Dairy Exporter May 2017

Learn, grow, excel

Team Building Welcoming new staff

MAY 2017

Finalist

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Wrapping up the season 1

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CONTENTS

NO BEEF WITH DAIRY-BEEF 72

MILKING PLATFORM

Special report

SPECIAL REPORT

Team Building

10 Jody and Charlie McCaig look at new farming pathways 11 James Davidson isn’t happy with media approaches to dairying

UPFRONT

Welcoming new staff

12 Young people are getting a taste of farm life 14 A century of Kiwi milking ingenuity 16 There’s room for optimism about payouts 18 A revamp is in the wind for Overseer 20 Markets: Volatility the only constant

BUSINESS 22 Dairying the Kiwi way in South Africa 25 The changing face of South African agriculture 26 Adding value onfarm 27 Cutting out the middle man brings benefits 31 Gypsy Day: Plan ahead 33 Learning from history to plan for the future 34 Entrepreneur catches cows on canvas

54 58 59 60

Crusader with a cause A warm welcome Managing cultural differences Listening goes both ways

62 64 66 68

Keeping it Lean Making a good start Going home Weighing up rosters

Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | May 2017

51 53

COWS CAPTURED ON CANVAS 34

SYSTEMS 38 Targets in sight in the north 43 Research into ketosis has raised new questions 45 Take a trip to SIDE 46 CO Diary: Do you have enough feed for winter?

48 Tracking the milk curve 50 Caring for cows on crop

SPECIAL REPORT | NEW STAFF 54 Crusader with a cause 58 Welcome packs help new arrivals to Amuri 59 Considering the culture factor 4

Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | May 2017

60 Listening goes both ways 62 Lean management helps smooth the way for new staff 64 The first day is important for Mark Frear 66 The value of good housing 68 The changing face of rosters

ENVIRONMENT 70 Matching land types to stock

STOCK 72 Mike and Karen Smales breed beef bulls over their dairy herd 76 It’s time to start drying off

YOUNG COUNTRY 78 A computer game led Kobus Liebenberg to farming 79 Brandyn Beale is no drifter 80 Taking technology to the max

GETTING THEIR BOOTS DIRTY 12

FARM GEAR 84 Annual milking machine testing on way

RESEARCH WRAP 86 Brian Hockings: More questions than answers

VIEW FROM THE TOP 87 John Penno from Synlait on the big decisions

DAIRY 101 88 Caring for the young ones 90 Fieldays solutions 94 Solutions 96 Property

ADDING VALUE ONFARM 26

DRIFTER WITH A PLAN 79 Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | May 2017

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DAIRY DIARY MAY

May 17 – Owl Farm near Cambridge holds a focus day between 10.15am and 1pm. Owl Farm is a demonstration dairy farm partnership between St Peter’s School and Lincoln University. For details about the farm visit www.owlfarm.nz May 23-25 – The Jersey NZ annual conference and AGM heads to Wellington this year at the Rydges Hotel. For information and registration visit www.jerseynz.co.nz May 24-25 – Are we ready for automation? That’s the question tackled at LandWISE 2017 which focuses on automated tools for data collection, decision making and doing actual tasks on the farm – and beyond. It will be held at the Havelock North Function Centre in Hawke’s Bay and looks at what do you want, what’s on offer and how will farms and management have to change? To view the programme and bookings visit www.landwise.org.nz

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May 26 – Early bird registration ends for the 2017 South Island Dairy Event (SIDE) which will be held at Lincoln University in Canterbury. The line-up of speakers and more than 30 practical workshops will be available for viewing at www.side.org.nz. The workshops are 20 minute presentations followed by 25 minutes of open discussion.

May 31 – The Ballance Farm Environment Awards culminates in the 2017 National Sustainability Showcase at the Ascot Park Hotel in Invercargill. The awards recognise and celebrate good farm practices which promote sustainable land management and they are now run in 11 regions throughout the country. The judging process considers sustainable profitability, environmental awareness, good business practices, plus social and community responsibility. Tickets for the awards can be purchased online at www.nzfeatrust.org.nz

JUNE June 1 – Nuffield Scholarship applications open for potential leaders involved in primary industries. The scholarships provide an opportunity to gain global perspectives and insights to bring back to New Zealand. Five $40,000 scholarships are awarded each year.

For full details about the scholarships and to apply, visit www.nuffield.org.nz. Applications close on August 13.

June 6-8 – Canterbury hosts the annual Ayrshire New Zealand conference this year. To view the itinerary and register visit www.ayrshire.org.nz June 14-17 – The National Agricultural Fieldays near Hamilton is the chance to view the latest technological advancements and Kiwi ingenuity in agriculture, find the best deal in the latest farm equipment or watch rural bachelors demonstrating their agricultural expertise. More than 1000 exhibitors and 130,000 visitors head to the

annual four-day event held at Mystery Creek. More www.fieldays.co.nz June 19-22 – Holstein Friesian New Zealand takes its annual conference to Cromwell this year. To view the draft itinerary and register visit www.nzholstein.org.nz June 22 – Dairy Business of the Year Awards takes place in the Palmerston North Convention Centre. Entrants are judged 70% on financial performance, 15% on environmental performance and 15% on people management. For information on the awards and tickets for the event, which cost $110 plus GST, visit www.dboy.co.nz June 23 – The SMASH (smaller herd) conference is being held in the Waikato between 10am and 8pm. SMASH is set up to help dairy farmers, particularly those with smaller operations, run successful businesses. For more about SMASH visit www.smallerherds.co.nz

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Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | May 2017

EDITORIAL

Out of South Africa

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very week we hear more on the problems of attracting and retaining good staff in the dairy industry. In our special report this month we are investigating how top farmers are welcoming, inducting and treating new staff – their rates of staff retention and development certainly tell a story. Mark Frear says employing staff is simple – “You’ve really just got to treat people as you’d like to be treated yourself, with respect.” (pg 64.)

Travel really does broaden the mind. I was lucky enough to have a trip to South Africa last month to attend the 2017 International Congress of Agricultural Journalists (thanks to the NZ Guild of Ag Journalists and AGMARDT for the travel and leadership development grant). I learned two things. The first was how interesting it was to meet 160 other agricultural journalists from all over the world – though from different countries, we all had so many issues in common and challenges from our home countries to talk about, so it was a great networking and personal development opportunity.

The other thing was how fascinating it is to visit South Africa – the beautiful countryside and wild animals, combined with really interesting history and political and social change. All up it’s a country with lots of challenges, but also heaps of potential.

South Africa covers only 4% of the African continent landmass but has more than 50% of the infrastructure of the continent. Only 14% of the South African landmass is viable for agriculture and their agricultural industry really is a game of two halves – the commercial farming industry is big, technologically advanced,

productive and predominately whiteowned (although this is changing very slowly). The subsistence farmers still have small plots, hand tools and are exposed to At the Kruger drought, pests and statue in food insecurity. This the Kruger sector is where the National Park. government and industry is putting efforts (many say not enough) in to lifting them to the level of small emerging farming enterprises – where with free rental of a larger landholding they could grow enough vegetables, maize and livestock (mainly chickens) to feed their families and sell excess to local markets. If through training, support and technological advances they can pull it off in South Africa, many farmers believe the same can be done for the rest of Africa.

“The biggest challenge of agriculture in Africa is poverty,” large-scale South African farmer Theo de Jager, who is actively consulting and undertaking joint venture partnerships in Africa, told Congress participants. “And yet agriculture has the best chance of lifting Africa out of poverty and hunger.”

By organising small farmers into strong co-operative groups and introducing technology and climate-smart farming, he has a vision for an Africa without poverty and hunger in 20 years.

“Imagine if we could get farmers to take

a leap forward like in the communications industry where they went from drums to cellphone technology in a short time.”

Read about some of the dairy farming operations we visited on our South African trip, with more to come in Country-Wide magazine over the next few issues.

It will be exciting times for Dairy Exporter in May when we front as a finalist in the Canon Media Awards in the Best trade/specialist publication category. We will let you know how we get on!

Jackie

SNEAK PREVIEW

NEXT ISSUE FEATURE FARMS: Trinity Lands: a group of dairy farms in the South Waikato.

LAND PROTECTION: What is the latest in protecting your soils, water quality and farm business.

YOUNG COUNTRY: Dairy Industry Award winning trainees from Northland and South Auckland.

HITTING THE ROAD ON GYPSY DAY? Don’t forget to let us know your new address, so that we can make sure you get your June Dairy Exporter. Ph 0800 2AG SUB (224 782), email subs@nzfarmlife.co.nz or write to: PO Box 218, Feilding 4740

NEW ZEALAND

Learn, grow, excel

NZ Dairy Exporter is published by NZ Farm Life Media PO Box 218, Feilding 4740, Toll free 0800 224 782, www.nzfarmlife.co.nz Dairy Exporter/Young Country editor Jackie Harrigan, ph 06 280 3165, M 027 359 7781 jackie.harrigan@nzfarmlife.co.nz Lead sub-editor: Andy Maciver, ph 06 280 3166 Reporters Hugh Stringleman ph 09 432 8594; Glenys Christian

ph 027 434 7803; Sheryl Brown ph 021 239 1633; Cheyenne Stein 06 323 1660; Anne Hardie 027 540 3635; Anne Lee 021 413 346; Karen Trebilcock 03 489 8083; Designer: Joanne Hannam Account Managers: Warren McDonald, National Advertising Manager, Ph 06 323 0143 John McMaster, Auckland/Northland, ph 09 3756 007 Janine Gray, Waikato and Bay of Plenty, ph 027 474 6094 Donna Hirst, Lower North Island, ph 06 323 0739 Nigel Ramsden, Livestock, ph 06 323 0761

Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | May 2017

Shirley Howard, real estate/international, ph 06 323 0760 Debbie Brown, classifieds/employment, ph 06 323 0765 David Paterson, South Island, ph 03 382 6143 Subscriptions: www.nzfarmlife.co.nz subs@nzfarmlife.co.nz ph 0800 2AG SUB (224 782) ISSN 2230-2697 (Print) ISSN 2230-3057 (Online)

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Word in your ear Dairy Automation makes easy work of sorting Springers The single biggest benefit that dairy automation brings to dairy farmers is the ability to make key decisions quickly and accurately.

Information captured with automation enables better decision making, reduces risk and helps improve herd management at all stages of the dairy calendar.

Automation also sorts out mobs of cows with the touch of a button.

Currently, with drying off under way, dairy automation tools can help with two key areas:

Identifying and Drafting Springers Have you ever sent springing cows grazing off farm or to the back of the farm for grazing only to have her calve?

It’s expensive to transport single animals back to farm from grazing off.

Additionally, there are risks to cow and calf if calving is missed and no one picks this up. Days of lactation plus a strong genetic calf may also be missed.

Dairy automation reduces this risk by giving you more accurate drafting.

When a cow is AB’d, the data can be entered into Tru-Test’s dairy automation system, either on the spot or transferred in bulk from your AB technician at the end of your AB sessions.

When your vet then does the pregnancy testing they can look up and see when each cow was AB’d to determine, if pregnant, when due, capturing this information in the system.

Enabling you to easily create accurate groups and drafts.

3248TTDA01

Having this information will also give you an early assessment to know who you will graze on farm and who you will send away. Giving you a clearer picture of numbers, costs and on farm feed requirements.

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Weighing & EID

You can also be confident that you are shipping the right cows to graze off.

Managing Dry Cow Treatments Individual cow information collects and builds into dairy automation modules and is fundamental to enabling faster, more accurate decision making.

With drying off that can be information for making treatment and culling decisions.

Information captured with automation enables better decision making, reduces risk and helps improve herd management.

Dairy automation reduces risk of springing cows calving after being sent for grazing off.

With Tru-Test’s automation system, you can easily look up the cow records, in-shed or in the office, to identify those cows that will need a dry cow treatment and if it should be a long acting treatment or a short acting one.

For example say a cow has had mastitis a couple of times or more over the season.

You can determine which treatment she requires or with her data on age and production at hand, whether it’s time to cull her.

Additionally, if a long acting penicillin cow calves and comes into the shed, the system will sound an alert in-shed to the treatment if still within the withholding period. Reducing the risk of penicillin in the vat at the beginning of the season.

Automation enables drafts for springing and grazing off mobs to be created from AB dates for greater accuracy.

Tru-Test’s dairy automation system is modular enabling you to prioritise the information you need most to maximise production and meet budget requirements. Talk to your local Tru-Test Dairy Automation Rep to discuss options for improving your operation and herd management.

Dairy Automation

2017 National Fieldays are coming up.

If you’re planning on going you can check out our Dairy Automation system at Tru-Test’s dairy site [Site F47 & 49]. Our team will be on hand to talk you through the different modules and demonstrate the system for you.

Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | May 2017

Milk Cooling & Tanks

MiHub™ & Data Services

Upgrading your milk vat over the off season?

Depending on your operation, you might require a larger refrigeration unit or pre-cooling to meet your current and future needs, and be compliant for the new regulations.

Make sure you're future proofing for the new milk cooling regulations.

If you’re scheduled for a vat upgrade with your dairy company or needing to upsize due to expanded production, make sure you get your milk cooling sorted at the same time, and future proof yourself for the new regulations coming into effect next year.

Or, if you’re planning on or have a new shed already on the go, have you factored in for your milk cooling to be compliant from day one of operation (if prior to 1 June 2018) as per the regulatory requirements? If not a call to your local milk cooling rep needs to be on your to do list.

With the new regulations just round the corner and a potential milk cooling upgrade cost just in front of you, making sure you’re compliant and have factored in future plans for your operation is critical. As these are key to making the most of your investment and protecting it against future expansion.

Given the myriad of solution options and a number of on-farm considerations to factor in, it’s tempting to just whack in a bigger refrigeration system.

However, whilst it may seem like the easiest and possibly cheapest option, it won’t necessarily give you the best outcome for your business and meeting the new milk cooling regulations.

A new refrigeration unit is generally the most cost effective way for increasing capacity, however it’s not always the case.

If you have issues with power reliability or water temp/usage, then these can be drivers to requiring some secondary pre-cooling.

Make sure you get your milk cooling sorted at the same time and future proof yourself.

That’s why it’s really important farmers have their refrigeration needs fully assessed before committing to a solution.

To get the best results an assessment should be based on the performance of your current system in relation to meeting the new regulations, your immediate needs to address increased production, and your future business plans.

2017 National Fieldays are coming up.

If you’re planning on going you can check out our full range of Milk Cooling solutions at Tru-Test’s dairy site [Site F47 & 49] to help you get sorted for the new regulations. Our team will be on hand to talk you through the different solutions and help identify what might be the right solution for your operation. what you need now, compliance with the new regulations, and have built in future-proofing – so you don’t need to go through this process again when you next increase production.

At Tru-Test Milk Cooling & Tanks, we provide a nationwide, end-to-end service including expert advice, components, installation and ongoing support.

Our reps are happy to come on farm and talk to you about your specific needs so they can recommend customised milk cooling solutions that best suit your dairy operation. Depending on whether you want to meet, beat or thrash the new regulations.

Viewed together they will ensure your solution will give you

Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | May 2017

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If you are planning a new shed, you need to be compliant from day one of operation if before 1 June 2018. Have you factored in your milk cooling requirements?

How are you tracking?

Let’s talk.

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MILKING PLATFORM │ SOLUTIONS

No problems just new pathways Charlie and Jody McCaig

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here’s been some media interest in the dairy progression pathway in Taranaki recently.

Following the sale of a multigenerational farm in a scenic coastal location, the local newspaper dedicated the front page of the weekend edition to the issue, with a headline heralding the ‘End of the Family Line’. The farm in question had been in family ownership for 170 years but its current owner’s children had no interest in taking it on. The usual hand-wringing narrative ran through the article about how the price of land these days means only “corporates” or established players could hope to purchase these farms and high entry costs are putting young people off farming.

These views, often aired, never seem to ring true to the experiences of ourselves and others around us. We’ve often wondered why that is and have concluded that it’s because they are usually being expressed by an older generation looking back and realising that the pathway they took is not open anymore. But is that actually a problem?

So farming businesses will have to behave more like “corporates” to survive?

What do people mean by that? If they mean they will need a strong focus on governance then that is only a good thing.

Businesses with good governance look at the road ahead more than the path already travelled. A business that looks ahead recognises the importance of addressing environmental, animal welfare and employment issues. A business that looks ahead sees diversification is a sensible thing in a volatile industry. A business that looks ahead addresses its succession planning issues years before it is forced into selling its assets up.

So equity partnerships mean the end of “family farming”? Our equity partnership is a joint venture between our family farming business and our partner’s family farming business. What’s not “family farming” about that?

We don’t know the farmer in the story’s situation so don’t want to be unfair to him, but if land owners in his position are really concerned about young people entering the industry, they could become part of the solution rather than be part of the problem.

What do we mean by “the problem”?

The problem is smaller entry-level sized blocks being swallowed up into

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Jody and Charlie McCaig have found success in farming partnerships.

neighbouring properties or purchased by multiple-farm owners seeking capital gains.

What do we mean by “the solution”?

The solution would be to find novel ways to support younger, capital-starved farmers into ownership. Things like selling a portion of the farm and leasing the rest to the same person, vendor financing or equity partnerships are some of the ways to do this.

Charlie McCai g’s latest “cow fie”

There are too many examples of this happening within our network to even start naming them, but all around us family farming businesses are coming together to work out ways of transferring ownership of land from one generation to the next, and more often than not it’s not in the “traditional” way.

But not everyone wants to transfer ownership. Our equity partnership came about as a direct response to the same problem the farmer in the newspaper had

but the solution was very different. Like most dairy farmers of their generation, our partners have built up an impressive business through hard work, smart thinking and capital gains.

The farm would be difficult for someone to come in and buy without considerable equity backing. Their two daughters both wanted their family to retain ownership of the farm, but both have non-farming careers and non-farming husbands. So the idea came to “hitch their wagons” with some lucky young couple (us!) who wanted to work hard and grow but had little equity or security to back themselves with.

It’s not a vehicle by which to transfer ownership to us – we don’t want to own land at this stage and maybe never will – but it’s a win-win situation that couples our desire to grow equity with their desire to retain ownership of the farm. It doesn’t put the problem to bed permanently but if all goes well it means family ownership is maintained at least for the duration of the partnership.

And it’s going well. So well, in fact, the board of our partnership has decided we should try to find other people to partner with on new farming ventures – people who are in our situation of being early in their careers and having no family security to call on to help them grow.

As the old saying goes “as one door closes, another opens”. This is how we should view the changing scenery of progression in the NZ dairy industry.

Not with regret and suspicion, but with excitement and interest.

Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | May 2017

MILKING PLATFORM │ MEDIA

Rain doesn’t dampen media negativity

know, but who you know, to get that one across the line.

With the beginning of the 201718 season quickly approaching, the recruitment of staff will have been high up on most farmers’ agendas. I had to agree with something I read this week – “I’m all for promoting diverse ag careers, sales, promotion, marketing etc but somebody is going to have to be the producer”.

While many of us have started at the bottom and are now having success, many young people continue to see the goal of farm ownership as impossible to achieve.

There needs to be more promotion around the success of many Kiwi farmers in achieving farm ownership after starting at the bottom.

I’ve seen too many bloody intelligent people in their early to mid 20s leave farming to achieve a better lifestyle working 40 hours as a field rep with a free ute.

Who wouldn’t want to work in this office?

James Davidson

A

s the season draws to an end, dry-off is approaching as well as wintering. The R2 heifers have been teat-sealed, a no-brainer in my opinion, and we will look to use selective dry cow again this year after having plenty of success last year. We will use dry cow on all cows that have herdtested more than 150,000 SCC, with the rest getting solely teat-sealed.

We welcome a quiet winter and the rainfall that comes with it. With 250mm having already fallen on the Canterbury plains, it seems to have been enough to dampen the voices of the Selwyn River’s self-elected guardians. Flowing above ground all the way to Lake Ellesmere has been enough to wash out all the bad publicity until the next three-year drought.

Unfortunately, the rainfall hasn’t been enough to dampen the voices of the media

and their hell-bent agenda to portray a negative view on farming in the hope of increasing ratings.

TVNZ’s recent episode of Sunday was just one example of this. It was a great start to see farmers band together and put some of the major sponsors of these shows on notice. It was, however, disappointing to see the lack of support many farmers had for Flinty, one of our own. Unfair editing on TVNZ’s part resulted in a gross misrepresentation of New Zealand farming practices and had absolutely no relation to “the real cost of milk” which was supposedly the purpose of the episode. To say the journalist didn’t have any morals is putting it kindly. Country Calendar seems to be the only piece of prime time television putting NZ farming at the forefront, with Young Farmer of the Year and the Rural Games having been palmed off for cooking and dating shows. It’s time someone ‘in the know’ put forward a farming version of the old Sports Café, a half-hour slot of humour and all things farming. Throw some townies in gumboots and send them off to the farm for a few days, chuck in some romance down at the local pub, a lamb roast and we should be able to score the 7:30pm slot on a Sunday night. It might be a case of not what you

Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | May 2017

While we need good bankers and field reps, we need intelligent young people with farm ownership as their goal or farms will continue to be owned by overseas investors who have the money to develop farms and put them further out of reach for young Kiwis. I’ve seen too many bloody intelligent people in their early to mid 20s leave farming to achieve a better lifestyle working 40 hours as a field rep with a free ute. The battle is real when trying to find decent herd managers and 2ICs with the right attitude as intelligent, switched-on young guns get snapped up into farm manager roles after just two years in the game because there just aren’t enough of them around. If we don’t act fast, we will soon run out of skilled people to run these million dollar businesses.

As wells dry up and media negativity is rampant, it is exciting to look forward to the 2018-19 season, where pressurised water will be at the gate! Just 18 months to go . . .

And now for a family update – we seem to have struck gold with our beef calves this year getting $4+ per kilo of liveweight.

The lower buy-in cost of beef calves has seen similar margins to raising dairy heifers. While we usually take a few calves through the winter on our hill block, I’m happy to flick them now at $700-plus for a quiet winter up the hill.

Our wee Angus is putting on the beef and proving to be from good genetics! He can now fit his size 3 Redband gumboots and can’t wait to get up and away.

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UPFRONT │ RABOBANK FARM EXPERIENCE

Emelia Cox, left and Jessica Lee from Cashmere High School – loving their dairy farm experience.

Getting their boots dirty Anne Lee anne.lee@nzx.com @Cantabannelee Sandra Taylor Sandra.taylornz@gmail.com

S

even teenagers from the suburbs of Christchurch spent a week of their April school holidays getting a taste of farm life through a recentlylaunched Rabobank initiative.

The Rabobank Farm Experience aims to raise awareness of the many career opportunities in the primary sector and help bridge the urban-rural divide.

Based on a successful Australian programme that’s been running for three years, the Canterbury-based pilot is the first of its type in New Zealand and was an initiative of Rabobank’s Client Council – made up of 10 farming and supply-chain members.

It’s hoped the programme will be rolled out across the country to give senior students from towns and cities a “boots and all” look at the myriad of activities and opportunities both within and beyond the farm gate.

Rabobank’s South Island manager David Clarke says the programme is a step towards addressing the problem of longterm capability within the agricultural sector.

“Our clients are concerned about where the next generation of farmers and agribusiness professionals is coming from.”

The programme will open the door – or farm gate – for urban-based teenagers who

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would not otherwise get the opportunity to visit a farm and give them a taste of what agribusiness is all about.

Clarke says he hopes the week spent onfarm will paint a positive picture of farming and the agricultural industry.

The students – all in their senior years at high school – applied to be part of the programme through their schools and have a range of interests and academic and practical strengths. Each student was matched with well-vetted dairy, sheep and beef or arable farming families, depending on their particular interests.

They weren’t just observers and got the chance to get their hands and gumboots dirty doing practical tasks on farm, questioning and learning as they went.

On the final day they visited different

parts of the supply chain, including milk processors, and met professionals working in various agricultural support industries.

The visits spanned each of the farming sectors to help tell the arable, sheep and beef, dairy and wool stories.

The students’ visit to Synlait Milk walked them through the paddock to plate and paddock to baby bottle journey with the vast range of high-tech, science and laboratory, logistics and in particular environmental opportunities apparent.

THE FARMERS’ VIEW South Canterbury dairy farmers Joe and Suz Wyborn were only too happy to say yes to hosting two city-based high school students on their farm during the recent school holidays.

Sharing the dairying story with the wider public is something they love to do and the concept of the Rabobank Farm Experience is one they’re right behind.

“Anything we can do to tell the good story has to be the right thing to do – it’s something we know we all need to be doing,” Joe says.

There’s already enough noise out in the wider community based on skewed views and it’s not good enough to leave that out there unanswered, the couple believes.

“It might be small steps with a few people at a time but it’s something and it’s definitely worthwhile,” Joe says.

But that’s just one of the reasons the Ballance Farm Environment Awardwinning farmers have been keen to participate.

“We need good young people coming into our industry and into agriculture in a broader sense.

“We need to see more young Kiwis seeing the sector as an option for a career.

There are some great jobs in so many areas of the industry, not just onfarm, although we need bright young people seeing farming and dairy farming as a great career option too,” Joe says.

Jessica Lee, foreground, and Emelia Cox drenching and vaccinating heifers – they got to experience real farming and learn some of the science behind what happens onfarm.

Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | May 2017

Jessica Lee, centre and Emelia Cox take a look at scan results with Greg Wisnesky from ScanSouth.

He points to his own staff – one barely in her 20s who earns a good salary, has her own three-bedroom house as accommodation and has a widely varied working day.

“Where she’s at for her age is pretty fantastic and the opportunities for her to progress are huge.”

The couple say the girls they’re hosting – Emelia Cox and Jessica Lee from Cashmere High School – fitted in with their own family, daughter Molly and son Ben, who were also on school holidays at the time.

“I told the girls when they arrived first up that they didn’t have to do anything on the farm they didn’t feel comfortable with but they’ve been keen to get into everything. They’ve been kept very busy over the whole time.

“Down at the shed they didn’t want to just stand and watch – they got the gloves straight on and wanted to have a go at milking.”

The programme has been developed to ensure the students are also exposed to a wide range of agriculture-related career options, with the final day spent visiting businesses and people in the supply chain, but the farming families have ensured the students get to experience plenty more than what’s within the farm gate.

“We took the girls– Emelia and Jessica – along to the Fonterra factory at Clandeboye the other day and we did a tour. It really is something to hear about the processes there and what they do.

“That’s what’s very good about this programme – they get to see all these related industries as well and we need good young people coming into these sectors.”

The health and safety aspects of helping out onfarm are all well-covered by the host farmers with comprehensive support from the programme’s organisers.

A POSITIVE EXPERIENCE Christchurch’s Cashmere High School student Emelia Cox wants to be a large animal vet and while she’s had experience with farm animals on a small scale,

Joe Wyborn – sharing the good dairy story with city students. working for a children’s farm party company, she’d never ventured through the gate on a commercial farm.

That was until the last week of the recent school holidays when she got to spend time on the 235ha farm where Joe and Suz Wyborn 50:50 sharemilk 850 cows for the Pye Group.

It’s confirmed her aspirations, and getting up close and personal with hundreds of cows in the farm dairy and in the yards has been a fantastic experience, she says.

She particularly loved any animal health aspect of the work – helping treat lame cows, drenching and vaccinating young stock before they went onto their winter crop and even getting to see the heifers pregnancy tested.

They’ve not just got involved and carried out the tasks, they’ve learned why the tasks are carried out, and some of the science behind the actions onfarm in terms of animal husbandry, animal health and feed management.

She’d definitely recommend the Rabobank Farm Experience to other high school students especially if they have an inkling that they’d like to work in the rural sector.

But even if students hadn’t previously considered agriculture, the programme is one school mate Jessica Lee would recommend.

She has also had a little experience at a lifestyle scale and says it’s been a great way to find out what job opportunities exist not just on the farm but in the whole agricultural sector.

She’s thinking of heading to Lincoln University and has an interest in the environmental aspects of agriculture.

“That’s why it’s been really good to be here with the Wyborns as Ballance Farm Environment Award winners – seeing what they do to protect waterways and reduce nitrate leakage,” Jessica says.

Being able to visit both the Fonterra Clandeboye and Synlait Dunsandel plants has also allowed them to see what efforts

Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | May 2017

go on at the processor level to protect the environment.

Jessica says it was fascinating to see the manufacturing process from milk arriving in tankers to the various finished products such as milk powder, infant formula, mozzarella cheese and protein powders that end up in sports bars and drinks.

Each day the girls and other students on other farms have made a video blog (vlog) of their day’s activities which has been posted to the Rabobank Farm Experience New Zealand facebook page so friends and family and others interested in the programme can see what it’s all about.

On the day Dairy Exporter caught up with Jessica and Emelia they were hard at it, working in the cattle yards on the Wyborn’s runoff vaccinating, drenching and weighing the rising two year olds.

The heifers were also being pregnancy scanned and the girls were intrigued to see the process and be able to see images of the foetal animals.

They both say they loved the whole experience and finished their week taking their positive view of the industry and aspirations for a future in it with them.

