,averageanextrapercowasasbetteranimalconditions,wedecreasedourrequirements40%.”PedroHeller

A large farm needs a large team to keep the operation running smoothly and Agrícola Ancali has 505 people working across the wider from the robots have been

The operation continues to analyse business opportunities and has plans to leverage its unique production system into the niche A2 market. It is also planning to expand internationally, starting in the US, and has interests in vertical farming and aquaponics and is developing the first heavy-duty vertical farm in Chile. It is also developing a second wind farm in Ancali’s paddocks.

“We have the team capabilities, we have the knowledge and we are constantly learning and investing in technology and processes,” Heller says. As a business, it is aiming to take more control of feeding costs as feed currently accounts for 55% of operating expenses. And the team are constantly striving to be more efficient and sustainable, with a vision of being the most efficient dairy in the world in relation to the amount of water used to produce milk. But Ancali’s biggest ambition is to be recognised by the consumer. “We have a lot of information and we need to be able to tell it to the consumer,” says Heller. “We need to be open and share information, so maybe in the future if you go to the supermarket and scan a QR code you might be able to know what cow you are drinking milk from and what part of the world she is in, and hopefully we can lead the charge for something like that.”

valuescreateneededtoconsumerstartedgenuine,”towiththeysupermarket“Sometimesinseminated.withpartnershipstrytobetoocontrollingthingslikewhichbullsuseanditdoesn’tfeelHalheadsays.“ButwithBuitelaarwewithwhatthewantsandwewentthefarmerssayingwetoworkwiththemtothatproduct.”HalheadsaysBuitelaarthedairysector

consumer.andonwhichagriculture,thefocusestheandwithwithPhilipGeneticsNorbreckownerHalhead,wifeRachelsonsMaxAngus,sayscompanyonfutureofcentressustainabilitythe

Norbreck Genetics Longhorn, a breed native to the United Kingdom.

40 DAIRY FARMER September 2022 SPECIAL

When UK dairy farmer soldHalheadPhiliphisbull for £5000 he thought he was getting a pretty good deal. That is until three years later, when he found out how much that bulls’ semen was selling for. That became the inspiration for his own business, Norbreck Genetics, which he has established alongside the family dairy farm based in Cockerham, Lancaster in the United Kingdom.“Afterhearing about the success from that first bull I refused to sell the next bull to a breeding company and developed my own. The rest is history as they say,” Halhead said during his presentation at Alltech’s ONE, which was held in Lexington, Kentucky, earlier this year. “At Norbreck we look to the future of agriculture, which centres on sustainability, the consumer, who is king, and I truly believe dairy farmers are the beef producers of the future.”Hewants more of the value seen across the supply chain with profits shared more fairly. And he recognises that, for the future of sustainability, both business and environmental, farmers will need to do more with less and that will require the very best people.

SustainableREPORT

Halhead says. “And when you put a story together you will drive consumers to choose one of the higher value pieces on the menu and not downgrade to pasta or a chicken dish.”

The Buitelaar scheme wants calves at 55kg around a month old. They have an arrangement with farmers on a set price for the calves that gets confirmed before the cow is

“I left university at 21 with no leadership skills, and no matter what sector you are involved with, there is a lack of leadership and I think that’s the biggest challenge in agriculture,” Halhead says. He has been part of establishing a scheme with the Buitelaar Group that connects the consumer and producer through a production story. “It’s becoming increasingly important to provide food with a story, particularly in the UK, where we have a generally wealthy population compared to other parts of the“Inworld.alot of places, red meat is becoming unaffordable, when you think about the inputs required to get one kilogram of red meat protein compared with fish or chicken or other protein sources.“Redmeat will become a luxury and much more highly valued than what we see today.”Halhead spends most of his time at the consumer end of the market, thinking about the future, not just for his business but for what consumers“Particularlywant.in the highly developed areas around Europe and the UK we need to think about what they’re going to want to eat and what they’ll be willing to pay for,”

By Samantha Tennent A UK dairy run in conjunction with a beef genetics business has an exciting production story to tell consumers.

relationships

Norbreck Genetics provides beef semen for the Buitelaar Group in a scheme that connects the consumer and producer through a production story. Norbreck offers a range of breeds, including Strawberry-Field-Northstar, a British Blue.

“Which means there is sharing of margins and a common purpose with excited consumers: what a story.”Norbreck Genetics provides the beef semen for the scheme, offering a range of breeds. The business has been growing exponentially over the past eight years. It has 10 farmers who test the semen to determine the gestation length, calving ease and quality of the calves as they follow them through the chain so farmers can have confidence in the bulls they choose.“Sometimes in business you need a bit of luck, but our developments in genetics over the years have given us the expertise and as a dairy farmer myself I am one of my customers and I am very proud of that,” Halhead says. And the concept fits perfectly with sexed semen, which has significantlyadvancedoverthe past couple of decades. The technology had flaws when it was first developed and began to be used in Europe in the early 2000s, but in about 2010 it began to improve. And from 2017 onwards it has had incredible growth.

“There was a drive to work with the farmers that have the health protocols in place for the calves –and thinking about who is doing a good job, we know dairy farms are a good option.” Philip Halhead

“It’s all building on the story for the consumer and driving towards sustainability for the future,” Halhead says. n

DAIRY FARMER September 2022 as dairy herds provide an excellent base since there are thousands of the same type of cow and dairying has good levels of experience and its operations are fine-tuned.

“There was a drive to work with the farmers that have the health protocols in place for the calves – and thinking about who is doing a good job, we know dairy farms are a good“Typicallyoption.calves leave dairy farms healthy, unimpacted by pneumonia, have the right levels of colostrum at birth etcetera, and achieve target live“Soweights.nowthe farmers have the milk cheque coming into the farm, the cull value of the cow coming off that farm and now, in big numbers, they can sell calves to Buitelaar.

opportunitiesHybrid

The number of dairy farmers in the US using beef breeds over their herds to produce beef for the market has grown substantially.

A round 33 million cattle are harvested annually for beef in the United States, with 20% of those animals originating in the dairy industry. A recent shift has seen the majority of that 20% being dairy cross beef animals, as opposed to the purebred dairy animals such as Holstein steers that it used to be. Two industry experts spoke about this trend at ONE, hosted by Alltech in Kentucky earlier this year. Both Dr Dale Woerner from the department of animal and food sciences at Texas Tech University and Mike de Groot, a founding partner and director of TD Beef, believe there is huge potential for the dairy cross beef animal. “It isn’t a new concept for beef to originate from dairy cows,” Woerner says. “But it is new to see so many animals coming from dairy crossed with beef rather than pure dairy breeds and we’ve seen a huge shift in a short timeframe.” He highlighted the notable changes in semen sales in the US, with more beef semen being used and less dairy. The trend was kicked off in 2017 when the market saw value slashed for Holstein steers.“Beef packers decided to discount Holstein steers for a variety of reasons, as these animals weren’t producing the same as traditional beef, which resulted in little to no value for that by-product,” Woerner says. “So those economic signals certainly influenced dairy farmers to do something different and that’s the drastic shift in the semen sales with the upturn of beef semen on dairy operations.” Woerner and his team at the university have been researching the value of dairy cross beef animals and how they fit in the industry. He speaks of the known benefits of conventional beef having faster growth rates, better gut health and higher dressing percentages than dairy breeds. And how they are more muscular and their steak is more symmetrical with better colour, making it more desirable to the consumer. But in contrast, the dairy cross beef animal has its own favourable traits, such as genetic consistency and more tender meat. Dairy genetics have the tendency to produce more marbling, they are leaner on average and their tender beef can be more flavourful than conventional beef.Researchers have also looked into whether breeding dairy animals to beef genetics has any impact on fertility and overall productivity and lactation. Apart from an increase in gestation length of 2-3 days on average, there are no other negative impacts. “Total productivity, in terms of the total milk produced, is at least no different

By Samantha Tennent

42 DAIRY FARMER September 2022

“There’s a large sustainability message there and a reduction in days on feed is good news for farmers,” Woerner says.

De Groot also shared his views and spoke about the work being done at TD Beef.

He can see how farmers are recognising they need to integrate with the beef industry as much as possible to protect themselves from the volatility of the milk market. And the integration supports traceability.

“It’s a logistical win because there is no need to keep track of which meat came from which type of animal to ensure its displayed separately,” Woerner says.

“At TD Beef we understand the value of collaboration and we focus on rewarding every shareholder in the supply chain from conception to consumption, which has positive environmental impacts too,” De Groot says.

“Dairy farmers understand the concept of the same product being valued differently for different reasons, for example, lower somatic cell count milk is more valuable than high somatic cell count milk.

“Our international markets tell us they want a traceable product and until recently there were few options as the traditional beef market isn’t as well equipped.“Bututilising more dairy-based animals opens that door because not only is there a record of which farm it came from, but which cow, the day it was inseminated, which bull it was inseminated to and everything following through the feeding and finishing phase.

“It’s a great story to be able to tell.” n

Dr Dale Woerner from the department of animal and food sciences at Texas Tech University says beef originating from dairy is not new but the number of animals is.

