Showcasing 32 of New Zealand’s newest dairy farm developments
SPRING 2012
A special supplement by
Sun Media Ltd 07 578 0030
Inside the country’s newest dairies ao Te Manaw st ru T e ho u T 1 Page 50-5
Rockyfield Page 44-47
Bayliss Equities 1 Page 18-2
Alpine Dairies Page 80-81
NEW FARM DAIRIES
Page 2 FARM
DISTRICT
Poole
Taranaki
PAGE
Gibson
Taranaki
8-11
Muller
Taranaki
12-13
Murdoch
Taranaki
14-17
Bayliss Equities
Taranaki
18-21
Morrison
Taranaki
22-25
Oliver
Manawatu
26-29
Table Flats Holding
Manawatu
30-33
Nistaben Partnership
Southland
34-37
Waiawa
Southland
38-39
Pavlovich
Southland
40-41
Knapdale
Southland
42-43
Rockyfield
Southland
44-47
Windy Ridge
Southland
48-49
Tuhoe Trust
Bay of Plenty
50-51
Singh
Waikato
54-57
Sinclair
Waikato
58-59
Troughton
Waikato
60-63
Bolt
Waikato
64-65
Kaiawa
Waikato
66-67
Mid Island Developments
Waikato
68-69
Mourits
Waikato
70-73
Mulgere Farming
Canterbury
74-75
Willowcliff
Canterbury
76-77
Quigley Farm
Canterbury
78-79
Alpine Dairies
Canterbury
80-81
Highfield
Canterbury
82-83 84-87
4-7
LH Dairies
Canterbury
Elbury Farms
Northland
88-91
Karl Farms
Thames/Hauraki
92-93
Gray
Thames/Hauraki
94-95
Gregory Family Trust
Central Plateau
96-99
Coast & Country
Pride in dairies justified There’s no one more proud than the farmer with a brand new, or newly upgraded dairy.
Not even the owner of an architecturally designed million dollar mansion in suburbia can equal the enthusiasm of the 32 farm owners featured in the 2012 edition of New Farm Dairies for the facilities they have built. Their pride is more than justified. These well designed, robust, functional facilities don’t just look good, unlike the city mansion - they make money. Equipped with the world’s latest milk harvesting and animal health technology, these dairies are a testament to the commitment of their owners to the industry which remains the mainstay of the New Zealand economy. There are few small businesses which invest so heavily in their industry and in protecting environment as dairy farmers. Most have gone beyond just what’s required in their resource consents and designed effluent systems to deliver even better results for the land they farm and the waterway which flow through or nearby. The modern dairy is about cow comfort and thought is given herd flow, yards cows are happy to walk into and out of and to how cows enter and leave a milking platform. Many dairies use technology to check animal health, so early signs of mastitis in particular are
detected and acted upon. Automatic cup removers in many not only make it easier for the milkers, but also prevent cows being over milked. These 32 dairies are modern, well designed, aesthetically pleasing facilities which sit well in their rural landscapes and for our dedicated New Farm Dairies team of rural specialists visiting, photographing and writing about these facilities has been a privilege. We appreciate being made so welcome and the generosity of farmers and all those involved in the projects in sharing their knowledge and experiences of building a new farm dairy. It’s that generosity and openness which is a hallmark of New Zealand’s highly successful dairy industry and also the reason the New Farm Dairies publication has become a must read resource for anyone planning to begin their own new dairy project. Many of those featured this year had used previous editions as a valued research tool to assist in making decisions about their projects. As usual we are well advanced with preparations for the next nationwide edition of New Farm Dairies and as usual, spaces are filling fast. To be featured in New Farm Dairies 2012 call us early to avoid disappointment - Sun Media 07 578 0030 or Lois McKinley on 027 281 7427. Publishers Brian & Claire Rogers.
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NEW FARM DAIRIES
Page 3
New dairies help retain staff Building a new dairy is about improving efficiencies and milk quality, but for many farm owners it’s also about retaining good staff. Creating an environment which is pleasant and easy to work in and reduces milking time are attributes the 32 owners of new dairies featured in our 2012 publication wanted to achieve, and in every case they did. Taking into account the needs of workers when building a new facility makes sound economic sense, says Wendy Macphail of Employment Law Services. “Good facilities do help retain good staff because for staff the job is not just about remuneration but other aspects as well. Staff who feel valued and have good support and feedback from their employer will perform at their best.” On the other hand, Wendy says employees who feel they are not valued can cost farmers dearly, if they choose. “Cases of workers sabotaging cowsheds and affecting milk quality are not uncommon and of course that’s costly for the farmer.” Many of the farmers featured in this edition of New Farm Dairies have involved their staff in the planning and design of the new facilities with the result that the employees take a real sense of ownership and pride, keeping the dairy clean and
operating well. “Asking staff what works and what they would like in a dairy makes sense because the human resource is the most important resource of all and farmer owners who spend time finding out what their staff want will be well rewarded because happy staff will have a positive effect on production.” By the time farmer owners are in a position to spend significant sums on a new, high tech dairy, many are no longer involved in regular milking so they design their facilities, not for themselves, but their staff. Even in a time of high unemployment, there is strong competition in the dairy industry for top quality staff and sharemilkers so farms which offer the latest in milking facilities have an immediate advantage. The dairies featured in New Farm Dairies range from extended herringbones to brand new rotaries, from no-frills to ultra high tech and all are radically different from the very basic walk-through sheds of last century. The technology has far outstripped that of even 20 years ago with almost every aspect of the milking operation able to be monitored and much of it automated.
Wendy Macphail from Employment Law Services.
There’s a strong recognition that while the facilities must be safe, pleasant and easy to work in for staff, the same considerations must be given to cows too. In each of the 32 new dairies, careful thought was given to herd flow, so animals would be happy to enter and leave the dairy. How they accessed and left the milking area was also taken into account, recognising that contented cows will produce more milk. Introducing cows to a new facility can be challenging. Creatures of habit, many don’t take kindly to change, especially if it is from a herringbone system to a rotary. However, experienced farmers and staff who understand their cows quietly coax them into the new dairy, often using molasses or other treats to tempt the girls. These new dairies will be part of the rural landscape for many years to come, but inside it’s certain the technology and equipment used to operate them will be regularly up-dated as new innovations are introduced to make milking quicker and more pleasant for staff and cows, at the same time producing a high quality, safe and valuable product for consumers nationally and worldwide.
Retaining staff among considerations in building a new dairy
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Page 4
POOLE
Coast & Country
Distinctive octagonal shape strong and practical This Taranaki shed’s unique octagonal design is somewhat reminiscent of a very large tent, but it’s strong, it works very well and looks superb. By Graeme Dobson
Steve and Maria Poole have been on this farm near Manaia in Taranaki for 10 years, until now milking in a 30 year old, 60 bail shed. But the old shed had reached the point where it needed too much maintenance—and it was not in the right place for their expanded 210ha farm. Next season they will milk 820 cows in two herds, so they decided it was time to upgrade. And what an upgrade. They’ve gone for a 60 bail rotary Fabish & Jackson designed Octa-Lock building with a state of the art DeLaval milking plant. Both Steve and Maria and their three full time staff are looking forward to the new season in the dairy. They only began using it in mid-May to finish the season, so they don’t yet know how long a milking will take, but they estimate about one and threequarter hours.
The Octa-Lock building provides a very neat clean finish.
The Fabish and Jackson Octa-Lock building system can be clearly seen in the roof construction.
“It’s not so much the time but the comfort. One man can operate the shed so you don’t both have to be stuck there for two hours—one man can do the first herd, so he’s there for only about an hour, then the other man can come and milk the second herd,” said Steve. They chose Fabish & Jackson because Steve liked the Octa-Lock building with its neat finish, no wasted space and they’re a local company based in Inglewood. “We specialise in dairy sheds and also chicken sheds, along with a bit of housing,” said Steve Fabish. “There’s plenty of work around here to keep us busy at the moment.” With a staff of 25 they’re more than capable of handling pretty much any job from a small 17 bail rotary (that they built back when they first started) up to a massive 100 bail job. On the Poole’s shed they did all the construction except the pipe-work in the yard. “We do all our own designing, all the engineering gets done in New Plymouth. They’re a nice shed to work in—everyone that’s got them loves them,” said Steve Fabish. “Steve (Poole) looked at it for
From L to R Farm hands Jarrico Murray and Steffen Sahin, Gary Wallace, Paul Gibson, owners Maria and Steve Poole, Michael Bloemen, Mark Frost and builder Steve Fabish.
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Cows closely monitored in new dairy The switch under the platform triggers the electronic confirmation of the cow in the bail above.
DeLaval fittings under the platform. a couple of years before he decided to go with us. By then he knew what he wanted. We have a guy in the office that just does the design, so he sat down with him and went through it; then the engineer had a look,” Steve said.
Prefabricated
The octagonal building is prefabricated in the factory before being shipped out to the customer. “It’s a quick construction, all the pre-cast panels get made in our yard back in Inglewood along with all the panelling and laminated beams—we’ve got our own laminated beam plant. Everything gets done in house, it comes out on a truck and we stand it up on site,” he explained. “This year we’ve changed a bit and gone to all aluminium windows for durability, and they look better than the clear-lite.” Steve told me they do between five and eight sheds a year all over New Zealand. They’ve even done a 70 bail rotary in Wales—shipped it over and went over and assembled it—and send kit-set jobs as far as Peru. After a lot of investigation the Poole’s had a DeLaval milking system installed in the shed. “We looked at a lot of sheds, they’ve all got their good points, but in the end DeLaval ticked the most boxes with us,” said Steve.