Take a look at the Rabobank Farm Experience Facebook page for photos and videos of all the students and their farm experiences. www.facebook.com/rabofarmexperience

13

UPFRONT │ MACHINE MILKING Two of the 23 patents Norman Daysh took to De Laval were for these pieces of kit.

A century of Kiwi milking ingenuity Jackie Harrigan Jackie.harrigan@nzfarmlife.co.nz

The New Zealand dairy industry has changed a lot in the last 100 years, in a large part due to the mechanisation of milking that freed farmers and their families from their milking stools and allowed the exponential growth of cow numbers on each farm.

NZ played a major role in the development of milking machines and the journey started on the Wairarapa kitchen table of a Kiwi dairy farmer and inveterate tinkerer, Norman John Daysh, more than 100 years ago.

Daysh was born in 1882 and grew up hand-milking cows on his grandfather’s Taita dairy farm and later his father’s Wairarapa farm, near Dyerville, Martinborough. By the age of 18 at the turn of the century, the mechanically minded youngster had built his first mechanical milking apparatus and was selling it to neighbouring farmers.

His inventing career went on hold when the Boer War broke out in South Africa and he enlisted with his horse and went off to fight. Fortunately for the dairy industry, he returned home and by 1912, realising the enormous possibilities for mechanised milking across the world, Daysh had registered 23 patents for products under his Zealandia brand.

Early efforts to liberate farm workers from the “white whip” (where farm labourers in Sweden had to agree to a special “wife clause”, committing their

wives to milking the farmers’ cows twice a day, 365 days of the year for no payment) had thrown up machines as early as the mid-1800s but the early methods were painful, unreliable and largely unsuccessful.

Two approaches were taken, one using suction to imitate the suckling action of a calf and the other imitating the handmilking action with the help of plates and rollers, known as the pressure method.

More than 100 patents were registered in the second half of the 1800s, including one for the Laktator, by Swedish inventor Gustaf de Laval, but the mechanical massaging machine did not milk

‘It took an actual farmer who knew cows to come up with the concept that was the world’s first successful milking machine.’

efficiently and the company failed.

The concept Daysh worked on was simulating the effect of a suckling calf and he approached it from the viewpoint of the cow – it had to be both comfortable and efficient for the cow to let down her milk effectively.

Employing the help of a docile cow called Daisy and his brother-in-law Pringle Davey, Daysh eventually solved the

problem of uncomfortable pulsation and ineffective teat cups by designing a doublepipeline system with controlled pulsations and developing an india-rubber lining for the teat cup.

The pulsations were controlled by a slide mechanism on the vacuum pump and transmitted to the teat cups through a second tube completely independent of the vacuum pipeline, a simple design that ensured perfect regularity of pulsation.

The double-line milker proved amazingly hardy and reliable with a gentle action that, combined with the rubber liner, proved comfortable for the cow.

Daysh was said to be the first designer who considered the effect on the cow – maybe because Daisy was in the kitchen with him – bellowing or perhaps making her displeasure known on the kitchen floor when she was uncomfortable, Norman’s grandson John Daysh said 100 years later.

John says it’s a great story of ingenuity – and a source of pride to the family and the industry that a Kiwi farmer was considered the greatest expert in the mechanical milking of a cow 100 years ago.

“It took an actual farmer who knew cows to come up with the concept that was the world’s first successful milking machine.”

Despite setting up the Zealandia

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company and marketing the machine, Normal Daysh was forced to look further afield to find investment and capital to grow his company. In 1913 he shifted with his young family and 23 patents to the United States where he approached the Swedish De Laval company, whose cream separator he was familiar with.

The company quickly recognised the superiority of his inventions and offered him a design job, working at Poughkeepsie with their engineers over five years to improve and develop his machine.

The team built and tested more than 100 prototype machines, resulting in the launch of the De Laval Milker in 1917. Of the first 100 machines sold on sale or return if unsatisfied, not one was returned and the De Laval Milker was sold unaltered for the following 10 years before design enhancements were made.

During his time in the US Norman also visited the Swedish head offices of the Alfa De Laval company and was presented with a medallion struck in honour of his milking

John Daysh with a picture of his grandfather Norman John Daysh: Remembering the contribution made

by Norman to NZ dairy farming as the foremost expert in milking machine technology 100 years ago.

machine, along with a later 1922 commendation from the Chicago De Laval Travellers Convention, recognising a “man of superior ability and accomplishments, who has a perfect knowledge and understanding of our Milker, largely a product of his own mind”… and which “appreciated him for his human attributes, and general all-round good-fellowship that has endeared him to all of us who have had the pleasure of meeting him.”

The Daysh family came home from the US in 1918 once world patents had been secured and Norman travelled the country working for De Laval marketing the De Laval Milker.

Sadly, Daysh died suddenly at Palmerston North showgrounds aged only 42 after demonstrating the technology.

While the family was wellestablished financially through the invention they are still very proud of their forebear’s contribution to the world dairy industry and the legacy that remains in milking machines today, John Daysh says.

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15

UPFRONT │ FORECASTS

A brighter view Anne Lee anne.lee@nzx.com @Cantabannelee Farmers are being advised to remain cautious when looking at budgets and cashflow projections for next season, but the view out the front window is certainly brighter than it is in rear vision mirror.

While Fonterra is still to announce its forecast milk price for the coming season, due by the end of May, the ranges being touted by other dairy companies, industry forecasts and financial market indicators suggest farmers should be able to get back to more sustainable spending plans.

Open Country Dairy has forecast $6.25$6.55/kg milksolids (MS) and NZX’s Milk Price Futures were trading at $6.25/kg MS in early May. DairyNZ economist Matthew Newman says while all indications are for milk price to be somewhere above $6/kg MS for 2017-18, in-season payments for Fonterra farmers will be bolstered by a healthy retrospective (retro) payment of about $1.06/kg MS based on the current advance schedule predictions.

With dividend payments that could put in-season payments at about $6.60-$6.65 for 2017-18.

Newman emphasises these are in-season payments and shouldn’t be confused with the annual milk price forecasts.

This season the forecast has been on a rising plane and while Fonterra has worked at boosting advance payments through the season as early as it can, a return to a situation where retro payments do feature in the cashflow and the in-season payment is higher than the milk price is a positive.

Unlike this season where the opening advance rate was in the $2 range, scraping over the $3 mark with the capacity adjustment, this coming season most experts have the opening advance sitting at close to $3.80 including the capacity adjustment of about 50c/kg MS. BakerAg dairy consultant Chris Lewis says the view into next season certainly looks brighter but he’s urging caution when it comes to planning out the income stream and spending.

Those with a good rein on their financials will have set budgets for next season in March-April and will review them as more information comes to light, he says.

He was heartened by the early ranges coming out from other dairy companies 16

but says until Fonterra gives its update in late May he was sticking to a forecast milk price closer to $5.50/kg MS for budgeting purposes.

“Based on the GDT (GlobalDairy Trade) results we’ve remained cautious when it comes to doing cashflows and budgets.

“We continue to see our most resilient businesses operating low cost systems and – apart from those who might have overdone it when they reduced stocking rates – we don’t see any indications it’s time to lift stocking rate or return to higher input use.”

Chris Lewis – heartened, but urging caution.

He has advance rates starting out at $3.30/kg MS plus a capacity charge of 51c/ kg MS in his cashflow forecasts, building slowly until they reach close to $5/kg MS

by May, paid in June.

“We’ll review that when we get some solid information from Fonterra – at the moment there’s not a lot to indicate we should be getting too bullish.

“The most important calculation farmers can do right now though, if they haven’t already, is to establish their break-even milk price,” he says.

That’s not farm working expenses alone – it includes interest and rent payments, tax and drawings, less income from stock sales. (Dairy Exporter, April 2017) “If there’s anything left over in the pot then take a look at what hasn’t been done in the last 18 months that can boost

productivity – things that are necessary for the long-term sustainability of the business.”

While some had begun addressing those issues as this season had progressed, line item spending on areas such as soil fertility and repairs and maintenance should be checked.

It was important people didn’t undo the good work they’d done in reassessing their systems and taking out costs by “overcalling” next season’s payouts.

The Australian experience – with co-operative Murray Goulburn facing investigations into its communication with farmers over predicted payments – could make companies act a little more cautiously in setting their forecasts.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has dropped its investigation into Fonterra’s conduct in communicating its payout forecasts in Australia but it remains to be seen whether the experience has made the co-operative take a more cautious and conservative approach on this side of the Tasman when it delivers its new season forecast later this month.

Volatility in the past few seasons had been extreme and geo-political uncertainty and climate dynamics mean commodity price movements even within a season can be large.

DairyNZ has just released its economic survey for the 2015-16 season – one most farmers would rather forget.

It showed the average farm made an operating loss of $9/ha and return on equity of -12.5% despite cutting costs and lowering their breakeven milk price from $5.05/kg MS the previous season to $4.93/ kg MS. Farm working expenses dropped to $3.64/kg MS. MORE: Learning from the lean times Volatility the only constant

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Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | May 2017

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UPFRONT │ NUTRIENT TOOL

Overseer set for major revamp Anne Lee anne.lee@nzx.com @Cantabannelee The nutrient budgeting tool Overseer is about to undergo a major revamp aimed at making it more user-friendly.

Also under investigation is the creation of a time-saving data-sharing platform and a new user-pays charging model.

Overseer Ltd chief executive Dr Caroline Read says work is in the initial design stages with feedback being sought from users to firstly identify where changes could help simplify and streamline both the entry of information into the model and how its outputs are presented.

“We started talking to users about this in March, initially with a group in Canterbury but we’re having a wider conversation about it now.

“We’re finding out what they think we can do to improve their user experience when it comes to putting information into the model but also in what they get back out of it.

“To get a high quality result users need to be able to validate the farm system being modelled so we want to more easily display the description of the farm and the management practices being used.

Where it is required, we want to enable farmers to provide welldefined information to regulators who want to encourage better nutrient management. If it’s better understood, it can help drive better policy when it comes to setting plans and be used in a better way.

“Then farmers and Overseer users can say: yes, that accurately reflects the farm system, or: no let’s look at the information we put in again because that’s not an accurate description of the farm.”

Read says the revamp would aim to deliver information in a more understandable way that may include graphical representations.

“We want to report the information in a way that more clearly shows relative differences over time rather than just a 18

We want to more easily display the description of the farm and the management practices being used, Overseer’s Dr Caroline Read says. spreadsheet of numbers to more readily support nutrient management decisions.”

The new interface should help farmers and regulators alike.

“Where it is required, we want to enable farmers to provide well-defined information to regulators who want to encourage better nutrient management. If it’s better understood, it can help drive better policy when it comes to setting plans and be used in a better way.

“We also want the information provided in such a way that it improves farmers’ understanding and makes it easier for them to meet their obligations.”

Read says one of the problems the revamp will aim to rectify is repetition when it comes to data entry.

“Users are having to put the same information in at different entry points repeatedly and that’s making the process more time-consuming than it has to be.

“We want to line up the data entry points and make it simpler to use so that it’s harder to put in the wrong information. Detailed information will still be required but it should be clearer to users what’s required.

“Some of the terminology is old fashioned and needs to be updated and in some places there can be confusion over what it’s asking for – sometimes it stipulates kilograms per hectare and then it will ask for kilograms only and a user has to take a lot of care to enter the right metric.

“We want to enhance the look and

feel of Overseer so it’s easier to navigate through.”

She says streamlining Overseer will help reduce the time it takes to do a nutrient budget and while qualifications will still be required for use in consenting and regulatory applications the aim of the revamp is to make it more user-friendly for farmers too.

“While Overseer expert users will continue to have an important role in supporting nutrient budgeting, we want farmers to be able to engage in a more meaningful way.

“Farmers will be able to monitor change over time to assess against their farm plans and run different scenarios to understand what changes mean in terms of their nutrient losses.”

The plan is to have a layered version of the online tool with a dashboard-style page providing clear, easy to understand information with the more detailed layers still available to specialist users.

“We want to present the output information so people without a high level of expertise can also understand it.”

Read hoped to have more information on new data entry fields at the National Fieldays in June and the Overseer team would be looking for further feedback from users.

She expected to have examples of the new look later in the year.

Also under investigation is how to enable farmers to have better access to their own data used for nutrient budgeting.

Putting the information all into one place with farmer-based security permissions managing access to the data would make running the model more efficient, Read says.

The new dairy benchmarking tool developed by LIC and Fonterra, Agrigate, was a good example of this.

The revamp of the modelling tool is being funded by Overseer’s owners, the Ministry of Primary Industries, the Fertiliser Association of New Zealand and AgResearch but Read says work is also under way into what sort of charging model could be developed so Overseer Ltd is self-sufficient.

The aim is for the model to be able to support its future development and meet the changing needs of the farming community.

Read says Overseer staff would be engaging with users over potential funding options.

Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | May 2017

PASTURE May 2017

Measuring up for a successful winter feed policy

Grass to crop transition

A good winter feed plan helps ensure two critical things: cows that calve at the right BCS, and enough DM to get through to spring without coming up short.

Accuracy is everything in this process. The more carefully you balance pasture cover and/ or winter crop yields and daily feed allocations with current cow condition and BCS goals at calving, the better your MS production and reproductive performance will be in spring.

For those with crop, start with measuring DM yield, if you haven’t done so already. There’s helpful advice about how to do this on our website, under both brassica management and fodder beet management.

Remember fodder beet yields are notoriously hard to estimate; recommended industry best practice is to take at least eight separate yield measurements per paddock, including DM % analysis.

Once you know how much DM is available for winter feeding, the next step is allocating that DM for optimal results. These decisions are determined by cow condition at dry off, and whether cows need to maintain or gain weight over winter.

For example, to maintain BCS, you need to offer about 10 kg DM/cow/day (e.g. 8 kg crop plus 2 kg straw/hay/silage). To gain 0.5 BCS, that allocation rises to about 14 kg DM/cow/day (e.g.

12 kg crop plus 2 kg straw/hay/ silage).

There’s also a big difference between these two feeding levels when it comes to crop utilisation. If you want cows to gain 0.5 BCS, you need to accept lower crop utilisation.

High crop utilisation generally means lower daily intakes, because stock are being pushed to consume more of the crop which typically has a lower feed value and intake rate.

Calculating how much winter crop DM will be available, and how much DM will be required to achieve the desired levels of animal performance over winter, will give you the two essential elements of your winter feed policy, and help you reach your calving targets and avoid running out of feed unexpectedly.

Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | May 2017

Transitioning cows to brassica or fodder beet is a key stage of any wintering plan, so it’s important that staff know the plan and monitor stock daily.

Fully transitioning cows onto brassica takes 7-10 days, with most health issues seen in the first day or two. To minimise the chance of these, don’t allow empty cows onto crops during the transition period.

Start by feeding low volumes of crop for short periods of time, e.g. no more than one to two hours a day and build up to their final daily allocation by 1 kg DM/head/day over 10 days.

With fodder beet, the transition period for mature cows takes 14-21 days, depending on the final fodder beet allocation. Start by allocating 1-2 kg DM/day/cow and gradually increase the amount of fodder beet offered by 1 kg DM every two days.

Regardless of what crop you’re feeding, stock should be monitored closely, and removed at the first sign of any health issues.

For more transitioning advice, visit our website: www.agriseeds.co.nz

For further information freephone: 0800 449 955, email: mail@agriseeds.co.nz or visit: www.agriseeds.co.nz

19

MARKET VIEW │ GLOBAL OUTLOOK

Volatility the only constant Milk powder being bagged at Fonterra’s Te Rapa plant.

Susan Kilsby

R

eturns from dairy commodities shot up during April on the back of supply concerns and renewed interest from key buyers. directed into WMP production. Instead a course of just a month – and showed no The extreme wet weather that covered combination of SMP and butter is being signs of letting up by late April. much of New Zealand ahead of Easter produced. Both Europe and the United The April 18 GDT event also resulted certainly caused serious damage on some States also have limited capacity to in a lift in the price of skim milk powder farms with whole herds having to be dried produce WMP but Europe could certainly (SMP) supplied from NZ. The world is off and moved off farm. produce a lot more. awash in this product at the moment but What was looking to be an exceptional The relatively tight supply of WMP is this result shows there are some buyers autumn for milk production has been playing out well for NZ farmers. The milk who are prepared to pay a premium for pegged back but most likely will still end price is heavily weighted to WMP so any product from NZ. up a good season. It is difficult to know lift in price flows on to the farmgate milk Massive stocks of SMP are sitting in exactly what the milk intakes will be price.

European Commission’s intervention during May. The wet conditions will have We now can see the impact of changes stores, and this will only grow. SMP brought forward drying off decisions on in commodity prices virtually immediately is trading in Europe again below the many farms. in the milk price by looking at the price guaranteed intervention price of €1698/ But the rain did deliver uncertainty to of milk price futures trading on the NZX tonne. This is encouraging dairy processors the commodity markets. Buyers became Dairy Derivatives market. The September to turn their excess milk into SMP and concerned at the impact this would have 2018 – for the 2017-18 season – was only package it so it can be sold into the on the supply of whole milk powder trading at $5.76/kg milksolids (MS) in early government-backed programme. This is (WMP), anhydrous milkfat and butter.

April but this shot up to $6.28/kg MS by effectively supporting the market in the Supply from NZ in these products make late April. short-term by not letting prices fall even up a large portion of the total volume on While the concerns around NZ’s milk further but the large stocks also restrict the global markets. volumes pertain to the 2016-17 season the market’s ability to trade much above this This uncertainty resulted in a good lift largest price movement is being played price. in the price achieved during April Global out in next season’s milk price. The dairy WMP is trading at a premium of more Dairy Trade (GDT) events. Fonterra did not market trades a lot on sentiment rather than US$1000/t above SMP – where reduce the volume of product it offered so than pure fundamental changes in supply normally it achieves a US$100 premium. there was no change in available supply – and demand.

This large premium is not encouraging just a perception supply could tighten.

There has been an uptick in farmers a heap of extra SMP to be produced Renewed buyer interest has come from locking a milk price for next season – at because of the very strong butter market. the Middle East. Many buyers have been least for a portion of the milk they expect There is still very strong demand for sitting on their hands – unwilling to to produce. They are doing this to gain butter in Europe (and the United States) procure too much product. Low oil prices certainty rather than be fully exposed to so this means excess milk is not being have severely impacted the economies of market volatility. nations which are large buyers Average GDT Prices There is no certainty that of NZ dairy products such as 6000 the dairy markets will not lift Saudi Arabia, Egypt and United 5500 further or fall away in the coming Arab Emirates. But during 5000 months. Excess milk is being April Middle Eastern buyers 4500 produced in Europe and the were replacing stocks that have 4000 US – some of which will find gradually been drawn down. its way into the global markets Buyers from China have been 3500 and compete directly with NZ active since the beginning of 3000 products. On the other hand the year but have also been 2500 demand has shown a lift in recent more active recently. This is 2000 months and if this is able to be translating into higher WMP 1500 maintained then there could be prices. further upside.

WMP futures trading on the 1000 Apr 15 Jun 15 Aug 15 Oct 15 Dec 15 Feb 16 Apr 16 Jun 16 Aug 16 Oct 16 Dec 16 Feb 17 Apr 17 What is certain is that dairy NZX Dairy Derivatives market markets will be volatile. lifted by more than 20% in the WMP SMP Butter AMF Source: GDT, AgriHQ

20

Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | May 2017

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21

BUSINESS │ SOUTH AFRICA The east side of Storms River was forest and bush 50 years ago. It is now one of the leading areas for dairy cattle in Africa and is the base for Trevor Elliott and his 15,000 cows.

Dairying South Africa the Kiwi way Trevor Elliott’s father bought a forest area and started off with two cows 50 years ago. Today his operation is probably the biggest dairy farm business in South Africa, milking 15,000 cows. Erling Mysen reports.

O

n the southern coast of South Africa, in Tsitsikamma, a green belt with forest, pastures and dairy cattle lies between sea and mountains and is very different from the dry areas on the north side of the mountain range.

Tsitsikamma means “running water” in the local Khoi language and the area gets an annual rainfall of about 1150mm.

Originally this was one of a very few forest areas along the coast of the country. From 1860 through until the 1920s forestry was an important industry. The huge yellowwood trees were logged and made into railway sleepers as South Africa was growing and developing fast.

Once logging of the natural forest stopped in the early 1920s the area fell into poverty. Some pine plantations were established and loggers who sold their land were employed by the forestry.

North of the 1500-metre mountain range there are extensive sheep and cattle farms. Among them was sheep farmer Ralph Elliott, of Scottish heritage. Elliott

had read the book Grasslands of New Zealand by Sir Bruce Levy.

Elliott thought the area south of the mountains seemed similar to what was described in NZ so in 1967 he sold his farm and bought an area of forest and bushland east of Storms River.

‘I visited New Zealand for the first time in 1993 and have been back many times. Prior to visiting New Zealand we subscribed to a number of New Zealand farming journals and technical literature.’

He cleared the land and corrected the soil deficiencies and started with two cows and some berries. He applied large

quantities of lime, and fertilisers with phosphorus and trace elements. With improved soil fertility, 20 years later Elliott had more than 200 dairy cows and his son Trevor joined the farm.

“My father found the recipe for successful farming here. I have just copied what he did and grew further,” Trevor says.

In the beginning land was cheap to buy and Trevor bought as much as possible but today his strategy has changed.

15000 COWS ON 14 FARMS Trevor has named his company Grasslands like the book his father read.

The business has grown to 14 farms or establishments with a total of 15,000 dairy cows.

A number of the properties are near Storms River where it all started. Others are mainly along the coast going east toward Jeffreys Bay (south of the big city of Port Elizabeth). He has also a couple of farms north east along the Great Fish River – an area with a climate similar to the Murray River region in Victoria, Australia, Trevor says.

The 14 properties have between 650 and 2400 cows each and are all organised the same way. The cows are divided into three groups. Two graze the fertile spring pastures. First and second-calvers are together, with the older ones in a separate group. The third group calve in the autumn and are fed maize silage in addition to pastures.

“The dairy and the market don’t like farms with only spring calving and we have to deliver milk all through the year,” Trevor says.

In addition all cows get concentrates and that makes about a third of the total feed. Individual average yield is 6000kg milk/year, with 4% fat and 3.5% protein.

COPYING NEW ZEALAND Trevor copied his farming methods from NZ, except for the autumn calvers being fed silage. The rest of the cows graze pastures all year. The pastures can be up to 2.5km away from the barn where the cows are milked twice a day, usually at 4am and 2pm.

Trevor mainly has herringbone dairies, each with 48 bails. A team of four or five people do the milking and on average his company has one person employed per 70 cows. The pastures are in a rotation system depending of the growth of the grass.

Trevor employs staff at the ratio of 1 per 70 cows. Staff are housed on the property, in houses next to his own, and he offers opportunities for staff to have a shareholding in the business through sharemilking agreements, in a reversal of the Kiwi system. His shareholders own the land and he owns the cows, machinery and hires the staff.

22

Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | May 2017

Elliott has mainly Kiwi-bred Friesian cows, but also some Jersey. He uses 100% New Zealand genetics and imports all the semen he needs.

“We measure the growth every week,” Trevor says.

The grass grows up to four times as fast in the spring compared to winter. Kikuyu is chosen because it can stand intensive grazing. But every autumn Trevor sows 20kg/ha of ryegrass in strips with 15cm between them.

Both the seed drill and method are sourced from NZ. Seeding is done from April to June and the pastures rest for sixeight weeks afterwards.

All dairy cow genetics come from NZ. Semen has been imported from NZ since 1984. Trevor has mostly Kiwi-bred Friesian cows but also some Jerseys.

“I visited New Zealand for the first time in 1993 and have been back many times. Prior to visiting New Zealand we subscribed to a number of New Zealand farming journals and technical literature.”

SHARE-MILKING IN AFRICA The price of land in this part of South Africa used to be very low but has risen together with the growth in dairy production.

“Land is now expensive, 200,000250,000 rand/hectare (NZ$20,000-25,000/ ha) and there is little available land.”

Trevor now rents some land. But he has also found another way to grow. He has taken the NZ model of sharemilking and implemented it in Africa.

South Africa is implementing land reform with the political aim of involving the black population in agriculture. Trevor has a very successful land reform project for his employees based on a NZ-style sharemilking contract.

One of the farms, Schoonfontein, is owned by 41 black landowners all of whom are employees or retired employees.

The Parmalat tanker comes for a pickup.

Trevor supplies four different companies across his farming group, which gives him better bargaining power when negotiating his annual contracts.

The system is inspired by NZ 50/50 sharemilking. Elliott contributes with dairy cows, machines, labour and management.

The landowners contribute pastures, fences and infrastructure. Profit is divided according to the contract. Trevor is now planning another sharemilking farm. This time the landowners are a mix black and white.

“We are waiting for government to approve a land reform policy.

The proposed project will also require loans from a commercial bank,” Trevor says.

Dairying in the Eastern Cape, where Trevor has most of his production, has grown to provide 25% of the total volume in South Africa in the past 20 years.

There are six milk buyers in the area. At the moment he gets 4.60 rand per litre of milk.

“I have contracts with and deliver to four companies. That gives me a better position for the annual negotiations,” he says.

“I am sure dairy farming has a great future in Africa, but you need to find the right places to farm.”

Erling Mysen travelled to South Africa for the International Federation of Agricultural Journalists (IFAJ) 2017 congress as well as travelling extensively in the Eastern Cape area. Mysen is a Norwegian freelance journalist and farmer, farming a family property 60km north of Oslo where he grows wheat, barley oats, canola on 40ha, farms pigs and 90ha of forest. He spent three months travelling and working on a dairy farm in NZ in 1986/87.

Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | May 2017

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Helping grow the country

BUSINESS │ SOUTH AFRICA

The changing face of South African agriculture Jackie Harrigan Jackie.harrigan@nzfarmlife.co.nz As South Africa is changing after the end of apartheid in 1994, change is slowly also coming to agriculture.

The racial mix in South Africa has changed over the past 20 years, with the percentage of white people falling from 18% to 8% amongst the population of officially 56 million people, unofficially estimated at 63 million due to the constant flow of illegal immigrants from neighbouring countries like Zimbabwe and Mozambique, adding to the 40% unemployment rate.

When apartheid fell in 1994 the government was faced with the problem of how to correct for the wrongs of the past where land was taken away from black owner/farmers and they were locked out of buying land on the private market. Over the past 23 years 3.4 million ha has been restored to black ownership or compensated for in cash and purchased by the government for rental to black farmers.

However the uncertainty around land reform has had a huge and detrimental effect on the level of investment in land and farm infrastructure for the existing owners, leading to a loss in production in many areas. Coupled with the inadequacy of training and support for emerging black farmers and their inability to secure finance for seed and machinery on their new farms, because of lack of assets with which to secure loans from banks, The staff in the Fair Cape there is a widespread dairy – washing, feeling of disillusionment wiping, with the slow progress massaging, and milking and effectiveness of the 360 cows an land reform process. Black hour for fivehour shifts. economic empowerment policies have been rolled out by the government, trying to encourage white farmers to find ways to include their black workers in ownership or at least having a stakeholding in the business, but process is slow and difficult. Most black African farm workers have free housing where they work and many farmers offer free schooling and health care but the minimum wage is very low at R20/hour (NZ$2), although some pay above the minimum rate. Progression of staff up the ranks into management and into independent business ownership is an aspiration but is very dependent on training and education and has been a slow work-in-progress across the country. Currently 50% of land transactions are to black farmers but farm security is still a huge issue for farmers in isolated areas and farmer murders are a big problem, and far more common among white farmers than black.

Despite the problems, agriculture is in good heart and South African farmers are continuing to embrace technology and climate smart farming to build their businesses. Their own growing population and burgeoning export markets north into Africa and other parts of the world provides them with potential to continue expanding.

Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | May 2017

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BUSINESS │ SOUTH AFRICA

Adding value onfarm Jackie Harrigan Jackie.harrigan@nzfarmlife.co.nz Get big or get out have been the hard rules in the South African dairy industry over the past 20 years, with farms growing in size and a massive contraction in the number of dairy operations.

One way of getting big has been the growth of integrated dairy producers and processors. Fair Cape Dairy in the Western Cape region is an example of a family operation adding value and using technology to maximise profits. Across the road from the 5000 cow (2500 milking each day) dairy operation they built a factory processing all their milk into liquid bottled and processed milk, and a range of dairy products. The burgeoning growth of the South African middle class is bringing consumption growth to local markets and the Milk Producers Organisation is developing an export strategy for when the industry is able to satisfy local demand and produce excess product.

The proximity of other African countries provides good export opportunities for the future, particularly as South Africa’s large supermarket chains are moving into other African countries and taking their suppliers with them in many product areas.

The fifth-generation Loubser family operation produces 180 different raw and processed milk products that are sold into supermarkets in nearby Cape Town and around the country.

Johann Loubser is in charge of running the 2500ha farm and 2500-cow milking herd. He has taken the operation down the route of lifting production by employing the latest technology.

Cows used to be kept outside in stock camps that were very hot in summer, and the pasture was very muddy in winter.

Moving to freestall barns with deep litter

In the hot Western Cape sun, the barns are welcome shade for the cows.