The dairy cross beef meat product also has proven to have more favourable traits than purebred dairy meat. For example in a retail setting, steaks from Holstein steers need to be separated due to the differences in appearance.Theyhave sharper angles and are slightly darker in colour, which makes them less desirable to the consumer. But with dairy cross beef, there is no significant noticeable colour difference or appearance to conventional beef, so they are able to be sold together.

“It’s the same with the calves they are producing and it’s great to see more dairy farmers are embracing that they are producing meat animals and the quality is as important as it is in milk.”

TD Beef director Mike de Groot says farmers recognise the need to integrate with the beef industry to protect themselves from the volatility of the milk market.

DAIRY FARMER September 2022 43 SPECIAL REPORT

The quality of meat animals is as important as it is in producing milk. from the traditional production system of using dairy bulls and dairy cows, so there isn’t a loss in productivity on the dairy farm when they shift to beef genetics,” Woerner says. And looking at efficiency and how those animals perform when they enter the feedlots, they find the dairy cross beef has similar results to conventional beef in terms of days on feed, where the purebred dairy steers would have to be on the feedlot around 75-100 days more in comparison to those crossbreeds.

Sarah Smart oversees animal health at Hillbrook Dairies, a 200ha farm milking 645 cows in North Otago.

Smart oversees animal health at Hillbrook Dairies, a 200ha farm milking 645 cows in North Otago. With a SCC between 120,000 and 200,000, the situation wasn’t serious. “We just wanted to do better. Mastitis was a niggly issue we couldn’t seem to crack,” sheFromsays.testing the herd four times a year, the team knew which cows had a high SCC. They were not aware, however, of the exact pathogens causing the ongoing problem, or any other factors that might have been negatively impacting teat condition. “We thought we were dealing with chronically infected Staph aureus cows. We had prescribed medication and we were treating the animals accordingly,” Smart says.

Solving a mastitis problem

Strep dysgalactiae is an environmental contagious mastitis associated with teat endCNSdamage.isanopportunistic bacteria that lives on teat skin and will elevate SCC as the cow has an immune response. “Having this information was handy. “We looked to the plant for the causes of Strep dysgalactiae. We immediately found that different length milk tubes were affecting cup alignment, which, with associated tension and cup slips, can often cause teat damage. We also checked the cup-remover settings to ensure the cows were not being over milked. Once those were sorted, we started to see improvements very quickly.

Falconer advised Smart to continue with chlorhexidine-based teat spray until they were on top of the Strep dysgalactiae problem.

“At the time, the team were using a chlorhexidine-based teat spray. We have learnt that chlorhexidine works best against Strep dysgalactiae. In fact, it is the only pathogen which responds better to chlorhexidine and not iodine.”

44 DAIRY FARMER September 2022 ANIMAL HEALTH

K nowledge is power,” says farm manager Sarah Smart, who had experienced a high incidence of clinical mastitis for seven years and was treating 20% of the herd annually. Today, the farm is on top of the mastitis issue with more knowledge and better practice, and the herd’s somatic cell count (SCC) is the lowest it has ever been.

“

With no response to treatment and elevated somatic cell count, she contacted FIL area manager Kirk Falconer.“Looking into the history, it was clear that there had been a problem ever since the shed was built seven years ago,” Falconer says. “Sarah thought that because it was Staph aureus, they either had to live with it or cull a lot of cows. “Our advice was to dig a little deeper, find out what was going on within the milk and identify exactly which pathogens we were dealing with.”

A diagnostic bulk milk sample from the vat revealed some unexpected results. Developed by Farm Medix and delivered on farm by FIL’s team, the bulk milk test helps determine exactly what pathogens are present in the milk and whether it is coming from the cows or is related to hygiene. The test includes a comprehensive strategic action report that addresses the root cause of the pathogens found. “There wasn’t a Staph aureus problem,” Falconer“Instead,says.we were dealing with Streptococcus dysgalactiae and Coagulase-negative staphylococci (CNS).”

If a mastitis case presents, she now cultures the samples herself using the Farm Medix Check-Up kit. “Using CheckUp, we find out exactly what pathogens we are dealing with in each case. In some cases, we don’t need to treat the cows. We also know that if we do come across a staph cow, she needs to be managed differently.“Withasignificant change in cell count this year versus last year, I’m confident in the decisions we’re making. Our goal is to average under 100 (SCC) for the whole season and we’re on track to achieve that.”Will she do anything else differently going forward? “Yes,” she answers. “We will totally implement the 10-step spring milking procedures. By taking short cuts last spring, we fully paid for it. Having seen other farms implement it well, it makes perfect sense. It’s all about doing the simple steps properly.” n Come calving, Sarah made the switch to Iodoshield Active, an iodine-based teat spray, to get a wider span of protection against environmental pathogens.

The diagnostic bulk milk test helps determine exactly what mastitis-causing pathogens are present in the milk and whether it is coming from the cows or is hygiene that because it was Staph aureus, they either had to live with it or cull a lot of cows. Our advice was to dig a little deeper, identify exactly which pathogens we were dealing with.”Kirk Falconer

Smart admits, the team took a few short cuts, which resulted in cases of mastitis again last spring. Falconer returned to review the steps with the team and rectify the problem.

After calving, with the team following the spring milking procedures to the letter, Strep dysgalactiae rectified and environmental pathogens under control, they addressed the CNS problem. The most common mastitis pathogen on NZ dairy farms, CNS seldom causes clinical mastitis and is usually related to ineffective teat spraying. For example, not covering teats well, or not adding enoughFalconer’semollient.advice was to increase emollient in the teat spray solution to help improve teat condition. He also finetuned the teat-spraying programme with training to ensure the team were getting good coverage of the teats. With an average SCC of 100,000 so far this season, Smart is thrilled with the progress they have made. “Mastitis cost us a lot in treatment, time and having the constant risk of a penicillin grade. Thanks to the work we’ve done with FIL and Farm Medix, we have gained good knowledge,” she says. “After that bulk milk test, we suddenly knew what we were dealing with, what was causing it, and we could put steps in to rectify it.”

“Sarahrelated.thought

DAIRY FARMER September 2022 45 Come spring and calving, there was a need to deal with environmental pathogens that were coming through. In this instance, iodine-based teat sprays have proven more effective. So, the team made the switch to Iodoshield Active to get a wider span of protection. At the same time, Falconer introduced the FIL 10-step spring milking procedures into the mix. “The key reason to use this is to eliminate the 2-4 day mastitis that typically arises on New Zealand dairy farms,” he Unfortunately,says.

Released 20 years ago, Metacam remains the world’s leading non-steroidal anti-inflammatory for the control of pain and inflammation in livestock. As a pioneering brand, it has pushed boundaries and claimed additional benefits in improving outcomes and cow comfort every day. n

James Laidlaw, Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health veterinarian, says the need to offer a wider suite of pain relief treatments than just the one required under the code of welfare makes sense, given the pain ranking a procedure like disbudding has. “It is one of the more painful routine practices performed on farms, with the pain occurring in two main phases. One is the initial response immediately after disbudding. The other is the inflammatory phase, which is more prolonged and extends beyond both this initial phase and the effects of local anaesthetic.”Combining a local anaesthetic and a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory pain relief treatment when disbudding has proven to have a highly positive impact on the animal’s overall pain experience. “The use of a non-steroidal treatment helps mitigate the inflammatory pain that inevitably occurs once the local has wornButoff.”not all non-steroidal pain management drugs are equal.

HEALTHGain without pain

Laidlaw says New Zealand farmers can take pride in their approach to recognising animals experience pain, and for taking steps to help mitigate that pain.“And now a few years on, we are witnessing what all good science should deliver, more understanding on the subject, and use of Metacam to help us better manage the comfort and recovery of our farming animals.”

46 DAIRY FARMER September 2022 ANIMAL

Research has shown Metacam to be one of the most effective at dealing with inflammatory pain, helping to manage and minimize pain in cattle for up to three days after a single injection, covering the period when disbudding pain can “Studieslast.looking at Metacam globally have shown a single injection 10 minutes prior to disbudding can provide genuine long-term pain relief for these calves, having a significant impact on their comfort and recovery afterwards.”

“We used to notice a bit of a growth check in them after disbudding, and since using Metacam that has not been the case. We really noticed it one year when we did not use it, just how much that difference was.”

Lyndon Duff Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health veterinarian James Laidlaw says disbudding is a painful procedure and pain relief should be administered to aid recovery.

Fast-forward to today and it is this research that has led to the understanding that a procedure like disbudding will produce an acute pain response, followed by inflammatory pain that extends well beyond the reach of a local anaesthetic. Findings also indicate disbudding pain can last for three days after the initial procedure.

Further work has also revealed longer term gains in animal productivity if a painful procedure is dealt with at the time it is carried out. There is evidence pain management during disbudding can be associated with better daily weight gains during the recovery phase, and increased milk intake.Balfour dairy farmer Lyndon Duff has been using the product for several years when disbudding his calves. He says adding it to the procedure has ensured the calves avoid a growth check and move on from what can be an otherwise unpleasant exercise.

The New Zealand Veterinary Association recommends a combination of products, a local anaesthetic, a nonsteroidal pain reliever and sedation as the best approach to managing the pain associated with disbudding.

