STOCK DAIRY GRAZING
WIN: Words by: Sandra Taylor
B
y adding value to the dairy support package they offer, Waikato farmers Phil and Megan Weir are generating returns on a par with a bull beef system. For the past three years, the couple have farmed 250 hectares (the cattle platform is 180ha) in Te Pahu on the slopes of Mt Pirongia, in the heart of Waikato dairy country. They run breeding ewes, trading cattle and dairy heifers and have developed a grazing package that generates a premium and delivers a product that benefits the client’s dairy operation by ensuring they have well grown heifers entering the herd. Phil, who is a Nuffield scholar and Beef + Lamb NZ farmer council member, says they have been grazing heifers for
64
win for grazing partnership
dairy farmers Craig and Kylee Mora for three years. Their relationship has grown to one based on trust rather than formal contracts and an understanding that the couple will guarantee the heifers hit their pre-mating and calving target weights, irrespective of seasonal fluctuations in growth rates. The couple farm on a mix of owned and leased land and because they stretched themselves financially to buy land, they appreciate the surety of cash flow offered by dairy support. But after one year, they knew they needed to generate more income from the heifers and to do this they had to add value to their existing grazing arrangement. “Dairy heifer grazing is great for everyone in a good season and terrible for everyone in a bad season. In a bad season, the sheep and beef farmer can’t
afford to feed the heifers so they don’t reach their growth potential.” What Phil and Megan have tried to do is remove seasonal variability and generate enough income to ensure the heifers leave their farm at 90% of their mature liveweight (450-460kg) and are ready to enter the herd as well-grown, high producing cows. Phil says under the traditional model, the grazier is making money when feed is cheap but is in danger of losing money when feed is expensive, as was the case last season. By charging a premium – $10.50/ head/week for calves from December to May and $14.50/head/week from May to May – the Weirs can have a stock policy that allows the heifers to meet their growth targets. “We’re just focusing on what’s important.”
Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | December 2020