26

bedding has improved cow comfort and increased production. Cows are fed twice daily and milked up to three times daily through the 64-bail rotary dairy.

Individual cow monitoring is carried out through use of the Afi farm programme and has provided a major lift in the amount of information generated, collecting production figures, rumen activity, body condition score, body temperature and liveweight.

“I used to have to wait for the cow to show me she had a problem, but with a high-producing cow I need to know she has a problem before she knows.”

Cycling cows are identified by the number of steps taken (which increases more than 400% as the cow cycles and so is autodrafted off). The onset of mastitis is picked up by increasing temperature or weight loss, captured by thrice-daily weighing on the milking platform, and investigated by daily vet visits.

“Milking 2500 cows we can’t use eye detection to pick up sick or cycling cows, and we can’t afford to miss 50% of the heats.”

Cows calve year-round at a rate of 5-15 each day and the calves are taken off them after six hours. Heifer replacements are fed pooled colostrum for 4-6 days and raised in small individual pens for 2.5-3 months.

Use of sexed semen means bull calves are fewer in number. They are feed-lotted for five months after weaning, destined for veal production.

The cows produce an average of 40 litres/cow/day but only average 2.5-3 lactations each. About 3.5% need to be replaced each month (42% each year) as cows are slaughtered weekly for poor production, poor udders, or poor fertility.

Longevity is an issue the industry is

The cows walk down the lane to milking at the dairy three times each day.

Farm facts P E Loubser Boerdery Kuiperskraal, Western Cape 2500ha land cultivated 5000 dairy animals (including replacements) Milking 2500 cows 3 times each day 88,000 litres milk/day Holstein, Ayrshire and Jersey herds Forage: 1000 ha wheat, 1500ha oats, lupin and maize silage.

Fair Cape Dairy processing: • 1.5 million litres fresh milk/month • 1.5m litres long life milk/month • 1.2m litres yoghurt/month • 400,000 litres desserts and milk shakes/ month • 1.2m litres fruit juice/month

grappling with, along with low conception rates (38% at Fair Cape compared with 30% industry average) and high calf mortality (6% at Fair Cape compared with 11% industry average). Fair Cape has lifted heat detection to 80% with Afi monitoring, compared with the industry average of 59%.

However, Loubser says they are not so worried about the average lactation length now they have more than 40 cows reaching 100,000 litre lactations because of the cow management and monitoring they are doing.

“We are getting more cows producing a lot more milk and for longer.”

The Loubsers employ 50 workers in the dairy and 11 other staff onfarm, working three days on and three days off. Milking happens 15 hours a day with 360 cows milked each hour and workers milking for 5-hour shifts. Cow comfort in the dairy is managed by misting the cows and running large cooling fans, with no shouting or sticks allowed and a relaxed atmosphere.

Cows’ udders are washed, wiped and massaged before they are milked and teat sprayed. Staff training is a priority and animal health and welfare are an important part of the business.

Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | May 2017

BUSINESS │ SOUTH AFRICA

Cutting out the middle man Chris McCullough Two decades ago there were about 50,000 dairy farmers in South Africa but today there are only 1600.

Naturally with a decrease in overall numbers, there has been a sharp rise in the national average herd size, which now stands at just over 350.

About 2% of the herds in the country have thousands of cows and the national dairy herd size stands at 680,000 animals.

Holstein, Ayrshire and Jersey breeds are used throughout South Africa producing average yields of 29 litres, 22.4l and 19.3l respectively.

Raw milk sales in 2014 were on average 250m litres per month.

Profit on all these farms is controlled by a number of factors that can fluctuate from month to month.

These include currency changes but more crucially weather factors and the

availability of rain and therefore fodder.

It is now a common trend for dairy Milking time at Bosparadys farms to excel in the Farm in the 14-aside dairy. maritime regions while decreasing In the areas of sufficient rainfall the in the centre of the farms run a grass-based system similar country because of to New Zealand or Ireland. water access.

More commonly, in the Western Larger herds are kept Cape, the farms run total mixed indoors while smaller ration systems similar to European ones are kept in kraals set-ups. (corrals – fenced-in but While fresh milk consumption open-air enclosures) in Africa is the lowest in the world and fed up to three at about 36kg a head each year, times a day depending Pasteurised milk compared to 200kg in Europe, there on their yield. awaiting delivery at is a growing trend to drink flavoured About half South Bosparadys Farm. milks and buttermilk.

Africa’s milk is South Africa has very low import produced in the tariffs with neighbouring countries and Eastern and Western Cape. Another 25% is for 15 African states there are no tariffs at produced in the KwaZulu-Natal area.

Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | May 2017

27

all. The country is a net importer of dairy produce and imports concentrated milk, whey, butter, cheese and curd. On the other hand it’s strong in exporting dairy products such as yoghurt, buttermilk, milk and cream.

The word profit doesn’t always feature on the accounts of dairy farmers these days, no matter where they are in the world.

When dairy prices hit the floor farmers were told to become more efficient and to cut their costs, but there was a limit as to how much this was possible.

It’s often been said it’s the middle man, the milk processor, who receives the lion’s share of the profit from one litre of milk.

However, when a dairy farmer cuts out the middle man and does that job him or herself, it can be easier to reach the profit phase.

Bosparadys Farm, near Magaliesburg outside Pretoria, is one such dairy farm where the owners have taken control of all stages of the production line in order to maximise profits.

It is run by William Khourie and sons Joe, Anthony and Pieter, who all take charge of the various different enterprises.

Dairying is the dominant enterprise, accounting for 80% of the total farm income, but the Khouries also farm sheep, pigs, hens, goats and game.

The Khourie family have farmed there for more than 20 years and have built up a profitable business with an annual turnover of just under R200 million (NZ$20.78m).

The family own 2000 hectares and rent another 500ha from a local landowner.

About 400ha of their land is planted out in grasses and 1100ha is used to produce maize silage, averaging 14 tonnes/ha. The remainder is natural land used for game farming.

Anthony Khourie is in charge of feed planning and production, and runs a feed bank that provides the fodder flow for continuous dairy production. Joe manages the dairy herd and the heifer herd while Pieter is the overall marketing manager for

Cows start to come in for milking.

28

Anthony Khourie with the springing heifers. the farm.

Bosparadys Farm milks 800 cows with an average yield of 30l/cow/day but they have a high-yielding batch of 250 cows producing 40l/day.

The high yielders are milked three times a day in the 14:28 herringbone dairy while the rest are milked twice a day.

The farm currently averages milk quality of 3.3% protein and 3.6% butterfat, which is quite important because they bottle their own milk and produce yoghurt, cheese and buttermilk on site. In total, the farm’s daily production of 24,000l is used in their on-site factory together with an additional 26,000l bought in each day from a local supply network of 12 other dairy farmers.

In terms of other dairy livestock there are 200 dry cows, 150 in-calf heifers aged up to two years old and 420 young heifers from birth to 15 months old.

The older cows are inseminated by Dutch sires by AI and the younger heifers all run with groups of young Holstein bulls.

Of the total output, liquid bottled milk accounts for 85% while 12% is made into buttermilk and 3% for yoghurts and cheese.

The business operates its own fleet of delivery trucks that deliver the milk to a network of 200 shops and supermarkets up to 150km from the home farm.

Milk is most popular with customers in two-litre containers that sell in the shops

for about R25 (NZ$2.60). The farmer receives R10 (NZ$1.04)/l for the milk and the cost of production is R4 (NZ$0.42)/l.

The dairy cows are kept outdoors in kraals and are fed according to yield, with most being fed to produce 30l a day. Cows are fed 38.9kg of a total mixed ration each day using the farm’s feed mixers.

The ration contains 2.3kg grass, 6.7kg brewers grain, 17.7kg maize silage, 6.3kg of a 28% high protein content supplement and 5.9kg of maize meal. This ration costs R69.34 (NZ$7.21)/cow/day and equates to a feed cost of R2.72/l (NZ$0.28).

The Khourie family employs 250 staff who work in all the sectors on the farm.

The dairy factory operates on two shifts almost 24 hours a day, with a more relaxed timetable at the weekend.

Aside from the dairy enterprise the farm also runs 22,000 hens, 100 pigs, 1000 ewes, 300 goats, and operates a tourist holiday park and a game farm.

Pigs are kept on the farm primarily to feed on the returns of milk produce from the retail outlets, which currently accounts for 2% of the total output. The pigs are purchased as weaners weighing 15kg for R300 (NZ$31.18) each. They are mainly fattened on the waste dairy produce and are sold at 45-50kg for R1200 (NZ$124.70).

Chris McCullough is a Belfast-based freelance agricultural journalist.

A horse keeps the younger dairy heifers company.

Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | May 2017

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Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | May 2017

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BUSINESS │ GYPSY DAY

Checklist

Plan ahead for Gypsy success Karen Trebilcock ak.trebilcock@xtra.co.nz @KT_at_Exporter It can be one of the most stressful times of the year for everyone in the family but preparation can help to lessen Gypsy Day worries, Otago FarmWise consultant Geoff Campbell says.

Gypsy Day, June 1, is the traditional day when managers, contract milkers, variable order sharemilkers and 50:50 sharemilkers change farms. Whether the move is from one end of the country to the other, or just next door, good planning is required.

Campbell said it was often the day when farm sales went through, so it might also be farm owners or equity partners moving on too.

“It’s one of the busiest days of the year for trucking companies. It can also be complicated by farmers moving stock to winter grazing off-farm at the same time, so you are best to book as early as you can because trucking space is at a premium,” Campbell said.

“Even if you don’t know the exact date, Otago FarmWise consultant Geoff Campbell.

just tell your trucking company what you are up to so they can pencil you in.”

Top priority needed to be given to making sure all of the herd were fit for transport, Campbell said.

That meant they were all in good condition, could bear weight on all four legs and could withstand the stress of transporting.

“Plan to dry cows off several days before the move and have them off grass for a minimum of four hours, but not more than 12 hours, before the truck is due.

“Give them some hay to keep them happy. This can also go a long way to reducing the waste they create on the trucks.

“Feeding cows magnesium, 12-20g/ cow/day for at least three days before and after trucking, also ensures the cows cope with the rigours of transporting. Tractors, mowers and other farm equipment may also have to go on the road so will need to have the correct registrations and warrants which could have lapsed if they have not left the property for a while.

Campbell said meetings should have already been held through autumn with the purchasers and owners to ensure all conditions of the respective agreements were met.

“Whatever the reason you are leaving, continue farming until the day you leave to the best of your ability.

“Leave the property with the grass covers and the supplement on hand as stated in the contract.

“Equally check the contract at the new farm – are the grass covers, winter crop and supplement on hand there that are stated in the contract? If not ask why and discuss how compensation might be made.”

Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | May 2017

33Book trucking company for cattle.

33Book moving truck for farm equipment, household furniture etc.

33Check equipment that is to drive on the road has up to date warrant of fitness and vehicle registration.

33Check current contract and make sure all obligations met. Discuss with farm owner and confirm understandings.

33Inspect winter crops and grazing on new property and work out winter grazing round. Get a farm advisor to help if needed. If there are discrepancies advise other parties so solutions can be worked out as soon as practicable.

33Enrol children into new school and have their records transferred from their former school.

33Find a new doctor and have medical records transferred.

33Make arrangements to shift farm dogs and family pets.

Campbell said enrolling children in their new school and making sure records were transferred from the former school to the new one was important.

Finding a new doctor and dentist and having records transferred was another job to be done.

“Get it all sorted as early as possible so it’s all done and ready for when you need it.

“If you need a hand to go through your contract or to reach agreement with the farm owner get help early.

“Farm consultants are also busy this time of the year and getting them to help sort out issues is best done earlier than later as their time will also be stretched.”

It can be a stressful, he said, but keeping positive, anticipating and dealing with issues as soon as you could all helped.

Looking after all the family and new staff would help to ensure everyone would be ready for calving two months later.

“When you’ve arrived at your new farm, settle in, make yourself at home and then also try to get off-farm and explore your new surroundings before the busy calving season starts.

“Get to know your new neighbours and take time to enjoy whatever the new area offers, whether it’s a new restaurant or a movie theatre close by for the first time or a great fishing spot.

“You’ve made the decision to move so it’s important for everyone you make the most of it.”

Don’t forget to tell the Dairy Exporter where you are shifting to!

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Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | May 2017

BUSINESS │ NEXT SEASON

Learning from the lean times Geordie McCallum

With the benefit of hindsight what would you do differently in your business over the last five years? What good is that you might say – you can’t change history.

No, but history has a funny way of repeating itself. In my short career in the rural industry since 2001 Fonterra’s payout has had three significant drops – 2002-03 from $5.35/kg milksolids (MS) to $3.63 (-32%), 2008-09 from $7.66 to $5.20 (-32%), and 2014-15 from $8.50 to $4.65 (-45%). Coming out of the low payouts of 2014-15 and 2015-16 it is a good time to reflect on what changes you have made to your business, what are the lessons you have learnt, and what is the outlook for your business.

From what I saw the response to the most recent downturn was significant: 1. Many took a blowtorch to the farm expenses and according to DairyNZ average farm working expenses dropped from $4.07/kg MS to $3.55/kg MS. 2. Reduced labour – People took on a higher workload which was seen as workable for a short period.

3. Deferred maintenance – repairs or replacements that weren’t urgent were put on hold.

4. System changes – Some people looked at the entire farming system reducing feed inputs, cow numbers, and maybe once-a-day milking.

5. Funding – the industry was proactive in responding to the downturn with banks quick to put funding in place when the milk price dropped and Fonterra providing the shareholder support loans to ease pressure on farmers. Suppliers in general were accommodating.

6. Rationalisation – in some cases nonproductive assets have been marketed and sold.

Firstly, businesses that already had strong systems and structures in place did not need to make radical changes. These businesses made a modest loss in 2016 but have returned to strong cash surpluses in 2017 with the improved payout. Secondly, businesses that recognised a significant change was required. These businesses generally made a more severe loss in 2016 and are nearing a break-even result in 2017 as the changes start to take effect. The forecasts are for profits, subject to payout remaining in the current zone.

What are the key lessons we have learned?

1. If you don’t have a strong understanding of your business and a clear plan your priorities will change each time

Geordie McCallum.

the wind direction changes. Use the experience of the last five years to establish – is my business going to deliver my long-term goals and if not what needs to be addressed? Is it farm performance, cost management, debt levels, or discretionary spending or a combination?

2. Non-returning assets – when finances get tight having a non-returning asset is like trying to swim attached to a ball and chain – you have to work much harder and it keeps dragging you down. You need to know which assets within your business are most and least profitable and be prepared to cut off any dead wood.

3. Your cost of production is driven by your farm system. While you can cut costs out in the short-term this is more of a deferring exercise rather than a fundamental shift.

4. “Productive expenditure” – when looking at top 10% performers in any industry they often spend money to make money. The key is higher spending in productive areas – typically animal health, fertiliser, and regrassing. These costs should be the last to be reduced in a downturn therefore retaining your production base. On the contrary there are some costs that can creep into a business that do not contribute to production and are not maintaining the assets. These should be cut out and stay out.

While the payout is now above the theoretical break-even point for the average dairy farm, many obstacles remain for each business to convert this into profit and more importantly cash surpluses.

While the industry has a brighter outlook many obstacles remain: 1. Debt repayment – whether you have Fonterra shareholder support loans, an expanded overdraft, or additional term debt, getting a plan in place to deal with it should be a high priority.

2. Deferred maintenance – Underspending for three years onfarm will require some catch up and in many cases this expenditure will be hard to avoid – uncapped races, tiring machinery, under-staffing, etc. can all be more expensive if not dealt with.

3. Environmental issues – In most cases these costs are not optional and the

Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | May 2017

baseline compliance requirements continue to lift. Most farmers will have compulsory spending to do in this area.

4. Interest rates – The impact of the milk price in 2015 and 2016 has been softened by low interest rates. When testing the strength of your business you should always test against a higher interest rate – I use 7.50%. If this creates a loss it suggests your business is vulnerable to increased interest rates.

How much debt do you need to repay to make it positive?

5. Complacency – I have heard that institutional memory is seven years.

This means that after seven years we forget the lessons we have learned and are ready to make the same mistakes all over again. Write down the lessons you have learned, write down your goals and targets and hold yourself accountable to them. Just like farming with lots of grass, it is easy to become sloppy and inefficient. If you have made improvements to your business don’t take the foot off the pedal.

6. More of the same – I am not an economist or a psychologist but I think the latter is more qualified to forecast where to from here. I believe the saying is “the best predictor of future behaviour is past behaviour”. With regard to the commodity cycles I expect we will go through this all over again and the opportunity is to be better prepared next time around.

After reading this article you might find it hard to believe I am a natural-born optimist but I am. I remain optimistic that despite the challenges – some of them external and some of them self-induced – the people in the dairy industry will continue to find ways to overcome. It is a pleasure to work in an industry with people with an unwavering optimism and resilience. That said, as we are supposedly coming out of a downturn your average dairy business still looks vulnerable and the only way forward is to tackle the issues head on.

• Make sure you understand your business better than anyone else • Benchmark and know the opportunities for improved performance • Set clear targets for the future “sustainable” state of your business • Set clear targets for the next twelve months • Use the people around you to help you and in particular hold you accountable.

Geordie McCallum is a business consultant for Wairarapa Property Consultants.

33

BUSINESS │ ENTREPRENEUR

Cows captured on canvas Glenys Christian glenys.christian@nzx.com

Pauline Gough paints all the different breeds of dairy cows, sometimes from photos she has taken and sometimes adding some of her own imagination.

Dairy cows have played a big part in Pauline Gough’s life.

Not only was she brought up on a dairy farm, she married a dairy farmer and as a self-taught artist they’re one of her favourite subjects.

“For the last seven years I’ve been a prolific painter,” she said.

“Cows were obvious subjects and they’ve got a lot of character. I like things to be original and you can paint them two or three different ways from one photo.”

Her parents farmed at Tomarata, east of Wellsford, and she desperately wanted to study art when she was at Rodney College but there was no art teacher at that time.

“My mother even looked into getting a private tutor for me,” she said.

After training and working as a primary school teacher she travelled overseas. When she returned she ventured into secretarial work before meeting Simon, marrying and moving to Dargaville to his 220-hectare dairy farm.

She often wanted to paint but was kept fully occupied raising their four children and relief milking. However she did find time to write in to the Dairy Exporter on aspects of rural life, as her mother had done before her in other magazines.

Later she penned a weekly column in the Dargaville newspaper, the Northland Times, under the title, Gumboot Country.

However, it wasn’t until the couple put 50:50 sharemilkers on the farm and moved into Dargaville eight years ago that painting started to take priority for Pauline.

Cow/Calf annual b • Paid on up to fo • Paid end of Jan Experience and ex and marketing bob No MPI inspection Competitive sched An 0800 free phon Free tags Cartage paid by Sil TXT reminders and 7 day collection pe A processing servi A strong New Zeala

Our commit Characterful cows like these two make ideal subjects for artist Pauline Gough.

“I’d broken my foot and my eldest daughter who was doing her OE sent me some paints, with a note saying I should starting using them again,” she said.

Her first effort, using her youngest daughter and a kitten as subjects was exhibited and soon sold at a local café.

“I wish now that I’d kept it,” she said.

She joined the Dargaville Arts Association when it started seven years ago and now regularly has paintings on show

34

Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | May 2017

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35

in the local gallery. She’s also a member of the Mangawhai Arts Association and has held exhibitions in the town, as she likes to have an exhibition once a year with a particular theme or focus.

“I don’t paint to make money,” she said.

“I do it because I love it.”

Pauline paints quite fast using the alla prima method of just having one sitting.

She’s able to complete a small painting in just a day because most of all she likes her paintings to be fresh and different.

Pauline Gough has an array of cow paintings hanging in her Dargaville studio.

‘It’s a great cause and I see a bit of New Zealand you wouldn’t usually see because the race takes a lot of back roads.’

“If I get bored with a painting I don’t want to do it anymore,” she said.

On a visit to their farm she might take her camera and take some photos of cows which she’ll later use to paint from.

“Or eIse I’ll use some artistic license. I think that everyone is creative in some way, it’s just that some have merely explored the creative side of their brain more than others.”

While she’s more recently been painting mainly landscapes she said she finds it relaxing to sometimes stop what she’s doing and quickly paint a cow. Asked about favourite bovine subject matter she said Jerseys appealed to her because of their nice, warm colours.

Pauline Gough works quickly on her paintings to keep them fresh.

36

“But I always love Friesians and their black and white colours on green grass.”

She has occasionally painted cows when local farmers have asked her to but doesn’t regard these as real commissions.

Three years ago the director of the Tour of New Zealand cycle race came into the Dargaville gallery, loved her work and bought several paintings.

This led to him organising an exhibition of her work in his home town of Picton, where 26 more paintings were sold. He also convinced Simon, who was not until then a cyclist, to take part in the fundraising ride where teams of 200 set off from Cape Reinga and Bluff, to meet a week later in Wellington where a charity auction is held.

Pauline was asked to be official artist and travelled with the North Island riders producing two paintings a day featuring riders and some the country they were passing through.

The race’s official photographer emailed her shots of the southern riders so she could capture the action there as well as what she was witnessing first hand. At the completion of the race a selection of her paintings are reproduced in a widely distributed calendar.

She enjoys the pressure of producing these paintings in rapid succession.

“I know I can paint fast and I like the challenge,” she said.

“It’s a great cause and I see a bit of New Zealand you wouldn’t usually see because the race takes a lot of back roads.”

She’ll be involved again this year with the race starting on April 1.

Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | May 2017

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Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | May 2017

37

SYSTEMS │ DAIRYNZ PARTNER FARM Glenys Christian glenys.christian@nzx.com

TARGETS IN SIGHT DESPITE TOUGH SEASON

N

orthland dairy farmers Innes Anderson and Tania Dropulich haven’t let a tough season slow them down when it comes to achieving their goals.

The operators of DairyNZ’s lower north partner farm at Kaiwaka are well on track to get to their target of producing an extra 30,000kg of milksolids (MS) for no added costs by the end of next season.

It’s hoped this will increase their operating surplus by $180,000 a year by the end of May 2018.

Innes’s parent’s John and Audrey bought 144 hectares between Kaiwaka and Mangawhai in 1967, which they extended to the present 225ha as well as buying the neighbouring sheep and beef farm. Now son Innes and partner Tania operate both properties on a five-year rolling lease, as Hokonui Farms and employ contract milkers.

When they became the lower north partner farm funded by DairyNZ and the Northland Dairy Development Trust back in 2015 six focus areas were set: • To lift pasture eaten from 9.8 tonnes of drymatter (DM) per hectare to 10.8t through pasture monitoring, use of the spring rotation plan, mulching, sowing annual ryegrasses and using more nitrogen.

• To increase milk production to 200,000kg MS by 2017/18 through meeting body condition score targets, producing well grown young stock and moving all the cows to twice-a-day milking.

• To manage spending by dropping farm working expenses from $4.10/kg MS to $3.50kg MS by holding dairy expenses at around $700,000, benchmarking expenses, setting a disciplined and shared budget, comparing actual spending against monthly budgeted spending and separating out dairy and beef expenses.

KEY POINTS

Location: Kaiwaka, lower Northland Owners: John and Audrey Anderson Leasee: Hokonui Farms,operated by Innes Anderson and Tania Dropulich Area: 225ha (211ha effective) dairy farm, 250ha (220ha effective) sheep and beef farm adjacent Herd: 551 cows at peak Production: 2016/17 forecast, 185,000kg milksolids, 2017/18 target 200,000kg MS Supplements: 180 tonnes of maize silage, 95t palm kernel Pasture renovation: 60-90ha of kikuyu mulched from March 1 Dairy: 40-aside herringbone.

Equity building is one of six goals of Innes Anderson and Tania Dropulich within the partner farm programme.

www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | May 2017

• To increase equity by $500,000 in five years by separating the beef and dairy enterprises, generating cash surpluses and evaluating capital development programmes.

• Maintaining good relationships with family, contract milkers and rural professionals. Formal meetings were set up with the contract milkers with a written agenda and actions and the succession plan in place is constantly reviewed.

• To make sure there were no environmental or compliance issues by completing a sustainable milk plan and using DairyNZ’s compliance checklist to identify any issues.

A field day in early April was a good chance for a large crowd of farmers to check out the progress made so far. While milk production will be lower than last season’s by around 10,000kg MS due to the difficult spring then summer drought, less supplement has been fed and young stock kept on the milking platform longer.

Project facilitator, Gareth Baynham, from AgFirst Northland said Innes and Tania had achieved an outstanding result with an estimated 11.3t DM/ha pasture and crop eaten.

“We should celebrate that because the average for Northland is around 9t DM/ ha,” he said.

‘There were more times this season when covers were within the optimum range apart from during the drought.’

“It feels like a bit of progress in a tough year.”

Pasture eaten is well correlated with profit and the increase of 1.5t DM/ha from 9.8t in 2014/15 to 11.3 in two seasons was the equivalent of importing 390t of palm kernel on to the farm.

Milk production was going well until late September but then extremely wet weather saw it fall until November, pick up, then drop again as the effects of summer drought were felt. It’s expected to end about 7% down on last year’s production after adjustment for more than 6000kg MS of calf milk taken from the vat to rear calves. Milk for dairy calves was excluded.

Once-a-day (OAD) milking was used for a small mob of between 60-100 noncycling cows through mating and in February some young cows were moved to OAD to protect their condition during the drought. The rest of the herd moved to OAD in mid-February which it was hoped

Protecting pasture pays Chasing extra kilograms of milksolids can have a drastic impact on next season’s production, chairman of the lower north partner farm management team, Greg McCracken warned.

So he and team member, Peter Flood, ran through a list of points to remember when it came to minimising pasture damage: • Identify vulnerable paddocks and plan.

• Keep mobs below 200 cows.

• Keep feed breaks in square shapes as much as possible.

• Be prepared to get the cows off so set up gates to allow this to happen quickly.

• Make full use of stand-off areas.

• Get cows off new grass rapidly as it might be so damaged it won’t be able to be grazed for a number of months.

• Avoid disturbing the cows. If they are expecting feed they will start walking.

• Don’t fall into the trap of giving a bit more area to graze one day then more the next. Take them off.

• Graze late calvers off so there’s less pressure on the farm.

would translate into extra days in milk through autumn.

When it came to pasture management the farm management team identified three areas where tweaks would be able to bring benefit in the 2016/17 season. They suggested the average pasture cover should be kept close to the sweet spot of between 2150 and 2350kg DM/ha to maximise pasture growth, especially in the late winter and spring.

A faster response was needed to feed deficits by setting targets and trigger points, monitoring against them and taking action early with supplement

Northland partner farm management team member, Peter Flood, left, and chairman, Greg McCracken, give some tips on minimising pasture damage.

• Walk to the reel as quickly as possible as cows will follow you there then back again.

• Look into draining wet areas.

• Make sure drains and culverts are free from blockages early on in the season.

• Move cows early in the morning, before daylight if possible.

• Look after your paddocks and pastures and they will look after your cows, not the other way around.

or nitrogen. And they wanted a more proactive approach to nitrogen application, using it in anticipation of feed deficits rather than responding to that situation.

Results showed pasture cover was maintained close to the target by use of a longer rotation, proactive nitrogen application and tactical supplement feeding.

“There were more times this season when covers were within the optimum range apart from during the drought,” partner farm management team member, Peter Flood said.

Innes Anderson and Tania Dropulich – big cost reductions achieved in a tough season.

Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | May 2017

39

Innes Anderson and Tania Dropulich lease both dairy and beef units from his parents.

“This made a huge difference. Roll on 2017/18. I’m sure 200,000kg MS is achievable.”

BOOST TO PASTURE GROWTH While 180ha of the farm is irrigated under a scheme set up in 1995, the dry period this season lasted much longer than that in the previous one. But use of targets and trigger points worked well with agreed actions taken.

Nitrogen was applied regularly behind the herd in winter and spring, which provided a constant boost to pasture growth. A boom-and-bust cycle of aggressively applying nitrogen to get out of a feed deficit was also avoided. Innes is happy to stick with Tama for pasture renovation, saying he doesn’t mind spending an extra $25/ha to resow it if sometimes it doesn’t get away to a great start.

With reproduction, the six-week in-calf rate had shown steady improvement to be at 76%, very close to the industry target of 78%. Calving was tight with 88% calved in the first six weeks and this is expected to improve further next season. No hormonal intervention was used.

But the three-week in-calf rate of 73% was disappointing when the target was 90. Second-calvers were found to have a rate of just 66% so first-calvers will be dried off early to make sure they get to the recommended body condition score of 5.5 for their next calving starting on July 20.

The management team complimented Innes and Tania on the great job they’d done in growing good heifers. They’re weighed regularly and are usually above target in MINDA weights. But this year despite preferential treatment during the drought rising two-year-old heifers averaged 21kg liveweight below target at the end of March, and will receive some special treatment to get them back on track.

With cows losing condition through the 40

drought maize silage is being used to lift this by calving.

When it came to finances the management team said Innes and Tania were becoming experts at budgeting and forecasting cashflow using Cash Manager Rural. This allowed them to more precisely separate out costs from the beef farm for heifer and dry cow grazing, growing maize silage and bull hire and charge them to the dairy farm.