By Richard Rennie N EW Zealand farmers can take pride in being among the first in the world to incorporate higher standards of pain management than minimum legal requirements in routine husbandry procedures such as calf disbudding. This is largely thanks to the substantial body of research that Boehringer Ingelheim has contributed towards a better understanding of the physiological and behavioural impact of pain in livestock.Butrewind to 20 years ago and the understanding of cow comfort was a very different story. There were virtually no scientific standards to measure wellbeing in farm animals, and the level of pain they experienced was not particularly well understood. This encouraged Boehringer Ingelheim to further study the impact of their long-acting anti-inflammatory pain relief Metacam on pain associated with everyday farming practices.

“We used to notice a bit of a growth check in them after disbudding, and since using Metacam that has not been the case. We really noticed it one year when we did not use it, just how much that difference was.”

Who am I? Samantha Tennent is the general manager of WelFarm.

68%

“The best opportunity to seek cycling cows is to spend time watching the herd’s behaviour after they have had a good feed.”

68%

Observing cow behaviour can help take the guesswork out, particularly if tail paint or aids aren’t clear enough. The best opportunity to seek cycling cows is to spend time watching the herd’s behaviour after they have had a good feed. The cow that is standing to be ridden is on heat. The cow that is doing the riding or hanging out in a sexually active group is likely to be coming on heat.Knowing your cows is key and when you spot they are not in their normal routine, for example in a different milking order, it’s a good sign they may be cycling.Keeping good records helps a lot too. If there are questions about a heat, mark it on the records so when she is detected on heat again you can use all the information available to make a decision. If the interval from the last recorded heat is outside the normal range you will know if the last one was questionable or perhaps the latest one is. And if there are an increasing number of uncertain heats, you may need to review your methods.Review during the season and bring in the experts to help monitor progress. It’s no good waiting till the end hoping everything went well. Keep your finger on the pulse and make adjustments when needed. And don’t be afraid to change or add aids part way through mating – sometimes something fresh can help tired eyes, especially when there are fewer cows cycling. Whatever your approach, having adequate support will help things run smoothly. Connect with the experts around you, ask them to help you analyse previous seasons and monitor throughout mating. Use tools like WelFarm to benchmark your seasonal progress against yourself and others. n

67%

DAIRY FARMER September 2022 47 ANIMAL HEALTH

68%

63%

Watch out for cows hanging around in a sexually active group. Region in-calfsix-weekrate / Auckland Waikato / BOP Taranaki Manawatu North Island average Canterbury Otago Southland South Island average 2021-22 season reproduction results in WelFarm

TennentSamantha How’s your heat detection?

71%

70%

67%

64%

T he results we see for reproductive performance in WelFarm are consistent with Dairy Statistics, which suggests there are opportunities for New Zealand dairy farmers to improve. And with the mating season approaching, it is a good time for farms to review their heat-detection strategies. Heat detection is only one piece of the puzzle towards good reproductive performance but it is easily influenced on farm, and the whole team can contribute. Start by reviewing last season’s performance, identify the opportunities to improve and utilise support to formulate a plan that will work best for you. Veterinarians, breeding companies and advisors can offer valuable advice in this space. And involve the whole team, it needs to be practical and they need to understand the importance of getting it right.Getting the basics right can make a huge difference, ensuring your heat-detection kit is well stocked with tail paint and any heat-detection aids you plan to use. Best practice recommendations from DairyNZ’s InCalf programme promote a combination of paddock observation, tail paint and heat mount detectors to cover all bases and remove any guesswork. Have plans for who is responsible for what and when it should be done. Ensure everyone knows what to look for and agree on a system for recording cows spotted in heat. Encourage junior team members to look out for cows they think are showing heat signs and cross reference with whoever has the primary responsibility of detecting heats. It is a great learning experience.

Northland

By Samantha Tennent Continuing our Road to Dairying series, we catch up with a Southland farmer with a hunger to learn and grow. K een for a challenge, George Dodson hunted for an opportunity in Southland to help fast-track his progress in the dairy sector. He successfully landed a managing role on a 550-cow spring calving farm belonging to Fortuna Group this season. An impressive feat for a 20-year-old.“Southland felt like a bigger challenge and a chance to earn my stripes,” Dodson says.“And it’s always felt like home so it’s great to be back and I’m excited about securing a role with Fortuna.” He was originally from Southland where his family were farming, but they left farming and moved to Canterbury when he was 11. He always knew he wanted to be a farmer. “During school, I would drive tractors and relief milk and work during weekends. I loved everything about it,” DodsonWhensays.hefinished school he was a casual farm worker for about nine months before he secured a role as a dairy assistant with Toni Dodunski, who he knew he would learn a lot from. “I’m always hungry to learn and want to learn from good people. Toni was a great boss and really got me started,” Dodson says. He spent two seasons with Dodunski before moving south. There was a connection to the Fortuna group through Dodunski’s father, David. And Dodson was attracted to the support network available. Fortuna group have farm managers on each farm and supervisors who oversee about five farms each, which was appealing. “The setup with the supervisors was a big draw card for me, having a mentor while I’m new in my managing journey. I’m really keen to do the best I can.”

He can also see how it helped his farming knowledge in general and benefited his wider skills, and he is looking forward to entering the manager category next time. “I’ll keep entering every opportunity I can, especially now I’m managing. It’s an opportunity to get feedback on the farm as a whole, what we can improve, not just myself.”

Outside of the farm he is involved in the local New Zealand Young Farmers club Thornbury and plays hockey on weekends.Heisareal advocate for the dairy sector and promotes it as a serious option for other young people. And he encourages everyone to take chances and learn from everything they can. “I always tell people to throw themselves at every opportunity. There are always chances to grow and there aren’t any negatives to growth.” n George Dodson grew up on the family farm before it was sold. Years later he has returned to his roots and is now managing a 550-cow farm in Southland.

He is also studying towards his Level 4 through Primary ITO and is focused on developing his financial knowledge. He has ambitions of having skin in the game through a dairy business of some sort in the near future.

“I’m not exactly sure what that will look like yet though. If farm ownership isn’t the right fit then I won’t go down that path but I do want to get more involved and will hopefully be contract milking or sharemilking within the next couple of years.”Meanwhile, his ambitions for his current role centre on his team. There is a 2IC on the farm but limited housing has presented challenges to securing team members. So, familiar with the concept launched by Dodunski, Ag Assist, Dodson suggested using a team of casuals.

48 DAIRY FARMER September 2022 ROAD TO

LearningDAIRYING

He has also learnt a lot through the New Zealand Dairy Industry Awards. He entered in his first season with Dodunski after a friend encouraged him to give it a go. He knew his technical knowledge was his weakness but used it as an opportunity to learn from the feedback he got from the judges. He developed a training programme when he entered the awards again. He was confident in his practical skills but knew he needed to develop his technical knowledge, and committed to reading for at least half an hour every evening. “I’d be reading stuff online or looking through farming newspapers and magazines,” Dodson says. “It seemed small but it made a huge difference and I got third place for the Canterbury dairy trainee category.”

“It will be a first-in, first-served basis and frees up my 2IC, Liam, and I up to do the rest of the work and focus on the things that make the money: cows and grass.”Dodson is always striving to improve and has his sights set on getting the Fortuna Group best farm manager title one day. “I want to keep things improving in all aspects of the farm and for the farm and team to be recognised, not just me.”

acceleration

“We are lucky to be close to town so we’ve decided to find people who prefer flexible working options,” Dodson says. “We will set up shifts for relief milking, spraying and other odd jobs that don’t require much decision making.

DAIRY FARMER September 2022 49

UndervisitpumptheFortipsandideas,farmstrong.co.nz

Sam Whitelock AmbassadorFarmstrong Recognise the signs

Farmstrong ambassador Sam Whitelock passes on insights about how to take care of yourself. I t’s important to recognise when you are under the pump so you can do something about it. We all have only so much coping space and when we have multiple things coming at us, that gets squeezed. This shows in different ways for different people. Some people become irritable. Others go silent and withdraw. What are your tell-tale signs?

The Farmstrong “Under the Pump” checklist is a good place to find out. Prioritise workload There’s always a to-do list as long as your arm on a farm. That’s why it’s important to prioritise your work especially during busy times. What are the top two or three tasks you need to work on today? Once you’re feeling back in charge of your schedule, your stress levels will go down. Look after the basics When we’re really busy, the things that go out the window are often the things that keep us well and help us cope. So make sure you eat well, get enough quality sleep, keep active and do the hobbies or activities you enjoy. Anything that boosts your mood and energy levels will help you manage busier periods. Schedule recovery time I embrace pressure as part of my job, but when I get the opportunity, I also step away from it and make sure I recharge. That’s because I’ve learnt that no one can just go hammer-down the whole time, and you need to step away. I head home into a different world after rugby so I make sure I’m not just focusing on one thing. If you’re only thinking about rugby or farming all day, every day, of course it will start to get on top of you. So it’s important to do something else, whether it’s with your family or a hobby or catching up with mates outside the industry. Something different.Ifyourcurrent workload won’t allow that, build mini breaks into your day. Even a 15-minute break to “reset” mentally and physically can make a big difference to how you feel. Keep perspective Many people only know me as a rugby player and rugby is a big part of my life, but the reality is I also have other things going on in my life, so when a setback happens on the field, I don’t let that define who I am as a person. Yes, losing a rugby game still hurts but I tell myself I’m still a father, a husband, a son with a great family. That’s the most important thing. Sometimes you’ve just got to accept your setbacks and move on. Remember, a setback also offers an opportunity to learn and do better next time. Have a natter I know through the work I do for Farmstrong how important it is to keep talking and check on those who might have dropped off the radar and stopped communicating during challenging times. Just listening can be a huge help to someone who is feeling under the pump. So if you see someone struggling, start that conversation, ask them how they’re going and make time for a proper catch-up, whether it’s over a coffee or at the pub. Visit the Farmstrong website to brush up on your listening skills beforehand. Make your wellbeing a priority Treat yourself and your team as your farm’s biggest asset. Make wellbeing a business priority and invest in the simple habits that make people more resilient – connecting with mates, learning new things, keeping active, enjoying simple pleasures and helping friends and community. Visit the Farmstrong website to see what other farmers are doing and lock in whatever works for you. n Farmstrong ambassador Sam Whitelock says there are several things farmers can do when they are feeling overwhelmed – but taking care of yourself is a priority.

