3 minute read
Mooving' with the times
After farming in the South Canterbury district for nearly 80 years, three generations of the Weir family are embracing change and new connections.
The 100ha dairy property on the southern boundary of the Timaru township was originally farmed by Farmlands shareholder, Stu Weir’s grandparents in 1944, before being passed down the generations to Stu and his wife Andrea, who took over sole management 7 years ago. The Weir family milk upwards of 200 cows and raise an equal amount of calves. When Stu and Andrea picked up the cups from Stu’s parents Bill and Shona, an opportunity to step across from the traditional milk distribution process presented itself and the Real Milk Timaru Ltd business was born. Based off the property, Real Milk Timaru Ltd offers a vending machine of milk bottles straight from the vat that are available to the public to collect, as well as a delivery service around Timaru, Waimate and Fairlie. “It’s rocking along, people are getting back to unprocessed food and word of mouth is great for marketing,” Stu says.
| Stu and Andrea's "shop cows" add a little bit of personality into their raw milk business
fifteen of the herd of 200 cows are separated and milked once a day specifically for the Real Milk Timaru Ltd supply, with milk being tested weekly for pathogens and bacteria. “The fifteen “shop cows” are a little bit spoilt, they’ve all got different personalities, but they also won’t be pushed around!” Stu laughs. Cleanliness of the milking plant is a high priority, as well as keeping the cows as comfortable as possible. As part of developing the dairy business to accommodate the growing demand for raw milk, Stu and Andrea have installed a DeLaval Parallel Parlour with Rapid Exit milking system, one of only three systems in New Zealand. While the set-up looks like a traditional herringbone, the Rapid Exit system runs electronically, lifting the head-bales up
to allow the cows to walk directly out of shed without having to turn. To manage the electronic side, strong internet coverage was required. It was the last thing Stu and Andrea thought of but when they approached their long-term internet provider and Farmlands Card Partner, Farmside for a solution, the rural broadband provider was ready to go. “Farmside had the extra broadband option available so when we needed it, it was there,” Stu says. “It’s a troublefree service and the DeLaval tech team can now access our shed system from anywhere in the country to reprogram it and fix issues.” “Plus, now that we have the broadband system to the shed, it’s available for full herd management when we need it. Farmside really shines through in the more remote rural areas, when satellite is the only option to access the network.” The additional connectivity only means more opportunity for Real Milk Timaru Ltd as it expands. “The technology is all there now to build on, we can add to it at any time. It just works really well,” Stu says.
For more information on rural broadband and to update your connection, visit www.farmside.co.nz or call 0800 32 76 74