“It doesn’t matter if you don’t always get things right as you can then see gaps in your business and how to fill them.”

The emphasis was on shifting costs through the partner farm programme rather than cutting them, so money was spent where it would generate the best return. This season nitrogen use was above budget of 150kg/ha/year but it provided feed at around half the cost of the next best alternative and was cheaper than underfeeding the cows. Dairy farm expenses are still under the DairyBase 2015/16 average of $4.42/kg MS at an estimated $4.12 for 2016/17.

Tania said being part of the partner farm programme had given them a process to work through.

“We looked at our goals and why we had them then broke them down into separate parts of our business,” she said.

“It opened our eyes to where we had come from. We also had a better understanding of farm practices and collaborative teamwork.”

She said it was good to try new processes.

“It doesn’t matter if you don’t always get things right as you can then see gaps in

your business and how to fill them.”

While the season had been “really tough”, knowing they had support was very important.

Innes said the vision wheel on which they ranked themselves for each of the six areas where they aimed for improvements allowed them to re-evaluate themselves and see where there was still room for improvement.

“It’s been a tough couple of years and we were forced to buy a few Fonterra shares which sucked money but we’ve still grown our equity,” he said.

Pasture management was a key area to focus for success with more attention paid to residuals.

“And we are confident now that the money we spend is profitable.”

With this partner farm having one more year to run, DairyNZ and the Northland Dairy Development Trust are already hard at work up setting up their next initiative, Extension 350. The aim is to lift profitability as well as ensure the sustainability and wellbeing of Northland dairy farmers. It’s a farmer-led mentoring and extension programme where five farms in the same area are grouped with a target farm, a mentor farmer and a consultant.

More details are available at www.northlandnz.com/business/keyindustries/sector-initiatives

Extension 350 aims to: • Raise the on-farm performance of Northland farms • Improve profitability of Northland farming businesses • Improve environmental sustainability • Strengthen farmer networks and lift farmer interactions • Increase participation and engagement of Maori farmers and incorporations • Enhance farmer wellbeing and engagement.’

Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | May 2017

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SYSTEMS │ KETOSIS Questions have been raised about the effect of fodder beet.

No clear ketosis answers Anne Lee anne.lee@nzx.com @Cantabannelee

Mention the term sub-clinical ketosis and you’re sure to spark a debate amongst nutritionists, scientists and farmers.

What’s going on in pasture-fed cows post-calving isn’t clear-cut, or at least how what’s going on is affecting the animals’ performance.

That’s why the results of a large-scale trial by DairyNZ into elevated blood ketone levels has been keenly awaited.

But the study’s raised even more questions.

More research will have to be done before it’s clear why six-week in-calf rates varied across three farms in the major study involving more than 1000 cows on the Lincoln University Dairy Farm (LUDF), DairyNZ’s Scott Farm and Taranaki Agricultural Research Station (TARS) last spring (2016).

The study had two aims: • To see how many cows had hyperketonaemia (raised betahydroxybutyrate (BHB) levels in blood) in early lactation.

• To find out what would happen to health indices, milk production and reproduction if those with raised levels were treated with a ketol drench – monoporpylene glycol (MPG).

In the northern hemisphere moderately elevated BHB levels can indicate subclinical ketosis and much of the research into its negative associations with milk production and reproductive performance has been done in housed cow situations where cows are fed a total mixed ration.

In the northern hemisphere a BHB level

Claire Phyn. greater than 1.2mmol/l is deemed to show sub-clinical ketosis.

New Zealand cows, fed mainly pasture and silage, have higher basal blood BHB levels because one of the acids cows fed on pasture produce in their rumens is converted to BHB. But DairyNZ scientist Dr Claire Phyn says that doesn’t mean they have subclinical ketosis or that moderately elevated BHB levels are associated with poor milk production or reproductive performance.

Phyn says analysis of the data from the three-farm study showed no consistent effect of the MPG treatment of cows with elevated BHB on reproductive outcomes.

On LUDF cows with BHB levels of 1.6 millimols/litre (mmol/l) or more had poorer six-week in-calf rates, but the opposite was found at TARS. There cows with BHB levels of 1.4mmol/l or more had a higher six week in-calf rate when compared with the control group.

The relationship varied between herds

Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | May 2017

and doesn’t appear to be as clear-cut as indicated by some previous studies.

The scientists are now going through the screeds of data they collected that spring, coupled with the reproductive performance data collected later, to see if there’s any pattern between elevated BHB levels – those between 1.2 and 3mmol/l – and other factors including age, breed and body condition score.

The results clearly showed drenching cows with blood tests showing BHB levels between 1.2 and 3mmol/l reduced the percentage of cows with moderately elevated BHB during the first five weeks of lactation and also reduced the duration of very elevated BHB (greater than 3mmol/l) episodes.

Phyn says generally cows that tested positive for elevated BHB were older, higher producers, had a greater liveweight and body condition score at calving and lost more liveweight and body condition score post-calving.

She says the results indicate that unlike in housed cows, using MPG drench to treat moderately elevated BHB concentrations is not a widespread strategy to improve performance in pasture-based cows and could, in some cases, have adverse effects.

The scientists are looking at the dataset now to see if there are certain conditions under which MPG could have a positive effect.

For instance, does the degree and timing of elevated BHB concentrations, cow age, body condition score and post-calving body condition loss affect the response?

LUDF had the highest percentage of cows showing moderately elevated levels of BHB in the study but the lowest percentage when it came to animals with at least one test at 3mmol/l or more.

Cows were in good condition at calving and were well-fed on pasture after calving.

Questions have been raised over fodder beet and the effects it could be having, given cows go from the high-soluble carbohydrate feed in their winter diet to a post-calving diet that’s mainly pasture.

In LUDF’s case the cows have not been wintered on fodder beet in the past – this coming winter will be their first on the crop.

South Island Dairying Development executive director Ron Pellow says while on average the DairyNZ research shows there’s no apparent silver bullet to improving reproductive performance, there might be associations not yet teased out in the data.

The scale of the study and amount of data collected on the three farms will hopefully yield more clues.

LUDF’s declining six-week in-calf rate over the past few seasons has been somewhat of a mystery.

This season it was 63% – down from 69% last season and 78% in 2013.

43

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Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | May 2017

SYSTEMS │ SIDE

Early bird time for SIDE Registrations are open for the 2017 South Island Dairy Event (SIDE), to be held at Lincoln University on June 2628.

The three-day conference has 30 practical workshops for farmers to choose from, along with a line-up of guest speakers, and offers networking opportunities for farmers.

Keynote speakers this year include former DairyNZ chairman John Luxton, Jake KPMG’s Ian Proudfoot, sporting legends Millar: Richard Loe and Greg Murphy and teen teen entrepreneur Jake Millar. Millar turned entrepreneur. down a scholarship to University of Otago Law School to establish his own business, Oompher.co.nz, a new take on the traditional careers guide.

After selling that business to Careers NZ he established another business, Unfiltered Media, which focuses on business insights and education.

Farmers can choose up to 10 workshops to attend, covering topics from cows and grass, to environment, growth and progression, and business administration.

The conference tackles business topics such as volatility in the industry, NZX milk futures and options, and succession.

There are several workshops based on onfarm management structure, personal development and leadership, health and safety, recruiting staff, employment law, and social media best practice.

Cow-focused workshops look at reproductive performance in herds, breeding strategies and the social behaviour of cows.

There are a number of workshops on environmental management, from fertiliser management to reduce nitrogen and phosphorus, reduced nitrogen leaching and the onfarm cost involved in achieving it, farm environment audits, and practical options to reduce environmental impacts on intensive forage-based systems.

Early bird registration for a farmer for the entire event costs $345, and closes on May 30.

To register or review the conference programme visit www.side.org.nz

Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | May 2017

SIDE workshops SESSION 1 • Three wise heads on resilient production systems and businesses • Getting the basics right – employment law • Plugging the leaks – how fertiliser management helps reduce nitrogen and phosphorus losses from dairy farms • Successful succession planning • Preparing for a farm environmental audit • Developing a low-cost portable winter stand-off pad system • The onfarm cost of meeting nitrogen limits SESSION 2 • Reproductive performance – a scanner’s-eye view • Social media do’s and don’ts • Achieving the required nitrogen leaching reductions – reducing nitrogen leaching in real life • How NZX milk price futures and options work • Personal development and leadership • Breakout session with Ravensdown SESSION 3 • FeedRight – right feed, right price, right time • What is Lean Management and why is it so effective on dairy farms?

• Planning your pathway with nutrient constraints • Find your plan ‘A’ business • What’s my future in the dairy industry (for those in their 20s)?

• Breakout session with Rabobank SESSION 4 • Breeding strategy – refining your semen • Recruiting and retaining staff: Are we selling ourselves short?

• Practical irrigation – all combined • What’s the right management structure to achieve your objectives?

• The secret life of cows: Social behaviour in dairy herds • Breakout session with ASB SESSION 5 • Using pasture smarter (getting more with less work) • Health and safety – doing things right for your people • Dairy Holdings control • Practical options for reducing the environmental impacts of intensive, forage-based dairy systems • Due diligence (equity partnerships and herd sharemilking) • How can we improve farm information processing and packaging to achieve better results?

45

CO DIARY │ WINTER FEED

Do you have enough feed for winter?

West Coast DairyNZ senior consulting officer Ross Bishop discusses feed budgets and pasture management to help set you up for winter.

W

ith pasture and crop growth down on where we’d normally expect it to be, now is a good time to ensure you have enough feed supply for winter.

Sorting this now will mean you’ll have more options and be more cost-efficient.

A good place to start is reviewing autumn and winter feed budgets. Having a budget will allow for the best decisions around managing feed requirements and cow condition. DairyNZ has a range of online tools to help make this process easier. These include feed budget templates and supplementary price calculator.

Equally, focusing now on putting weight on light cows before winter sets in will pay off. This will also reduce winter feed requirements. Other considerations are going to once-a-day or 16-hour milking, or drying off some of your cows if you haven’t done this already.

I asked Blackball farmer Colin van der Geest what advice he had for farmers to help prepare for winter after the challenging season. Colin has farmed in the region for the past 25 years.

If you haven’t already, Colin recommends carrying out a farm walk to get a good idea of the extent of damage done to pasture. Colin says his own farm walk reinforced the widespread pugging he had expected. He says many farmers in the region will be in the same boat.

Research has found that pasture seriously pugged in spring produces about 40% less drymatter than undamaged pasture through the following season.

Colin advises not to leave it to chance that pasture may bounce back and suggests under-sowing to maximise autumn growth.

A less-expensive option would be to use perennial ryegrass, which costs about

$50 a hectare and he reports he’s had pretty good success doing this in the past.

Ross Bishop.

Colin says the region normally gets an autumn flush, but he feels we’re not going to get that this year as soil temperatures haven’t been that high.

That’s why we have to manage pasture really carefully to ensure we can make it happen, he says.

Colin also advises farmers to make an honest assessment of crops to make sure there’s enough feed, emphasising the importance of being proactive and making decisions early.

As an example, he made the call in mid-late January to go down to once-a-day milking.

For more information around feed management visit: dairynz.co.nz/feed

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Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | May 2017

02047 LICMLDE

The improved MINDA® LIVE. It’s about time.

It’s about time, you say? Well, we’d say, even when you’re good you can always be better. So, we’ve made big changes to MINDA LIVE. Changes like faster page loading (and isn’t that about time), quicker processing and a smart Culling Guide. You still get instant updating and multiple user access. You still get access to MINDA LIVE anywhere you can get the internet. It’s just that it’s all now improved and better. So if you haven’t tried MINDA LIVE recently, it’s worth another look.

Call your LIC rep or visit lic.co.nz/mindalive Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | May 2017

47

SPONSORED CONTENT

KEY METRICS:

• Milk production data • Milk quality data • Herd data • Animal records • Pasture data • Local weather forecasts • Benchmarking of above with previous seasons, other areas, national and regional averages.

• Fertiliser data and financial data (phase 2)

BENEFITS FOR USERS:

Tracking the milk curve Hitting the ground running, the Agrigate online tool is only just bedding into farmers’ technology suites, but already enhancements are flowing to pump up the analytical power.

Agrigate was launched just two months ago and the latest feature to be added is the ability to track a farmer’s actual milk production curve. Marrying existing data sets from Farm Source (tracking the milk production curve) and MINDA (reporting cows milked and herd numbers), the Agrigate platform plots actual production information on a line graph. Clicking on the datapoint drills down to the data behind it.

Incorporating MINDA data allows real time kg MS/cow rather than using peak herd size as the denominator which is what farmers can currently access through Farm Source functionality.

The Agrigate team has taken the data and added depth by enabling editing of the settings. Farmers can give the panel a new name, change the date range, compare with previous seasons, plot either daily or monthly data and choose the metrics to display (kg MS, fat % or other parameters).

“It’s all about customising the data and

being able to manipulate it to extract different pieces for different farmers. Every operation varies slightly in terms of what the farmer wants to know to make business decisions,” Tim Cutfield, head of Agrigate, says.

“For example, an autumn-calving operator might prefer to see the milk production curve over the calendar year, rather than something cut in half by the traditional season end.

“The settings edits can be saved for future use and multiple milk curve panels can also be saved to the dashboard, each with different views as required for different purposes.”

Agrigate has been designed to help farmers plan ahead, using existing data to assess the interaction between different onfarm factors, such as weather conditions, animal health, milk production, pasture data and more. Agrigate will help farmers track what effect each factor has on the others so they can plan accordingly.

The tool is continuously evolving, with feedback from farmers who are using the platform determining the roadmap for development. New features are being released every two weeks and farmers are checking back to see what has been added.

• Easier to see comparisons from data all in one place • Save time, improve information quality and accessibility • Identify trends, make better management decisions • Find underperforming areas • Maximise profitability.

• Adding value to farmers business with dashboard format

ROADMAP:

The Agrigate product roadmap is flexible and constantly evolving and was planned to be that way.

Rather than develop a product and present it to farmers as a fait accompli, the plan was to get the ‘minimum viable product’ launched and then use a tight feedback loop to let farmers help lead the development process by flagging what is important to them in the design process.

“Farmer-centric design is what we are aiming for and delivering,” Cutfield says. ”The power of the Agrigate platform is to help farmers identify the latent potential of their farm, try something new and then benchmark themselves against others in their district and region with actual data.

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49

SYSTEMS │ FEED

Long thin breaks are the best for cows allowing good access for the whole mob.

Caring for cows on crop Helen Thoday

Expect the best, prepare for the worst was a good approach for farmers preparing for the recent cyclones that brought lashings of heavy rain across the country. A similar approach can be used with winter just around the corner, when weather must be considered in any good management plan.

Wintering cows on crops is a good way to maintain body condition, but the grazed area leaves behind bare ground which can quickly turn into mud.

There are some things you can do to be in a better position if it’s a wet winter.

Several strategies can help reduce the impact of a wet spell on soil and cows.

These include simple things like keeping the break fence close to troughs, or back fencing if you are using portable troughs, staying out of critical source areas, adjusting the mob size, and grazing wetter

Winter tips Tips for great herd performance for cows on crops: • Carefully transition cows on to crop to avoid acidosis.

• Ensure your staff are well trained at identifying winter health and welfare problems.

• Prioritise shelter for cows. Remove back fencing in times when cows need access to shelterbelts.

• Back fence to prevent stock from back grazing and causing further damage.

• Increase feed allocation when there is a combination of strong winds, rain and cold temperatures.

• Long thin breaks are the best for cows allowing good access for the whole mob.

50

paddocks or heavier soils earlier in the season.

Grazing downhill is important for environmental good practice but cows find grazing downhill more difficult as the slope interrupts their natural grazing position. Check utilisation levels when cows graze downhill. Provide cows more time to eat and expect more spoilage.

Continued downhill grazing on crop with no change in management can lead to underfeeding.

It can often be a balancing act to achieve both good environmental practices and animal requirements. For example, there may be a good shelterbelt but it may not be available to the cows until most of the paddock is grazed. This will require a rethink of grazing direction as shelter provision should be a priority when wind, cold temperatures and rain combines. If shelter provision is difficult during this weather pattern, then feed allocation should be increased to provide more energy to stay warm. As we know, wellfed healthy cows don’t mind the cold but rain and wind combined with cold should mean an increase of 0.5-3kg drymatter/ cow/day.

Cows can consume their daily intake in six to eight hours so can be stood off to avoid paddock damage and provide shelter or a better lying surface.

This is a good option when rainfall is exceptionally high for several days.

Some farms use paddocks that have been identified for regrassing as a sacrifice paddock for standing cows off. Use of lanes and yards as stand off should be kept to a minimum as hard surfaces are not suitable for long periods as cows will not want to lie down. The animal welfare code recommends cows are able to lie down for a minimum of eight hours a day.

Wet conditions will influence cow behaviour, and can lead to reduced lying

Helen Thoday. times. However, a DairyNZ trial conducted in 2011 which monitored the lying time of cows in different wintering options, including off paddock facilities, found all cows on all crops – fodder beet, swedes and kale – achieved an average of more than eight hours a day.

Keep an eye out for sick cows or those that are not keen to feed when the rest of the herd is. Deal with these cows quickly especially in poor weather.

Provide a suitable recovery site such as a grass paddock with good shelter and a low stocking rate with additional highly palatable feed and water.

Separating these animals from the main mob can be stressful for cows and staff, and transportation within the paddock is likely to be difficult due to wet conditions.

Help your staff by ensuring they know that taking a few cows with the one identified to be moved is good practice and draft them off or move them back once the sick cow is in place.

While the weather is out of our hands, if you prepare and follow good management practice you’ll be in a better position to face whatever this winter throws at you.

For more information on wintering cows on crop and wintering systems visit the DairyNZ website.

• Helen Thoday, DairyNZ animal welfare and husbandry team senior developer.

Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | May 2017

Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | May 2017

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SPECIAL REPORT

Team Building Welcoming new staff

54 58 59 60

Crusader with a cause A warm welcome Managing cultural differences Listening goes both ways

Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | May 2017

62 64 66 68

Keeping it Lean Making a good start Going home Weighing up rosters 53

SPECIAL REPORT │ MENTORING

Fifteen-year-old Gateway student James Baker (right) working alongside Jack Raharuhi is one of six who will get experience on the farm this year.

Crusader with a cause Anne Hardie verbatim@xtra.co.nz

H

igh school was a period of rebellion for Jack Raharuhi and his hassled teachers probably never expected him to be back a few years later on a crusade to inspire students to choose dairying as a career.

This year he will have six Gateway students from his former Buller High School in Westport getting weekly work experience on the Landcorp farm he manages at Cape Foulwind, giving them a taste of dairying and balancing the negative urban image of the industry.

At 25, he has just won the Dairy Industry Awards West Coast-Top of the South Dairy Manager of the Year and now manages eight staff through the busiest months of the season on Landcorp’s Totara unit which milks up to 1100 cows.

The best part of the job, he says, is the people who help him run the farm system and achieve results – which this year has seen the farm’s production lift dramatically and should put it within the corporation’s top 10 farms in the country for production and profitability.

His passion is mentoring – working alongside staff and showing by example as well as fostering their training in the industry and then seeing them succeed.

54

It’s something he definitely never considered as a career at 15 when he was smoking dope, getting into fights and one of the boy racers.

The last straw for his parents was a drink-drive conviction and his father hauled him out of school to work for a friend on one of the Landcorp dairy farms.

The manager proved a tough boss who wouldn’t take any nonsense from

a teenager with an undesirable attitude and Jack learnt to work hard.

It was a year before he finally began to enjoy his work and think seriously about dairying as a career. By the time he was 20 he had a partner and family, and with responsibility came the desire to focus on his career and go places with it.

Now he wants others to look at the dairy industry and get a taste of success as well, so heads back to his old school

Jack Raharuhi says the industry needs to spend more time attracting young people, like James (right), who is a Gateway student on the farm.

Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | May 2017

Gateway student James Baker hoses down the yard during his day on the farm.

to talk to groups and hopefully inspire them to take up roles in the industry.

He’s taken part in career speeddating at the school to give students and families an insight into dairying as a career. And he’s taking on Gateway students who will spend one day each week on the farm to get an insight into dairy farm life.

He has actively pursued the school to get Gateway students to the farm because even in a small community such as Buller where dairy farms dominate the easier land, there is still a lack of understanding of the industry and much of the urban knowledge reflects the negative press, he says. It’s why primary school children are brought out to the farm to help plant alongside waterways and wetland areas with plenty of helpers and high-visibility vests for safety on a working dairy farm.

“I think the biggest problem in the industry would have to be that it isn’t involved enough in attracting people into it. You’ve got to make the effort for the long-term vision. These kids may end up being your workers one day.”

Similarly, he now wants to establish a Young Farmers Club in Buller to reach more young people and mentor those who want to progress in the dairy industry.

Once on the farm, Gateway students are buddied with a staff member for the day which has the added bonus of

teaching leadership skills to staff.

Fifteen-year-old James Baker is a Gateway student who now plans to get a fixed-term contract on the farm as a milk harvester, while either continuing with some subjects at school or studying through correspondence.

With James on the farm, the staff ranged from 15 to 65 years in age until the latter retired recently and Jack says that enables younger staff to learn from those with years of experience, while a mix of gender adds a range of attributes that cover all the bases.

Jack is a big fan of buddying new staff, in the same way he uses buddies for the Gateway students, to teach them the team culture and work ethics.

“I think it’s really important in that first two months to get a feel for the culture and a feel for their responsibilities to set the bar. They see how everyone else behaves as well as the health and safety expectations so when they go and work by themselves they know the expectations – whether they’re new to dairy farming or if they have experience.

“Buddying-up is really valuable in the long run. I try to put introverts with introverts and extroverts with extroverts to make them feel welcome and make it comfortable for them. You can usually pick up a lot about their personality in the interview – they say you can tell a lot about people by looking inside their car.”

Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | May 2017

Passion flows down

The goal to run a profitable business can only be realised with the support of the staff and that requires good communication and essentially people skills, Jack Raharuhi says.

“My farm motto is healthy team, healthy cows, healthy business. If they have a bit of a passion, it flows down to profitable business.

“I think you have to lead by example, be a team player and not take anyone for granted. So I get on the ground floor and do all the crap jobs too. And I look after my team.”

His own people skills have developed largely through experience as he climbed the ladder with a range of bosses, while trying to balance work and family.

“I know what it is like to have a prick of a boss and I know what it is like to work in the pissing rain. And I’ve also worked with four days on and two days off.

Along the way I think everyone I worked for could have had better people skills, so the one thing I was going to change when I became a manager was to have better people skills.

“In the weekend, let people go home after milking and have a bit of time with their whanau instead of going out on a Sunday night to fix fences. With a healthy team culture you should be able to sit down and have a cup of tea and discuss 55

what needs to be done without yelling out the window to go and do it.”

To Jack, part of looking after the team entails feeding them a good cooked breakfast for about 12 weeks through calving and the start of mating – bacon, eggs, hash browns, the works. His wife Charlotte began cooking breakfast for the team and now Landcorp has enlisted her to cook for about 35 staff to include its other farms in the area. Through the morning she continually cooks breakfast for staff at one of the houses and that not only gives them a good feed for the day, but gives them all a chance to socialise with each other over breakfast.

“I’ve learnt a lot about healthy eating and healthy thinking. We got a nutritionist here for a workshop and that made me think more about feeding the team through calving and we’ll probably start adding more healthy food for breakfast like salads.”

Apart from healthy eating, Landcorp also has a roster that focuses on reducing fatigue in staff that can lead to health and safety problems. This season, the Totara farm needed a big effort to lift production and put staff on a six days on, two-off roster at the beginning before easing back to four on and two off.

“On rosters like this, you get your work back off your guys and everyone has a work-life balance and is in a better state of mind. It makes the whole dairy thing attractive again and I think it will eventually become the norm in the industry.

“You hear of managers who go right through calving without a break and I think to drive your strategy, you need to have a healthy mind that isn’t fatigued.

You can’t be a leader and drive a strategy when you’re fatigued.”

The end result is a healthy team in body and mind which has worked for Jack who says the only turnover of employees has been those moving up the ladder and he has never had to advertise for staff.

Jack’s motto is healthy team, healthy cows, healthy business.

56

Jack (right) catches up with his 2IC, Kahu Parata.

Training the 2IC

In the dairy industry, it’s all about the people and Jack Raharuhi wants to help them succeed by mentoring those he works alongside and, down the track, running training camps.

His ultimate goal is to oversee a farming enterprise with up to 10,000 cows that employs about 40 staff, where he can use his skills to attract, progress and help them succeed in the industry.

“I’d take all the dairy assistants and see who wanted to move forward and run classes for them twice a week, make sure managers are working closely with them and really reward them.”

Acknowledging achievements goes a long way to fostering enthusiasm and success, Jack says. So his vision includes regular meetings for all staff with reward ceremonies to celebrate staff achievements.

“If people feel they’re acknowledged for their work, they get a sense of progression and that makes them hungry for more. That’s part of being a good leader.”

He envisages working with Primary ITO or similar training facilitators to run sessions for groups at differing levels to make it easier and more enjoyable for staff to train.

“You get such competitive, enthusiastic young people that it could become very healthy competition.”

Similarly, second-in-charge staff (2ICs ) could be grouped together to prepare them for the next step into management.

“You can never be too ready and the better prepared you are, the better manager you will be.”

This year Landcorp intends running classes for the 2ICs on Landcorp farms at Cape Foulwind to give them an insight into the computer systems needed to manage the corporate dairy farms, but Jack thinks the need for 2IC training extends throughout the industry.

“I think there’s a big gap across the country from 2IC to managers and I think it’s becoming a problem. Sometimes you see production plummet with new managers and I think that’s due to a lack of support going into that role. They’re often dropped in the deep end and left to swim.”

He will be running the 2IC training sessions at Cape Foulwind to bring them up to speed on technology such as MilkHub, dairy production reporting (DPR) and FarmIQ.

Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | May 2017

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57

SPECIAL REPORT │ WELCOME PACK Alex Thompson gives a welcome pack to Arthur Liwag, a dairy worker from the Philippines.

A warm welcome

Anne Lee anne.lee@nzx.com @Cantabannelee

For many taking on a new farm job isn’t just about learning the ropes on the farm, it’s also about settling in to a new district and sometimes even a new country.

That can be pretty daunting at the best of times, even if you’re a single, out-going Kiwi. It can be particularly overwhelming when there’s a whole family involved, you’re new to New Zealand or English is your second language.

North Canterbury women Alex Thompson and Sharron Davie-Martin recognised the challenges for new farm staff in their Amuri Basin area, around Culverden, and have been giving out Welcome packs for almost seven years.

Although Alex and her husband Kevin consider themselves pretty “Kiwi-ised” they know what it’s like to be newcomers, having emigrated from the United Kingdom to go dairying.

Next season will be their 10th and NZ is definitely home now with three children born here.

Sharron was also new to the area when she and husband Alan moved from Northland to buy their dairy farm, Beechbank Dairies.

“We both brought a different perspective to the Welcome packs – me as someone from a completely different country not knowing how things were done in NZ and Sharron as a Kiwi coming to a new district,” Alex says.

“We’d also both been employers of NZ and overseas staff.

“There’s a lot to take in when you move to a new area and what might seem like little things can become big, time-consuming problems when you

58

know too, and having all this information in one place should just make the move here that bit easier.”

Alex says the Amuri Employers’ Group started the concept of a “Welcome In” event about 10 years ago to bring new people together for a fun event such as a dance, games evening or international pot luck dinner.

“The Welcome In event gives groups a chance to interact with new people – someone from the local fire brigade, for instance, comes along and has a quick talk about the importance of smoke alarms.”

It also gives people a chance to link up with others from their country working in the district. It’s not uncommon for several countries to be represented at the event, including the Philippines, Argentina, Chile, Brazil, Russia, Fiji, Sri Lanka and India.

The website www.amuri.org.nz has been updated and redesigned by year 12 and 13 students from the Amuri Area School. It has a lot of information for new comers and they’re directed to it in the packs.

The website and the Welcome In event are supported by the Amuri Community Connector – a position that was established with funding from Enterprise North Canterbury, the region’s economic development organisation.

The Amuri Community Connector position is now funded by Connect Hurunui – a community run and funded organisation – with that person involved in linking people in the community to various groups.

The position was established because some of the reason for staff turnover on farms had been identified as partners feeling isolated.

don’t know where to find answers quickly – even things like where to register your dog, where you can buy the local school uniform or where the tip is for rubbish.

“Then there’s things like knowing if you register with the medical centre it’s going to cost you a lot less for any visits to the doctor or that you may need to convert to a NZ driver’s licence depending on what country you’re from and how long you’re here.”

All the telephone numbers for essential services are listed in the Welcome pack, as are interest groups, Churches and service times and local businesses are listed, including where banks are located, how to open an account and even where the automatic teller machines (ATM) are.

Forms such as an IRD number application form are also included.

Alex says they can hand out 15-25 or even 30 packs a season, with most sent out in late May or early June when new staff arrive on farm.

Employers ask for them, and the vet clinic and even the local rural postie lets them know there’s someone new on the run.

