SYSTEMS E350
Farming’s new generation leaders A team of young Northland farmers have shown off the results of their experience with the E350 project. Chris Neill reports.
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orthland’s Extension 350 project attracted young and old to its first dairy cluster when it started in June 2017. The experience of these four farmers in the project ended in May 2020 amid the legacy of drought and Covid-19. At a December field day, with admissions of initial reluctance and scepticism, Graham and Kylie Beatty, Peter and Sue Skelton, Lachie McLean and Leroy and Kirsty Jurisich noted achievements of goals they thought aspirational and the critical importance of consistently completing the basics. They all recognised the contribution of their mentors and the management team that supported them to make and sustain change - their team of trusted advisers who will hopefully remain connected beyond the project. Leroy and Kirsty Jurisich with their recently-born son Jack hosted the day and shared greater detail on their experience and outcomes. Their farmer mentor Danny Woodcock, farm consultant Tafi Manjala and product specialist Corey Thorn were in their management team that has supported the success story. Leroy and Kirsty were keen and active from the very start, consistently delivering on the actions they had agreed with the management team to complete. This in turn fuelled the enthusiasm of the management team to help Leroy and Kirsty push harder and faster toward achieving their vision and goals. Danny kept encouraging them to focus on the long-term things that can make a 34
The faces of Northland’s dairy farming future: Leroy, Kirsty and Jack Jurisich.
Danny kept encouraging them to focus on the longterm things that can make a difference to achieving their goals and to minimise those day to day activities that can limit the ability of the land to produce. difference to achieving their goals and to minimise those day to day activities that can limit the ability of the land to produce. Their vision and goals as 50:50 sharemilkers were laid out in their planning wheel. It recognised the key areas of focus as (i) purchasing land, (ii) lifting pasture eaten to 10 tonnes drymatter (DM)/ha, (iii) producing 70,000kg milksolids (MS) with
a once-a-day herd, (iv) meeting the farm’s environmental compliance requirements, (v) lifting P/W and B/W, and (vi) having a good work / life balance. Leroy and Kirsty have achieved a compounding equity growth of 31% per year since 2007. In the three years of the project there has been near to $400,000 gain, including acquisition of the land they identified in their goals.
Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | January 2021
