SYSTEMS OAD
“You want life to be enjoyable. Not having to milk cows in the afternoon is great.”
Friesian freedom from TAD Andrew and Phyllis Ford switched their Friesian herd to once-a-day (OAD) milking so they could spend more time with their daughter, Abigail. Despite some challenges, the Ford’s have no regrets. Anne Hardie reports.
M
ost farmers switch to oncea-day (OAD) milking for lifestyle or practical reasons; Andrew Ford also wanted the challenge of taking their twice-a-day (TAD) Friesian herd through the transition and beyond to see what they could achieve. Dairy farmers who headed to Nelson for the OAD Conference in May visited Andrew and Phyllis Fords’ dairy farm on the outskirts of Richmond where the Ford family has been milking cows for 55 years. The herd is one of just three remaining on 36
“You want life to be enjoyable. Not having to milk cows in the afternoon is great.” the Waimea Plains and until eight years ago, milked 365 days of the year to supply town milk. Andrew returned to the farm in his early 20s and later bought the farm from his parents. He acknowledges he’s probably the
last generation to farm the highly-prized horticulture land with its hefty irrigation costs. The Waimea Community Dam being built in yonder hills will supply crucial water to the plains, but it’s costing the Fords just over $5000/ha to buy shares for 63ha and then an annual charge of $1000/ ha. The costs have continued to rise as the dam progresses and Andrew says it’s probably getting to the stage where it is uneconomical to milk cows on the plains. The farm covers 72ha with 10ha of that
Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | July 2021