Sometimes they post them out but other times they might deliver them themselves, or someone picks up a pack for someone else.

Over the years they’ve developed the packs into two versions – one for immigrant newcomers and one for Kiwis – to make sure the packs meet relevant needs.

“There are lots of things a Kiwi coming here from The amuri.org.nz website has information about a huge another district will want to range of community groups and clubs.

Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | May 2017

SPECIAL REPORT │ CULTURAL DIFFERENCES

Managing cultural

It pays to be aware of cultural differences when employing staff from outside New Zealand. Pictured: South Canterbury farmer Lyle Green with Nepalese staff Ram Rai and Dhan Gurung.

Photo: Sarah Rowland

differences Anne Lee anne.lee@nzx.com @Cantabannelee

90 80 70 60

(adapted from Geert Hosftede)

100 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0

Power d istance

Individualism NZ

Phillipines

Masculinity

Uncertainty avoidance

South Africa

Long term orinetation

Chile

India

Indulgence UK

achievement, heroism, assertiveness and rewards for success.

Individuals are likely to be competitive, want to finish the task well and be praised.

A low score in that area usually means people tend to get together as a team more to improve things for everyone.

Someone from a culture that scores highly for uncertainty avoidance won’t like having to change jobs frequently, go to a new area or not know what’s coming next.

Those who have a long-term orientation hold on to traditions so observing religious or commemorative dates will be important to them.

Benquet says as new staff arrive on farm it’s timely to think about the mix of cultures and how you might be able to adjust management styles to ensure people feel comfortable in their work.

Dairy Effluent Warrant of Fitness

EFF IRY LUEN DA

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The 6 dimensions of NZ culture

6 Culture Dimensions for NZ and 5 o ther countries

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Scoring highly when it comes to power distance indicates people need to know who the boss is and have a clear chain of demand; they’re likely to want to be told what to do.

Those who have a low score for indulgence/restraint are likely to see a big dinner out or party night for the team as unnecessarily lavish and wasteful.

The terms power distance and indulgence/restraint are two of six descriptions or classifications used to explain tendencies of a culture.

New Zealanders, for instance, score highly for indulgence – work hard and we’re happy to play hard – but have a relatively low score for power distance – we’re comfortable giving feedback to the boss and will happily accommodate a flat hierarchy structure.

The dimension characterisations have been developed in human resource studies that began with Professor Geert Hofstede in 1963 when he analysed the employee database, which included employees from 70 countries, for computer company IBM. DairyNZ consulting officer Natalia Benquet told farmers at a People Expo in Ashburton last month that while they are generalisations, and factors such as age and individual life experiences will definitely shape characters, it could be beneficial to understanding the characterisations when it comes to managing a diverse farm team.

It doesn’t mean cultures that tend to score at the opposite end of the scale can’t work together but it will probably help if there’s an understanding of the differences by all parties and if managers take the differences into account when interacting and directing staff, she says.

Those who have a high score for individualism will want to get on with their own tasks and consider their job done when they’re complete.

Those who have a low score in that area will finish their job and go to help the rest of the team so everyone goes home together.

A society that scores highly for masculinity focuses on

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59

SPECIAL REPORT │ NEW STAFF

Listening goes both ways Glenys Christian glenys.christian@nzx.com

Roy Johnson from RJRural emphasises two-way listening and doing in his tips on settling in new farm staff.

“The first day should be all about information gathering,” the Te Awamutu consultant and mediator said.

Farmers should carry out a health and safety induction, as well as a workplace induction. There should also be time spent showing where stuff is kept, what activities are carried out regularly and pointing out different scenarios and, “What to do if…”

Johnson said this shouldn’t be anything too onerous and should include a conversation about how the job will end.

“All jobs end, and one day this job will end,” he said.

“Hopefully it will be because the worker has learnt all they can off the farmer and now needs to further themselves.”

The farmer can take the time to say they look forward to that day and being happy to give the employee a good reference to help them into their next career progression step. Then they can ask the worker how they think that together they will get there.

“This is the best way to end,” he said.

“The worst way to is that the worker gives two weeks’ notice and they’re gone. So talk about how to prevent that and set up a process based on two-way listening and doing.”

At the end of the second day and end of the first week farmers should ask new staff members how the job is going for them. Some questions are: Is the job what you thought it would be like and, What do you like about it?

Roy Johnson – a conversation about how the job will end up is very important.

“These questions should be repeated regularly throughout the employment period.”

Johnson also suggests setting up a process for some autonomy with the employee by laying out some small responsibility of setting their own work and building from there.

“The aim is that the inefficient path to micro-management is not taken.”

Another process which needs to be established is for regular “sit down” communication, for listening, change process, or praise and confidence building.

“This is not ‘stand-up’ daily instruction communication,” he said.

Farmers should also put in place onfarm as well as off-farm training which can be formal and/or informal.

They can also tell staff they wish to be

Starting as you mean to go on The first day involves information gathering and is a chance for the employer to talk about how the job will end.

• At the end of the second day and first week the employee should be asked how the job is going for them.

• Establish some autonomy.

• Set up a process for regular formal communication.

• Praise, appraise, praise in small operations, or have a professional review of workers in a larger enterprise.

• Don’t be too busy to engage with workers.

60

invited into their house once a month for a tea or coffee to chat about work, the accommodation or whatever they would like to.

He warns farmers to be careful with professional performance reviews in a small workplace such as is the case on many New Zealand dairy farms.

“They can backfire and are much better suited to larger workplaces and farms,” he said.

“The casual praise, appraise, praise routine would work better in small businesses.”

Johnson said appraise is just a catchy term to remember.

“But it is the feedback stage, delivering criticism if necessary around positive reinforcement.”

He believes formal review processes don’t work in small businesses because if the evaluation is too critical the employee can take the attitude, “If that’s what you think of me ...I won’t work as hard”.

“Motivation can drop especially where the worker has to face the boss the next day,” he said.

Be careful with professional performance reviews in a small workplace such as is the case on many New Zealand dairy farms.

On a farm with just one of maybe two employees farmers are far better to keep the conversation casual. This can mean a chat using a team approach over a beer or coffee, or making some comments when both are on the way home from the dairy.

“The more communication the better,” he said.

“A one-off professional review would be viewed apprehensively by staff and can drive a wedge between employer and employee in their relationship.”

And his final tip is that busy people can be seen as being unapproachable by their employees.

“Farmers need to be busy in the human resources field too.”

Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | May 2017

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SPECIAL REPORT │ INDUCTION team the approach has benefits when it comes to new staff members coming on board.

Kate Doherty is a student from University College, Dublin, and is with the Monsons for four months.

She says having instructions posted at the site they refer to reinforces what you get told and helps you feel more confident.

Kate doesn’t have to contend with a language barrier – although some Kiwiisms can take a bit for a non-NZer to get used to.

It might take a while before someone fully understands what yea nah actually means, for instance.

Pictures and written instructions can be very helpful for staff who do have English as a second language.

The “sorting” and putting everything in its place as part of the Lean process makes for a smoother induction period as well as improved on-going efficiencies.

Having clear written instructions helps ensure new staff are in no doubt as to what’s expected. Farm manager Carlos Munoz writes up actions for the day at the team meeting with, from left, Kate Doherty, Nico van Loggenberg and Erick Collins.

Keeping it Lean

Anne Lee anne.lee@nzx.com @Cantabannelee

Whether they’re employing a student or a new farm manager, Trevor and Stacey Monson say having a good induction process is equally important.

They’re also finding the adoption of Lean Management principals can help smooth the way for new people in the first few weeks.

Trevor and Stacey are equity managers in Methven Dairies– a 398 effective hectare irrigated Canterbury property milking 1500 cows through two 60-bail rotary farm dairies.

It was converted six years ago and was previously run as a cropping farm by its owners John and Jane Wright, who Trevor and Stacey teamed up with as equity partners.

John is the general manager of Barrhill-Chertsey Irrigation (BCI).

Trevor’s originally from Ireland. He came to New Zealand on a working holiday for three months but ended up making this country his home.

He worked for Canterbury dairy farmer Leo Donkers eventually managing one of the Donkers’ family farms, Willsden, before going contract milking 600 cows elsewhere in the region.

After two years he and Stacey, originally a legal secretary in Christchurch, took the leap to 50:50 sharemilking on a 300-cow job but rapidly grew cow numbers as they progressed through sharemilking until they were milking 600 cows.

Five years ago, with additional cows and young stock, they were able to take up the equity partnership

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opportunity with the Wrights.

Last year the farm team ran a Farm Tune programme through DairyNZ. It’s based on Lean Management principles first developed in the car manufacturing industry and aimed at improving efficiencies through continuous improvement and taking out the waste in the business.

That waste can be wasted time, wasted products and even waste in terms of nonproductive or sick animals. (see Dairy Exporter special report April 2016) Finding solutions and coming up with processes is driven by a team approach and often includes the use of visual tools such as instructions, both written and pictorial, posted at the place they’re most needed.

“We’re really in the early stages of developing and using the approach but the team has been pretty positive about it,” Trevor says.

While it’s developed by the existing

In some cases the induction process is more comprehensive in terms of what they need to learn before they can work independently.

“When people start out everything is new and if they don’t know where things are that adds to their anxiety. They don’t feel like they’re doing a good job,” Stacey says.

Tony Watson from People Mad, the Canterbury company contracted to run DairyNZ’s Farm Tune pilot programme, says it can take up to seven times of receiving an instruction before a person

Stacey and Trevor Monson go through the information new staff will get when they arrive later this month.

Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | May 2017

feels confident they’ve got it, so visual cues and written, diagrammatic or photographic instructions can really help speed up the time till someone feels competent.

“They’ll feel they’re settling in faster and the experience will be more positive if they feel like they’re getting it right and don’t have to have repeated instruction,” he says.

There’s less opportunity for mistakes too.

Tony says new staff can also have valuable input into the continuous improvement aspect of Lean, in that they have a fresh take on processes or might be able to bring an idea from a previous job.

Giving them the opportunity to contribute at meetings or offer a suggestion will make them feel valued and a part of the team, he says.

At the end of this season Trevor and Stacey’s manager is moving on to a new 500-cow conversion and the Monson’s are taking on a new manager.

For him the induction process started well before June 1.

He’s been coming to the farm on his days off from his current job, spending time understanding the farm systems and getting to know the farm and farm team and working with Trevor on the winter feed budgets.

“He’s on board with the Farm Tune thing and we’re really hopeful that he’ll pick it up and take it to the next level.

It’s an ongoing thing not something you do once and forget about – it’s a way of operating,” Trevor says.

It’s also important a new manager gets to see the type of farming ethos and values the farm partners have.

At the management level success is as much about managing people as it is about the cows and grass skills.

The couple employs seven staff including the manager, with Trevor the operations manager.

Prospective staff get an introduction pack at the interview so they know the fundamentals of the farm and farm system as well as a diagram showing the staffing structure so they know who is who and who reports to who.

“We’re thinking we might put photos on that just so they get to know people a bit faster,” Trevor says.

New staff will have signed their employment contract before they arrive on farm for work.

Stacey says it’s important documentation is signed before they start work, both for the new staff member and them as employers, because if it’s not there can be significant consequences including that the 90-day trial period isn’t valid.

Farm manager Carlos Munoz goes through safety instructions with dairy assistant Kate Doherty.

On day one Trevor and Stacey make sure the new staff member gets a health and safety briefing, that they get to read the health and safety manual, that all the paper work such as bank account details and IRD information is completed, and that they’re settled in to their accommodation.

They’re then handed over to the farm manager, who this season has been Carlos Munoz.

He takes them under his wing and at the top of his list is to again go through health and safety issues, identifying the hazards not just verbally and with maps but taking them around to point them out and talk about them in more detail.

That might include the dangers of any pivot wheel ruts, above-ground pipes or the effluent pond.

Carlos also checks their competency on the farm motorbikes.

Even if they say they’re fully competent on a two-wheeler he’ll have them ride around on the tanker track at the farm dairy first and then take them out into the paddock and will record their experience level.

They’ll spend the day with Carlos and if they’re a junior will be matched up with someone to work alongside for a few days.

The first week is spent learning the ropes so they’re not fully in the roster until week two.

“Everyone’s managed individually though, depending on their experience and what they feel comfortable doing.

Some people are super keen and you have to slow them down a bit,” Trevor says.

Trevor says they try to strike a balance between employing for personality and balance in the team and skills.

“We don’t run with a top-heavy structure so we know people can have learning to do on the job. In some cases the induction process is more comprehensive in terms of what they

Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | May 2017

Nico van Loggenberg with the bucketmarking idea former staff member Bill Healy came up with for mixing teat spray.

need to learn before they can work independently.”

The couple employ students and settling them in well is important to Trevor and Stacey.

“They arrive in Christchurch the day before they arrive here and we get them settled in, make sure their room is all set up,” Stacey says.

“I know what it’s like to be new to a country and living on the job. We watch out for the signs of homesickness and generally try and make them feel really welcome,” Trevor says.

Having a team function at the start of the season – something like going out for a meal – can help everyone get to know each other in a more relaxed situation.

“We’re not all about forms and lots of paperwork and formal processes – you’ve got to balance that out with having a chat around the table kind of approach too,” they say.

Getting it right in the first day or two, setting the scene and having people understand the expectations and feel comfortable and welcomed will pay big dividends in the long run.

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SPECIAL REPORT │ GOOD START Align Jacawanda’s 2IC Matt Hird , right and herd manager Raj Nil go through the plant wash-down procedures with Patrick Canney.

The procedures are posted in the plant wash area so they can be referred to easily.

Janette Marshal is the herd manager.

Making a good start Anne Lee anne.lee@nzx.com @Cantabannelee

The first day of work for any of Mark Frear’s new staff members starts with them being picked up rather than them making their own way to the dairy – but it won’t be until the sun’s up.

Mark is a farm manager for Canterbury dairy farming company Align Farm Partners and manages the 249ha Align Jacawanda property at Ealing in Mid Canterbury.

It peak milked 950 cows this season and operates with four staff plus Mark for the first half of the season and three through the second half.

He’s worked in and run big teams sharemilking and managing and spent three years travelling and volunteering overseas, helping build houses after a marriage split saw him take a break from dairying.

Since returning to New Zealand he’s spent several years managing for corporate dairy farms before coming to Align.

His philosophy on employing staff is a simple one built on life experiences.

“You’ve really just got to treat people as you’d like to be treated yourself – with respect.

“A simple please and thank you is where you start – people respond to that.

I know I do.

“It makes them feel good, feel valued and if people are happy they’re more inclined to want to stay with you and work well – it’s human nature.

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“You either behave in a way that shows you care about people or you don’t,” he says.

Health and safety is something he takes very seriously and that’s the first order of the day when a new staff member arrives.

They don’t ride a motorbike to the farm dairy on day one and will undergo a competency test, riding around the tanker track, checking they can handle a few turns and change gears safely before he observes them riding along the race.

“I don’t ask people if they can do something because some, especially some from overseas, will always want to tell you yes. I want to know if they feel safe or if they feel comfortable with a task.”

Newcomers get picked up from their accommodation on the first day once it’s light.

Although they might have visited the farm for the interview and will have arrived the day before, Mark doesn’t want people starting in the dark.

“They need to be able to see the farm, their surroundings.”

They will already have all their documentation such as employment contract and IRD numbers in order before they start and will have been given their gumboots, overalls, helmet and wet weather gear on the day they arrived.

Mark goes through a health and safety check list to create a benchmark of what people are capable and not capable of.

It’s reviewed as people undergo training.

They’ll observe the first milking and get a feel for the culture of how things

Importance of accomodation

Align’s Jacawanda has a good array of housing including a block of three one-bedroom units and a three-bedroom unit as well as a three-bedroom house and the fourbedroom house Mark and his partner Kate Gallagher live in.

The one-bedroom units for single staff are fully kitted out with furniture, bed linen, blankets, fridge, microwave, oven and even utensils and crockery.

Mark’s partner Kate ensures it’s all ready for new staff so they can move straight in and start work comfortably.

“All they have to do is bring their food,” Mark says.

Because the units are attached the single staff can socialise if they want to but be quite separate too.

Single staff can sometimes come down the pecking order when it comes to housing but Mark says it’s important their accommodation is of a good standard so they can feel comfortable at home if they want to be there on their days off.

It also sets the scene as to what’s expected of them too, in that if they go in to well-presented, clean, warm and comfortable accommodation they see the standard that’s expected.

Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | May 2017

are done. If they are completely new to dairying will be coached carefully through each step of the milking process.

Even if they have experience they’ll work alongside someone else at milking until Mark’s satisfied they’re competent.

“I never expect people to know how to do everything. They’ll be taught task by task – be shown how to do it a few times and then get to either do it alongside others or left to do it on their own depending on what it is.”

Mark’s motto is smarter not harder when it comes to operating the farm and he’s open to suggestions by staff that help increase efficiency.

He’s developing a “Lean management” approach using standard operating procedures, visual instructions posted at the point they’re needed and encouraging the team to come up with improvements for the tasks they do.

Through the Lead with Pride programme the farm has developed a comprehensive set of documentation that staff are able to read through, and their training is based on.

“It’s not like they have to read all of it, but it’s what we use as a kind of manual to make sure everyone is working to the same set of standards.”

Its four pillars are • environment, • animal health and welfare, • milk quality, • social responsibility.

The social responsibility pillar refers to the human resources aspect of the farming operation.

The farm is independently audited as part of the Lead with Pride programme and is at the Gold Plus level.

Mark says as well as making sure staff are well aware of hazards on the farm and are capable of safely doing their job, they have their competency levels assessed so training can be organised where necessary. When they have all their documentation in order a good

Farm manager Mark Frear goes through the training records to follow up from initial assessments done during the induction period.

induction process will set the scene in terms of farm culture.

“We want to make everything we do onfarm count – it’s got to become part of your routine – how you operate.

“So for instance when you go out to get the cows in out of the fodder beet, there’s an 830m fence. While the cows are walking out through the next paddock move the fence for the next break, you’re already out there and you’ve got time while they walk out and up the lane.

“It’s about thinking how you can make the best use of your time every time, like making sure you take everything with you for a job – take a bit of time to think about what you need before you go.”

Mark lets the team come up with systems too – such as the milking routine in the 80-bail rotary that’s fitted with automatic cup removers.

“If the roster means you’re on the whole milking in the afternoon and then again in the morning then you won’t be on another milking for 24 hours.”

The team has weekly staff meetings throughout most of the season to assign jobs, talk about what’s coming up and bring up any issues onfarm.

Mark’s also started using a phone app called WhatsApp, after Dairy Industry Awards Canterbury Sharefarmer of the

Mark Frear assesses Patrick Canney’s motorbike riding abilities.

Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | May 2017

Year winners Christopher and Siobhan O’Malley talked about how they use it.

“It’s really a messaging app but we use it like a mobile whiteboard because everyone’s in the group and they can all see what’s going up on it in real time – they don’t have to come back to the office to see it.”

It keeps everyone in the loop as well as being an effective way to communicate.

It also indicates who has seen the post so Mark or the staff know the message has got through.

Mark thinks it will be a great tool during the induction period because new staff will be able to double-check anything they need to, feel connected to the team and be able to quickly get an answer if they need to check up on something.

Working alongside other staff is an important part of the induction period.

A staff member this season has been Irish backpacker Patrick Canney.

While he had no dairying experience before he arrived he did have experience working with the Lean Management programme in a car manufacturing business.

He was impressed with how the farm team had adapted it for dairying and his input was welcomed as to how they could improve it further.

Patrick says he felt welcomed right from the start and found the procedures the team had set up were quite intuitive.

Working alongside others to learn the ropes had been relaxed yet he knew there was a lot of good information being imparted along the way.

“Everything was communicated in easy terms so it was pretty quick to pick things up.

“Everyone was confident in what they were doing and gave really clear explanations as to why we do things the way we do, what the thinking was behind it and that gave me a lot of confidence in the whole team and that what I was learning really was the right way to go about it.”

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SPECIAL REPORT │ HOUSING

Going home Sheryl Brown sheryl.brown@nzfarmlife.co.nz @sherylbrownnz

Getting a house as part of working on a dairy farm can no longer be considered a perk because employees are paying market value for rent out of their wages, Federated Farmers Sharemilker Section chairman Richard McIntyre says.

That accommodation needs to be up to market quality, and at the basic level the houses need to be warm and dry.

There was still some sub-standard accommodation in the dairy industry, McIntyre said.

As a start farm owners should ensure all accommodation had adequate insulation, or an HRV ventilation system where necessary.

“The farm is not going to run too well if your staff are sick all the time and staff aren’t going to be happy if they come home to a house that’s cold and damp.”

Viewing farm accommodation should be a key part of a sharemilker’s due diligence before they signed a new contract, he said.

“Housing is very important because your ability to attract good staff can diminish if you haven’t got good accommodation.”

Sharemilkers should also have adequate insurance to cover potential loss or liability in connection with the accommodation. Sharemilkers needed to be aware of the requirements for that insurance cover, including regular house inspections.

Once a tenant is in the accommodation, there should be regular house inspections by the farm owner or sharemilker.

“As farmers we need to get more comfortable with doing house inspections. We think it’s an invasion of their privacy. But in this day and age we have to because there is too much money involved.”

Farm owners or sharemilkers, who take on the tenancy agreements for the farm’s accommodation, should do a walkthrough of a house before a new tenant moves in, record the condition the house

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Good-quality housing is important to attract good staff.

is in and make notes of any repairs that need to be done.

If that is not done at the start, people can have different memories of what condition the house was in at the end of the tenancy, or after a three-year contract, McIntyre said.

The same goes with controlled drug and contamination testing on a property.

If farm owners want to be covered they need to have a test done before a new tenant moves in.

“You can’t blame a sharemilker or a tenant if a house tests positive for P, if you haven’t tested it at the start.”

Farm owners or sharemilkers should also be clear with their tenant on how they expect the property be to be kept from the outset.

Keeping a property tidy and clean was a subjective term that could mean different things to different parties.

Talk to staff about what you expect from them, like how you tell them how you expect the dairy to be kept, McIntyre said.

Landlords should also be prepared to be lenient. For example, expecting the lawns to be mowed weekly during calving when the employee was working long hours wasn’t always realistic.

If there is a problem, talk to staff about it straight away, he said.

“Bring these things up when they’re small issues. Don’t wait until you get angry and they become a big issue.”

Regular house inspections inevitably lead to a tidier property and better outcomes, he said.

Keep it realistic More farmers need to use official tenancy agreements and get employees to pay bond for their farm housing DairyNZ People team leader Jane Muir says.

Employers should be deducting rent from an employee’s total salary, but it’s not common practice, she said.

“The best thing to minimise risk is to manage it like a landlord and be more professional, because once it gets away on you it’s difficult.”

The employment relationship and tenancy relationship Jane Muir: be had to be treated separately, she said. professional.

It was important to set realistic expectations in the tenancy agreement for the upkeep of the property and farm owners should have regular house inspections, making sure to give 48 hours notice, she said.

“Are your expectations realistic? The onus is on the farm employers to lead the way.”

If those expectations were not being met, have a conversation with the tenant, and follow it up with written correspondence, she said.

Getting an employee to pay bond gave a farm owner protection that the house would be looked after. It was very difficult to receive compensation for damage or claim insurance without a legal agreement in place.

It was also important farm owners had the correct insurance for their properties, particularly around drug policies, she said.

• For more information visit www.dairynz.co.nz/people • For more on tenancy agreements and bond forms visit www.tenancy.govt.nz

Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | May 2017

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Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | May 2017

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SPECIAL REPORT │ ROSTERS

Weighing up rosters Cheyenne Stein cheyenne.stein@nzfarmlife.co.nz @CheyStein2

Attracting and retaining quality staff is one of the keys to the future of the dairy industry. With a lack of enthusiastic young people coming into the industry, farmers are looking more closely at the packages they are offering future employees.

Linda-Maree Drake, managing director and John Fegan from Fegan & Co rural recruitment and HR says in the past few years there has been a shift in how farm owners and managers look at rosters, with consideration being given to the health and safety implications of overtired workers through to optimum levels of productivity.

“A lot of young people are coming into farming from non-farming backgrounds and they do not want to slog it out for days at a time. One of the main reasons is they haven’t grown up in that environment and they would like to have more of a work-life balance.”

South Island dairy farms, partly because of their scale and the number of corporate-owned farms, have been leading the field.

“Ten years ago, workers had maybe every third weekend off. In the South Island when they were going through staffing shortages they had to modify their behaviour,” John says.

“When you compare the north to the south, the South Island has already been through a big change and the North Island is still going through that

Types of leave

ANNUAL LEAVE: falls into two categories: • Accrued leave – leave accrued during the year • Entitled leave – leave balance after working for one year, which will equal 20 days or 160 hours (if no accrued leave was taken) PAID LEAVE: an ambiguous title, any leave paid should be described by the type of leave it is, eg annual, (accrued or entitled), sick, bereavement, unpaid, or public holiday.

DAYS IN LIEU: a day in lieu is where an employee has worked a public holiday and so is entitled to another day of leave UNPAID LEAVE: taken without pay

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transition,” Linda-Maree says.

With most North Island farms being family-run, the mentality of working solidly through the season with little time off, especially around mating, is still there. The South Island hosts a larger proportion of international staff who are pushing for different options that don’t always revolve around weekends off.

Where rosters used to be the same across most dairy farms in the country, there is now a real variety.

“How the farm is run, the number of staff and the scale of farm are all factors that come into the type of roster you might choose to operate, however the issues remain the same particularly around health and safety. People who do long rosters get tired and that’s where accidents happen.”

John says many of their farming clients have noted a substantial drop in productivity after 10 days of work.

Changing rosters is often said to carry costs with it, but to a point, this is untrue.

Although there is a cost in terms of taking on more staff members or hiring relief labour, a large proportion of this can be offset.

“If a person’s number of hours worked are decreasing this can offset the cost of bringing in relief workers. The net cost to the business shouldn’t be affected too much and that’s something that many farmers don’t understand or good at implementing,” John says.

So in the changing world of dairy farming, how and who starts the conversation?

“In any employment relationship there has to be a willingness to be open to having any sort of conversation.

Employees will often bring things to the table that challenge the status quo and you may not want to discuss as it but these topics can sometimes end up working well for all parties. It’s about discussing the options and figuring out what’s going to work best in that situation.” Linda-Maree says.

In this tight labour market looking at other options is crucial to staff retention, and rostering is one way of having an advantage.

“We are looking for retention in the industry and the adage that ‘this is the way we have always done things’ won’t work going forward.”

“If you’re looking to get good quality staff then providing a healthy working environment will attract a higher quality staff and help to retain them.”

Understanding leave

Linda-Maree says one of the big issues in employment is the lack of understanding of the concept of accumulated leave and entitled leave. It is important to be very clear about the difference between the two, especially in relation to how rostered leave is applied.

Accumulated leave is leave that is accrued during the first year of employment. The employee is not able to take that leave unless it has been approved by the employer and the employer can’t force an employee to take accrued leave. However, the employee can request to take accrued leave.

Entitled leave is leave that has been transferred across from the accrued total one year after commencement of employment. Once the first year of employment has been completed the employer can request that leave be taken.

“That first year of employment, you can’t force employees to take annual leave. Any leave taken has to be instigated by the employee and also approved by the employer.”

This is crucial to remember, because when deciding on which roster to apply, any roster that has a three day or more leave period might not be complying with the Holidays Act 2003.

Being highly seasonal there are obvious times of the year where employees taking leave isn’t workable, and having conversations with new staff around the preferred time of year for leave is important.

“Having that conversation at the start is important and helps avoid running into issues down the track.”

Often, there is real confusion about the types of leave, with many employers tending to merge them all as one.

John says record-keeping of the type of leave that’s being taken is important because if there is a dispute around salaries or wages, if the breakdown of leave taken is not clear, particularly around sick leave, bereavement leave, rostered days off, annual leave and statutory public days off, you might find you have to pay the employee twice.

Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | May 2017

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ENVIRONMENT │ MIXED FARMING

Rising 2-year heifers are looking fit and well and ready to enter the dairy herd.

Fitting the stock to the country Jackie Harrigan Jackie.harrigan@nzfarmlife.co.nz

M

atching land types to stock classes has helped the Carver family diversify their South Taranaki farm business, while protecting the sustainability of the land and the future of their family farm.

The successful of the clear consideration of the synergies between the dairy, sheep and beef, breeding and finishing operations and the high quality of productive performance of the different stock classes drew praise from judges of the Taranaki Ballance Farm Environment awards and landed Peter and Nicola Carver the 2017 Supreme Award. They also picked up a host of awards including the B+LNZ Livestock Award, Hill Laboratories Harvest Award, Waterforce Integrated Management Award and Taranaki Regional Council Sustainability Award.

The family’s 460ha effective South Taranaki property has a distinct mix of flats on the ridge top and falls away through steep sheep and beef country to the Tangahoe valley floor.

Taking out 95ha of the flats to convert to a System 1-2 dairy unit in 2014 helped the family diversify their income stream.

After three years of Tyler Judd being employed as dairy manager and Peter working as 2IC and relief milker, Tyler is stepping up to contract milking in the 2017-18 season.