FARMSTRONG

By Cheyenne Nicholson

The study looks at what production has been gained in recent years from IPS and what suitable substitutes could be implemented here in NZ. It is also collating the current drivers for dairy farmers to continue importing supplements, considerations when purchasing, and how their operations would change if they could only use NZ produced supplements. Essentially,

it asks: what would the net total production loss be from removing IPS with and without introducing New Zealand-produced supplements?

ZeroRENEWALsupplementdairysystems

“With all the pressures on dairy farming in New Zealand and added supply chain pressures due to everything going on in the world, this project is really just the tip of the iceberg,” McCorquindale

W hat would happen if New Zealand’s dairy industry stopped using internationally produced supplements? That’s the question one Rural Professionals Fund project is looking into. The Rural Professionals Fund, launched in May 2020 by the Our Land and Water National Science Challenge, enables individuals and businesses to partner with scientists to test exciting and innovative ideas that could lead to improvements in farming systems.

McCorquindale and team member Sean Nixon have been working alongside a handful of Waikato-based farmers for the research, to address their key questions and gain a more practical understanding of the implications of removing or reducing the imported supplements from a variety of farm systems.“Oneof the farmers has been on a journey to fully change his system over a three-year window from a system that’s historically been quite reliant on IPS to one that relies more on home-grown feed. It’s a process, and you can’t just flip a switch. I’ve been working with farmers in this space for a while so when I heard about this research, I knew I wanted to be involved,” McCorquindale says.

This project, led by farm consultant Regan McCorquindale, is looking at how NZ can tackle the effects of internationally produced supplements on dairy farm businesses.

Improvements in technology, pasture species and crops could lead to farmers reducing their reliance on imported feed.

Internationallysays.produced supplements (IPS) have played a major role in the NZ dairy industry to support the growth in our national herd over the past few Butdecades.with big improvements in pasture species, crop diversity, growing methodology and genetics, the question is being raised by many as to whether these supplements still have a place in our farm systems. “I don’t think IPS need to be excluded from the system altogether. They have their place, especially in navigating the severe weather events we’ve had a lot of in recent years, but reducing our reliance would make farming and the business of farming more sustainable in several ways – from environmental to economic. It would also bring back a level of control to maintain consistent availability and nutritional value in our feed.” With palm kernel prices rising from about $280/t in March 2019 to $470480/t in March 2022, PKE and other IPS are becoming more costly, are often negatively viewed by the consumer, and often vary hugely in nutritional value. “As an industry, we’ve hit this point of peak cow and are facing the need to make some big changes to our systems to keep the industry thriving and sustainable. It makes sense to look at options and changes we can make at home to reduce the cost on our wallets and our land.”

Farm consultant Regan McCorquindale is looking at how New Zealand could tackle the effects of internationally produced supplements on dairy farm businesses.

50 DAIRY FARMER September 2022 PASTURE & CROPPING

“Theresystems.could be a niche market out there for exporting a dairy product that is solely made from 100% New Zealand inputs. It also feeds into the image of the New Zealand dairy industry. But that’s a bit of blue sky thinking for now.”

n

Over the past decade, huge leaps have been made in what we are able to grow on our own land. With the ability to grow crops and grasses in places we previously couldn’t, to cultivars that hold up to the changing climate, McCorquindale says, we have huge potential to grow a lot more than we currently do. A great example of the ongoing research in what we can grow is another Rural Professionals Fund Project, investigating summer-safe multi-species cattle pasture. The project is looking to improve the climate resilience of upper North Island hill country farms by identifying a high-performing fodder mix that combines crop, cereal and pasture species. The adoption of “summer safe” fodder could fill the increasingly challenging feed gap and provide farmers with the flexibility to reduce IPS inputs, particularly PKE. An easy win, which many farmers are doing already, is maize silage and utilising a variety of summer and winter crops to fill feed deficits in key parts of the year. Some farmers also dabble in feeding food scraps from cafes and restaurants and other more out-of-thebox thinking. With a fledging agtech industry in NZ, there are sure to be other supplement options in the future as well. McCorquindale says the biggest issue isn’t so much the what, it’s the where. “We only have so much farmland, and we’re not converting more, so it’s not as easy as saying just increase your cropping, for example. So then it becomes an issue of needing to retire land to grow this supplement and potentially reducing stock numbers to support it. “We also need to look at the best areas to grow this supplement to maximise the investment.”Aspartofthe study, the team will be looking into the environmental impacts of switching to more New Zealandgrown supplement using OVERSEER and FARMAX models to monitor nitrate loss and greenhouse gas emissions.

With palm kernel prices rising from around $280/t in March 2019 to $470-480/t in March 2022, PKE and other internationally produced supplements are becoming more costly. A study is under way looking at whether homegrown feed and

“Ultimately, and what the study will undoubtedly show us, is that we don’t have enough land to substitute the amount of IPS we are bringing in now, so the net effect is less production either through less production per farm or from fewer dairy farms.”

McCorquindale says that one particularly interesting part of the puzzle, which they won’t be able to investigate in this round of research, is comparing the environmental footprint of growing more feed at home to that of importing IPS. “We know those ships aren’t the greenest pieces of machinery out there, so I’d be curious to look into that at some stage on a professional level.”

Perhaps the biggest challenge of all if NZ is to reduce its reliance on IPS would be around farmer buy-in. Many farmers are likely to be on board and support increasing the supplement produced here and trying out alternative supplement sources, but ultimately this means some land will have be retired or undergo land use change to support it.

“The biggest challenge here is what does the farmer want to do. A farmer might not want to retire good grazing for crops and reduce their stock numbers, so there’s that to factor into it as well.

supplements.producedinternationallycouldpasturereplace

The outcomes from the study will be conservatively scaled up at a national level to see where the opportunity is to create an industry that is reliant on locally produced feed alternatives.

DAIRY FARMER September 2022 51

While there are many challenges associated with the idea of reducing reliance on IPS, it could open some doors when it comes to adding value to our farm

Farmer interest in the project has been high, with many acknowledging the need to keep ahead of the curve and reduce exposure to the volatile international feed markets while keeping their cows fed, happy, and healthy.

“Feeding highly nutritious feed that is able to be tweaked a bit when needed has been key for a lot of farmers of the years, which is why IPS has become so important for many, and lots of farmers do so profitably. So if this study led to something substantive, it would really be about balancing all the different needs; animal welfare, logistics, environmental, financial and so on for it work.”

Your Farm Source TSR is ready to work with you on developing a feed plan based on local insights, your farm’s requirements and topography, and your Farm Insights Report. Plus we’ve locked in prices on a wide range of products, including seed and ag-chem, until the end of November. Visit nzfarmsource.co.nz/spring for more information TRUSTED RELATIONSHIPSVENDOR& PRODUCTS TECHNICAL EXPERTISE & ONGOING FARMPERSONALISEDSUPPORTINSIGHTS GROW WITHON-FARMYOURFEEDCERTAINTY

The information in this article was sourced from DairyNZ’s Feeding Cows in Spring bookletatdairynz.co.nz/publications/feed

KEY POINTS

PASTURE & CROPPING RENEWAL

DAIRY FARMER September 2022 53

2. In most cases, you’ll only need to feed supplements if there is a deficit in early lactation.

If there’s enough pasture, pasture is enough If cows are in good condition and receiving good nutrition during mating, supplementary feed may not be required as it is only one factor affecting reproduction. A s mating approaches, it’s time to consider the cost of supplements and the time spent feeding them out –time that might be better spent on heat detection. Can cows get in calf on a pasture-only diet? Yes. If there’s adequate feed, such as pasture residuals of 1500kg-1600kg DM/ ha and good pasture allocation, there are no reproductive benefits from feeding additional supplements.

