ENVIRONMENT INFRASTRUCTURE
Keith and Jenny with the new effluent system positioned downhill and downwind from their home.
Dairy farming with pride in Matakana Words by: Chris Neill
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rofitable dairy farming is a priority for Keith and Jenny Trotter. Rye/clover pasture growing 14 tonnes DM/ha is the foundation of their production, supplemented annually with 300t of palm kernel and 400t of maize silage. Their 150ha farm milks 400 cows to produce 175,000kg MS and is supported with lease blocks of 100ha and 30ha to raise replacements and run a small beef unit. The soils, which are predominantly Warkworth clay, have been extensively drained. It is the combination of these soils, wet winters, and the establishment of facilities for feeding cows off pasture that has encouraged and allowed the transition to autumn calving. The 2019/20 drought has impacted cow condition in this their first season of autumn calving, which follows a 400+ day lactation to make the transition from
spring calving. Through the drought, input costs have been held to budget, milk production is down by 10% and there is a small feed deficit carried forward. Considerable oversowing and undersowing have been required to restore pastures, and the farm water supply has shown itself to need upgrading to cope with such extreme dry conditions. The facilities Keith and Jenny have established are key elements to their winning the DairyNZ Sustainability and Stewardship Award and WaterForce Wise with Water Award in the Auckland 2020 Ballance Farm Environment Awards. Their 11-year-old 34-aside herringbone shed and the three-year-old feed pad, both designed to handle 400 cows, are connected to a two-year-old effluent management system. The effluent system features one lined pond with 90-day storage capacity, which receives effluent from both cowshed and feed pad through a twin weeping wall system. The pond
Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | July 2020
FARM FACTS:
• Farm owners: Jenny and Keith Trotter, Matakana • 400 cows, 175,000kg MS, transitioning to autumn calving • Milking platform: 150ha, two lease blocks 100ha, 30ha • Pasture: 14t DM/ha • Supplement: 300t palm kernel, 400t maize silage water is irrigated to 35ha and is estimated to reduce the need for purchased N by 60kg/ha/yr on that area. In addition, the solids behind the weeping wall are spread 6 monthly – having twin walls allows for distribution to be timed with soil condition and other farm work. Positioning of the facilities means gravity is a primary mover of material and, to Jenny and Keith’s relief, the system has proved to be odourless at their family home. Keith attributes the system’s success 65