DeLaval has over 125 years of innovation and experience in the dairy business and their Sustainable Dairy Farming initiative is making a solid contribution to farming. Their experience is vital to their production of top quality equipment to meet all of the farmer’s needs. Dairypro Taranaki, run by managing director Paul Gibson along with business partner and installation manager Gary Wallace, is the De Laval agent for South Taranaki. Dairypro’s core business is fitting milking systems, but they also do water pumps and water systems so they had no problem with Steve’s job—and the Dairypro team did the lot. “We installed all the milking system to the platform and all the associated equipment, as well as all the water—wash down, vat washes, hot water cylinders, cooling pumps,” said Gary. “All the gear we put in is sourced from the best available so that we don’t have to come back and deal with problems later on.”
Up to date
Gary is the computer man and was keen to explain the technology. “This operation has the most up to date technology installed,” explained Gary. “It’s a full DeLaval Alpro Herd Management System. Each cow is identified
as she comes onto the platform and there are systems in place to stop her being milked if she is recorded as ‘do not milk’—it won’t allow vacuum onto the cluster. We can draft the cow automatically directly from the bail or enter her number manually on a key pad in the operator area. The three-way drafting out in the yard is all linked to the platform. Everything runs from the central computer in the office, and there’s the ability to work it remotely.” The cow’s identity is checked three times, once when she walks into the bail, again at cups on and then again as she leaves, so there’s no chance that the wrong cow will be recorded or drafted.
PH 0508 726 726 www.sammachinery.co.nz
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POOLE
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Coast & Country
Comprehensive training for computer system
Michael Bloemen with his patented backing gate.
The yards are cleaned by a flood wash system.
De Laval blood and conductivity meters are the most accurate on the market today and are all ICAR approved, giving milk yield accuracy within a tight 1.5 per cent. Every cow is tested as she’s milked and the computer is programmed to prevent cows with blood or conductivity exceeding a pre-set level being milked and alerts the milker. The system provides a lot of information at your fingertips but is extremely simple to operate and Paul explained that Dairypro provides full training to farmers and
The cows are checked in the bail and again as they leave.
workers, giving them the fundamentals first, then after a month or so they come back with the next lesson. “It’s standard with every Alpro System that we give them comprehensive training sessions as well as constant phone support. We challenge and encourage farmers to use the system to its full potential as it makes running the farm business easier,” said Paul. “There’s a full In Service programme for this shed, as with an operation this size servicing and keeping it up to scratch is the key.”
World’s first rotary
The rotary platform was supplied by local company Hotter Engineering. Hotters have a significant claim to fame, not just locally, or even nationally, but worldwide—in 1969 T E Hotter Ltd designed and installed the world’s first rotary milking platform near Eltham. The name Hotter soon became synonymous with state-of-the-art technology and, through a company called Turn-styles Ltd, were exporting world-wide. Twenty years ago Russell Hotter bought the firm off his father and created Hotter Engineering Ltd and offer a range of platforms made from steel, corrosion resistant alloy or concrete. They supply all DeLaval’s platforms and are continuing to develop their products—they have a trial platform that
The concrete feed pad is attached to the yards.
runs 24/7 where they test new products and ideas. Their quality is such that they were one of the main factors in the Pooles choosing DeLaval. The Wetit spray “One of the most delivery unit. important things is their Hotter platform,” said Steve. “I’ve seen other platforms that have developed cracks, but I’ve never seen a bad Hotter platform.” Mark Frost Electrical came in to do the electrical installation in the shed and yards, from organising the incoming power supply to powering it all up. As well as the general wiring to the shed such as the lighting and power points, Mark’s work included helping with the installation of the DeLaval milking system, the platform control, drafting set up and refrigeration—in fact they did the lot. Of course all this required considerable co-ordination with all the other contractors from putting in all the conduits before the floor was poured to the last power points after Surfatex finished the painting. Mark and his team drew on their considerable experience in dairy electrical design and installation gained over years of
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Comfy, quiet, efficient dairy keeps workers happy servicing the entire south, coastal and central Taranaki. But cow sheds are not their only work, they will happily take on anything from domestic to large commercial projects and they supply and install Toshiba, Panasonic and Carrier heat pumps.
Simple
They also installed the Wetit Automatic Teat Spray system that was the only thing Steve brought over from the old shed. “It’s pretty good with keeping the cell count down,” said farm worker Stephan. “The Wetit waves are new and we’ve noticed the difference in how the cows stand—they have to stand with their legs apart and we get a much better spray coverage.” Wetit have been in the business of teat sprays for over 17 years during which their research has contributed to developing a system that gives a teat coverage second to none, with no fuss and minimal maintenance. “There’re a lot of systems out now, but most have a lot of moving parts that can go wrong. Wetit is basic, it works well and not much can go wrong,” added Steve. Outside the shed there’s a lot of pipe work in the yards and attached feed-pad—in fact according to Michael from Michael Bloemen Engineering who did the job (with a few staff ), about 300 hours-worth. Based just up the road, Michael’s been in the engineering business servicing farms for 15 years. A few years ago he designed and patented a backing gate, which
he now manufactures and supplies—currently there’re 32 of them installed throughout the country. “We’re not out to sell big numbers, at the moment we’re selling about five a year, about half of those in Taranaki,” said Michael. “We call it the High Runner Backing Gate and it’s designed specifically for rectangular yards. The average width is twelve metres, but we’ve made them up to sixteen metres wide with no problem at all—we can make them to whatever the farmer wants.”
Four wheel drive
After starting out with just two-wheel drive Michael discovered that there was occasion slipping, especially when the customer wanted a ‘Dung Buster’ added to the gate, so he started making four wheel drive models. Now regardless of whether there’s a Dung Buster or a scraper added there is never any slippage. “The gate works very well with a scraper. This has a flood wash yard cleaning system, but in the summer there are often some sods left, with a scraper on the gate it’s perfectly clean every time,” explained Michael. Back inside, Palmerston North based company Surfatex Ltd added the finish to the shed. Surfatex are specialists in commercial and industrial surface protection, which includes dairy sheds.. “We use Surfatex for most of our sheds; we’ve been using them for about 15years now. Their work’s good—we’ve
never had a problem with it,” said Steve. “Very durable surface, water blast and hose it all the time and it doesn’t affect it. It’s a good product.” They’re the only licensed applicators in the lower North Island of the Acraflex Dairy Wall Coating, which is designed specifically to seal the walls with a hard wearing and easy to clean finish. And it looks good, too. Earthworks was contracted to yet another local company, Bunn Earthmoving. Over the years Bunn Earthmoving have done all Steve’s drainage and other earthworks on the farm, most recently when there was a lot of fill needed on the site for the new shed’s foundations. Steve said that
they’re good to deal with, reliable and always do a good job. Pretty much like his new dairy—reliable and does a good job, and it’s comfortable as well, which keeps the staff happy. Workers Stephan and Jarrico both agree: “This new shed is very quiet. The cows are happy, and we really enjoy coming to work.”
By Graeme Dobson
Gary Wallace(L) and Paul Gibson from Dairypro Taranaki.
The cows are checked again in the bail.
Page 8
GIBSON
Coast & Country
Third new dairy will out-last Tom Tom Gibson grew up three kilometres down the road from this farm, although back in his day that would equate to two miles. Tom has been farming all his life, and is a genuine cow cocky through and through.
Contract Milker Brendan Kerr.
Tom purchased the farm at auction 50 years ago and has quite clearly made a huge success of the farm. The farm is beautiful, and although on the day I visited it was tiddling down with rain, I could still enjoy the beauty and splendour of Tom’s farm. Tom tried to make me believe he was born under a boxthorn hedge at the bottom of the garden, and for a second I actually believed him, but then I am very gullible. The new dairy was a sight for sore eyes, and was bright and airy, with lots of room to move and make yourself at home in. This is Tom’s third farm dairy in 50 years. “This will last for the rest of my life plus some.” The farm consists of 100 hectares, with 93 effective hectares and 400 jersey cows are milked through the shed. Brendan Kerr is the contract-milker and has worked for Tom for 13 seasons, albeit in two separate stints. Brendan went overseas, got married and returned back to New Zealand to work for Tom. Brendan says he was a little
worried how he would handle a modern dairy, but he just loves it. Tom assisted with the first five milkings. The first took five and a half hours, but now it takes a mere one hour and ten to milk with a 10 minute cleanup. Tom had a good look around at various other builds before deciding that the Don Chapman design was the best. There was plenty of light. “The one thing I had always been told was never have lights in the shed,” says Tom. “So we got lights, but also have plenty of natural light as well. “It is altogether different milking in this dairy to the old herringbone or walk-through.” “The cows still seem to come through in the same order.” Tom started off in his father’s walk-through shed, and every winter they used to take the cups out and boil up the rubbers, but of course they only had three or four cows to handle. Tom says he made enough pocket money in those days to play piano professionally, and he says with a good belly laugh, that he doesn’t think he could milk a cow by hand anymore. Tom says that just before the second world-war milking machines were introduced into New Zealand. “It’s been a great life milking cows, the trouble is it rubs off on you and you get very much like a cow after a few years,” laughs Tom. “I generally wander around every now and then like a cow when something upsets me.” Tom quite clearly loves his cows. He also still enjoys milking and reckons there is still another 10 years left in him yet. Tom had very little input into the shed. Once the builder and milking plant were sorted they all made the decisions for Tom. He says he has no regrets whatsoever, as being Taranaki people all the contractors got along well and just worked in together. Everyone was very happy with the end result, and it came in under budget, so the contractors
GIBSON
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Effluent recycled back to pasture
decided it would be a good idea to spend the remaining budget, and while I was interviewing, an extensive list was being created to spend the extra dosh.