“While I never really saw myself as a dairy farmer, I have learned heaps from our dairy farming neighbours, working alongside Tyler and attending discussion groups,” Peter says.

“Now I am ready to get back to the drystock farm – there are enough stock classes and development there to keep me busy.”

Peter’s parents Gerald and Fay still live

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on the property with his brother Michael, and Gerald and Mike regularly help out.

Gerald is also an active horse rider, riding and horse trekking frequently with his three grand-daughters Jodi, 11, Abby, 13 and Emma, 15.

When Peter and Nicola developed the dairy platform they were careful to exclude any waterways and swampy areas, cutting the possibility of runoff and the need for fencing and riparian planting, and futureproofed the operation by installing a larger than required 40-bail dairy, 500-cow yard, 6-8m wide races and concrete aboveground effluent tank.

“All the infrastructure is there to upscale at any time – we could go to 450 cows in the future if we want to, but at the moment we are happy with a simple oneman system and concentrating on per-cow performance.”

Peter and Tyler have grown the per-cow production from 415 to 480kg milksolids (MS)/cow and per-hectare output to 1315kg MS/ha over the first three seasons of production.

“On the effluent tank it was just a matter of adding in a couple of extra concrete panels and we upped the volume from 1 million to 1.3 million litres. For the 260 cows we are currently running we only need 700,000 litres storage.”

A travelling irrigator covers 12ha, irrigating at night on low-rate electricity. It will incorporate a further 6ha this season.

A further option is carting slurry to maize blocks in the future, Peter says.

“We are also keen to keep finishing the young stock from our sheep and beef block so will stick to 260 cows for now.”

The 1300-ewe sheep flock is producing a 130% lamb crop and Peter finishes them

Emma, Nicola, Jodi, Peter and Abby Carver with friend Casey Duffy.

Carver dairy conversion Hectares

Cow numbers

Total yield

Per ha

Per cow

2014/15

95

275

114,000

1200

415

2015/16

95

265

112,000

1179

423

2016/17

95

260

125,000

1315

480

Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | May 2017

Surrounding the dairy platform is sheep and beef and dairy support country.

FARM FACTS Total farm area: 515ha, 460ha effective, 244ha freehold, 142ha West Coast lease. Dairy 95ha, sheep and beef 365ha, trees 25ha Dairy cows: 190 mixed-age, 78 R2 heifers, 60 R1 heifers, 8 service bulls, 20 holdover cows Sheep: 1040 mixed-age ewes, 360 2-tooths, 400 ewe hoggets, 300 ram hoggets, 20 rams Beef: 55 mixed-age cows, 15 R2 heifers, 50 R1 heifers, 30 R2 steers, 30 R1 bulls.

Rainfall: 1800-2000mm

(apart from the 400 ewe lambs retained for replacements) at 18.5kg, netting an average of more than $100/head through the summer on forage crops on the easier country not included in the dairy platform.

The dairy is fitted with automatic cup removers and auto teat spraying, allowing easy operation by one person in 1.5 hours milking twice each day. An electronic cow performance system wasn’t in the set-up budget but a small amount of in-dairy feeding daily acts as an incentive to the cows to flow into the dairy and works to increase their energy intake on wet and cold days, Tyler says. The operation uses 80-90 tonnes over the season.

“Sometimes I have to remind the cows they have to get off the platform – they love the feed and once the heifers realise there is food on offer they are really easy to train.”

Regrassing the dairy platform has been a focus for the Carvers, alongside the cropping programme for the sheep finishing operation, which means the farm is well ahead of many conversion farms.

Peter has been active trying out new forages and is a keen proponent of direct drilling.

“It’s a great system, we can spray today, direct drill tomorrow and the cross-slot technology halves the establishment time.”

Even maize for silage has been directdrilled. Peter says the 15t/ha crop might have been slightly lighter than a full-on

Tyler and Rachel Judd with Alyse: Stepping up to contract milking.

cultivated crop but the direct-drilling was easier on the soil structure and worms.

The silage is harvested and stored in the paddock in a long plastic bag ‘bun’, which cuts out the need for a permanent concrete silage pit.

“The bun is easy to feed out from, and with a smaller face there is less spoilage if the silage is not used every day. It can be treated and then closed up again very effectively.”

Chicory has been a staple for a couple of years now, and is useful for finishing lambs and growing out young dairy heifers.

It means they can get lambs away each month at 18-19kg carcase weight right through to the end of May, even through the dry summers. Oversowing the chicory by drilling with Shogun ryegrass further extends the life of the crop.

Rape has also been grown with good results for lamb yield after a month’s summer grazing and good calf growth in the autumn. The crop has also been undersown with an annual ryegrass.

Peter planted 38ha of forage crop this past summer, which he says was probably a reaction to the particularly difficult and dry summer the season before. He will be going back to 25ha of crop for next summer. While he has been using Bealey for regrassing after the crop in the past, this season the plan is to regrass with Base and Alto. He likes to hold off adding clover into the grass seed mix, preferring to oversow it after the first weed spray so it doesn’t get so knocked around.

While regrassing has been a focus on the flats, Peter’s emphasis for the hills has been fertility, water reticulation and subdivision on the easier hills, with retirement and tree planting on the steep unproductive areas.

The herd of Angus beef cows are great for working the hills in late summer and providing service bulls for the dairy herd, Peter says, for both tailing up and producing beef-cross calves. Service bulls are also sold to other local dairy farmers.

The beef herd calves from October 1 and calves are weaned in April when they are taken off the hills onto the easier country to protect the soil on the steep hills in the

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SUPPLEMENTS: 100-250 bales hay 5ha maize, 38ha chicory (8ha for dairy, rest lamb finishing) 2ha turnips In-dairy feeding: 80-90 tonnes pelletised feed, 50% palm kernel, 30% kibbled maize 20% DDG over the season. high rainfall environment.

The ewes also are used to clean up rank growth and utilise the easier country on the edges of the dairy platform.

With dairy races set up and water reticulated around the farm, the operation has the flexible option of pushing the boundaries out if beef stock are needed to come in and tidy up dairy pastures or the dairy herd needs to spill onto the beef country.

“It’s a very flexible system, but it does make it hard to quantify the costs in terms of the areas and stocking rates – the stock can share the whole farm.”

The Carvers engaged early with the Taranaki Regional Council and have had a farm plan completed with recommendations to retire some areas, plant production and amenity forestry, and space-plant with trees on the erosionprone hill country.

Eight years ago they planted a 25ha gully falling down to the Tangahoe River with pines, in among some existing pockets of natives. The gorse-filled gully was seldom grazed and the trees were planted under the regional council’s afforestation scheme, splitting the cost in return for the council’s ownership of the carbon credits for the first 10 years. After that the Carvers own it outright and Peter says they will prune them and hope to harvest and replant eventually. A further 5ha was planted in redwoods to sequester carbon under the Waitotara STRESS scheme. The redwoods have a 60-year life and Peter is enjoying watching them grow.

He says it will be up to the next generation to decide what to do with them.

Poplar poles are being planted in the few erosion-prone areas, and family plan to concentrate on planting shade trees on the dairy platform in the next few years.

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STOCK │ DAIRY BEEF

Mike Smales – developing the land has been a challenge.

NO BEEF with dairy-beef Northland farmers Mike and Karen Smales breed beef bulls over their dairy herd and buy in their replacements. They told Sheryl Brown how they make dairy farming on tough country profitable.

A

measure of success in any dairy operation is farming the land in a way to ensure its profitability.

Dairy farmers Mike and Karen Smales milk 480 cows at Maungaturoto, Northland where a lot of the farm is steep, often inaccessible by tractor, it grows a lot of kikuyu and is hit most years by drought.

The herd averages less than 800kg

FARM FACTS Owners: Mike and Karen Smales Location: Maungaturoto, Northland Area: 330ha Average rainfall: 1500mm

MILKING OPERATION Milking platform: 186ha Milking platform stocking rate: 2.4 cows/ha Cows: 480 crossbreds Record production: 144,000kg milksolids 2013-14 Supplements: 20ha maize grown onfarm, 120t palm kernel bought Farm dairy: 30-aside herringbone Effluent irrigation: 40ha 72

milksolids (MS) a hectare, which is respectable when taking into account those challenges.

“For our sort of country that’s pretty good – it’s not flash country. By pushing it further then you’d have to put a lot input in and that’s not really profitable or sustainable,” Mike says.

“The bottom line is utilising our country, you can’t run it as a straightforward dairy farm. How we are doing it is how we feel we can get the best out of the land without abusing it.”

Mike and Karen run a mixed dairy and beef operation, breeding beef bulls across their entire herd and rearing the calves to sell as two-year olds.

They use both Angus and Hereford bulls across the dairy herd.

Mike admits crossbred cows adapt better on the hills than straight Friesians and says by using good beef bulls you get a good calf.

“Crossbreds adapt a lot better, they fossick.”

Breeding the beef calves from a crossbred herd can sometimes result in calves that throw more dairy, but they are still worth

more to rear than putting them on the bobby truck for $20.

“We rear everything, When the Jersey steers come up to two-year olds and we sell them, there is not a lot of difference. Most of them grade, we can usually buy a good dairy cow for what we get for them.”

They buy all their dairy replacements as in-milk mixed-age cows which means they don’t have to try to calve down and milk heifers on the hill country, which can be pretty tough on young heifers, Mike says.

When buying cows he doesn’t worry too much about cow records.

“I back my judgement. We’ve never tried to be a top-producing herd, because we never will be on this country.”

They have been split-calving for six seasons, milking 250 cows through winter and calving the rest of the herd in spring.

The winter milking premium is a good incentive, but it suits their Northland climate and their property, Mike says.

“The winter cows do better than the spring cows. You can supplement a cow through a bad winter, but you can try and supplement a cow through a hot, dry summer but she might not eat.”

Although winter milking suits the cows better, Mike wants to keep a mob of spring-calving cows so they can control the surplus grass in spring.

Controlling the kikuyu grass is key on their property. The kikuyu needs to be managed to let the ryegrass and clover

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come through – which is where the beef cattle come into their own, he says.

The beef cattle and dry cows typically follow behind the milkers to eat down the pasture.

“You’ve got to keep on top of the kikuyu otherwise it takes off and rye and clover don’t get a chance.”

They undersow the milking platform regularly with annual species which can grow through the kikuyu.

They shut up the top hills in April and May to have enough grass to winter the spring-calving cows.

“On this sort of country we set-stock in the winter. The minute you go near cows they make mud.

“Wintering cows out back, you could never take supplement out to them.”

DAIRY-BEEF SUPPLEMENT INCOME The dairy-beef offspring have always been a healthy supplement income for Mike and Karen.

Selling Angus and Hereford calves from their crossbred dairy herd over the last 43 years has helped pay to clear the land and grow their business.

“We’ve always done dairy-beef. It used to be a dirty word, but we called it our development fund,” Mike says.

“The first 10 years there weren’t a lot of farmers doing it. People used to put their dairy-beef calves on the bobby truck.”

But the dairy-beef market has continued to grow and get stronger. There is a historic beef schedule at the moment which sets the scene for it to continue, Mike says.

The key for Mike and Karen during their lives has been to stay in a position where their business can adapt to market demand. They have tried to ensure their business has enough flexibility to be able to sell or hold stock where necessary.

Farmers can get burnt by trying to chase

STOCK ONFARM AUTUMN 2017 • 251 R1 steers • 238 R1 heifers • 113 R2 steers • 278 R2 heifers • 25 bulls • 480 crossbred dairy cows the dairy-beef market, Karen says.

“Farmers are always a season behind the eight ball getting into it.”

When the rush comes on and prices go down they are usually in a better position because they haven’t given up anything else in their business to chase the market.

“We drop back too, but we’ve always done it and never changed our farming policy to swing with the ups.”

They typically rear all the calves and finish them through to two-year-olds.

However, they will sell stock depending on market prices or feed supply on the farm.

They sold 80 R1 calves in February to account for the drought that was hitting Northland earlier in the year.

They’d had no rain since start of December and the schedule was buoyant in the Waikato and King Country at the time so they made the decision to get some stock off the property.

The weaner steers averaged $750 and the heifers averaged $630 for an average weight of 207kg.

“All your decisions in farming are weather-driven,” Karen says.

“We try and be proactive rather than reactive – you’ve got to go by your gut and your experience.

“There is no good saying we should have done this, or should have done that. You make a decision and go with it.”

When it comes to selecting bulls, the Angus and Hereford mix works well, Mike says.

“As far as fattening is concerned I’m swinging more to Angus. They seem to

fatten quicker, where the Herefords start growing and keep growing.”

There is such a strong premium for black white-face calves at the sales, however, which is good enough reason to keep breeding both at the moment, Mike says.

Easy calving and lameness are two of the more important breeding values Mike looks for.

He runs bull mobs of six during mating, revolving the bulls out of the cows every three days.

“If you breed for ease of calving and manage your cows well you eliminate most calving problems,” Mike says.

The hills can be a challenge, but they are also a big help to keep the cows active and fit for calving down the beef breeds, Karen says.

The farm can get quite wet and hooves can get soft so the stock need to be able to stand up to the conditions. Any lame dairy cows are pulled out and treated immediately.

Once a cow is treated for lameness and mastitis, if she comes back with a recurring problem, she goes, Mike says.

“If a cow has a problem, no matter what she’s producing, she’s out.

“If they’re not sound we don’t milk them. To me that’s a way of getting to a healthier herd. People have to be happy milking cows and that means not having slow milkers, or cows with health problems. Those are the things that can frustrate staff.”

Rather than sending them to the works, if a cow is not milking well, Mike will often pull her out of the herd and put a calf on her – putting her to use until the market is right to sell her.

In terms of animal health their main routine is injecting calves and cows with an annual dose for trace minerals.

“I believe in cobalt, selenium and copper. This country is deficient in it.

We operate on a preventative rather than reactionary approach.”

Mike and Karen Smales – dairybeef calves have been their business development fund.

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Moving forward

Mike and Karen Smales milk on tough land in Northland.

They also leave Crystalyx drycow mineral blocks around the farm for the milking cows all year long. The cows constantly have access to them and they prevent most issues, including milk fever, Mike says.

CLEARING THE SCRUB The couple both grew up on sheep and beef properties in Northland. Mike worked on Karen’s family farm for eight years before they were able to go out on their own.

They purchased their first 280 hectares at Maungaturoto in 1968 for $7000, with a $1000 deposit.

They ran beef cows and had an annual roundup, having to go nearly to Waipu to find all the cows and calves.

In 1974 the neighbouring dairy unit came on to the market. They bought it with 85% borrowing from the Marginal Lands Board and the balance from inherited money. Karen and Mike had never milked cows before and on August 8 they moved in with 108 cows calving.

It was a very wet winter and on the first night they got into bed, looked up at the ceiling which was painted the colour of calf shit, and said “what the hell have we let ourselves into?”

Money was very tight so the couple used old milk liners as insulators and teatree poles for posts.

“We learnt that if you didn’t have money you couldn’t spend it.”

In 1979 the next door runoff came on the market. It was about this time interest in pine trees was growing strongly so they were able to sell off the steepest country of their original block to purchase the runoff – again mainly scrub and gorse and very low fertility. They couldn’t afford to buy a herd of beef breeding cows so decided to breed beef bulls over their dairy herd.

“Mike always wanted to be beef farming.

We couldn’t afford to buy the beef cows – we had no money – so the best thing was to rear the calves,” Karen says.

They found the dairy-beef calves worked well for their budget, giving them additional income to keep developing the land into pasture and building the infrastructure.

The recent environmental move back to fencing off and replanting a lot of gullies

and marginal land has gone a bit against the grain of what the couple have always done.

“My challenge in life has been to develop land. It’s been a way of life,” Mike says.

“As young farmers we were lucky to have the opportunities we had. We had good support from government to put everything into grass.”

They have fenced off the milking platform, done riparian planting in some of their gullies, and donated 50ha into a QE II Trust.

One of the real positives has been the asset of the updated effluent system.

They now irrigate on 40ha of the milking platform, which has significantly lifted the soil fertility, Mike says.

“I call it liquid gold, that’s been a really good investment.”

Compliance costs and increasing regulations are a challenge for farmers, particularly with how children grow up on farms, Karen says.

“We’ve had a good family life. The kids were both heavily involved in the farm growing up, but with the new rules and regulations it’s not quite as simple as it was.

“Farming used to be a way of life, but now it’s million dollar businesses.”

As such the business decisions have to be with the head not the heart.

They constantly look at their income against expenditure to see how they are

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Mike is the stock manager and also manages two drystock blocks for other farmers. He has a general farm manger helping to oversee the properties and a couple of farm assistants.

This year Mike and Karen employed a contract milker for the milking platform as a way of pedalling back some of the daily responsibility.

“I’m trying to get it operating without us,” Mike says.

“As long as the farm is going forward we are happy. Now we’ve got the dairy ticking over, I want to concentrate more on the beef – maybe buy some beef cows to put on the hills for another supply of calves.”

Mike does a lot of hunting and trekking and has ridden in every hunt in NZ. He would like to spend more time riding.

“I go hunting twice a week when I can.

I have been known to go four times a week.”

Karen teaches learn to swim classes and likes to travel frequently. They are both keen to get off-farm more and spend time with their children Richard and Vicky and their five grandchildren.

“The kids are keen for us to keep the farm, so I’ve told them they can take on the mortgage too so we can do what we enjoy,” Karen says. tracking every month, rather than doing an annual budget.

There is a lot of work in doing a budget, and it could go out the window the next week, Karen says.

“I have a rough idea of what’s coming in and what has to go out. If we are lean on the income side I will go talk to Mike about where we are and what we can sell.”

Mike has a passion for trading stock, so enjoys the opportunity to buy and sell dairy and beef cattle to take the opportunities in the market.

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STOCK │ DRYING OFF

DRYING MISS DAISY: Selective dry cow therapy Cheyenne Stein cheyenne.stein@nzfarmlife.co.nz @CheyStein2 In June 2015 the New Zealand Veterinary Association (NZVA) launched an aspirational goal that by 2030, New Zealand Inc. wouldn’t need antibiotics for the maintenance of animal health and welfare.

In the dairy industry, one of the largest contributors to antibiotic use is dry cow therapy. Associate professor in production animal health at Massey University, Richard Laven, says that the big issue is the prophylactic use of antibiotics.

“When I first started at Massey about 10 years ago, selective dry cow therapy (DCT) was where things were at. Over the years, as we have being trying to control mastitis, the industry shifted towards whole-herd

DCT. Now there is starting to be a shift back to being more selective.”

And for good reason. With the public perception of dairying in recent years taking a fall from grace it’s important for the industry to address this issue.

“Many people have this view that all dairy cows are infected so all of them need antibiotics and it’s hurting humans.

That’s simply not the case. In fact, in wellmanaged herds there are typically few that require treatment with antibiotics.”

Using antibiotics where there is no proof of infection is quite simply not going to help our image problem, nor is using them to prevent possible future infections.

“We have to justify the use of DCT now.

Eliminate giving it to cows that aren’t infected. The question then arises of how do you decide which cows get treatment.

This is where farmers will have to change and adapt.”

Massey No. 4 farm has done just this. A few years ago every cow was treated with DCT and teat sealant. Last year, every cow got teat sealant but about 50 out of 500 cows were treated with antibiotics. They aim to reduce this further this year.

“We were able to do that because we had much better control of mastitis and that’s down to good management. At Massey No. 1 our aim is to have fewer than 10 cows dried off with DCT. Again that’s because we have good mastitis control.”

HERD TESTING A large part of the decision-making process for DCT sits with knowing your cell counts. Laven says ideally herd tests should be done at various stages of the year to compile a reliable data set to work

Ambreed

Phil Beatson CRV Ambreed Head Geneticist

lownsires.co.nz 76

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A good udder. from. If drying off in May, the ideal would be to herd-test in March and April.

“From your herd tests you can identify cows that are infected above the somatic cell count threshold you choose and can treat those cows.”

The current industry standard threshold, according to DairyNZ, is 150,000 but depending on your herd’s ‘normal’ this can be adjusted.

“For low cell count herds you could probably push that up to 200,000, the threshold can be adaptable. For the Massey farms we use 200,000 as the figure and we are able to do that because the average cell count sits around 100,000.”

When considering cell counts Laven advises ignoring cows that experienced spring mastitis unless they have a current infection.

Using antibiotics to prevent infections that might come along later needs to be avoided as well.

often ineffective at removing bacteria from the udder even though you might see a small reduction in cell count.

“At Massey No. 1, we have been doing bacteriology on all the cows with high cell counts and are happy when we haven’t identified any S aureus in cows that have persistently high cell counts.”

Although bacteriology is costly, it’s a sure fire way of ensuring you’re only treating cows who actually need it.

KNOW YOUR STAPHS FROM YOUR STREPS

Looking at the Danish system, farmers are only allowed to use DCT if they have indentified bacteria.

For New Zealand farmers, the best tool for making decisions about DCT is still herd tests, at least during the first stages of shifting towards selective DCT. On the other side of the coin for those who don’t herd-test there are still options to help build up a picture of what’s going on in the herd. Rapid mastitis test (RMT) is a more costly option.

“Rapid mastitis test (RMT) is an option.

DairyNZ are doing some research around this to see how well it works. If you have a 400-cow herd and are doing RMT on every cow it’s not an easy or low-cost option.”

Plunging further into the issue, not all cows that have a high cell count need to be treated either. It all depends which bacteria is the culprit.

There are four major causes of mastitis.

Staphylococcus aureus and S uberis are the two most common mastitis-causing bacteria.

S uberis is the common one early in the season and comes most commonly from the environment. The bacteria live on the skin of some cows and can be found in infected wounds as well as the gut. Mastitis from S uberis usually responds well to treatment and provided there is enough time between infection and drying off will no longer be a problem that needs treating at drying off.

S aureus, on the other hand, requires dry cow treatment. The bacterium lives inside udders or on teat skin but doesn’t survive long in the environment. It is spread by passing infected milk from cow to cow at milking time via cups or human hands.

Treatment while the cow is milking is

Over the long term the proportion of farmers who continue to use whole-herd DCT will reduce because it’s not sustainable and a lot of this is about perception.

BECOMING SELECTIVE “Over the long term the proportion of farmers who continue to use wholeherd DCT will reduce because it’s not sustainable and a lot of this is about perception.”

“There isn’t an issue with antibiotics resistance in DCT. We have two main products and don’t have any significant

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resistance to either of those products at all after 40-plus years of use.”

With the average NZ dairy herd cell count being below 200,000 it is clear our management of mastitis has improved, which allows us to shift away from the reliance on antibiotics.

“We should now be able to say ok we will use teat sealants on every cow and only treat the cows with high cell counts at the end of the season, and we will do this by using data from our herd tests.

Many of the farmers I deal with are already doing this as a cost-saving measure.”

If the day comes where, like the Danish, a governing body rules out the use of whole-herd DCT, Laven says most dairy farmers will already be on the bandwagon and be doing it effectively.

“By that stage, if it ever comes, we will already know how to work it best and late adopters can just jump on board. At the moment it’s not illegal, and we already have a large proportion of farmers who are moving towards selective DCT.” Moving away from the thought that selective DCT is less effective than wholeherd DCT is one hurdle farmers will face.

“By definition it is, but any benefits are minimal compared to the cost involved.”

RESEARCH A number of projects are in the works to look at the choices for farmers at drying off. DairyNZ is looking into the immediate steps that can be taken by farmers to reduce DCT. In a separate project Massey are looking to take that a step further by looking into shorter acting antibiotics, not treating cows with bacteria other than S aureus or active S uberis infections, and following them through bacteriologically.

“Sometimes if you’re treating a minor pathogen, all that happens is another minor pathogen comes along so what have you really achieved? What we are wanting to do is see how much more selective we can be with DCT. The end result could be only a handful of cows a year that require treatment” 77

DIA WINNER Words by Sheryl Brown

Kobus Liebenberg, Waikato dairy trainee award winner.

Hay Day hits home

W

hen Kobus Liebenberg mentioned to his wife he wasn’t enjoying sitting inside all day studying for a degree in mechanical engineering, she was playing Hay Day on her phone and suggested he give farming a go.

Having only lived in Pretoria, where he was born, and Auckland, Kobus had never had exposure to dairy farming.

“I never thought it was an option.”

The couple already had their first son and Kobus wanted to get ahead in a career that suited him.

A couple of years down the track he loves working on dairy farms and his goal is to own multiple farms in the future.

The Waikato Dairy Trainee of the Year is currently working as herd manager for Susan and Campbell Thomas at Ohaupo, milking 420 cows.

The 23-year-old is in his second year,

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having first worked as a farm assistant on a farm at Te Pahu.

He started out doing an agriculture course through NorthTec. The course was more focused on sheep and beef farming, but after hearing about the opportunities involved in the dairy industry Kobus took up the chance to do some work experience on a couple of dairy farms during his course.

“The first day I had on a dairy farm I knew this was for me.”

He was hooked and was getting up at 3am and travelling an hour each way to do relief milkings on the weekends.

“The farmer showed me how to milk the cows in the 50-bail rotary and then walked away and left me to it. I loved it, it was awesome.”

In only his second season farming fulltime he is always looking for every opportunity to climb the ladder quickly.

Being herd manager for Campbell and

Susan has been a great step up because he has been able to take on a lot of the responsibility of a farm manger.

Stepping up to a manager role was daunting at first, but he thrives under pressure.

“I like to be thrown in to the deep end until you’re almost drowning, because you learn so quickly.

“You take charge of your own day and if you really want to push yourself there is so much to learn every day.”

The level of responsibility and ownership given to employees on dairy farms is a big motivator for him.

“You’re almost a banker, you are looking after the farmers’ money – you don’t want to go to a farmer and tell them you’ve lost a cow who is worth $1000 to $2000.”

Entering the Dairy Industry Awards has helped him to accelerate his career. He entered for the first time last year and found it a good experience.

He took out the title this year after his wife, Lorinda, pushed him to enter again.

“I thought I would be too busy, but you can always do more.”

He always encourages people to enter to be able to get feedback on how they are tracking.

The competition is a great asset to people trying to advance their careers because they will always take something out of the experience, he says.

“You get free feedback. It gives you the chance to step up and put your knowledge on the table.”

Kobus has secured a job for next season as assistant manager milking 500 cows for Kevin and Paul Schuler in their cow and goat operation.

His short-term goal is to be contract or sharemilking or have an equity partnership within the next five years.

Dairy farming is providing a great lifestyle for his family, Lorinda and their three boys, Elijah, 3, and one-year-old twins Nico and Julian. Farming is also giving them the ability to get ahead and save, he says.

“A lot of my friends still live at home. With farming you get your own house, my kids have their own rooms, and it helps you get ahead.”

The long-term goal is to own a chain of farms. Kobus wants to be in a position where he can help support and mentor other young people coming into the dairy industry.

Going to school in the city, he was never made aware of the opportunities in dairy farming and he is passionate about getting the message out there.

Kobus is still studying through Primary ITO and is currently doing his Dairy Farming Level 4.

Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | May 2017

DIA WINNER Words by Cheyenne Stein Brandyn in his burnout car, with mate Peanut.

Drif

B

n a ter with a pl

randyn Beale says a lot of his mates think he just floats about from job to job. But this 21-yearold has big plans for the future. He even has an equity growth plan to help him get there.

Brandyn won the Hawkes Bay-Wairarapa dairy trainee of the year award in the 2017 Dairy Industry Awards.

He grew up on the land spending many days out on his grandparent’s farm but didn’t get into it seriously until 2012. After a few relief milking jobs he landed a part-time job at a Takapau farm that he did around his course work for his Level 3 certificate in agricultural contracting.

“I enjoy farming. I grew up farming through my grandparents. My step-dad wanted me to be an economist or something academic but that’s not really what I enjoy. I didn’t want to sit in the office all day. There so much progression opportunity in farming so that’s the direction I took.

His part-time job turned into a full-time job when one of the full-timers ruptured their ACL. He stayed there until May 2016 doing odd jobs but was keen to find something that would help him make moves up the career ladder. Through word of mouth he heard about his current job as herd manager on Mike and Jane Joho’s Dannevirke farm. The 350-cow operation would let Brandyn learn about the business side of farming and take more responsibility.

“I came to this farm to learn more structure and come into a more established business to upskill myself a bit. My old job was good because it was cruisy but I’ve learnt a lot about farming from a business point of view.”

Next season Brandyn and his partner Brittney will shift up to Taupo to a 750-cow

farm and moving into a 2IC-farm manager role. His new boss was given the opportunity to go 50:50 sharemilking at another farm and asked Brandyn to step into the manager’s role for him. It’s a big step up but one Brandyn is ready to grab with both hands. While he’s gaining experience and moving up in the industry, Brandyn is also putting together plans to lease his great-grandmother’s 76ha block in Norsewood. The block is currently leased out to a local dairy farmer. The lease expires in five years, by which time he hopes to have got enough equity together to lease the land and run bulls and heifers.

“If I play my cards right and stick to my equity growth plan I can have about $620,000 in five years. The current plan is to have bulls and sell them for stores and run some heifers as well.”