Also, if intakes are restricted during the mating period (due to a feed deficit, prolonged adverse weather or poor pasture utilisation) then reduced reproduction is likely to be less than expected. Can I take out supplements during mating? Yes, if energy supplied by pasture is adequate. Past research shows there’s no impact on submission, conception, six-week in-calf or final pregnancy rates when dietary supplements are removed just before mating. Isn’t nutrition the main factor affecting reproduction? No, it’s only one factor. Others are genetics, bull management, heat detection, cow health, calving pattern, heifer management, non-cyclers, and cow condition at calving and mating. Does body condition score affect reproduction? BCS at mating is a key driver of cow cycling and the six-week in-calf rate. This is largely set by BCS at calving (so aim for targets of 5.5 for two- and three-year-olds and 5.0 for older cows). Cows naturally lose body condition after calving, based on genetics and BCS at calving. Providing additional feed would have little effect on reducing this loss. Instead, focus on achieving target grazing residuals so there’s good quality pasture available during mating. So, what’s the best decision? It’s up to you to decide whether the cost (including time and labour) involved in feeding out supplements is justified by need and any benefits. If you do decide to use supplements, it doesn’t matter what kind; it’s the megajoules of metabolisable energy per kilogram of dry matter (MJME/kg DM), and the cost, that count. n

MORE: See dairynz.co.nz/supplements

1. Save your time and money: if there is enough pasture, pasture is enough.

3. Choose supplements based on cents/ MJ ME – focus on feed energy, not type of feed.

There have been large trials internationally looking at the success of male-sexed semen, and ST Genetics NZ is putting several bulls through a progeny test programme to have additional NZspecific data backing the product. “We are looking for a balance, particularly around calving ease and gestation length, and we have been trying to get growth and carcase data to validate that the animals will be worth rearing and that they can compete with traditional beef out the other side.”

DAIRY FARMER September 2022 55 BETTER BULLS BETTER CALVES

The company has begun a calving survey to collect data from NZ systems and is keen to follow some of the calves through the supply chain to understand their value as beef animals.

reliableafarmerssemensaysBroadbridgeCharlottespecialistmale-sexedwillhelpproduceconsistent,product.

“We can clearly see the value in the overseas markets. With dairy cross beef animals making a significant portion of animals on feedlots in the USA for example, a lot of beef originates from the dairy“Butindustry.itwilltake time to see the shift in the industry. People can be hesitant about dairy cross beef animals because they look different and they develop differently, but we want to make it clear they can still be a money maker and are a great option for many farmers.” With experience in both the dairy and red meat sectors, Broadbridge appreciates the challenges both sides face with animal suitability. But she can see the opportunity for both industries to work together as the pressures on bobby calves continue to mount in NZ.

n By Samantha Tennent

I t is always a juggle to create a valuable product suitable for both the dairy and beef sectors, but ST Genetics NZ has released new technology that benefits both. Its latest gender-sorting semen product has beef semen that has been sexed to male-only, giving dairy farmers more options to drive value from their non-replacement calves.“Male sexed semen is already widely used in the USA and the UK and it’s great New Zealand farmers will be able to use it this season,” says ST Genetics NZ dairy beef and beef specialist Charlotte Broadbridge.“Itwillhelp farmers secure a market for their calves and help ensure consistent calf quality for calf rearers, which is really important as there are fewer calf rearers around due to increasing costs and levels of Theuncertainty.”technology they use to sort the semen has many advantages over the old technology, with higher fertility and conception rates. “There’s an increased need for bulls that can serve both the dairy and beef industries, particularly with the perceptions around bobbies and finding value chains for non-replacement calves. “And there’s a lot of data supporting the value of dairy cross beef animals, so it’s a natural fit for male-sexed semen.”

New boys in town

“In the USA and UK they have a different type of cow to what we have here in New Zealand, and that’s something we encourage farmers to keep in mind too,” says Broadbridge. “That’s not saying it isn’t a good idea to use male-sexed semen in New Zealand cows, but it’s making the decision consciously with all the information available to minimise any risks.”

Broadbridge says that, as with any new technology, there is a discovery period to understand any risks and considerations. “When we talk to farmers about the product we start by finding out their experience with using conventional beef semen and what breeds might be suitable for their herd,” she says. “It’s about weighing up what is right for their farm and they need to have confidence in any tool, that it will be right for their goals and their system.”

A new tool is being used by a genetics company to source male semen to produce calves of greater value to dairy farmers. ST Genetics NZ dairy beef and beef

“Male-sexed semen will help farmers produce a consistent, reliable product and those bull beef calves will be able to enter a different value chain to reduce some of the bobby calf numbers and help with consumer and market perceptions.“I’mreally looking forward to seeing how farmers utilise this technology.”

Hereford, Speckle Park, Charolais and British Blue male-sexed semen is available and they have access to an international pool of bulls as it is challenging to find ones that will serve both dairy and beef. The semen is being selected on Estimated Breeding Values (EBVs) from the beef industry, but there is a strong correlation between EBVs and what they see on the ground. “The EBVs are the best information we have for selecting which bulls could be suitable, but cow type is a big piece of the puzzle, with more demand for beef cross calves from Friesian cows.

Nick and Anieka Templer are 50:50 sharemilkers and focus on breeding smaller cows capable of big production.

Future-proofingCALVES with a profitable genetic mix

“The advantage of breeding with a variety of breeds is the boost in heterosis. The calves are easy to rear, they have got a bit more go to them and they are up straight away.”

N ick and Anieka Templer worked their way up through the industry beginning 10 years ago as contract milkers, and when they started, their Friesian herd was averaging 460kg of milksolids. Each year they would buy a small number of cows to begin to build the foundation of their herd. Three years ago they stepped up to 50:50 sharemilking on the same farm. They are focusing on breeding a small cow with more production. They found the large Friesian caused a lot of pugging and had a higher environmental impact. Having first crossed a Jersey over the Friesians to bring the size down, they are now crossing a range of breeds over the herd, keeping heterosis levels high. “I don’t like being the same as everyone else, I prefer to have a bit of everything. I believe every breed has something it brings to the herd that is beneficial,” Anieka says. “We used the Three Way Cross a bit ahead of its time, back in 2008. We put some Montbeliarde and Swedish Red [now VikingRed] in. They were beautiful animals and great to milk. That is what got me into it.”

“When they are 10 days old they are already filling out a lot,” Anieka says.

Anieka Templer

Longevity is important to the Templers. “I think it’s a waste rearing a heifer calf and it only lasts two or three years. They need to get to peak production. You have put all this time and effort into a heifer and if she doesn’t even make it to peak production it is a waste of a good animal,” she says. Her dream cow is red, 450kg max with a good udder, gets in calf every year, has good feet, never has mastitis and does 110% of her body weight in milk solids. For the Templers, genetics have a role to play. They are looking toward the future of the dairy industry here in New Zealand and are actively working to stay ahead of the curve and find more efficient processes. n

56 DAIRY FARMER September 2022 BETTER BULLS BETTER

Selecting bulls on traits that meet their requirements – capacity, stature, fertility and health traits, rather than based on the breed itself – has opened up a lot of options for the Templers. With the boosted heterosis, the herd now averages over 500kg MS a year and they have achieved a nice smaller-stature, balanced herd. They have used a wide range of breeds, including VikingRed, Montbeliarde, Fleckvieh, Normande, Friesian, Jersey, Blaarkop, Linebacks, Norwegian Red and more.“The advantage of breeding with a variety of breeds is the boost in heterosis. The calves are easy to rear, they have got a bit more go to them and they are up straight away,” she says. “They give us good dual purpose as well,” Nick Focusingadds.onthe future, the couple – who are sharemilking at Balfour, Southland, milking 680 cows on 460ha – are excited about using high-geneticmerit polled sires to reduce/remove dehorning, and dual-purpose breeds are helping remove bobby calves from their system.“Weare continuously looking into the future as to where it is going to go. Dehorning is not a nice job and the calves always get knocked back,” Anieka says.“With the dual purpose, we can reduce bobby numbers and we can fatten and finish our own stock, which adds value with a secondary income stream, so we are not solely reliant on milk price,” Nick says.The Templers have used Samen NZ’s Short Gestation Belgian Blue for two years. On top of extra days in milk, the Belgian Blues from Samen always colour mark and look like a Belgian Blue. They are easy to rear and grow like stink.

Scan the QR for more information on Belgian Blue BETTER BULLS BETTER CALVES Farming sustainably

is the #1 Dairy Beef Solution With sought-after offspring, you gain valuable days in milk, easy calving, a tighter calving period, easy-to-rear calves and a second income stream from the offspring.

The earliest focus for the Taylors was to use Samen NZ Short Gestation Belgian Blue sires to tighten their calving period and gain more valuable days in milk. The calves have been consistently born early, giving them more days in milk and a tighter calving period. An initial concern is around the calving ease of these animals. The Short Gestation Belgian Blue has been phenomenal for calving ease, and he hasn’t had to pull a single one. “We have used a variety of beef in the past to try to reduce bobby numbers, but most recently, our Short Gestation Belgian Blue has outperformed previous crops of calves from other breeds,” Taylor says.“We didn’t have to pull a single one in our last autumn calving. The Belgian Blue are vigorous and take to the feeders, unlike any other breed we have seen.”

S outhland farmers Glenn and Sheree Taylor farm a 134ha farm in Drummond, Southland, a region with both environmental and legislative challenges, which means they have to focus on creating good sustainable farming practices.

Beef Up

ShortLineYourBottomYourGestationBelgianBlue

Minimising bobby calves will drive profitability and improve perceptions of the dairy industry. In using value-added beef over his dairy herd, he is also getting a better market to sell the calves, with beef farmers becoming interested in the Belgian Blues. As we move into a more efficient future, traditional beef farming will shift from one cow and one calf to raising high-quality dairy beef animals. The next generation coming into the sector will need more output with fewer emissions. It will come down to kilogram of meat per hectare, and dairy beef is one direction we can head here in NZ. n Due to environmental and legislative challenges, Southland farmer Glenn Taylor needs to focus on farming sustainably.