Gaining Knowledge
Quinton Oakes met me at Tom Gibson’s new dairy shed just out of Manaia, on a very wet and miserable Taranaki day. Quinton has been in business for 10 years and is in partnership with his wife Tracey. Based at Kaponga in Taranaki, this is the first Don Chapman farm dairy that Quinton has built. He was already half way through building Tom’s shed when the dealership was offered to him. Quinton was offered the Taranaki agency for Don Chapman sheds and he jumped at the chance to be associated with Don’s good reputation. Quinton stresses that Don is a fantastic guy to be a dealer for as he has a good reputation and is so easy to deal with. Quinton spent four months on the shed build. “The roof is a feature that gets taken for granted, but this one has clear panelling in it to let in the light and cut down on electrical lighting and lets the heat out during the hot summer months”. Quinton also did the post and rail fencing along the tanker track. Tom’s shed was a good one for Quinton to start with for Don Chapman. Quinton Oakes The vet platform, as well Builder. as backing gates, dungbuster and channel drains were all Don’s design.
Looking ou t into Engineering the yard that was co nstr , in foregrou nd, the Su ucted by Jennings rfatex coat ing.
The Waikato
s Platform.
em Milking Syst
Tom say that the vet platform was far more safety conscious than the old plank they used to use. Local block-layer Wes Snowdon did all the blocklaying as well as the underpass installation. Tom says “Don and Quinton were an ease to deal with, nothing was a problem and they were just a phone call away for advice. They listen to the farmer, and design yarding that actually works. There is such a huge amount of knowledge gained when purchasing a Don Chapman shed”. Lepperton contractor Wes Snowdon from Masonry Construction laid all the block-work as one of Quinton’s subbies. Wes has been running his own business for the past three years but has been in the trade for 10 years. Wes says that overall he probably spent about two weeks on the job in spits and spurts as required. He laid the circular foundation for the platform, constructed the underpass in the shed, laid all the block-work for the wing walls, the tank pad and the loading ramp, plus the curve in the yard. The dairy has the usual roomy milking parlour with a selection of rooms around the outside of it. There is an office,
Chris Watkins fro
m Waikato Milk
ing Systems.
which houses the computers, a large electrical and storage room, plus the milk room, toilet and staff room.
On the Go
Electrician Craig Corrigan Electrical from Opunake installed all the new wiring and installing and integrating a mains generator capability was also a requirement for the job, as Tom has a generator on a trailer which is transported between two farms as the need arises. The generator will run the shed as well as the sludge system at the same time. Craig and his two assistants wired up the Waikato Milking Systems console and platform.
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Tuning system for best results
The entire job took about four months on and off with two staff members. Craig said he had three sheds on the go at once, so it was a fairly hectic winter. Craig has been in the electrical industry for 17 years, and in the local Opunake region for four and a half years.
Well specified system
A 54 bail Waikato Orbit Rotary Platform with a three meter wide concrete deck has been installed at this farm. The milking system is a proven 100mm Looped Waikato Milking System mounted onto Waikato’s unique SmartFit machine mounts. The milking system has many useful features such as G2 Cluster washers with variable flow controls and non
return valves, Waikato 320 claws and standard weight shells, a Fristam high performance milk-pump with variable speed controls, a Maxi top loading filter and industrial milk cooler. The most important feature though is the addition of SmartD-Tect an early warning mastitis detection system that checks every cow at every milking alerting the operator to an animal with a potential problem. Used independently or linked via SmartLink, SmartD-Tect will identify the onset of mastitis at a sub clinical level using a combination of conductivity measurement and temp readings. Adjustable threshold settings means the farmer can tune the system to get the best result. SmartD-Tect is a scientifically proven system and proof that useful technology is now at a farmer’s fingertips.
GIBSON
Craig Corrigan fro
Coast & Country
m Craig Corriga
n Electrical in Op
Other key equipment in the dairy includes a Waikato Blower vacuum pump, Smart ECR’s (electronic cup removers) and a Waikato Milk Recover system. On the platform is SmartSpray, a deck mounted teat spray system activated by the electronic cup removers that automatically sprays the teats a short time after cup removal, an event requiring no user intervention. BailGates mounted individually in every bail, are activated by the cup removers at the end of milking. BailGates ensure cows can be kept on the platform if need necessary and provide better animal control. Variable speed SmartDrives control the milk and
unake.
vacuum pumps. Apart from maintaining the most stable vacuum and the best milk quality, a SmartDrive connected to the milk pump can control water flow and improve the efficiency of the plate cooler. A SmartDrive connected to the vacuum pump will conserve power and help reduce the overall running costs of a dairy. The milking machine is equipped with a SmartWash automatic wash system. This device controls the wash process automatically while at the same time providing programming flexibility for most wash events.
No drop wasted
Every drop of effluent is recycled back onto Tom’s farm. “The effluent is the biggest headache of the whole shed,” says Tom. A 22,000 litre tank holds the effluent and from there it is pumped out over the farm.
Hiding cow muck
n Kerr, Chris Watkins Left to right: Tom Gibson, Craig Corrigan, Brenda Quinton Oakes. and on, Robins Nigel s) System g Milkin to (Waika
All the block-work was applied with an application of an Acraflex Dairy Wall coating by Surfatex from Palmerston North. Acraflex coatings are designed specifically for the dairy industry. The acraflex seals against bacterial build up, is hardwearing, very easy to clean and will brighten up any working dairy shed. The unique "Flecked" finish not only looks great, but helps to hide cow muck. By Lois McKinley
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GIBSON
Increased productivity Reduced feed wastage Increased Pasture management Manage effluent storage capacity and reduce management costs Zero perch for birds Improved work place conditions Improved animal welfare Reduction in temperature of the cow
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MULLER
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Coast & Country
Owners played a hands-on role in construction Hammers thumped, saws screamed and the blue glow of welders lit the gloom of a Taranaki winter as workmen raced to have the shed ready for the new season. Peter Muller has owned this farm for about 10 years, but over that time he has grown it to the 120 ha (about 300 acre) property it is now. Today his son Stephen and partner Nerida share milk 370 cows, until now in a fairly basic 24 bail rotary that was at least 30 years old. But with the growth of the farm it was clear that this was no longer the most efficient way to go, so last year they decided to upgrade to a 44 bail rotary with a concrete platform and a Westfalia Surge milking plant. After doing their homework (as all sensible farmers do when they’re outlaying this much money) Peter and Stephen decided on a design and a builder. “I only employ credible people, people with good reputations,” said Peter. “I’m pretty fussy
about that.” So they went to Doug Fowell from Heritage Farm Dairies. He’d heard that Doug had been established in the area for at least 17 years and had specialised in farm dairies for 15 of those. Doug takes pride in his approach of on-going consultation with clients to ensure they get exactly what they want, and an added bonus was that Doug’s idea of working with the customer is not just on-going consultation—if a farmer wants to actually work on the building he’s more than happy to accommodate them. As a hands on sort of bloke, that was pretty much exactly what Peter wanted. Peter even supplied some of the materials, like the steel beams in the roof and steel lintels above the doors that he had salvaged from an old hospital building on some land he’d bought. “Any time the farmer wants to get involved and become hands on that’s fine, we just make sure things are getting done as they should
be,” said Doug. The site for the new shed is just across from the old one and uses the old yards, but the site needed building up so Peter and Stephen (with occasional help from a contractor) got that sorted. Site works were started in November 2011 and were complete and ready for construction to begin in January this year. Since then Stephen’s been fully involved working alongside the builders.
I only employ Proven design This dairy has pretty much all credible people, Heritage Farm Dairies standard people with good features—such as an office with an AB and vetting stand outside reputations it, a closed in chemical room and
The old shed.
a staff room and toilet. “We’ve got a proven design, but when it comes to the finer details we like to work closely with the customer to customise the building and set up exactly what they want,” explained Doug. “Peter knew exactly what he wanted so it was just a case of us getting together.” Despite building work still going on the
Westfalia Surge milking plant has been installed by Westfalia’s New Plymouth agents, Rural Taranaki Ltd, now they’re just waiting for the power to commission it. Peter explained why, after checking around he’d opted for Westfalia Surge. “One of the things that impressed me is the support under the platform. There are two rollers under every cow, it’s very well supported. And there’s very little welding, it’s all galvanised and bolted. We’re pretty exposed to the south with a lot of salt, so that was important to us.” Westfalia Milking platforms are manufactured in Australia and the same design is used all around the world. The whole lot was shipped in in a container and was bolted together on site. Rural Taranaki are kept pretty busy around the area—not only do they install and service dairy plant machinery, they also sell and install pumps and water filtration systems. And where there are old but serviceable milking plants they can extend their life by upgrading and automating them with state-ofthe art technology.