The biggest problem he has at the moment is his level of debt, but the equity growth plan takes into account everything from debt servicing to how many bulls and heifers he needs to buy and sell at any given time.

The starting point is 20 bulls, which will be a part of the package for his new job, and 10 heifers. He’ll immediately on-sell the bulls to his grandfather, and keep the heifers until they are R3s. His new position in Taupo means he will get free grazing for his first lot of animals, giving him a leg up to begin his five year plan.

“It’s all based on me staying true to my savings etc, but it’s something for me to work towards and aim for.”

‘MY OLD JOB WAS GOOD BECAUSE IT WAS CRUISY BUT I’VE LEARNT A LOT ABOUT FARMING FROM A BUSINESS POINT OF VIEW.’

Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | May 2017

June will be a big month for Brandyn, starting his five-year plan and taking a step up career-wise. Although no stranger to larger herds, this will be his first job managing staff – a challenge he is looking forward to. He’s been lucky enough to be able to hire his best friend as a worker on the farm.

The move up-country means Brandyn can indulge in his off-farm hobby of cars a bit more, with quick access to a number of motorsport parks. He’s currently the vice-president of the recently formed DVK burnout club. They have been working with local council to get a funded skid pad but he says it’s been a challenging process to go through because not everyone agrees with the sport.

“We all train together and get everyone together for a feed. It’s all about having fun and letting lose in a safe environment and getting off the farm.”

Buying a drift car is on the cards for the future but for now he’s decided to leave it out of his equity growth plan because it’s more of a want than a need. “I really want to set myself up for the future but also keep having a bit of fun along the way.”

Brandyn’s five-year plan kicks off in June.

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PRODUCTIVITY Words by Glenys Christian

Taking technology

to the max

A

lastair Neville is a young farmer doing all he can to add value to the Reporoa farm developed and farmed by his grandfather then father.

And the 28-year-old is making every use of new technology to help him that he possibly can, seeing that precision farming innovations can lead to some easy gains by cutting expenses and increasing efficiency.

“I’ve always been interested in new technology,” he said.

“Agriculture and technology are in quite an exciting space at present. There are a lot of things on the horizon in the way of further time-saving tools.”

Alastair’s initial motivation was to find a way to make technology work in their family business which, like many farm enterprises, is “seriously time poor”.

Just one area is the reduction of operator error through more accurate placement of fertiliser and seed by using Tracmap, he told the MobileTech Conference in Rotorua in March.

“Not only do you have live records for monitoring purposes, you’re making more efficient use of your productive resource,” he said.

This technology allows him to organise the job then send the information to a unit on the tractor.

“It’s live in front of the operator and he can send information back which cuts down on paperwork and cuts errors out,” he said.

He calculates he gains another hectare of crop through reduction in wastage, compared with using the “eyeometer” approach. And, he said, Tracmap has more than covered its costs over the two years he’s been using it.

“It’s a really great tool because you use fertiliser and seed much better.”

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Another innovation he’s full of praise for is the JobDone app developed by Rongotea dairy farmer, Nigel Taylor, which won Fonterra’s Activate challenge last year (see box).

“I’m really excited about it,” he said.

“You’ve got an efficient track record of day-to-day tasks, so then you can shift into analysing data and making sound decisions.

It’s quite neat and I signed up the day after it came out.”

He believes many farmers are sceptical and also put off by the cost of new technology.

“But they should think of the time saving and simplicity,” he said.

“I see how easy it makes things and it will soon win you over if you aren’t a great fan of paper.”

KEY POINTS Location: Reporoa, Central Plateau Owners: C and A Neville Family Trust 50:50 sharemilker: Alastair Neville, Mountview Farming Trust Area: 160ha, 150ha effective Cows: 270 straight Friesians peak milked 270 Production: Target 2016/17, 116,000kg milksolids Dairy: 28-aside herringbone with automatic cup removers Supplements: 6ha maize, 5ha chicory, 1.5ha turnips, 3ha forage rape, 13ha lucerne, up to 60 tonnes of palm kernel starch-based blend.

Alastair Neville’s involvement in Young Farmers has seen him convene local up to national competitions.

Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | May 2017

Smartphone, keys, wallet – the checklist for many farmers leaving their house today, Alastair Neville believes.

JUST GETTING THE JOB DONE

Simon Gilson, left, and Nigel Taylor at the MobileTech Conference.

JobDone was launched commercially in early March, with pricing based on a subscription service.

Inventor, Nigel Tayor, told the MobileTech Conference he was a fourth-generation Rongotea dairy farmer.

“I’d expanded to multiple farms and I was time-poor and felt disconnected,” he said.

“Issues escalated and minor problems became major. Often farmers don’t set their expectations, they just say, ‘Shift the irrigator’. I thought there must be a better way so I made my own.”

Working with Javlin Software he set up a staff roster which allowed his staff to sign in on their mobile phones. They could then access instructions of where they needed to be along with a list of hazards they might encounter.

A step by step guide was included and they could take a photo when they were finished to show the job was completed. Workers could also, via the app, report new hazards they came across onfarm as well as jobs that needed to be attended to.

An iPad added at the dairy meant every visitor could check in and then out, together with the time and their comments.

“That way I know they’ve gone home safely.”

Taylor said nearly every element of his farming operations had seen efficiency gains since the introduction of JobDone. But getting the technology out to other farmers to use was more difficult than he had thought.

“I didn’t realise how much capital and time would be needed,” he said.

The answer came in the form of Don Forgie, Tui Garden Products’ managing director, getting involved and Dale Smith, the chief executive of Javlin Software, becoming a 50% equity partner.

Simon Gilson was employed as general manager and has been busy working with Fonterra and liaising with dairy farmers about their requirements. He told MobileTech he was interested in hearing about new features farmers would like to see included such as health and safety checklists, timesheets and task allocation.

“It’s up to farmers as to the steps their workers take,” he said.

“It will save farmers significant time and money.”

‘YOU’VE GOT AN EFFICIENT TRACK RECORD OF DAY-TODAY TASKS, SO THEN YOU CAN SHIFT INTO ANALYSING DATA AND MAKING SOUND DECISIONS. IT’S QUITE NEAT AND I SIGNED UP THE DAY AFTER IT CAME OUT.’

And he believes farm consultants should be some of the first adopters.

“If they are clued up they should get right into technology because of the benefit to their own businesses.”

Alastair grew up on the 160-hectare farm, of which 150ha is effective. He studied towards a Bachelor of Agricultural Science at Massey University and while there bought his parents’ herd. They were happy to manage the property until he returned home in 2011, after initially not being sure whether he wanted to remain in Palmerston North.

“I slowly worked my way into things with Mum and Dad and once I settled in they stepped back and this allowed me to hire a

Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | May 2017

full-time farm assistant, who is now into his fourth season,” he said.

He places a lot of importance on staff retention, which is well catered to by the many lifestyle attractions of the area.

Big changes have happened in the six years he’s been back on the farm with a covered feedpad which can hold up to 350 cows built to provide more flexibility with herd feeding.

This summer’s dry spell followed one “out of the box” with more rainfall and consistent grass growth throughout the summer months.

“Overall in recent years our climate is tending towards dry summers, so I feel we need to adapt more to the dry summer climate,” he said.

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“Nowadays I reckon we grow more grass throughout the winter months than we can in our dry summers. It’s been interesting seeing the change in the Reporoa climate over the recent years although one thing that is still the same is the notorious all-day fog in winter.”

A pasture-renovation programme over the last five years has seen poorer paddocks go into new diploid and tetraploid varieties such as Rohan spreading ryegrass and Viscount perennial ryegrass. Around 50 cubic metres per hectare of whey, a byproduct from the nearby Fonterra processing plant goes on annually. Tankers are able to deliver it to 80ha with silage paddocks being the priority paddocks for whey application.

“We’ve used it for a while and this has seen our potassium and Olsen P levels rise,” he said.

Its application is managed using the Precision Farming online system, allowing Alastair to order, monitor and generate nutrient reports to give proof of when and where the whey was applied. Nitrogen goes on in a foliar application by way of dissolved urea applied via a tow and fert machine.

A Keenan mixed-ration feeder wagon was purchased in 2015 to get the best out of the capital spent on the feedpad.

“Diet software which came with it was a big factor in the decision,” he said.

“You can load all the ingredients and get all the costs. You can also analyse loading accuracy to make some easy gains and save money. The margin analysis can influence your production decisions so you can work out if the feedpad is paying for itself or not.

It creates valuable information which means you can save time and resources.”

Feed grown on the farm includes 13ha of lucerne which Alastair said he might look at extending in the future. Six hectares of maize go in annually and for the first time this season he grew five hectares of chicory.

“I was quite impressed and think we will move away from turnips,” he said.

At present 1.5ha are grown but the crop struggles with the area’s dry summers, leading Alastair to grow 3ha of forage rape on a regular basis.

This season 60 tonnes of a palm kernel and starch-based blend is fed from early spring to the end of AI alongside lucerne and maize silage. And during summer 30t of palm kernel was fed in addition to silage and crops.

Cow numbers have dropped slightly to 260 with the number of bull calves sold as weaners doubling to 120 for the last three years.

“It’s a good income earner and it’s buffered the drop in the milk price,” he said.

Around 80 replacements are reared every year. Calving date for the straight Friesian herd has been moved back from August 1 to 82

Alastair Neville – improved efficiency is always the aim.

July 25 with LIC Premier Sires used.

At present he’s transitioning to full autumn calving.

“This will be the last spring calving and we’ll do the long lactation stint, mate this season’s empties in June and dry off in December next year so we’ll be calving in March 2019,” he said.

“I’ve thought about it and believe it will suit well for the facilities which we’ve got. The final clincher was getting over feeding out in the summer when it’s best to have time out, using the bach or boat.”

The 28-aside herringbone dairy has been upgraded a number of times, with automatic cup removers recently added so milking can be a one-person operation.

“We haven’t got Protrack which I would have tomorrow,” Alastair said.

“But the exit space is limited.”

He’s a big believer in getting involved in organisations beyond the farmgate. He joined the Massey University Young Farmers’ Club where he took on a couple of leadership roles. When he returned to Reporoa he was instrumental in boosting the local club’s numbers from 12 to more than 50 in just 18 months.

“I spammed Facebook and social media and also used word of mouth as well as organising a community fundraiser,” he said.

The club was named the best in the country in 2013, the same year he convened the local area’s Young Farmer of the Year Competition. The following year he

convened the Waikato/Bay of Plenty regional competition then in 2015 co-convened the national final, also held in Taupo. Last year he convened the district final in Reporoa and has also been involved with the Bay of Plenty NAIT-TB-free committee. He’s also engaged with Rotorua/Taupo Federated Farmers as a member of their executive committee.

Alastair admits to being a big social media user.

“Maybe too big,” he said.

“But it’s a great tool for selling the agricultural story. And people can pick up early on new products rather than having to go to Fieldays every year to see what’s in the Innovation Tent.”

He uses Twitter but more for industrybased messaging with other farmers.

“I don’t read papers so much but when I’m sitting behind the cows I can take in little bits and pieces of information,” he said.

“My attention span’s not that great but I’m always walking around with my device in my hand. When I leave home it is ‘smartphone, keys, wallet’.”

And to prove his point he showed the MobileTech audience a photo of himself multitasking onfarm. While he was attending to a downer cow which was paralysed he was at the same time able to code some business transactions from the paddock on his phone.

“You’re not torn between the office and the farm,” he said.

“Technology makes it all easy and seamless.”

Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | May 2017

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The effect of pulsation on cell count and mastitis is well recognised.

Major pulsation faults are often picked up by milkers, but only electronic measurement as part of a full plant test will determine whether pulsators’ ratios and rates are in spec.

Annual milking machine testing on the way Tim McVeagh

N

ZCP1 is the Primary Indistries Ministry’s operational code for the design and operation of farm dairies. The latest revision, from December 1, 2015, includes requirements for milking machine performance and maintenance. What does this mean in lay terms?

Milking machines must be tested by a registered milking machine tester at least once a season or at the frequency specified in writing by the tester. The tester must have a practising certificate and test the plant according to the New Zealand Milking Machine Testing Standards.

“This has been accepted by the industry as being best practice,” Murray Pedley of Quality Consultants of New Zealand (QCONZ) said.

“As with many new requirements it will be a soft entry initially but each dairy company will decide how they will enforce this as part of their dairy assessment protocol”.

Electronic pulsators, more modern vacuum pumps and milk pumps, and higher installation standards mean breakdowns and faults detected at testing are now less common. However, in terms of running times, we expect much more of our milking plant these days. Our cars too are now more reliable, (and do higher kilometres), but that doesn’t mean

84

servicing should be ignored. Dairy NZ recommend not to rely on an annual test and service, but this should be done twice a year. Where milking times are extended or milking is year-round, a lot can happen in terms of wear and tear. The frequency of testing milking plants in NZ is variable and ranges from six-monthly to once “every few years”. Where testing and therefore maintenance has not been kept up, a range of faults is usually detected. These often include those which cannot be detected by the farmer, like air leaks, pulsation faults and leaking milk pump seals. And where maintenance has been slack, breakdowns, often due to the likes of belts or couplings failing, are more common. In extreme cases components like vacuum pumps and diaphragm milk pumps can run out of oil and a costly repair bill exceeds the cost of a test/service visit.

A lot of analysis of milking machine faults has been carried out in recent years.

Murray Eddington of Matamata Veterinary Services documented faults found at 100 plant tests between May and December 1998. He found: • Only 9% of these were up to the required standard; • 49% had perished rubberware which can contribute to air leaks, slow milking out, and undermilking; • 45% of all pulsators tested did not meet standards.

• The milk line and pulsator air line were defect contributors.

Faults like vacuum leaks and excessive component consumption which effectively reduce the “reserve air” and can create vacuum instability and cup slip, can only be detected and located by air flow analysis at a plant test.

Joe, Cranefield, Hodge and Clarke documented milking vacuum and liner compatibility for 200 Waipa and South Canterbury farms which were experiencing a mastitis problem in 2008 and 2009 and 32% had high milking vacuum and 42% had unsuitable liners. Both of these faults are checked at a machine test.

IMPLEMENTATION When the annual QCONZ or AsureQuality dairy inspection is carried out, the latest milking machine test will be checked to see when it was done and if faults detected have been rectified. A copy of the Farm Dairy Assessment Report is passed on to the appropriate dairy company. It is the farmer’s responsibility to rectify any faults with the milking machine.

Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | May 2017

While QCONZ consider a “soft entry” may be appropriate as farmers accept this, and as milking machine technicians take on the extra workload, the dairy companies are generally very supportive.

“This is a requirement under NZCP1 that we have to follow and enforce,” Fonterra’s Roger Andela said. “We have a protocol in place and have already included this in the farm dairy assessment, with QCONZ and AsureQuality doing farmer education and monitoring compliance.”

“We have to bring everyone on board through education. A big part of this is by promoting the animal health and welfare benefits of having the plant in good order. We see benefits in animal health considerations like teat care and mastitis management, as well as overall milk quality.”

Open Country’s John Fairweather said: “The NZCP1 requirement is simply good management and is based on having a functional milking plant which does not damage the milk, can be cleaned well, and looks after the welfare of the cow by being gentle on the udder during milk harvesting.

“We have discussed this with our suppliers and have not received any resistance. Next season, where farmers have not followed through with a machine test, a return visit after three months is being considered.”

Westland Milk Products’ Andrew Simson said: “We have been following this process for two to three years, so don’t see any major changes are needed. It is followed up formally through the audit programme.”

Synlait’s David Williams said: “If the farmer is not getting a plant check done annually, then he is advised that the system has changed and a plant check should be booked annually.

“A decision has not been made on what action will be taken next season, but it will probably be taken a step further as it is a requirement under NZCP1. What gives us quite a bit of confidence is that we have almost completed our assessments for this season and there are only a very few suppliers who are not getting their plant tested annually.”

Oceania Dairy’s Shane Lodge said: “We will do it in the way that the Dairy Industry Technical Advisory Group recommends. We will let farmers know about it, and get our assessors to determine how many farms comply, and those who don’t comply.

“Oceania will explain to farmers that this is a requirement of the Code of Practice and we expect these requirements to be met. If a farm was having a grading problem, especially somatic cell count, then a firmer stand might be taken, but those farms should have had a plant check in order to rectify this anyway.

“Most of our 67 suppliers would already meet this requirement.

With an average herd size of about 800 cows our suppliers tend to place more emphasis on preventative maintenance”.

Many farmers schedule their milking plant test and service in winter, but this is the busiest time for milking machine technicians doing plant installations and work like cluster removal installation, seen here. The plant test and service, unlike major plant alterations, can be done any time of year.

The winter dry period is the silly season for milking machine companies, with full plant installations and major dairy alterations having to be completed before calving. This work may be delayed by behind-schedule building, painting, or electrical work which must be completed first.

Many farmers have their plant tested in winter as part of the winter maintenance programme. An annual plant test and service however can be carried out at any time during the milking season.

Prompt service and associated repairs are more likely, and the winter workload for milking machine technicians will be eased.

TESTING ALONE WON’T FIX A THING Just as a warrant of fitness check won’t make your vehicle run better or last longer, the standard milking machine test alone won’t drop the cell count, reduce the incidence of clinical mastitis, reduce milking time, increase yield, or increase the life and reliability of the plant.

This is because the test itself does not rectify faults, which if fixed may have some of these desired effects.

Having said that, many testers tighten unions and eliminate obvious leaks before testing, so the test may not be carried out on the plant as found and some improvement (in reserve air) may be gained while testing. Milk line unions on rotary installations, for example, are common culprits for working loose.

Farmers may engage an independent tester if they consider them to be selling only good practice. Faults detected then need to be rectified separately by themselves or a milking machine technician.

Alternatively, well-equipped milking machine technicians, knowing the componentry in the dairy, will be able to test and carry out basic repairs at the one visit, keeping the cost of service and repairs down.

Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | May 2017

Your Milking Machinery is one of the most expensive and by far the most vital piece of equipment on your farm, which is why it is crucial to ensure it is always working at its best.

Milking machines that perform at full capacity maximize profitability and minimize risks for your herd

It is now a requirement to have your milking machine tested annually by a MPTA Registered Tester.

Refer NZCP1: Design & Operation of Farm Dairies – Code of Practice (page 47)

Book your test now with a Registered Milking Machine Tester listed at www.nzmpta.co.nz Ph: 027 449 7402 | E: info@nzmpta.co.nz

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RESEARCH WRAP │ STRATFORD

More questions than answers Brian Hockings

T

he 2016-17 season will undoubtedly go down in history as a landmark one for the Stratford Demonstration Farm. Firstly 2017 is the 100th anniversary of the establishment of the farm, and planning is now well under way to celebrate. While the centennial is an historic occasion, its significance, longer-term, takes second place to the other major event affecting the farm – the establishment of Dairy Trust Taranaki (DTT), which officially came into being on December 1.

As most Taranaki readers will know, DTT is an amalgamation of three dairy research-demonstration farms – Taranaki Research Station at Whareroa, Waimate West Demonstration Farm at Manaia and the Stratford Demonstration Farm. The synergies DTT brings will provide much wider and more meaningful opportunities for scientific work of potentially considerable benefit to not only Taranaki specifically but also to New Zealand dairying generally.

So let’s have a look at the last bit of independent trial work on the farm.

It involved a vast amount of planning and negotiation and couldn’t have been achieved without considerable energy, enthusiasm and outstanding goodwill from all three farms.

While DTT was born on December 1, there was a gestation period of about two years. It involved a vast amount of planning and negotiation and couldn’t have been achieved without considerable energy, enthusiasm and outstanding goodwill from all three farms.

Before the start of the 2016-17 season, with the amalgamation imminent, it was pointless to look at initiating any longterm trial work. We decided to spend the year as a straight commercial operation and aim to maximise income or, as one cynic put it, minimise losses.

However in spring it was decided we could fit in a short-term trial to wind up 86

Brian Hockings.

at the end of the season. On September 28 the herd was split into two groups that were given a farmlet each, both to be managed similarly to maintain high pasture quality and maximum pasture intake. The only difference was one herd was offered ad-lib palm kernel in the yards at milking time.

To date the trial results have been more notable for the questions they raised than any they answered.

There was an immediate response to palm kernel of 0.15 kg milksolids (MS)/ cow/day. Interestingly there was no difference in pasture drymatter (DM) intake for the herds so it is fairly obvious the extra milk production came from the extra DM intake from the 2kg palm kernel consumed.

By December changes started to happen, probably because of the inevitable decline in pasture quality. By early January, the production per cow difference had widened to more than 0.2kg MS/cow/day (1.28 vs 1.5). Pasture intake had dropped to 13kg DM/cow/day on the pasture-only herd and even further on the palm kernel herd to 12.5kg DM. This, however, was counteracted by an increase in palm kernel consumption to 3kg/cow/day. There was no change in condition score for either herd.

This trend was generally consistent through to the end of April. Pasture intake for both herds had increased to 14kg DM/ cow/day, with an additional 0.28 from palm kernel for that herd. Production difference was similar – 1.15 cf 0.97 = 0.18

difference. However the palm kernel herd made a slight gain in condition score, at 4.4 vs. 4.3.

The substitution effect normally happens when quality supplement is fed with pasture. This didn’t happen here until pasture quality declined. Would this have happened if palm kernel had been fed adlib in the paddocks? Did the cows eat palm kernel in the yards because of boredom or novelty? Did the fact the palm kernel was much higher DM help intake because of less pressure on gut fill? Could pasture management and-or pasture quality be fine-tuned to increase intake further on pasture alone?

The big question is what was the quality of the palm kernel? There seems to be a belief palm kernel is consistent and in terms of feed value is roughly equivalent to average pasture. This isn’t true. Palm kernel feed value depends on the efficiency of the extraction process. The fat content can vary up to 10% – giving a wide range of metabolisable energy. The farmer will often be unaware of the available palm kernel feed value.

If palm kernel is to continue as a significant component of our dairy production, and it could be a big if, the industry would benefit from having a rigorous and robust testing and certification regime to assure feed quality and biosecurity.

Many consider palm kernel to be the cup that runneth over. Maybe so, but let’s make quite sure this cup does not turn out to be a poisoned chalice.

Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | May 2017

VIEW FROM THE TOP │ SYNLAIT

Time for big decisions Synlait’s Dunsandel plant in Canterbury.

John Penno We all over-estimate what we will achieve in a year, and under-estimate what we can achieve in a decade.

We see it all around us in our industry; The farm managers who make the move to contract milking.

The contract milkers who make the move to sharemilking.

The sharemilkers who stretch to that first farm purchase or a stake in an equity partnership.

The dairy companies are embarking on a new strategy.

The outcomes of big decisions are always tough in the short term. The mere fact it was a big decision means you did not know everything you needed to make the decision.

You head into new things uncertain about some important things you need to understand, and worse, simply not knowing what you don’t know.

For this very reason, these decisions often look wrong in the short term as we struggle to learn all the things we need to in order to become successful.

Don’t be too tough on yourself and others in this period – often it just takes time.

The people and businesses who succeed are those that commit to a course of action, and work consistently for years to reach the goals they set for themselves.

They consistently make the big decisions and use the things that happen

unexpectedly to learn and apply the things they learn to progressing.

I am sure that right now there are plenty of people thinking some of their decisions haven’t been all that good;

In a decade, our most successful farmers will be those who learn to work with their people, farm with lower cost structures, reduce their environmental impact and improve their animal welfare outcomes right now.

Quotas coming off milk production in Europe and low international feed prices have meant an extended period of low farmgate milk price in New Zealand.

Worse, these conditions probably mean milk prices in the future won’t be as good as we came to expect a few years ago.

At the same time, we all need to work

Synlait tankers ready to hit the road.

Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | May 2017

to ever-higher standards when it comes to looking after the environment, animal welfare and the people on our farms.

We have no choice about these challenges. All we can control is how we are going to respond to them.

Over the past two years there have been lots of big decisions onfarm to bring production costs down. Some will have been successful and some not, but the people who have been making big decisions will be learning far more, and will end up far better off than those that haven’t.

Now it’s time to take the same approach with environmental management and animal welfare.

There are things that farmers can do. Not everything is well-proven, the outcomes are harder to measure, and sometimes they will bring a cost in the short term. But we can’t let that stop us from making some of the big decisions required.

Those who learn from what’s happening and put the things they learn to work for them will succeed.

In a decade, our most successful farmers will be those who learn to work with their people, farm with lower cost structures, reduce their environmental impact and improve their animal welfare outcomes right now. They will be producing the most valuable milk, they will have the most profitable and highest-value farms, and they will own the growing businesses.

The most successful dairy companies will be those that understand this early and have worked with their customers and farmers to support and encourage these changes on farm.

John Penno is Synlait managing director and chief executive.

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DAIRY 101 │ YOUNG STOCK

Caring for the young ones Karen Trebilcock ak.trebilcock@xtra.co.nz @KT_at_Exporter

Y

ou’ve picked them up from the paddock, given them colostrum and got them used to the feeders, progressed to grain, put them out on grass for the first time, then weaned them, finished the grain and now it feels like it’s time to pat yourself on the back.

Your calves are doing well and they no longer need your daily attention.

However, don’t forget about them.

Mating season is not that far away and by then they will need to have gained enough weight to reach puberty so they can get in calf. If they don’t, all your hard work in the spring will have been for nothing.

Don’t put them in a back paddock, don’t put them behind the cows. These animals are your investment in your future so treat them that way. Feed them well.

Body weight is the key driver of puberty and calves need to reach puberty at 12 months of age to get in calf at 15 months.

Their weight gain graph will not be a nice straight line, it will be all over the place if you weigh them every month, but at six months they need to be at 30% of their mature body weight and at mating at 15 months they need to be at 60%.

This means you have to feed them well and make sure all of their health needs are met through what is usually the hardest time of the year to feed stock –winter.

Whether you are looking after them at home, on a runoff, or using a grazier, make sure feed budgets have been done.

Crops should have been assessed and enough supplements should be on hand.

Make sure both are appropriate for young animals that are still to get their adult teeth.

To complicate matters, the calves will not have the same birth date. There could

88

be as much as three months’ difference in ages.

However, the mating date will be the same for the whole mob so the younger ones need to catch up.

Figure out how you are going to give these lighter animals preferential treatment such as by taking them out of the main mob so they can be given more feed or a higher-quality feed. If you are using a grazier, either keep these lighter animals at home or be prepared to compensate the grazier for the extra feed they will require.

Don’t expect your grazier to perform miracles.

Animals with all the feed in the world can still lose weight if the worm burden is too high or they are suffering one of the multitude of viruses and bacterial infections that are out there in the environment.

But weight gain is not just about feeding, it is also about animal health.

Animals with all the feed in the world can still lose weight if the worm burden is too high or they are suffering one of the multitude of viruses and bacterial infections that are out there in the environment.

Keep an eye on their coat colour and check for scours. These are usually the first signs that something is wrong.

Don’t just shift them from paddock to paddock with a quick glance at them as they go through the gateway. Walk around

Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | May 2017

them and look at each animal, use your nose and your eyes and your ears and if something isn’t right start investigating.

But do it quickly. Young stock can die very, very fast.

They should already be on a drench programme and keep to this. Even being a few days late with drenching can cause problems. And remember their Lepto jabs.

Don’t choose the cheapest drench available. Do some homework and figure out if it’s what is needed for your animals.

A combination drench is suggested for animals under a year old. Change drench families as recommended.

If cobalt (which is converted to B12 in the rumen) and selenium are not in the drench you’re using, consider giving them separately if you think they’re needed.

Both are vital for growth and if selenium is not in the farm’s fertiliser programme it has to be added somehow. Copper and iodine are also important.

Mineral lick blocks, adding minerals to drinking troughs, injections and longacting boluses are other ways of making sure young stock get what they require.

However, be careful with mineral licks as they can be a haphazard way to get

Calves receive a pour-on drench.

minerals into young stock as not all animals will lick them.

A lack of vitamin B1 can cause Polio Encephalomalacia (PE) which is a nervous disease affecting mainly calves and young stock. It’s often seen when there is a sudden change in feed from a stalky, highdrymatter diet to a lush, low-fibre diet.

A high dietary sulphur intake, especially with brassicas, can also be a cause.

Calves with PE may appear blind, walk aimlessly, appear wobbly, have muscle tremors and head press. If calves are treated early with a series of vitamin B1 injections, survival rates can be good.

Ryegrass staggers affect young stock just as they do cows and don’t forget about facial eczema. If your milking cows are being affected then check your calves as well.

Coccidiosis is another one to watch out for. It’s usually seen after weaning off meal but can occur later as well. It’s caused by a parasite, Coccidia, which is found in dirty calf pens and on pastures which have been used for calves year after year.

Most good calf meals contain coccidostat which prevents the establishment of the infection but when the meal is removed from the diet, calves only have a minimal immunity.

Symptoms include diarrhoea which contains mucus and blood, weak and listless calves, ears drooping and weight loss which eventually results in death.

Diagnosis is by faecal sampling and sick calves will need to be isolated, given fluids either by IV or stomach tubing and treated with the appropriate drug which is usually a single dose.