A key concern for them and many dairy farmers is the wastage of bobby calves and perceptions around the issue. They have been striving to reduce bobby calf numbers and take what would have been a waste product to create a valuable beef animal that can add value to the beef supply chain in New Zealand.

By Kate Taylor Mahuta bulls are at home on a rolling Glen Murray farm in North Waikato. H e doesn’t kick around in cowboy boots, but Dr John Allen’s love of Herefords stems from reading about cattle ranches. “When I was a kid I loved reading books about the North American prairies and the cowboys riding horses and moving mobs of cattle, usually Herefords, so, I guess I’ve always just liked Herefords. Then when I started to farm, I also liked their temperament. They’ve met my expectations over the years, although as a kid I saw myself working the cattle with a horse. That hasn’t happened,” he says, laughing. Mahuta Polled Herefords Stud is at Glen Murray, in the northern Waikato, northwest of JohnHuntly.and Mary Allen’s 400ha farm, a mixture of gentle rolling country and steep hills, is home to 220 breeding cows and 800 ewes. The couple started farming in Pukekohe with 20ha and a few cows, then farmed at Ararimu, near Bombay, for 23 years. In 2003 they bought the Glen Murray property and employed a manager. Both have always had off-farm careers – Mary was a secondary school teacher until 2020 and, after a 25year career as a GP, John decided to specialise and is still a practising psychiatrist working two days a week in Hamilton and Tauranga. Four years ago, John decided he needed to return to managing the farm himself.“I’vecome to the conclusion, if I’m going to run a progressive breeding operation I have to be handson and it’s hard to find good labour. That’s also one of the reasons I don’t want to be wasting too much time on sheep, for example. We have more important things to do.” “We have different priorities at different times of the year. Over the summer, the Mary and John Allen with worker Willem Smit (left) have owned Mahuta Polled Hereford Stud at Glen Murray since 2003. Photos: Sarah Reichardt

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John’s first big purchase for the stud was the 1992 Beef Expo Reserve Champion Matariki Quest, for $21,000. He had previously been content to use artificial insemination to get access to the best bulls he could. “I wanted to expand the herd and was never really in a financial position to pay big money for bulls, not until then, anyway. So I would buy semen of some of the best bulls around and use them on a section of the herd. I used a little-known bull called Braxton Muchmore 2, and he was the start of the low birth weight or easy-calving section of our herd, followed by Braxton Great Southern.”

About half of Mahuta’s bulls go to dairy farms. “We saw a need early in our breeding career for bulls for dairy heifers. We’ve concentrated on that and have good clients, from Whangarei to Taupō, who will pay good money for bulls for their dairy heifers,” he says. “For the dairy heifer market we aim to have low birth weight, well-structured cattle with good conformation that produce an acceptable beef calf; we concentrate on breeding animals that are born easily, grow reasonably and finish early. That’s our philosophy for that section of theTheirherd.”beef market extends further south, with their son-in-law in Otago buying some bulls for use over his yearling heifers. He has been impressed with the ease with which calves are born (compared with previously used Angus) and their early vigour and growth. One of the highlights of John’s breeding career was selling “a very good bull” to Matariki Herefords for $13,000 in 2020. John says Mahuta’s cattle are “top of the tree” as far as temperament goes. “We have a reputation for good temperament and it’s well founded. Calving ease is another selling point, for both heifers and cows. Many of our dairy heifer bulls are in the top 1% for calving ease. We have a data set we aim for, which is top 10% for high calving ease, negative gestation, above average growth, days to calving well below average, above average meat, and we’re looking for IMF. In recent years we’ve found a number of Limehills bulls with the data set we’re looking for. Our philosophy is to buy from big herds where stock are run in large mobs; there is mob pressure and also more reliable EBVs.” The Allens believe in performance recording EBVs and place a lot of emphasis on“Inindexes.fact,we’re using three bulls that are in the top 1% for all indexes, and in 2021 we bought a Limehills bull for $36,000, which is in the top 20% for calving ease and the top 1% for growth. Limehills Stardom 190158 is our current showpiece.” Mahuta’s yearling sale average usually sits between $3300 and $4000. “The 2020 sale was good. We were in alert level 2 so covid didn’t really affect it. In 2021 we were affected because the wider Auckland area, which contained a lot of our clients, was in level 3. Our sale average was good, just under $3500, but we didn’t sell all of the bulls and at least some of that was due to farmers not being able to get to the sale and not really trusting electronic media. It’s a new way of doing things. Having said that, we had around 30 [people] looking on bidr and sold six bulls [online].”TheMahuta Herefords bull John Allen in the ring with a bull at Mahuta’s first on-farm sale at Ararimu in 1982. “We have a reputation for good temperament and it’s well founded. Calving ease is another selling point, for both heifers and cows. Many of our dairy heifer bulls are in the top 1% for calving ease.”

Continued page 60

DAIRY FARMER September 2022 59 priorities are lambs and fattening cattle, and the cows come behind and clean up. Over the winter, it’s the bull calves. The cows get priority for a short time from calving to mating and then their job is to clean up pasture. “Cattle are my passion. That’s why we want sheep that don’t require too much input. We have the sheep to keep weeds under control, and to graze areas that would be unsuitable for cattle in the wet weather,” he says.

John Allen

The farm is a mixture of gentle rolling country with ash soils and steep hills with topsoil on limestone rock. These are ecologically fragile and prone to erosion. About 70% of the average annual 1200mm rainfall falls through the winter months. “We don’t use many crops; our philosophy is all-grass feeding, but we do put in a crop of maize every three years or so just to feed the bull calves over weaning. We have oversown plantain over our easy country with the idea of improving diversity and helping to soak up a bit of nitrogen that’s going down through the soil. We don’t use any chemicals to control weeds apart from just spot spraying, and we rotationally graze rather strictly, aiming to keep the rotations long, aiming for root depth and a high degree of utilisation. “We focus on soil health: a biologically active soil, earthworms, optimal levels of phosphate, and a pH around seven or just above. Soil health is a big priority.” A pine forestry block soon to be milled will be replanted in natives. The Allens fenced bush and streams on the farm. They use reactive phosphate rock on the hill country to try to minimise phosphate loss, and don’t use any synthetic fertilisers, apart fromJohnphosphate.andMary have two sons – David is an anaesthetist in Tauranga and Ben is a mental health nurse in Auckland – and a daughter, Liz Paton, who is a vet in Otago, where she farms with her husband Mark. n

Some of the 2021 yearling sale bulls, which sold for an average price of just under $3500.

are

All bulls ready to perform! sale has been a family affair for almost 40 years. This year marks John and Mary Allen’s 40th on-farm sale, though a printing mistake several years ago –putting the same date on their catalogue for two years in a row – has made it seem like they’re celebrating a year early.The three Allen children grew up with the sale day as important to them on their calendar as calf club, Mary says. Both John and Mary’s mothers attended every sale to help Mary with the catering until they died. “It’s a real family affair.”

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This is an important anniversary because Mahuta has also been selling yearling bulls for those 40 years. With a science background and a deep interest in genetics, John had set about breeding rapid-maturing, fast-growing bulls that could be sold as yearlings.Theywere selling yearling bulls in the main sale as early as that first on-farm sale in 1982, which had 10 two-yearold, two three-year, and eight yearling polled Hereford bulls. The following year the number of polled Hereford yearlings increased to 10 (along with eight two-year polled Hereford bulls and five two-year horned bulls). By 1986, the Allens’ fifth sale on the property at Ararimu, they were offering 12 two-year polled Herefords and 18 polled Hereford yearlings. Mary says that sale was so successful she overheard a stock agent cheekily phoning another breeder to tell him there were more buyers than bulls at the Mahuta sale and they should put some yearlings in their sale.“Look how important the yearling market is to NZ Herefords now. John was a trailblazer in offering yearling bulls that met the demand for low birth weight, fastmaturing bulls, especially from the dairy market. Other breeders soon followed suit, particularly the local ones. “John was raised on the family dairy farm and worked there until he went to school in Auckland for his final upper sixth year. I’ve often wondered if that background influenced his breeding aims.”

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CRV has 20 breeds of dairy beef for farmers to choose from. These range from breeds with easy to identify coat markings, such as Hereford and Belgian Blue, to breeds with high growth rates that appeal to beef finishers, such as Charolais, Angus and Stabilizer.Dairybeef sires’ breeding values are screened carefully for short gestation, growth rates and calving ease along with other key traits. Short gestation is important as it allows the calving pattern to be in line with earlier mated animals in the dairy herd. CRV works with key dairy beef partners to ensure they offer customers top quality sires whose progeny have traits tailored to both dairy and beef farmer needs.“Dairy farmers can create real value from dairy beef cross progeny and in turn pass that value on down the supply chain. Using the right genetics, they can rear animals that will wean quickly, finish sooner, yield more, and maximise dollars paid per kilogram of carcase,” Koot says. Belgian Blue CRV offers sires from the Belgian Blue Group (BBG) in Belgium. The size of the Belgian Blues comes from the breed’s double muscle gene, which is completely natural and the result of a focus on producing meat.