Another Doug Fowell shed being constructed.
A work in progress.
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Kaine Maddox from Rural Taranaki; Joshua Prestidge from Presco Products; farm owner Peter Muller and Builder Doug Fowell from Doug Fowell Construction.
Page 13
Joshua Prestidge from Presco Products with the bridge they built.
The new Westfalia plant is in place and ready to go.
A new dairy shed and a new bridge built too As well as being agents for Westfalia Surge Milking plant and Westfalia Seperator, Rural Taranaki are also agents for Wetit teat sprays so they were due be back in Peter’s shed in to get his Wetit Automatic Teat Spray system up and spraying. Peter and Stephen are well aware of importance of cow udder hygiene for the control of mastitis so they use the Wetit system to ensure their cow’s teats and udders are well protected. After 17 years in the business of teat sprays Wetit reckon their research has developed a system that gives a teat coverage second to none, but research is on-going to make sure they stay in front of the field. To supply power to the milking platform
(and everything else) Peter hired Sinclair Electrical. Sinclair have often worked with Heritage Farm Dairies so Peter was quite happy to go with this recommendation when it came to putting in the dairy’s wiring and refrigeration. Sinclairs are based in nearby Opunake and have a reputation among the locals for being good and reliable tradesmen, as well as being pleasant to deal with. And the finishing touches were put to the dairy by D R Gray Ltd, local painters from just down the road in Hawera. “We usually use Jack Gray for all our painting,” said Doug. “They come in and do all the block work, then they’ll paint all the rooms and the rest of it (when the builders are fin-
Kaine Maddox from Rural Taranaki with some of the plant he is installing.
ished). The only thing they didn’t do was some of the staining and painting on the timber work—that was done by Stephen and Nerida.”
Bridging a stream
Outside, the new dairy needed a new access way for the tanker, which meant bridging a stream in a fairly deep gully. Enter Presco Products, specialists in prestressed concrete, to build the foundations and abutments for a substantial bridge. Presco Products designed the bridge to transit specifications (54 tonne) which means it can take the tanker or a fully loaded truck and trailer of palm kernel. Presco Products originally started in 1991 with an industrial electrical business that some-
Kaine Maddox from Rural Taranaki inspects the roller system.
how morphed into Presco Products producing concrete products. “We bought this concrete business and developed it into what we now call Presco Products which produces precast products for farms. Anything for farms from troughs to cliptogether modular bins for palm kernel,” said Presco Product’s Contract Manager, Joshua Prestidge. And they still have the industrial electrical business. And, Doug assured me, the new dairy would be completed before the season started—I’m sure Stephen and Nerida will be looking forward to being able to go from the old and into the new as soon as possible.
By Graeme Dobson
Kaine Maddox from Rural Taranaki with the Westfalia milking plant.
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MURDOCH TRUST
Page 14
Coast & Country
Drystock to dairy in less than four months
By Lois McKinley
Jim Murdoch and his wife Bronwyn live in Whenuakura near Patea. They have lived in the area for 25 years, after making the move over from Levin. The farm at Maxwell is a beautiful rolling farm with gorgeous sea views as far as the eye can see. The couple have three sons – Aaron, Jarrod and Daniel, plus daughter Bailee.
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All three sons are dairy farmers, with Aaron and his wife Kate winning the Taranaki sharemilker of the year competition for 2011. Four years ago Jim and Bronwyn purchased a drystock farm at Maxwell. Their sons managed to talk them into converting this into a dairy farm. In January 2011 the sons got talking to Jim about putting the money into dairying, as there was just not enough income off drystock. On the first of April the first post was dug, and by July 25 the operation was up and run-
ning. Jarrod had a huge input into the setup of the farm. The farm consists of 111 hectares, with 80 effective hectares and milks 225 cows. Alexander Contractors (ACL) were hired to do the full earthworks job for the conversion, including all races and crossings as well as site prep for the new house, dairy shed and tanker track. Richard Alexander has been in business in the local area for 18 years, and has a selection of heavy machinery including five diggers, a grader, two trucks and trailers and a trans-
Jim Murdoch & Jared Belton.
porter. The Alexanders also have their own shellrock quarry, which is a handy addition to the business. Richard constructed all the new races using a base of AP40 and topped with AP20 race fines. Two crossing were also installed with culverts underneath. In total approximately 15000 cubes of soil was removed for the entire job. Richard used metal from his own quarry for the site base on both the dairy shed and new house. The tanker track was laid with AP60, as were the house and shed sites.
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Looking down the bail wi PPP feed bins. th the
All up Alexander Contracting spent two months at the Murdochs. The new dairy is a 34 aside herringbone Waikato Milking Systems shed, which has been set-up with 26 sets of cups for now. The reason Jim chose to go with a Waikato shed was because it was a New Zealand made plant and was simplistic to run. Chris Watkins from Waikato Milking Systems says “Simplicity-wise very few sheds are as hi-tech in terms of function and use. This design is so easy for the farmer to use.”
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Page 15
Efficient swing-over herringbone
John Hunger from McCarty & Hunger. The plant is Waikato Supa 4 swing-over herringbone with 26 bails, also equipped with a 100mm milkline, SmartPuls Pulsation with filtered air system, G2 Cluster washers with variable flow controls and non-return valves, a Hurricane slugwash system and Waikato 320 claws and light weight shells. The claw has a five year warranty, with the seal being the only milk contact point and the only replaceable part. “We make stuff for New Zealand farmers for New Zealand conditions,” explains Chris. A Fristam high performance milk-pump with variable speed flow controls has also been installed along with a Maxi top loading filter and an Industrial milk cooler, and not to forget a Waikato Blower vacuum pump with
SmartAir variable speed drive four inch milk lines and wash injector. There is a smart air variable speed drive. A Waikato Supa 4 is a high performance swing-over herringbone system capable of milking large volume animals quickly and efficiently. It uses a single 100mm milkline to maintain stable milking vacuum and avoid flooding during peak milk flow periods. The Hurricane slug wash system, a standard feature on Supa 4 ensures excellent cleaning every time. Powered by a 32mm electronic air injector the wash system can be infinitely adjusted to get perfect results and is able to maintain optimum hygienic conditions without user intervention. Fast, simple, efficient and the easiest machine to use is how you
would best describe a Waikato Supa 4. The property had a brand spanking new house built on it for the contract milkers. Jared Belton of Belton Builders took me up to the house for a preview. It is a lovely three bedroom brick home, and is situated on the hilltop to maximise the extensive sea views that the property has to offer. Jared has been building in Wanganui for four years, and prior to that he was sheep and beef farming in Waitotara. Jared is in partnership on his farm with his brothers, but it’s just not big enough to accommodate the four of them, so Jared decided to go back to his building career. Jared did a four-year apprenticeship before becoming a qualified builder. Although Jared is a one-man-band, his brothers are always available when required for a helping hand. McCarty & Hunger from Patea spent a couple of days at the Murdoch’s installing the effluent system and wash-down system as well as farm pumps. I spoke with John who explained to me that McCarty and Hunger is a family owned business, and has been in business in Patea
since 1878. The business has been family owned through four generations. John did his apprenticeship when he worked for his dad and later purchased the business. The business is still operating out of the original building. John has a selection of trenchers and diggers, and runs a very successful engineering business. Johns’ shop has a huge assortment of pumps, farming products, general hardware and fishing supplies for sale. The effluent pond is 18m x 18m and 4 metres deep. Effluent is gravity fed to the pond and is then pumped from the pond to the paddocks via a travelling irrigator. The pond was lined with a liner from Aspect Environmental Lining. The HDPE liner is welded together, with every weld tested prior to leaving site. This gives confidence that the pond is leak free and compliant. The HDPE is UV resistant and comes with comprehensive material and installation guarantees.