The list of viruses and bacterial infections that affect weaned calves is long and even farmers with years of experience can still get caught out. If you are worried about an animal, talk to your vet and do it as soon as you see something is wrong.

Pull your phone out of your pocket and ring straight away.

Calves should have been vaccinated for Clostridal Disease at four to six weeks of age which is followed by a booster shot four weeks later and then annually.

On the best of grass but this crossbred’s coat is not as it should be. Also note the scouring on the tail.

Clostridium bacteria live in the soil and the intestinal tracts of animals and can cause tetanus, pulpy kidney, blackleg, malignant oedema and black disease.

The infection, even if it’s picked up early, is difficult to treat and animals usually die within hours.

Any activity which causes muscle bruising, such as trucking and yarding, puts animals at risk and animals on crop are also more likely to be affected.

A booster is often recommended before going on to crop.

Woody Tongue (Actinobacillosis) is treated with a course of antibiotics and is usually first seen as a swelling under the jaw. The infection makes it hard for the animal to eat so weight loss is another sign.

However, the swelling could also be caused by tooth root abscesses, lumpy jaw (Actinomycosis), salivary gland infections, cancer or something the animal has eaten which has got stuck in its teeth. All need to be treated so call your vet.

Johne’s and BVD also affect young stock but both diseases will probably be picked up in your milking herd first. If you have a problem with either, consider what it means for your calves.

Salmonella can affect not just young calves but also older animals. Faecal cultures will prove it’s the problem so again consult with your vet quickly.

Delayed treatment can cause irreparable damage to the animal’s stomach, if it doesn’t die.

A healthy mob of Friesian and Friesian cross calves.

Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | May 2017

Yersiniosis is another bacterial infection found in the gut and it causes ulceration and abscesses in the gut wall.

Signs of infection include diarrhoea, a lack of energy, an unwillingness to eat, a rough coat and often rapid weight loss.

The disease can be seen in a single animal or in many animals within a mob. Left untreated, death can occur within days of the first symptoms.

If you suspect it, get in contact with your vet quickly and keep the mob isolated from others as it’s contagious just like salmonella. Don’t introduce new animals to the pasture the infected animals have been grazing.

Most of the viruses and bacteria which affect weaned calves are present on all farms, brought in by wildlife such as gulls, rats and other wild animals or are always present in the soil. Some can be present in healthy animals which act as carriers.

Most cannot be vaccinated against but it is usually only when young stock come under stress that they are affected.

So, when handling your calves, either when weighing or drenching, always do it carefully.

Move them from the paddock into the yards quietly and at a walking pace if possible. Try not to yell around them and take your time.

If possible avoid yarding in bad weather.

You are more likely to catch a cold when working on a freezing, wet day but your young stock could catch something far worse.

Have a good rotation plan for young stock so they have fresh, clean grass to eat and clean drinking water in troughs.

If they are on crop, try to minimise the amount of mud and try to have some form of shelter in the paddock.

Try not to change their diet in bad weather, or to put any other form of stress on them when the southerly is blowing and the rain is coming in. Any changes in diet, whether on to crop or a different quality grass should be done gradually.

They might be getting bigger than you, and can now push you around in the yards, but in human terms they are still young children so treat them that way with the best of possible care.

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Fieldays Solutions The online version enables farmers, managers, and farm staff to use MINDA LIVE anywhere on (or off) the farm where there is an internet connection.

Decisions on the run

M

INDA LIVE launched at Fieldays in 2016, bringing the popular herd management system used by many New Zealand dairy farmers online. The online

version enables farmers, managers, and farm staff to use MINDA LIVE anywhere on (or off) the farm where there is an internet connection.

The intent of MINDA LIVE is that

farmers can make better decisions with improved and up-to-date information that is easier to understand and use.

Customisable report templates allow farmers to build reports by adding new animal attributes such as Breeding Worth, milking information and expected calving date easily into report formats that they will be familiar with.

The benefit of the new Highlighter feature is evident in the new Culling Guide which has been added to MINDA LIVE. The Culling Guide works with the farmer choosing the traits that are important to them, rating them in order of importance which then gives suggestions for culling.

The Culling Guide is dynamic and changes as the farmer changes the parameters. The Highlighter function allows the farmer to highlight certain cows and save animals to groups so that they can compare culling choices.

MINDA LIVE is LIC’s information management platform of the future and will be continually growing and developing. If farmers would like more information come and chat to the LIC team at Fieldays at site F62 or check out minda.lic.co.nz.

ADM expands its support to NZ farmers ADM, one of the world’s largest agribusiness firms, is now in its fourth year of operation and is looking forward to further expanding its service and support to New Zealand farmers.

Driven by an expanding product range delivered direct to farmers, competitive pricing and a strong focus on service, the company’s farmer customer base in NZ has continued to grow.

Due to ADM’s efficient supply chain – originating from the origin and delivering to the farm gate – savings are passed on to customers.

While ADM’s imported palm kernel volume has increased annually, the company is also accommodating customers who require mixes and blends of various descriptions. These products include DDGS, tapioca, canola meal and minerals.

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ADM aims to be a leading importer of stock feed into NZ within the next few years, with continuing expansion across the country and investment in new plant and equipment.

With storage facilities in Tauranga, Timaru and Bluff, ADM also plans to be servicing the lower North Island soon, with a focus on Taranaki.

The company’s NZ team has grown to incorporate professionals across operations, sales and administration.

This has helped ADM NZ develop the most cost-effective supply chain in the industry, with the backing of a company that has 33,000 employees and a presence in 140 countries around the world.

The team at ADM can be contacted on 0800-123-PKE (753) or farmers can visit them at the Fieldays at Site PB 35 – and go in the draw to win a DJI Phantom 3 Drone.

On the docks, where palm kernel is landed.

ADM says it has strong relationships with trucking companies.

Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | May 2017

Fieldays Solutions

Rod McKinnon with the Yardmaster HALO “super smart” effluent system installed.

In control of effluent from afar A new effluent management system gives farmers the ability to be in remote control of their effluent.

Reid & Harrison have worked with Tag IT’s HALO products and local farmer Rod McKinnon, to come up with a system that is leading in terms of technology, health and safety and environmental concerns.

The effluent equipment is all located on the shore of the pond, instead of floating, which provides benefits for access and safety.

The Yardmaster Self-priming multistage

pump and shore-mounted stirrer are key products.

With the Yardmaster HALO “super smart” system, all the aspects of effluent management from filling flood wash tanks, flows to irrigators and run times are not only controlled, but also monitored.

Taking the data to the cloud makes compliance recording easy for farmers.

With GPS and additional fail-safe devices and settings the system gives the operators peace of mind. Milk, water and weather monitoring are also added to give

a compressive one-page view of the farm performance. This all adds up to a system to help manage the environmental impact of effluent on the farm.

McKinnon has provided not only a great reference site, but also valuable feedback to ensure the user stays in the driving seat.

Reid & Harrison display the system at the National Fieldays on stand F14 in June.

More? www.yardmaster.co.nz

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Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | May 2017

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www.yardmaster.co.nz 91

Fieldays Solutions

Quakes a test for Kliptank durability Last year’s Kaikoura earthquakes helped prove Kliptanks will stand what mother nature throws at them, with all five Kliptanks in the area surviving the quakes.

Kliptank director Neil Peterken travelled to Kaikoura just days after the earthquakes to check on both his clients and their tanks.

“When I finally got through, everybody was okay. Their tanks, which were full, were still standing.’’

Tank sizes in the area ranged from 900,000 litres to 1.4 million litres and all five stood up to the quakes.

No testing could be done to see if a product could withstand an earthquake, so the Kaikoura quakes had meant Kliptank’s research and development had continued and proved it could withstand a quake, Neil said. Arriving in Canterbury just days after the quake, Neil organised taking out Kliptank’s clients for some rest and relaxation, after more than a week of dealing with the quakes’ repercussions.

He was thrilled with the feedback he received from all of the clients, he said.

“I was amazed how our tanks had stood up.’’

In their first trip off-farm since the quake, the group shared stories of where they were at the time of the quake, but also how well the tanks had stood up.

While there was evidence of spillage over the sides of the tanks, there was no damage to the tanks, which had flexed and moved a fair bit, Neil said.

“There was no moving on the ground.

They’ve gone back and forward and nothing else.’’

Major structures like cow sheds, troughs and even swimming pools had undergone severe damage.

Kliptank still standing with no damage 100m from rotary cow shed that is now beyond repair.

Liquid level is same as the day of the earthquake

With tankers unable to reach cow sheds, some farmers had resorted to sending their milk into the effluent tanks, Neil said.

“It did me good seeing how our product did. We’re confident all the work and effort and engineering that has gone into the tanks and putting them on the ground was worth it. They were all full at the time which is good. I’m pretty pleased with all the effort of the team – it’s a good proven product.’’

Designed by a structural engineer, Kliptank assembly is suggested by the name – the tank is “clipped’’ together in sections.

It is a versatile above-ground modular plastic and aluminium storage facility designed and manufactured in New Zealand.

More? Visit www.kliptank.com Timelapse video: www.youtube.com/ watch?v=kwC-d2ClvHE

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Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | May 2017

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South Island Sid Russell 027-52-88-529

Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | May 2017

Technical Sales Manager Gerard Fellowes 027-52-88-520

www.admnewzealand.co.nz

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DairySolutions Systems for decision-making Is there a way to systemise good board decision-making? Experts say yes.

Good, consistent decision-making is more than just luck. A board that has a clear-cut system driving decision-making is far more likely to achieve good business performance than one that allows some decisions to be made off-the-cuff.

A decision-making system (or framework) is defined as any planned, agreed-upon way of making decisions as a board and it’s something anyone can build (although few do). If you want to have a go at building a framework, begin with these basics:

CHOOSING: HOW TO CHOOSE Be open to the whole truth-evaluate the risks as well as the consequences of failing to act. Survey viable alternatives and lay out contingency plans.

CONTEXT: THE WHY All decisions need to align with the purpose and values of the business, or the business will go off-track. Clarifying your purpose, values, and goals is key.

COMPLETING: WHEN TO ACT Good decision-making precludes procrastination, perfectionism and fear of failure. Once a decision has been made, it is vital to act with confidence in a timely manner.

Making good decisions is crucial in today’s economy, but decision-making isn’t just about outcomes.

A good decision-making framework doesn’t guarantee good results, but without a framework, your business could fail to achieve and maintain stable performance and leadership confidence.

COUNSEL: WHO TO INVOLVE You’ve probably heard of the importance of diversity in the board room. The best diversity is diversity of thinking, and this can be achieved through new board members or advisors who will broaden your perspective and inform your choices.

• This learning byte is part of the Rural Governance Development Programme, run by Business Torque Systems Ltd. To learn more about building a decision-making framework, register online at www.businesstorque. co.nz for one of the company’s upcoming programmes.

A decision-making system (or framework) is defined as any planned, agreedupon way of making decisions as a board and it’s something anyone can build.

Re-booting rural health Buy a new pair of gumboots in the next few weeks and you’ll put others as well as yourself on firmer footing, thanks to a campaign seeking to raise thousands of dollars for health and wellness in rural communities. Skellerup has joined forces with the Rural Health Alliance Aotearoa New Zealand (RHAANZ), the national organisation challenging Government to restore better health services to farming families and the towns that support them.

During May and June, Skellerup will donate $15,000 from the sales of its high performance Quatro gumboot, as well as its milking liners, to RHAANZ. The group is thrilled by the move as it continues to lobby against the erosion of NZ’s rural health and wellbeing, chief executive Michelle Thompson says.

“Skellerup’s support will help us keep working towards equitable healthcare for rural communities throughout the country, so they in turn can remain

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Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | May 2017

DairySolutions Strategies to stop the drop

Rain floods effluent storage Recent autumn rain in many regions will have reduced storage capacity of effluent storage open ponds by up to 30% in some cases, and with soils saturated the emptying of these ponds before winter looks debatable and risky.

Open pond effluent storage is at risk of a lot of unexpected elements, rain being one and in a country with lots of it one has to ask why carry that risk if you do not have to.

Perfectly clean rain water becomes effluent, and if pumped out it will increase the risk of nitrogen leaching.

In addition to the rain water storage (which is not effective storage) there is also a large layer of unpumpable sludge and freeboard which is a risk-mitigating storage buffer which in essence is not storage either.

So we end up with a large part of the pond or tank which is not storage – it just sits there.

So why are farmers investing in up to 30% of their storage facilities which is not storage at all?

Ecobag or Flexitank nutrient

➥ from 94 vibrant and sustainable for the future good of NZ as a whole.

“Farmers, their families and their communities remain the linchpin of the NZ economy and deserve the same level of healthcare as urban New Zealanders,” she says. With its podiatrist-inspired innersole, the Quatro was designed to alleviate strain on the feet, legs and back of those who spend hours standing and walking in gumboots every day.

Skellerup national manager Perry Davis says it was the first thing that came to mind when his team started planning the fundraiser for RHAANZ. “The Quatro is built for comfort, performance and sound footing in all sorts of conditions. Skellerup pioneered this design for better wearability and protection and it’s since made working life drier, safer

capture effluent storage and management systems do not have these restrictions and provide 100% effective storage.

With more than 60 years’ product experience and knowhow this EUdesigned system is commonplace in many European countries where all storage needs to be covered.

Additional benefits of the Ecobag closed storage system are; no crusting, no or near no smell, no weeds taking over the pond, containment of N so more N gets back to pasture to grow grass, no danger of someone falling in the pond, no open and exposed pumps or mixing equipment structures, no diggers needed to empty the sludge, and an eco-friendly look.

Best of all, only effluent is stored and thus your investment is targeted to just that and nothing else. Ecobag is now available in New Zealand through TechniPharm.

More? Call TechniPharm “we make farming ezy” 0800 80 90 98 www.technipharm.co.nz

and kinder on the body for countless Kiwis.”

Thompson says money raised by the sale of Quatro gumboots and Skellerup milking liners during May and June will help promote the RHAANZ’s five top priorities for rural communities in this election year.

Presented to Parliament in March, the alliance’s Rural Health Roadmap calls on Government to improve rural wellbeing, connectivity, research and policy, health services and the health workforce. Davis says the RHAANZ is not only drawing much-needed attention to the pressure NZ farmers are under, but also providing practical real-world solutions.

“We understand the link between healthy people and healthy communities. Supporting the RHAANZ is one way for us to stand by the families who have stood by us for so long.”

Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | May 2017

With milk collection down as much as 6% this season due to difficult production conditions, coupled with increasingly dry ground conditions across the north and east of the country, farmers looking to offset the summer milk production drop need to act now with strategic pasture management and high-energy supplements.

Paul Sharp, SealesWinslow Animal Nutrition Specialist, says seasonal milk production decline is due to a variety of factors which include physiological changes in the cow, reduced pasture growth rates and seasonal decline in pasture quality.

“If we look at the numbers associated with each of these factors, we see that a 4-6% production decline per month results from the seasonal physiological changes in the cow,” Paul says.

“Yet the average production decline on New Zealand dairy farms is close to 15% per month. The difference between these figures – 9-11% – comes from the impact of the feed quality and quantity.”

Right now with reduced pasture growth rates, the limiting animal factor is sufficient drymatter availability and the composition of this pasture for maintaining milk production and cow condition.

“The more we can offset the impact of falling pasture quality and quantity, the more milk we’ll be able to produce through summer,” Paul says. “Ideally, we only want to see a 5% drop in production each month.”

To achieve this it is paramount to manage grazing to optimise pasture quality.

“Adjust the rotation so that you’re grazing pastures when the plant is still young. That way there will be less seedhead and stem – and therefore less fibre – in the feed.

For those areas where there is still moisture, pasture growth can be promoted by the use of regular, light dressings of nitrogen fertiliser and just 15-18 kg N/ ha should be enough to encourage high quality leaf growth.

“At the same time, you can increase the energy density of the animal’s diet by using high-energy supplements,” Paul says.

“These can just be used strategically to fill that energy gap and keep milk production levels up.

SealesWinslow’s Kick Starch or Home Run pelleted feed is ideal for this use.”

More? Michelle Riley, Ballance Agri-Nutrients, 07 572 7887 or 027 487 9656, Email: mriley@ ballance.co.nz

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PROPERTY │ SOUTH CANTERBURY

and are there so that if they do have a dry season, they can put more water on.”

The up-to-date dairy comes complete with DeLaval Alpro plant, automatic cup removers, automatic drafting, electronic identification ear tag readers, nutrient dispenser and milk meters, as well as an in-shed feeding system. A carpeted upstairs viewing room/office with a heat pump overlooks the milking platform and another small office is downstairs.

An 800-cow flood-lit circular yard with a backing gate leads into the dairy and adjacent to the yard is a 450-cow concrete feed pad that ensures there is minimal damage to pasture during wet weather.

“The feed pad gives options and saves pasture. They can feed a bit of grain if they want to and if they’ve made silage they can put it on the feed pad instead of feeding out on the paddocks, so it’s less wastage and they save the soils.”

Effluent from the dairy, yard and feed pad flows to a large stone trap before entering a concrete saucer, then on to an above-ground steel tank where it is stored until it can be spread on paddocks via a rotary sprayer.

Calves are reared in a 560 square metre calf-rearing shed complete with 15 stainless steel automatic milk feeders and divisional pens. The automatic feeders designed and built by David Reid provide a constant flow so there is never stagnant milk in the pipes and a hot wash system cleans them. A large concrete pad plus a four-bay calf shelter are part of the comprehensive calf-rearing facility.

“The calves all have electronic identification tags so can be given multiple small feeds a day instead of one big one and if a calf doesn’t finish a feed, any residual amount will be fed to the calf when it comes in for another feed. You can see that they are all getting their full allocation of milk every day.

“The big advantage is less scours because they get multiple smaller feeds a day which is easier for the stomach to handle and so the calves grow better.”

Other facilities on the farm follow the same high standard and the extensive range includes a four-bay implement shed, a 10-bay hayshed, five and three-bay haysheds, plus a deep palm kernel bin.

A central lane system accesses the farm’s 51 paddocks and about 10% of the

Grass-based in South Canterbury

O

akland Pastures in South Canterbury operates a low-cost, grass-based system to achieve more than 1300kg milksolids (MS) per hectare and comfortably milks about 720 cows.

Alvin and Judith Reid have developed the 199-hectare farm near Winchester which boasts a seven-year-old 54-bail rotary dairy, four near-new Valley centre pivot irrigators and an array of accommodation for staff. The farm is now surplus to requirements and is being sold, with stock and plant available by valuation, plus the option of a mid-season settlement.

The well laid-out dairy farm lies in the

heart of one of Canterbury’s prime farming areas, half an hour north of Timaru and 40 minutes south of Ashburton where its deep, silty loam soils retain moisture well through summer and provide the necessary growth for a grass-based system.

George Morris from Bayleys says it is an exceptional dairy farm and has been a high-producing unit for many years that achieves good production on a low-cost system which includes a little grain and palm kernel as needed.

“It’s got all the bells and whistles including the big shed, irrigation and good houses, so ticks all the boxes for a dairy farm of such high calibre. The centre pivots are only in their second season

www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | May 2017

PROPERTY │ SOUTHLAND

Future-proofed near Winton A 300-hectare Southland dairy farm converted nine years ago has a large free-stall barn and modern effluent infrastructure to future-proof it for any changes that may occur within the dairy industry.

Located between Invercargill and Winton, the farm is consented to milk 850 cows and for sale at $11.985 million. In the past the farm has milked throughout the year and for the past five years has averaged 290,197kg milksolids (MS). This is the first season it has operated as a spring-calving unit and it milked 550 cows at the peak.

Wayne Clarke from Southern Wide Real Estate says the farm was converted to a high standard and in the past nine years it has been completely regrassed.

“The farm is run as a self-contained dairy unit with high-tech dairy infrastructure plus modern improvements. All the livestock can be housed within the free-stall barn and the housing comprises two very modern homes plus a modernised larger weatherboard home.”

The farm flows over flat to rolling contour with a northerly aspect and is subdivided into 53 paddocks that have been completely refenced since it was converted.

“For a farm this size, the walking distances are very short. A no-exit road goes to the centre of the farm where the dairy shed is located.”

The 64-bail rotary has DeLaval plant, auto cup removers and bail gates, auto teat spraying, full Protrack auto drafting, plus in-shed meal and molasses feeding. A rectangular yard leading into the dairy measures 40m x 13m.

Flowing on from the dairy is the free-stall barn with 600 stalls for adult cattle and 110 stalls for yearlings. Another 46 stalls cater for calves, while a former woolshed and covered yards have been converted for calf rearing. On another side of the dairy sits a four-bay implement shed and workshop, plus a four-bay gable-roof haybarn. Concrete silage bunkers nearby measure 50m x 15m and 48m x 13m, with 2.8m-high walls.

Along one side of the dairy and barn are lined holding ponds plus a 3 million litre Klip tank for storing effluent. Solids go to a stone trap then through a weeping wall to an underground pipe that leads to hydrants in paddocks where it can be distributed via K-line. A solid bunker collects scrapings from races and concrete areas.

The farm can be viewed at www.southernwide.co.nz ref SWI1558 and for further information contact Wayne Clarke on 03 218 2795 or 0274 325 768.

area is regrassed each year. The farm is in permanent pasture, with the cows grazed at a leased support block nearby through winter.

This season the farm is milking 670 cows and is on target for 251,748kg MS, or 1311kg MS/ha which is down slightly due to cooler, wetter weather. Last season it milked 720 cows for 286,350kg MS –1491kg MS/ha – and Morris says that herd size is considered ideal for the farm.

It’s a well-housed farm with five dwellings that include a large 1980s four-bedroom home for the manager, a four-bedroom home, three-bedroom weatherboard cottage and two threebedroom self-contained galvanised iron homes.

“The farm has got all the trappings of

a top-tier unit, so it’s quite an exciting unit and it still has a bit of upside because they’re back on cow numbers.”

The deadline sale closes on May 26.

Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | May 2017

The farm can be viewed at www.bayleys. co.nz/554494 and for further information contact George Morris on 027 212 8668 or Nick Young on 027 437 7820.

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PROPERTY │ SOUTHLAND

Self-contained in Southland

A diversity of income streams benefit a 665-hectare farm in Southland that has a self-contained dairy farm milking 312 cows at the peak of the season, plus a sheep and beef unit that finishes all the progeny.

The farm, with pockets of native bush adding aesthetic appeal, lies 19km from Winton and is for sale at $6.75 million with a vendor who wants it sold.

Wayne Clarke from Southern Wide Real Estate says the dairy operation has been created on 129ha of the farm’s easy-torolling contour, while rolling-to-steeper country is used for the sheep and beef side of the business as well as dairy support.

The scale and diversity of the property enables it to winter the dairy herd of Friesian cows and 60 yearling heifers as well as 1900 mixed-aged Coopworth ewes, 300 ewe hoggets, 32 beef breeding cows, 150 R2 beef heifers, 20 R1 beef cattle, 60 carryover cows and bulls.

This season the dairy operation milked 312 cows and is on target for 125,000kg milksolids (MS), while last season it milked 300 first calvers for 105,000kg MS. On the other side of the fence, the two-yearold beef cattle wintered on the farm are finished in spring and sent to slaughter while finished lambs average 19.5kg CW. In the past four years the farm has had nearly 200ha regrassed and this year alone it has 33ha in new grass on the sheep and beef unit as well as 8.8ha on the dairy unit.

It also has 21.7ha in turnips and 19.8ha 98

in kale. Alongside regrassing, the farm has had a major revamp.

“The vendors have made significant capital investment in upgrading the allweather track access around the property, a race system, fencing, regrassing, a complete water system and gorse control with the future benefit for any intending purchaser.”

Hay describes the farm facilities as superior, including three dwellings, a 44-aside herringbone cowshed with inshed feeding, a large six-stand raised-board woolshed, an expansive covered yard

complex, an impressive concrete-floor workshop and a range of other buildings.

Alongside the dairy with its 500-cow circular yard are 16 and 36 tonne grain silos, molasses tank and disc mill, plus a sheltered standoff-calving pad. Effluent from the dairy goes to a sludge pond and then weeping wall into a pond where it can be pumped to paddocks via K-line.

The farm can be viewed at www.

Southernwide.co.nz ref SWI1836 and for further information contact John Hay on 0274 350 138 or Wayne Clarke on 0274 325 768.

Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | May 2017

May Events Meet the Tiller Talk farmers in your region

COLSULTING OFFICERS – CONTACT DETAILS

Eighteen dairy farmers from around New Zealand have been selected for DairyNZ’s Tiller Talk programme. Follow their progress as they work towards increasing their profit through better pasture management.

Visit dairynz.co.nz/tillertalk.

Northland Regional Leader

Chris Neill

Far North

Chris Neill

027 499 9021 027 499 9021

Lower Northland

Mark Forsyth

021 242 5719

Whangarei West

Corey Thorn

027 886 0221

027 483 9820

North Waikato

DairyNZ Farmers’ Forum – coming to a region near you!

Get up to speed with the latest science and innovation in dairy at the Farmers’ Forum event in your region. You’ll learn what new technologies and tools are available to help improve your farm business and its performance. The forums are free to levy-paying farmers and their staff. Save the date for the workshop in your area, taking place between 9.30am-3pm: May May May May

11 16 19 25

– – – –

Palmerston North Lincoln Stratford Hamilton

Regional Leader

Phil Irvine

South Auckland

Jamie Haultain

027 486 4344

Hamilton North

Phil Irvine

027 483 9820

Matamata/Kereone

Frank Portegys

027 807 9685

Morrinsville/Paeroa

Euan Lock

027 293 4401

Hauraki Plains/Coromandel

Annabelle Smart

021 242 2127

Regional Leader

Wade Bell

027 285 9273

Te Awamutu

Stephen Canton

027 475 0918

Otorohanga

Michael Booth

027 513 7201

South Waikato

Kirsty Dickins

027 483 2205

South Waikato

Bay of Plenty

Find out more and register now at dairynz.co.nz/farmersforum

Regional Leader

Sharon Morrell

0274 922 907

Western Bay of Plenty

Wilma Foster

021 246 2147

Discussion Groups

Central Bay of Plenty

Kevin McKinley

027 288 8238

Central Plateau

Colin Grainger-Allen

021 225 8345

Whakatane

Sharon Morrell

0274 922 907

Interested in farm systems, reproduction, progression, pasture management, budgeting, people management, or milking smarter? We hold a range of different discussion groups on specialist areas of interest as well as other topical field days and road shows around the country. Find out what’s on near you at dairynz.co.nz/events or phone your local consulting officer.

Taranaki Regional Leader

Katrina Knowles

021 831 944

South Taranaki

Erin Hutchinson

021 246 5663

Central Taranaki

Sarah Payne

027 704 5562

Coastal Taranaki

Michelle Taylor

021 276 5832

North Taranaki

Lauren McEldowney

027 593 4122

Regional Leader

James Muwunganirwa

027 499 9020

Horowhenua/Wanganui/South Taranaki/Southern and Coastal Manawatu

Scott Cameron

027 702 3760

Lower North Island

What dairy industry events are happening near you?

Now there is one place where you can find out what’s on near you! Explore upcoming dairy industry events in your area and keep up to date with the latest learning and networking opportunities. Visit Dairyevents.co.nz

Change of Address

Wairarapa/Tararua

Tim Ferguson

021 244 3428

Hawke's Bay

Gray Beagley

021 286 4346

Central/Northern Manawatu/Rangitikei

Jo Back

021 222 9023

Top of South Island/Westland

If you’ve shifted farm or changed your supply company, make sure you’ll still receive your copy of Inside Dairy – visit dairynz.co.nz/address and let us know your new details.

Farmer Information Service – 0800 4 DairyNZ (0800 4 324 7969) Answers to your dairy farming questions are just a phone call away.

We can also help you with: • Event information • Industry contacts • Ordering publications and resources.

Regional Leader

Wade Bell

027 285 9273

Nelson/Marlborough

Mark Shadwick

021 287 7057

West Coast

Ross Bishop

021 277 2894

Canterbury/North Otago Regional Leader

Virginia Serra

021 932 515

North Canterbury

Teaghan Lourie

021 246 2775

Central Canterbury

Natalia Benquet

021 287 7059

Mid Canterbury

Stuart Moorhouse

027 513 7200

South Canterbury

Virginia Serra

021 932 515

North Otago

Trevor Gee

021 227 6476

Southland/South Otago Regional Leader

Richard Kyte

021 246 3166

South Otago

Richard Kyte

021 246 3166

Central/North Western Southland

Nicole E Hammond

West Otago/North Eastern Southland Liam Carey

021 240 8529 027 474 3258

Nathan Nelson

021 225 6931

Teresa Anderson

027 702 2219

Z

Eastern Southland Western Southland

WIT

Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | May 2017

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02033 LICGM3AMDE

When you’re matching calves to dams at 3am, your best tool isn’t a torch.

It can take just minutes for calves to mis-mother. So at 3am when you’re matching calves to dams your best tool isn’t a torch, it’s GeneMark.® GeneMark parentage testing helps you to accurately identify calves so that you’re rearing only the best, and setting up the next generation of your herd.

To find out more talk to your LIC rep or visit lic.co.nz/genemark

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Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | May 2017