Increasing herds’ genetic gain is part of a strategic breeding approach. C RV’s dairy beef sales have grown by 15% since last year as farmers take a more strategic approach to breeding and look to diversify their income streams.

62 DAIRY FARMER September 2022 BETTER BULLS BETTER

Stabilizer® combines the moderate size, ability to maintain body condition and meat marbling of the British breeds, with the muscle, milk production and growth traits of the European breeds. Colour marking is also a key consideration for many farmers. The Dairy-Stabilizer® cross progeny feature blocks of red or black colouring. n CRV

Stabilizer® Stabilizer® is relatively new in New Zealand but is actually the result of 30 years R&D by leading North American genetics companies. Stabilizer is also a polled breed. CRV sources its Stabilizer® genetics from Focus Genetics – New Zealand’s largest independent red meat genetics company. Stabilizer® cross calves wean on average four days earlier and are heavier with 19% more scanned eye muscle (Massey University New Generation Beef trial – Stabilizer® cross vs traditional cross breeds at 11 months).

“In the past, farmers used dairy beef predominantly towards the end of the mating season,” Genetics Product manager (NZ Market) Mitchell Koot says. “Now we are seeing more of them using it as part of a more strategic precision breeding approach to increase their herds’ genetic gain. “That involves using dairy beef strategically over their lowest genetic merit animals, together with sexed and conventional dairy semen over their best performers. This approach helps drive genetic gains even faster and create a healthier, more efficient herd.” Koot says as an increasing number of dairy farmers are recognising the added value of dairy beef calves and are considering a range of breeds to appeal to the beef market. “Our dairy beef Fertabull (Hereford, Angus and Belgian Blue) remain the most popular options within the respective breeds to give dairy farmers the best chance of getting cows in calf. Data from CRV recorded herds indicates that farmers are getting up to 4% higher non return rates using Fertabull.”

FarmerCALVES demand for dairy beef grows

incomes.diversifyingbreedingapproachmoredairyincreasinglydairyMitchell(NZProductGeneticsmanagerMarket)Kootsaysfarmersareusingbeefasastrategictoandtheir

BBG breeds dairy beef semen first and foremost for calving ease. Gestation length is also a key trait as are fertility, growth and meat quality. With plenty of calves on the ground, CRV sire Elk 41 is proving popular with farmers, with his strong growth rates, short gestation and good coat colour markings. Hereford CRV also partners with Bluestone Herefords in South Canterbury, which has been supplying Hereford genetics to CRV since Bluestone2014.focusses on producing a balanced Hereford bull with four main traits: low birth weight, short gestation, ease of calving and homozygous polled (hornless). Lower birth weight is important because lighter progeny means less risk of a difficult calving. Short gestation is highly heritable trait that has many financial and management benefits. It means more days in milk, while the increase in re-breeding time gives cows more time to gain condition and increases the likelihood of them getting in calf. This also has flow-on benefits for the following season with a tighter calving pattern.

CRV, leading in health and efficiency DairyCRV Beef Specialty breeds to suit your herd To order call your local field consultant or our friendly customer support team on 0800 262 733 Elk 41 Van de PlashoeveFocus Whitlock 75 Kakahu Gerry PP ANGUS BELGIAN BLUE CHAROLAIS HEREFORD STABILIZER SPECKLED PARK ALSO AVAILABLE: Belted Galloway, Galloway, Limousin, Lowline, Murray Grey, Red Devon, Scottish Highland, Simmental, Shorthorn (white), Wagyu BETTER COWS BETTER LIFE

Kids may enter both the On Farm and Online events and can use their On Farm judging day to prepare their calves, capture their photos and review how judging went for them for the 100-word story required for their Online entry.

K ids all around New Zealand are excitedly welcoming the furry new members of their families as the deadline for Calf Club NZ 2022 on farm judging registrations gets closer.The competition, now in its fourth year, has undergone a few changes this year with On Farm and Online judging becoming their own competitions. Both competitions will take place in the third term school holidays, from October 1 to October 16, but kids need to register for only the On Farm judging section of the event, with registrations needing to be completed by 5pm on September 6, 2022. During On Farm judging, kids will be assessed on three key areas: Leading, Rearing and Conformation. “The Leading category assesses the ability of the child to lead the calf around the edge of a ring, how well the child handles the calf, and how well they work together and communicate with each other,” Calf Club lead judging coordinator Michelle Burgess says. “The Rearing category assesses the appearance and health of the calf, including grooming, cleanliness and general health. “The Conformation category looks at animal traits, dependent on whether they are a dairy type or a beef type; it is a more traditional class.”

Calf Club NZ marketing manager Josh Herbes says registrations for the On Farm judging competition are tracking well, but most entrants will register for the Online section of the competition between October 1 and 16. The Calf Club NZ judge administration team is on the lookout for volunteer judges to join the Calf Club NZ team across New Zealand. If you are interested in helping judge this year’s Calf Club, please head on over to the Calf Club website and register your interest ClovalleyYield,CowDairywithoutjudging/headjudgingwww.calfclubnz.co.nz/judges-loungetoday:KidsneedtoregisterforOnFarmby5pm,September6,2022;towww.calfclubnz.co.nz/on-farm-toregister.CalfClubNZcouldn’tgoaheaditssponsors:GoldSponsorsareFarmer,DeLaval,Samen,CRVandManager,andSilversponsorsareBurgessFarmandnewsponsorFarms.

CLUBExcitement building

64 DAIRY FARMER September 2022 CALF

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Kids can enter a dairy calf or a beef calf: dairy calves are of a dairy breed and must be heifers, while beef calves can be either a beef breed, or a bull calf from a dairy breed. Contestants may enter one beef calf and one dairy calf should they wish to compete in both categories. Submissions for the Online section open on October 1 and close at 5pm on October 16, with kids not needing to preregister for this section of the event.

Children entering calves in calf Club NZ 2022 may enter both the On Farm and Online events. During On Farm judging, kids will be assessed on three key areas: Leading, Rearing and Conformation.

By Anne Boswell Dairy Farmer is proud to be involved in Calf Club NZ 2022 as children begin selecting their calves.

“The judge will assign points to each of these three areas, with prizes and ribbons available for each category.”

The judge will assign points to each of these three areas, with prizes and ribbons available for each category. A child’s overall performance in each category is added to the rest and submitted into the nationwide event, where they will be judged on how they perform in all three categories.

DAIRY FARMER September 2022 65 aha Speckle Park Semen available Kaha Polar Bear Sire Wag15R Kaha Eskimo Sire GGG82U • Both are best suited for cows • Both are white bulls and will leave very well marked calves. Shaver Genetics (Muscle Butt) • Can produce black and red calves • Composite breed • Low birth weight • Will leave very solid calves Semen available at $10 per straw plus dispatch and freight costs. www.kahaspecklepark.co.nz LK0112683© ARE YOU WASTING AN OPPORTUNITY? ST Genetics NZ is offering Ultraplus SEXED MALE semen in Hereford, Speckle Park, British Blue & Charolais. Limited supply available. Don’t miss the opportunity to maximise calf revenue. 90 plus percent male progeny. Phone: 07 827 www.stgenetics.co.nz5173 Bull Directory

66 DAIRY FARMER September 2022 1 Thursday 15th September 2022, 12 Noon 183 Mangaotea Road, Tariki, Taranaki 190 Registered and Purebred 1 year and 2 year Angus, Hereford, Murray Grey and Jersey. Full Traceability and Strict Biosecurity Policies. 26th Annual On Farm Sale Contact Robin Blackwell 06 762 4805 • mangaotea@xtra.co.nzLK0112511© FIND A RED DEVON BREEDER NEAR YOU, VISITTHEwww.reddevoncattle.co.nzDEFINITIVEMEAT,MILK AND MUSCLE POWER LK0112689© DAIRY FARMERS Try a DOCILE RED DEVON BULL once and never look back. Better beef – fewer calving problems! • Bred for easy of calving • Suitable for heifer or cow mating • Placid in the cowshed and yards • Early maturing quality beef • Proven fertility • Poll genetics now available Robbie and Anna Clar k Culv erden, No rt h Canterbury, New Zealan d m +64 274 311 860 e specklepark@xtra.co.nz ww w.parkvalespecklepark.co.n z Purebred Speckle Park Semen • Supplying NZ Dairy Industry semen for the past 9 years • All semen is registered for LIC use • Buy direct from the breeder for proven genetics and competitive pricing LK0112435© 58th Annual Hereford Bull Sale Wednesday 28th September 2022, 12noon ON FARM - LUNCHEON PROVIDED 660 Ngaroma Rd, 26km off SH3, Sth East of Te Awamutu. Also available online on 33 TOP YEARLING BULLS & 69 2-YEAR OLD BULLS Full EBV details in catalogue. Sound bulls with exceptional temperament. Selection of Short Gestation & Low Birth Weights available. Free local delivery or grazing till 1st Nov. Payment 20th Oct. KELVIN & CYNTHIA PORT • P: 07 872 2628 • M: 022 648 2417 E: kelvin@bushydowns.co.nz • Web: www.bushydowns.co.nz ROBERT & MARIAN PORT • P: 07 872 2715 Bull Directory