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MURDOCH TRUST
Coast & Country
Individual feed system for cows The liner was installed with the assistance of Alexander Contractors The shed uses dairy detergents purchased from FIL to keep the plant spic and span. FIL’s range of hygiene products are suitable for all farms and are New Zealand made. Their range of specialty cleaners and detergents cater for variable water types, foam and temperature profiles, and achieve outstanding cleaning results every time. The Jim Murdoch Herringbone feed system was the second feed system PPP have installed for Jim Murdoch. The company was proud to be selected again to work with Jim and his team. The PPP feed system is a standard PPP feed system complete with stainless steel trays with one dispenser per cow. The feed dispenser, which is the heart of the system, can feed down to 0.50 kg of feed and it has an easy adjustment tab to change feed rates and with a clear base this allows the farmer to view there is feed in the dispenser from within the pit. PPP use large auger lines from the silo into the shed so the system can handle PKE. The drive units are a special feature as the motors used are 1.5 Left to right: Jim Murdoch & Chris Watkins. (Waikato Milking Systems).
kW coupled to robust German manufactured Nord gearboxes - once again to handle PKE. The silo is a standard 25m3, termed 16-tonner, silo with a sight glass to view the feed in the silo and also fitted with ground opening lid and bag out chute. PPP fit two steel balls into the base of the silo to help PKE flow. A new development is an automated vibrator system that offers a 99 per cent guarantee that PKE will not bridge. At a later date PPP can fit a molasses injection system and also add on an in line mineral dispenser system. With one dispenser fitted per cow at a later individualised feeding of cows is also possible herd management. This would require the addition of a small auger and motor to each dispenser the appropriate software and hardware to individualise feeding. PPP celebrates 50 years of business this year. The company is proud to say since 1967 when it installed New Zealand’s first feed system that it has continued to develop systems to ensure customers have the latest and best possible system for in shed feeding. PPP have installed feed systems in to small 6-bale walk through up to large 70 aside sheds. Armourshield Surfaces Ltd from Normanby applied the Specialist Nuplex Epoxy coatings in the shed. Armourshield Surfaces Ltd are contractors specializing in industrial and commercial epoxy coatings with many years’ experience applying coatings in cowsheds, dairy factories, processing plants and industrial buildings. This work is carried out to new buildings or buildings requiring maintenance or refurbishment. They have been a licensed applicator of Nuplex products for over 12 years.
Congratulations to the Murdoch’s on their New Dairy Shed.
MURDOCH TRUST
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BAYLISS EQUITIES
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Coast & Country
Mentors, now equity partners in Taranaki farm Retrofitting a second hand rotary milking platform with state of the art gear paid Chris and Harry off big time with a saving of close to half a million dollars. By Graeme Dobson
The old Shed.
Chris and Ali McQuaig have an interesting set up on this Taranaki dairy farm—they’re both equity partners in it and share milkers on it - slightly unusual perhaps, but a logical outcome when you look at the farm’s history and the McQuaig’s careers in the dairy industry. The farm belongs to Harry Bayliss who converted it to dairy in 1981, then slowly built it up by acquiring new land. In 2004/5 season Chris and Ali came in as a lower order share milkers and Harry and wife Helen took them under their wing and began acted as business mentors, a role they’ve continued ever since. The McQuaigs only stayed on the farm for one season at that time, taking the opportunity to step up to a 50/50 share milking position on a family trust farm. They then moved on to a bigger property near Hawera where they milked 580 cows. But all the while Harry and Helen had been keeping an eye on them and a couple of years ago offered them an equity partnership back on their farm. “Now we’re 30 per cent share milkers for our company, which we own 35 per cent of. It works well,” said Chris enthusiastically.
The farm has now grown to 100 ha effective with another 29 ha runoff just down the road, and Chris milks 400 kiwi and Friesian-cross cows with the help of one staff member while Ali looks after the calves. But the 30 year old rotary was not up to the job so Harry and Chris started looking round for a viable replacement. They found it in the form of a 44 bail second-hand steel rotary platform about 15 km away and a builder called Doug Fowell from Heritage Farm Dairies. “Doug has a standard design, then just altered that plan to suit our needs. He spends a lot of time at the start, taking you around various sheds that he’s built,” Chris explained. “In the end we just picked the best out of a lot of sheds, just trying to keep the cow flow the best we could,” says Chris. “We use our experience to ensure no common design faults come into the shed,” added Doug, “and make sure that cow flow (and just as importantly, people flow) are well thought out.” They decided to site the new shed close to the old where they could use the existing lane ways and infrastructure, but first there were a couple of obstacles to overcome. “We started clearing a big lot of old pine trees that were growing on the site in February 2011, then in March we began carting in clay to build the platform up. As you can see it was as low as that paddock, so the whole site had to built-up. We were bringing in 600 cubes a day, then once the foundations were set we started the actual shed on May 4,” Chris explained.
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Second hand platform brought significant savings “We commissioned it on January 25 and finished the last three months of the season in it.” Doug Fowell from Heritage Farm Dairies had been involved right from the start, helping with such details as deciding on the site and orientation, shed and effluent management design, and finally getting approvals and permits. Once the trees were cleared, he marked out the site and set up peg heights to guide Chris and Harry when they built it up. Then he came back and prepared the foundations for the milking platform and finally he built the new shed and yards around the platform. The milking platform, Chris told me, was bought in one piece from about 15 km away.
The upgraded Waikato Milking System works perfectly on the reconditioned platform.
be. “They had it up pretty high to get it over all the road signs and this old lady came down Normandy Road and turned left, straight under the platform. Didn’t see it, just drove off. To this day she wouldn’t be aware she’d done it, but it was lucky they were carrying it so high.” That definitely could have been nasty. “Once we got it in we blasted and painted it underneath,” Chris continued. “Doug’s team poured all the foundation concrete for it to sit on; we put all the main bearing hubs in the centre then got the crane back to drop it in.” New Plymouth company Ian Roebuck Crane Hire did all the picking up and putting down. Ian Roebuck has been in the crane hire business since 1979 when they started out with two cranes—now they have a fleet of cranes ranging from 2.5 tonne to a 250 tonne Liebherr, a large modern transport fleet and a staff of 24 with the experience and capability to handle any challenge. They’ve built a reputation for a strong service ethos and a personal commitment in ensuring customers are put first, and the company places a strict emphasis on health and safety. This reputation has ensured that his relationships with major customers flourished—including the Taranaki petro-chemical industry which today uses 85 per cent of the company’s services. With this capacity and experience this job presented no problems at all.
New fittings
The Waikato Milking System's milk hub inside the reconditioned platform.
50 tonne crane
The Wetit Teat Spray system control.
“We picked it up with a 50 tonne crane from Ian Roebuck Crane Hire, put it on a truck and carted it in, up the road and through these top paddocks.” There were no real problems, but all the traffic had to be off the road—or at least was supposed to
On arrival the milking platform was in good condition but sorely in need of an upgrade, so once it was on site they set to work. All the steel work was kept, but all new bearings, housings and fittings were installed, then they brought in Hamilton based Waikato Milking Systems to upgrade all the milking plant with up to date WMS equipment. “It had all Waikato Milking System gear on it originally so we brought them in for the
BAYLISS EQUITIES
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Coast & Country
State of art upgrade up-grade, we even installed Waikato’s waves in the bails. We fitted new bail gates, top of the line Waikato Smart electronic cup removers, a new Flo-max milk pump, reconditioned everything. All the pulsators came off, were retrofitted, all the joins on the milk lines—upgraded everything, now it’s pretty much state of the art,” explained Chris. And with Waikato Milking system gear, that’s about as good as it gets. Before all the new fittings could go in they needed protection from the Taranaki elements, so Doug and his crew set to and worked through the winter— challenging at times, especially when it snowed, but neither the elements nor anything else could stop them producing a The Wilco and Waverly high quality product. Doug doesn’t just ‘Wrangler’ hoof trimming work with his customsystem. ers and continually consult with them during the building process to ensure a design and layout that suits their needs; he’s happy to physically work with them as well. If a farmer wants to actually work on the building (such as Chris and Harry packing the foundations) he’s more than happy to accommodate them. The Heritage Farm Dairies can incorporate pretty much anything the farmer needs. This shed incorporates an easily accessible chemical storage room, a sliding mesh curtain across the cow entry and exit for bird proofing and grill roller doors for security and ventilation. Outside they offers a choice of round or rectangular yards, in this case they built
Builders Heritage Farm Dairies have made an excellent job of all aspects of the shed no matter which way you look at it.
Mark Ward from FIL.
TEAT
SPRAYERS
rectangular yards fitted with a fully automated flood wash system using recycled water from the shed effluent system diluted with a percentage of fresh water—seriously reducing water usage.
No stray voltage
Doug is particularly strong on reducing stray voltage and static electricity. “During construction we take special care to ensure all the buildings and yards are completely earthed out,” he explained. “This includes using all fibre glass FRP gratings which are non-conductive and insulate against any static electricity.” They must be doing it right because when Chris had the shed tested for stray voltage and static build up it came in with one of the lowest readings on record. To one side of the shed Heritage Farm Dairies built a covered in vetting area that houses a fine example of good Kiwi ingenuity—a Wilco & Waverley ‘Wrangler’ hoof trimming press. The Wrangler has often been quoted as one of the most valuable pieces of equipment on a farm because it makes treating cows’ hooves safe and easy by immobilising the animal in slings. It then uses a system of slings and ropes to lift and restrain each leg so it can be worked on accurately and safely. The Wrangler came about when nearly 20 years ago a young share milker, Wilco Klein Ovink, decided there had to be a safer way to treat cows’ legs and hooves—so he invented the Wrangler. Soon vets and other farmers persuaded him to enter it in the Fieldays Invention awards, which he won. It wasn’t long before he gave up milking, started a small factory in the Bay of Plenty and is still turning out innovative products for farmers. But back to the dairy. To wire the shed Chris got in another local company, Sinclair Electrical. Before he hired them he did a lot of homework to ensure he got the best, but one of the main reasons he went with Sinclairs was their ability to do all the refrigeration as well so when it comes to service
BAYLISS EQUITIES
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Attention to detail inside and out he’s only got one company to deal with. “They turned out to be very good and very pleasant to deal with,’ said Chris. “It wasn’t straight forward— being a retrofit when you said you wanted something there was a lot of other small things to think about, for instance the milk purge system and not being able to run the air line up through the centre gland so we put conduits through the concrete. Everything had to be in conduits underground. They did all that and had to be on site pretty much from the beginning.”