DAIRY FARMER September 2022 67 1SEPTEMBERWaimaire & Otengi Hereford Studs Kaeo 2 Matapouri Hereford Stud Hikurangi 8 Maranui Hereford Stud Waihi 8 Penny Lane Hereford Stud Stratford 9 Kokonga Hereford Stud Waikaretu Valley 12 Craigmore Hereford Stud Ohaupo 13 Valda-Rose Hereford Stud Walton 14 Charwell Hereford Stud Whakatane 15 Shadow Downs Hereford Stud Waverley 15 Kairaumati Hereford Stud Thames 15 Mangaotea Hereford Stud Tariki 16 Mahuta Hereford Stud Glen Murray 20 Hillcroft Hereford Stud Huntly 22 Hurstpier Hereford & Horizon Hereford Studs Waitara 22 Riverton Ezicalve Hereford Stud Fordell 26 Riverlee Hereford Stud Kimbolton 27 Ezicalve Morrison Farming Marton 28 Herepuru Hereford Stud Whakatane 28 Bushy Downs Hereford Stud Te Awamutu 28 Shrimpton’s Hill Hereford Stud Cave 30 Bexley Hereford Stud Mokau 4OCTOBERMatariki Hereford Stud Kaikoura 5 Bluestone Hereford Stud Cave 10 Okawa Polled Herefords Ashburton 10 Orari Gorge Herefords Geraldine 12 Richon Hereford Stud, Beechwood Hereford Stud & Woodburn Hereford Stud Amberley 13 Kane Farms Hereford Stud Tapanui 19 Pyramid Downs Hereford Stud www.herefords.co.nzGore SUPERIOR BULLS CREATE SALEABLE CALVES. To find out more about buying a registered Hereford bull, view our breeders online sale catalogues at herefords.co.nz SOLID DATA, SOLID DECISIONS. Proven calving ease, white face recognition, great temperament. Select using reliable data for growth rates and strong carcass quality. It pays to capture the HerefordX advantage.

68 DAIRY FARMER September 2022 What if you could improve fertility while maximizing milk production? Alltech (NZ) Limited | Alltech.com/newzealandnewzealand@alltech.com|+64(0)800ALLTECH Monitor your herd’s eating and rumination with CowManager’s Nutrition Module to maximise the performance of your herd. Herd DrivesPerformanceProfitability 07 280 www.senztag.co.nz5798 0800 278 www.cattlestops.co.nz677 LK0112334© 100% Lifetime Guarantee JW110434© Phone Neil 0274 747 775www.nzcowshedgroovers.co.nz Right Bull 0800 220 www.samen.co.nz232 Directory

DAIRY FARMER September 2022 69 ® Easy Dra t has been designed and refined over many years to be reliable, easy to use and gentle on animals. Get in touch for a free quote today Automatic Dra ting Made Easy 07 280 www.senztag.co.nz5798 www.irontreeproducts.co.nz Ph 021 047 9299 Heavy duty • Long lasting incinerators Three sizes availableLK0109557© Visit us at www.drycuffs.co.nz Manufactured by Acto Agriculture NZ Ltd and available through all leading farm merchandise stores LK0112728©

Thanks to Angela Reynolds, who is a dairy assistant on a 1500-cow Waitaki Valley farm. She took this stunning photo at 2am and says it was the exceptional atmospheric and lunar conditions that made it possible to snap (above). Also thanks to Phillip Sadlier, who is a contract milker in Morton Mains, Southland. He found this wee baby abandoned by its mother and took her home for some TLC. He tells me the calf is doing really well. Good on ya! Sonita Like us: farmersweekly.co.nz Follow us: @DairyFarmer15 Read us anywhere: farmersweekly.co.nz

70 DAIRY FARMER September 2022

One last word … T he new season is in full swing across the country with farmers well into calving, and by all accounts things are going well. However, some of our farmers are doing it tough with persistent rain and storms, flooding and even good dumpings of snow. While persistent rain through the last couple of months and warmish weather have helped with pasture recovery and growth, it is still hard yakka when you are out working in these conditions day after day. Calving is the busiest time on farm and can be stressful even without the weather woes. It is too easy to get caught up in work and put in long hours, so try to schedule in small regular breaks for you and your team to mitigate any burnout. Farmstrong ambassador Sam Whitelock’s column on page 49 has some good tips, recommending even short 15-minute breaks to help you recharge. We know morale is low on farm, according to the latest Federated Farmers survey. The January survey showed farmer confidence at its lowest point since the surveys began in 2009, and the recent one, held in July, shows it has dropped further with a net 47.8% of the 1200 respondents, considering the current economic conditions to be bad. And worse still, a net 80.9% of respondents expect general economic conditions to get even worse in the next 12 months. Farmers are worried, which is not at all surprising when you see the list of what is most concerning to them. It is a long list, including climate change policy and ETS, regulation and compliance costs, input costs, debt, interest, and banks.Other issues causing concern are the foot-and-mouth outbreak in Indonesia and Malaysia, biosecurity – which has rocketed up the list of top concerns that farmers want the government to confront – as well as fiscal policy, the economy and business environment, regulations and compliance costs. Another thing to watch right now – and hope it never arrives on our shores – is “lumpy skin disease”, currently being found in cattle across various districts in the Indian state of Gujarat. A fastspreading outbreak, it is estimated to have infected more than 40,222 animals across 15 of Gujarat’s 33 districts. Over 1,000 head of cattle have succumbed to the disease. At the time of writing, India is yet to officially notify the World Animal Health Organisation of the outbreak. Phew, no wonder farmers are concerned.Thereare so many factors at play at the moment, with the top ones being the war in Ukraine, international supply and shipping, and higher costs all round, plus staff and the timeframes around rules and regulations. And with the GDT continuing to drop, morale is probably sinking even more, but hopefully we can see our way forward, do what we do best and continue fighting the good fight to come out stronger.

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September 2022

September 8 – DairyNZ Northland Ballance Farm Environment Supreme Winners Field Day

September 13 – Dairy Women’s Network Purchase price allocation rules, live webinar On July 1 2021 new rules came into effect in relation to how the price is allocated between different classes of assets when those assets are bought and sold. The sale and purchase of farms and other productive assets often involves the sale of multiple different types of assets at high value consideration, and in such cases the new rules will Understandingapply. what to do to comply with the rules is important as not doing so can result in higher tax costs for Joinyou.Michael O’Hagan from Hamertons Lawyers Ltd and Craig Savage from Focus Chartered Accountants as they the rules are Why they have been introduced What you need to ensure that you don’t get caught Infooutat www.dwn.co.nz/events

October 10-11 – Agri Food Tech 2035 Agri-Food-Tech Oceania Summit The 2035 Oceania Summit in October 2022 is bringing stakeholders from all facets of the region’s agri-food-tech industry to discuss how to collectively reduce agricultural greenhouse gas emissions and design more resilient growing systems to address the intensifying impact of climate change. The summit is more than just a two-day meeting. It is part of a longer term platform designed to focus on actionable outcomes that will create positive global Theimpact.summit will feature plenary sessions, breakout sessions, an exhibition, a start-up hub, an investment pitch event and a line-up of major local and international Thespeakers.programme is designed to connect key stakeholders across the Oceania region and beyond, to address the impact of climate change on the agri-food industry. Info and registration at https://www.2035.ag/

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September SMASH SMASH will be holding an event in late September, details to be finalised. Info at www.smallerherds.co.nz

For more info contact the team at team@dboy.co.nz

September 20 – DairyNZ Post-Calving Quiz Otorohanga – September Join us at the Thirsty Weta for the annual post-calving Kickquiz. off the muddy boots, take off the overalls, join us for a well-deserved drink and maybe win a prize. Info at www.dairyevents.co.nz

Various dates and locations Come to a well-deserved breakfast near you. Info at www.dairyevents.co.nz

DAIRY DIARY Proudly brought to you by Benchmark Assurance Wellbeing plan welfarm.co.nz | Find us on Facebook

September 30 – Dairy Business 360 DB360 Conference, Hamilton Dairy Business 360 provides farmers with the opportunity to undertake high-level analysis of the KPIs within their business that drive profitability, resilience and sustainability, while benchmarking themselves against their counterparts. The one-day conference has a great line-up of speakers including Sir Ian Taylor, Wayne Langford, David Downs and Ben Speedy

September – DairyNZ Breakfast on us

Celebrate our winners with us Join us to celebrate and showcase the 2021/22 Northland Supreme Winners of the Ballance Farm Environment Awards: Geoff and Jo Crawford. Geoff and Jo run an extensive dairy and beef operation in Hikurangi and have an amazing passion for the industry. This has led Geoff and Jo to try different things to create a strong and sustainable business. Info at www.dairyevents.co.nz

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Talk to your John Deere dealer or scan to learn more Introducing our 9000 Series Self Propelled Forage Harvesters powered by the brand new JD18X 18L diesel only engine. With 50 years of progress in their DNA, the result is our most advanced performance capability ever. With more power and torque at lower RPM, you can achieve up to 10% more productivity, meaning you can maximise tight harvest windows while minimising costs. Plus, our innovative technology options allow you to capture more data on the go and provide greater control, the power to progress your business is now in your hands. LESS FUEL, NO DEF, NO COMPROMISES. POWERED BY PROGRESS