Udder hygiene
One of the features that Sinclair installed is a Wetit Teat Spray. Cow udder hygiene is important for the control of mastitis and Chris is a loyal fan the Wetit Automatic Teat Spray system. Wetit have been in the business of teat sprays for over 17 years during which their research has contributed to developing a system that gives a teat coverage second to none. “I’ve been using Wetit for about eight years now,” said Chris. “I brought that system with me when I came back. I had in the old shed and then brought it over here. Unfortunately there was a delay in setting it up and teat condition went backward big time, but once we started using it again it came good pretty quickly. You certainly notice it if you don’t use it.” An important part of any dairy shed is sanitation, so Chris called in an expert—Mark Ward, South Taranaki and Wanganui area manager for Mt Maunganui based FIL (Farms and Industries Ltd). Mark set up a wash programme to suit the plant and ensure the wash is effective and keeps the plant clean, then provided all the chemicals to suit the dairy’s needs. “When the shed came in we ‘bombed it’ (a really strong wash) to make sure it was completely clean and everything was working. It’s all very well putting chemicals in, but if the plant doesn’t actually work…..,” said Mark. “We checked the rubbers, made sure the clusters were getting flow through, the receiving cans and milk lines are getting what they need. Without all that working it doesn’t matter what you put in, it just won’t do the job.”
On top of his fixed service programme, if Chris has any issues with grading Mark comes in and finds the problems and fixes it, but that doesn’t happen often. The platform is fitted with an in-shed feeding system supplied by Auckland based stock food company PPP. The system is not as elaborate as some but, it loses nothing from its simplicity which in PPP’s case equates to reliability. The system consists of two large storage silos linked to a mill that cracks the grain, then delivers a fixed portion of grain and/or molasses to a feed bin for each cow to eat a while she is being milked. The finishing touches were put to the dairy by D R Gray Ltd, local painters from just down the road in Hawera. “They were very professional,” remarked Chris. “I’m pretty picky, but I decided to go with them after I looked at a shed up the road that they did. They did a great job of it, I’m very happy with the painting side of things.” D R Gray was established way back in 1956 and
Mark Ward from FIL(R) with share milker Chris McQuaig.
Fibreglass gratings to eliminate static and stray electricity. today they are one of Taranaki’s largest and most successful painting contractors, a member of the Registered Master Painters and an accredited site safe business. When the painters had finished the partnership not only had a state of the art dairy, they’d saved themselves a good $400,000 by using a good second hand platform and retrofitting it with quality plant.
MODCOM
it a
The Wetit Teat Spray system delivery.
pays to have wrangler
By Graeme Dobson
A flood wash system is employed to keep the yards clean.
MORRISON
Page 22
Coast & Country
Three into one made sense
By Lois McKinley
Looking into the shed from the yard.
Left to Right: Bruce Clifton, Charlie Morrison, Tony James and Gary Wallace.
Brrr does it get any colder or windier than this? Apparently this weather is unusual for this time of year, but it was, after all November and still very Winter-like when I visited Charlie and Leeanne Morrison’s new dairy shed at Waitotara. The Morrison’s farm consists of three adjoining properties. Charlie purchased the original farm off his dad back in 1986, after working for wages then working up to lower order sharemilking. Charlie’s dad Milton used to be the chairman of the Whenuakura Dairy Company back in its day. The neighbouring farm was leased and share-milked in various partnerships in 1992, which helped Charlie grow his own business and lead to further farm purchases. Now two further farms have
been purchased that enable them to run as one farm. There is a dairy shed on the top farm, and this latest acquisition had a 13-aside herringbone already on it. This third property was purchased in 2008. Charlie had been sharemilking on the existing farm for a few years when the estate at the time changed structure and gifted the property to QEII, who promptly put it on the market. Charlie and his wife Leeanne purchased the property through an agent, and joined it to the other two properties. Luckily all three farms border one another, which allows access to all farms without the use of stock trucks to cart stock. Because of the restrictions of the old 13-aside shed, and the fact that it was a struggle milking 170 cows, the decision was made to demolish the shed and build a new 24 aside DeLaval MidiLine Milking System, which will now allow the milking of 220 cows.
Made in New Zealand
Congratulations to the Morrisons on their New Dairy Shed.
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MORRISON
Page 23
Cow comfort improved in the shed
During winter of 2011 the old shed was demolished and construction of the new shed began. Charlie did site preparation with the use of his six tonne digger. When they began demolishing the old shed they found another old shed buried underneath it which was an old walk through. This delayed building by two days as it took considerable time to excavate the old buildings. Alexander Contractors who also delivered and spread the bulk cartage of the metal for the races constructed two kilometres of races. AP40 and 21fine was used for this. Richard and Justine Alexander have owned and operated their business for 20 years covering the local areas in South Taranaki. The contracting business is equipped with five diggers and two bulk trucks. Richard says they have done four full dairy conversions now, plus they do a lot of bulk cartage, metals races and cart race metal as well as doing a lot of quarry work.
When Tony came from town he didn’t know one end of the cow from the other. Previously a builder he has adapted extremely well to dairying, and has become a very important part of the dairying operation. Kylie has her own plastering business, but also assists in the day to day running of the farm and milkings.
Entry level is a good level
Charlie chose to install a DeLaval 24 bail MidiLine Milking System, which was installed by Dairy Pro from Hawera. The Morrison’s chose to go with DeLaval and Dairy Pro because they were given a very competitive price and have also dealt with DeLaval since the mid 80’s. Gary Wallace from Dairy Pro in Hawera was designated to show me around the DeLaval plant and what he considered to be the more important aspects of the Morrison’s shed. Gary was a dairy farmer for 18 years A foot in each camp prior to his shed Charlie’s top farm is Fonterra fitting career, so supplied, and the new shed has a good undersupplies milk to Open Country standing of what Cheese. The reason for this is is right from a ed ir because of capital restraints, and milkers perspecfrom Hardw ard. Ricky Lee bo Charlie wanted money freed up for tive in the dairy f the meter farm capital. It also allows Charlie shed, and has showing of to have a foot in each camp, so to no problems advising speak. clients of particular ideas that may or may Tony and Kylie James are herd managers at the not work better, so that the farmer can make a farm, and have been working on the farm for better informed choice. two and a half seasons at the time of my visit. Gary says, “This is an entry level shed with few
Gary Wallace from Dairy Pro showing how the filter system works in the Vacuum Pump. bells and whistles, but it is a very user friendly and effective shed all the same.” The blower vacuum pump is an upgrade and is larger than what is normally installed for this size shed. The reason is that it provides a variable speed drive, and therefore the pump would not be running at maximum speed therefore saving running costs. The VSD is designed to stabilize the vacuum down the pit and to give better cow comfort. The user friendly vacuum pump is an oil-less system, which saves the farmer having to maintain the system when they already have enough man hours in the day to day running of the farm. A service schedule is put in place whereby Dairy Pro will come in and service and maintain the equipment. The LVP 3000 Vacuum Pump includes a pre filter interceptor, which prevents any contami-
nants and dust coming into the line. There is also a secondary interceptor so absolutely nothing gets into the blower. The lifespan of these filters is roughly four to five years dependant on what type of feed is fed to cows. If using lots of grainy feed the lifespan of the filters is considerably shorter. The filters are washed and checked as part of the service. The pump itself is very quiet when fitted with the VSD. The equipment is brought in already pre-made and just bolted down on the floors. The milk lines are 100 ml, which is standard size, and has high flow maximum air going through them. Throughout the shed adaptable entries have been installed to allow for milk line upgrades when and if required. The pulsation is basic EP50 with filtered air. Each pulsator operates two clusters in alternate pulsation. The pulsation is filtered to keep everything clean and extend the life of the product. The shed has been fitted with DeLaval swing down jetters. The clusters are MC 2 Proton (2+2), and the claws and shells are designed to provide a medium weight cluster. The claw features large bore inlets and outlet for high milk flow rates. Gary says, “A lot of what is in this shed is as close to bullet-proof as you can get.” Dairy Pro had two full time employees working at the shed doing the installation of the DeLaval plant. “From start to finish it took about ten days,” says Gary. There is a Dairy Innovations supplied heat exchanger which was invented by Charlie himself, and which won a Fieldays award back in 2004. The heat exchanger saves 30 per cent on hot water heating costs.
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MORRISON
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Coast & Country
Well organised project The shed was built by Bruce Clifton from Waitotara. Bruce has been a local builder now for eight years after returning to building after a break from it. Bruce builds houses, farm buildings sheds and dairy sheds. Charlie chose Bruce because he was local, had good workmanship and was more then happy to accommodate changes along the way if they were necessary. The site itself was quite difficult and did require some changes early on. After making a few changes and getting it approved by council the build began in earnest. The design changed from the original plan so that the open side of the shed was turned to face south, to accommodate cow entry and exit as well as yard design. Charlie wanted to keep costs down so required some involvement in the building process which Bruce was more than happy to adapt. Bruce laid the
block-work for the milk room and pit prior to commencing the building work. From whoa to go Bruce was there for three months doing all he had to do to get the building finished in time for plant installation. Because the build happened during winter there were days when the contractors were pushing wheelbarrows knee deep through mud to get the work done. The milk room has been kitted out with a nice hardiglaze wall paneling, which apart from being durable and easy to clean, couples as a whiteboard for little happy birthday messages with hearts on it. The steel beams were all put in place by Bruce and then Donald Jennings from Jennings Engineering in Manaia came along and welded them all together.
Jennings Engineering constructed and manufactured all the pipe and yard work, bales gates for the shed. “It was a very well organised project”, said Bruce, “We all worked well together.” The drainage was done by Bruce and Charlie, and was future proofed so that they didn’t end up with blockages at a later stage, and also includes a big
Looking into the pit. The new vet race being used with Tony James to the left and AI technician Murray Donnithorne. inspection hole in the center of the yard. Bruce employs two labour units, Scott Ferris and Earl Donnithorne. And both of them assisted with this job.
Wired the Hardwired way
Ricky Lee from Hardwired Industries in Wanganui was on hand to guide me through the electrical installation process.
Disconnection of the old shed was done prior to the pole being moved to accommodate the new shed. Hardwired Industries did the full electrical install apart from the vat wiring. The mains to the new building were installed after the conduiting was put in underground, prior to the concrete being laid. “Charlie knew what he wanted right from the start,” says Ricky “So it was an awesome job to work on.” One of the registered sparkies, Ben Runciman project managed the job, and built the shed up to completion. Hardwired Industries installed all new metering, plus lighting in the plant room, and pit control wiring. Hardwired Industries cover quite a large area, from South Taranaki, to Wanganui and up into Ohakune, Waiouru. Nathan from DR Gray Ltd did the painting of the brickwork and pit walls, with a coating of muraflex. Jack Gray founded DR Gray Ltd way back in 1956. Years of dedicated service have seen it evolve into a trustworthy and efficient company. Jack started his painting business with one other painter and the business expanded rapidly throughout the 1960s and 1970s. At one stage forty-five staff were employed working on the state-of-the-art Whareroa By Lois McKinley Dairy Factory in 1973.
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Page 26
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Coast & Country
Keeping it simple works for Ian Oliver The dairy’s pretty straightforward— and it’s always good to keep things simple. By Graeme Dobson
It’s a little surprising that there are still conversions going on five minutes from Palmerston North—most of the land that can be used for dairy is already producing. So when Ian Oliver purchased this 120 ha beef property he wasted no time converting it to a dairy unit. He started milking on April 1, 2011 and winter milked for the first season, but this year he’s going to a more conventional season with a 300 strong herd For his new dairy he looked into the pros and cons of the different sheds and systems on the market before deciding on a 32 aside herring-
bone, with room for expansion to 40 aside. Why a herringbone? “Because it’s simple, good flow and easy to maintain,” said Ian. “And it’s efficient, it only takes about one and a quarter hours per milking.” The milking is done by share milkers Michele and Keil Berry who started with the new shed and seem more than happy with it. “It’s a great shed, very free flowing. Cow flow is fantastic, actually I haven’t seen a better shed for cow flow,” said Keil. Where he could, Ian used local contractors to plan, build and fit out his dairy, for instance the called in Matt Parkinson from Palmerston North company Crozier Refrigeration Ltd to install all the new dairy’s refrigeration needs. Crozier Refrigeration has been operating independently since 2007 and one of the reasons
Ian went to them is the strong service ethic they’ve developed over that time. Matt puts all his customers on a regular annual service contract—the first one’s free—and he’s on call 24 hours for any emergencies, and because they cover an area within about an hour’s radius of Palmerston North, they’re well able to deliver on their service promise. But there’s seldom a problem with the gear he installs.
Robust systems
“We’re using variable speed fan drives on all the refrigeration units. This keeps the refrigeration process in a constant flow. If you compared it to driving a car it’s like driving on the open highway instead of around town where you stop/start all the time.” Matt explained. “The gear we use has proven itself to be very robust. I enjoy putting them in because I know we won’t have any trouble from them.” Exploreshowed the world’s Matt’s also an innovator—he me the new Dairy Unit Controller which he developed
because he couldn’t find one to meet his standards (he now sells them to a couple of large companies along with his own customers). And that’s not his only innovation; on a trailer out front is his newly developed agitator colostrum tank that he’s brought along to show Mathew Williams, Milfos Area Sales Manager for the lower North Island. Milfos International is a Hamilton based, family owned business that’s been in the dairy industry for many years and built an impressive reputation for service and reliability. Crozier Refrigeration is a Milfos agent, so Matt installed a new Milfos iconverter glycol chilling system, an innovative new refrigeration system that super chills glycol using off-peak power. The glycol is then used to rapidly cool the milk to 4-6o C and maintain it in the vats at 4o C—all at off peak electricity rates. Further power savings are made by using the heat most scenic with recovered fromlandscapes the milk for the shed’s hot water.
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Page 27
Up-grade to automation would be easy With the Milfos interject cleaning system the milking plant is kept absolutely clean.
Matt Park in from Cro son refrigerati zier on,farm owner Ia Mathew W n Oliver, il li ams from Milfos an dG from Farm rant Ebert Supplies. s The Milfo intelpump ow and intelfl . stem milking sy the first things you notice about this shed is the overhead Milfos intelarm swing arms. These carry all the milk and pulsation lines inside a rigid framework that can be swung from side to side of the pit so that the cups hang just behind the cow. When the cups come off they’re swung across to the other FARM VAT REFRIGERATION SPECIALISTS side—all very neat, tidy and efficient. A Swing arms Service, Installation, Maintenance, Advice. far cry from the clutter of hoses that is The Milfos ixpress4 midline milking normally associated with a herringbone system is alsoFree impressive, and one of Phone: 0800COLDMILK “It suits the bigger sheds and allows us to put 4-6o milk into the vat and produces a lot of hot water in the process,’ said Matt. “We use a high pressure refrigeration support by refrigerant inDairy theFarm direct expansion machine outside to cool the glycol and to produce the hot water.”
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pit and important in improving operator efficiency. But Mathew said he’d had competition for Ian’s custom. “When Ian brought this property we knew we had our work cut out as he was talking to all our major opposition companies. But the package we’ve got, the ixpress milking system, is a sound product with options from the basic right through to full automation,” he explained. Included in the package are variable speed drives on the vacuum pumps that only run at the speed needed to create required vacuum, rather than running at full speed all milking. This saves both power and maintenance because the pumps are working less. “Ian’s gone middle of the road, but is ready to upgrade to automation. The swing arms will allow us to install cup removers at any time—they’ll easily bolt right on to the arms,” explained Mathew. Ian also has the Milfos iAssist swing-down jetter, a CIP system that sits above the milker’s heads while they’re milking, then swings down to an easy height for the cups to attach to for washing by the Milfos automatic intelwash.
Push of a button
“This system means the milkers don’t have to handle any chemicals, they just have to push one button and it’s all done. And there’s piece of mind knowing that there’s a good, consistent wash every day,” said Mathew. But they had a pretty tight time frame for the job. “It was Central Districts Field Days time, that’s the
March 15, when we delivered the system and it had to be up and running by April,” said Mathew. So Grant Ebert from Farm Supplies Central Ltd had his work cut out fitting out the shed for Milfos. Farm Supplies Ltd has been Milfos agents for about 17 years now and are well versed in their products, but they don’t just install Milfos gear. “We plumbed out the shed in terms of the wash down water, the cooler water and the all the other plumbing fittings needed. We also supplied and installed the effluent pumps. Actually we did pretty much all of it, apart from the actual building,” Grant explained. “An extra we put in that’s a little bit different is the storm water diversion that’s part of the effluent system. Once the wash down’s finished there’s an actuated valve to divert storm water away from the effluent system to protect it from dealing with the excess. At this time of year it really pays for itself.”
Corrugated tanks
An integral part of the water system Grant installed for the shed is the Promax water tank that stores all the dairy’s water. This is a one piece corrugated construction plastic tank, supplied by Promax Engineered Plastics, which claim to be New Zealand’s most progressive and innovative providers of liquid handling and storage solutions. The fact that it is moulded in one piece means no joins, so no weak points, and the ribbed dome roof and corrugated wall profile makes it extra strong (in the same way as a corrugated iron sheet is much stronger than a flat one)—in fact it’s the only plastic tank that can be buried to one metre deep.
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OLIVER
Page 28
Coast & Country
Neat job impresses team
rm rt from Fa Grant Ebe entral (L) C es li pp s, Su w William and Mathe anager for m s le sa ea . ar rnational Milfos Inte
Matt Parkinson sho ws Milfos area sales manager Mathew Williams his new Crozier refrigeratio n colostrum tank.
Matt Parkinson fro m Crozier Refrigerati on with the new dairy control unit he developed and manufactures. s
The Milfo plant.
Milfos intelarm swing a rms.
Promax’s superior design and manufacturing process enable them to offer a wide range products at an affordable rate to householders, farmers and industry, including an economical alternative to concrete flood wash tanks and effluent storage. And if they haven’t got exactly what you want Promax’s modification team can prepare tanks to meet your particular requirements. All Promax tanks are fully UV stable and certified food grade polyethylene that complies with Australia and New Zealand Potable (Drinking) Water Standards. And the choice of 14 colours and smart low or narrow design to suit your available space means they look good as well. But Promax tanks share a problem with a few other products—farmers make a lot of comments about them if they’re not happy, but there’s very little to say if they do their job properly—they just tend to sit in the background. So when I asked Grant about the Promax tank he said: “What can I say? We ordered it, it arrived right on time (with free delivery), it was easy to install and it’s doing exactly what it’s designed for.” And Promax tanks carry a 20 year warranty so they can be confident that it will continue to do it for a long time.
Keeping it clean
Finally Ian had Palmerston North based company Surfatex Ltd paint the dairy. Surfatex are specialists in commercial and industrial surface protection, which includes dairy sheds, and they’re the only licensed applicators in the lower North Island of the Acraflex Dairy Wall Coating system. Acraflex is designed specifically to seal the walls and prevent bacteria build up in dairy sheds with a hard wearing and easy to clean finish. And it looks good, too. “A good hardy product, and they give a 10 year guarantee on the wall paint,” said Ian. (Paint seems to share the water tank’s problem). But wall painting is not the only service Surfatex offer the farmer—their floor coatings protect concrete against acid corrosion and their heavy aggregate resin overlays provide a hard wearing, non-slip surface. And where old concrete is worn their polymer cement overlays give ‘good as new’ finish at a fraction of the cost of a new concrete job. Like the rest of the shed, it’s certainly a very neat job and Ian, Michele and Keil are all clearly impressed with it. By Graeme Dobson
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TABLE FLATS HOLDING
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Coast & Country
New technology reduces mastitis, frees up labour Lance and Katherine Gillespie bought their property at Apiti in Northen Manawatu in 2004. They milk 385 to 390 cows at the peak on 145 hectares effective and lease a further 180 hectares of hill country to an adjoining sheep and cattle farmer as the steeper country is just not suitable for dairying. Thirty-nine-year old Lance was a city boy and grew up in Palmerston North. The countryside beckoned and he started working on dry stock farms and did some farm machinery work. He took his farming skills to England and the United States where he also gained valuable experience in all types of farming. Returning to New Zealand he went into partnership with his brother on a dry stock
farm in the Manawatu. He is now married to Katherine who is a full time mum of three children and takes on the support role on the farm. The farm is 680 metres above sea level and last year there was a good dumping of snow, which the young children enjoyed but the cows not so much. The dairy shed that was originally on the farm had been added to a number of times. It started life as a 14 a-side herringbone, and at a later stage became a 28 a-side herringbone dairy shed. Over the
years since Lance’s ownership the dairy plant has been upgraded in various stages. “Before the modifications there had to be two milkers in the dairy shed, now with automatic cup removers and ADF we can for the most parts of the season reduce labour to one milker. The ability to free up labour and reduce time spent in the dairy shed was the main draw card for the upgrade,” says Lance. It has given the flexibility for other farm related tasks and allows for more time off. Lance had in the past been searching for
the ADF system will disinfect the teats and sanitise the cluster ready for the next cow
Automatic dipping & flushing…in Reduce Mastitis
End of milking vacuum shut off
Dip is applied to teats
ways to improve labour efficiency and always striving for a better working environment. The Boumatic cup removers are a pleasure to use, just take the weight of the claws and the vacuum starts. For the past three years the cows have been producing 480 kgs of milk solids per cow, which is above average. Lance has installed some exciting new technology in the upgraded dairy shed, which will reduce mastitis in the herd. “We have never really had an issue with somatic cell counts but I decided to take advantage of new technology and install an ADF (Automatic Dipping and Flushing) system,” says Lance. Developed in the UK this system has been available since 2005 and is fast helping farmers to improve the health of their cows. It has
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Teat dipped and protected
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Find out more: visit ADFmilking.com or call 0800 233 645
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TABLE FLATS HOLDING
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Page 31
Lance Gillespie. The Boumatic signature 4300 takeoff controls. Feilding in the Manawatu is the sole been used by dairy farmers throughout Europe, the US and Canada before North Island agent. “I have taken on the dealership as being introduced to New Zealand Boumatic is an old and trusted comabout two years ago. pany. The gear is reliable and has been After each cow has finished milking thoroughly tested in the United States, the ADF system will disinfect the teats performing well when used in 24 hour, and sanitise the cluster ready for the seven day milkings which are a part of next cow to be milked. It only takes a the larger dairy farming scene there. few seconds and the cups are free from Lance wanted the ADF milking system contamination and eliminate the risk and the Boumatic system complements of cross infection such as mastitis. this well,” says Steve Bromley, owner of The system has been designed to Bromley Dairy and Pumps. further automate the milking process, With farmers getting such good saving time and eliminating human results from both systems, Steve has error. The cows are a lot healthier, noticed an increase in the number of reducing the cost of mastitis drugs and installations he is doing. “Farmers just increasing milk yields. love it. It saves them time, the dipping It can be installed on any make or and flushing does the job properly type of dairy shed whether new, existand stops the transfer of bacteria. I am ing, herringbone or rotary. Installation committed to working with milk supis carried out between milkings with pliers to produce a better product.” the minimum of disruption to the Lance had used Bromley Dairy and daily dairy farm routine. Pumps in the past and had every Boumatic milking systems originate confidence in Steve Bromley’s recomin the United States and have been in mendations. “We have a great working production since the 1930’s undergoing several name changes. It has always relationship, there were no hassles Every time you attach a BouMatic milking unit, you’re drawing on been available in New Zealand through when doing the modifications and I now have a modern efficient, working other companies but Boumatic now the highest levels of experience, knowledge and dedication to dairy e drawing on dairy shed. This will suit me for now has a head office in Auckland and is excellence the industry has to offer. ication to dairy and if the opportunity to expand in becoming a major player on the dairy The ADF clusters. the future comes along I will be ready,” farming scene. For BouMatic, it really is all about the cow. Every system, every Looking down the pit at the new ADF says Lance. Bromley Dairy and Pumps, based at stem, every Photos by Lois McKinley By Helen Wilson Every time you attach a BouMatic milking unit, you’re drawing on and Boumatic systems. program, every product we develop is designed for your cow’s our cow’s
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deStination dairy Agriculture New Zealand’s successful Destination Dairy programme is a full time training programme that specifically targets future leaders, share milkers and farm managers, through a carefully planned mix of on the job experience and training, and classroom learning. The programme is well established in the Waikato and Manawatu and is being launched in Canterbury and Auckland in 2013. Students are placed on selected farms, where they experience everything from budgeting to feed management and animal husbandry. Read on to get the perspective from a previous Destination Dairy student.
interView with a deStination dairy Graduate Hazel Vickers is just 19-years-old and has already secured a position working in the industry she plans to be a part of for the rest of her life. The dedicated farm worker is based on a 200+hectare farm on the outskirts of Hamilton, with a milking herd of 627. It is hard work but she loves it. In fact there’s nothing she would rather do. “I’ve wanted to be a farmer all of my life,” she says. “As a child my favourite toy was my plastic farm animal set.” Hazel may be quietly spoken but she also boasts a quiet authority that comes from being secure in your work environment. “This is everything I have ever wanted to do. I love working outside all year round and everything about it. My goal is firstly to work my way up to a management position and ultimately to have my own farm.” The Katikati teenager is just one of the many success stories from the Destination Dairy training programme, based in Te Awamutu. Having been home schooled for many years, Hazel always found the high school environment challenging. “I was extremely shy and got bullied a lot at school. I did my final year by correspondence, studying horticulture because agriculture wasn’t an option.” Her commitment to farming was obvious from the start, with a year spent working on a sheep and beef farm and then in a voluntary position on a dairy property, just for the experience. “I never missed a day, I even worked on Christmas day, because I just wanted to learn everything and find a way into farming.” It was a chance flyer in her mother’s letterbox that led Hazel to Destination Dairy – and she says it was one of the best decisions she ever made. Hazel paid her full course fee with money raised by picking avocados. It was money well spent and has set her up for a promising future career. In fact Hazel was head hunted for a full-time farming position before her training was even completed. Hazel says the opportunity to learn first hand through farm placement was a key ingredient to success. The year-long course ensures students gain experience in all seasonal based dairy farming activities. Students learn practical skills on a working farm, while learning the theory behind farming in the classroom. Agriculture New Zealand staff are passionate about ensuring every student comes out with a full skill set in dairying, plus a thorough knowledge of the technology that makes the New Zealand dairy industry a world beater. Places are limited to 14-18 students each annual intake which enables us to deliver a top quality programme to people of all ages including those from urban backgrounds. This programme creates the pathway to an exciting and rewarding career by providing the tools, the experience and more importantly, the opportunity. Contact Agriculture New Zealand for more information or to register your interest on 0800 475 455 or visit our website www.agnz.co.nz
NISTABEN PARTNERSHIP
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Coast & Country
Technology key to keeping farming in the family By Helen Wilson
Unlike a lot of dairy farms in Southland, Robert and Jane Flett of Nistaben Partnership are the third generation dairy farmers on this farm at Scotts Gap, Otautau in Southland. “My grandfather and his brother had two farms of 145 hectares each. They ran sheep and milked 180 cows as a “town supply” until the early 1960s. There were lots of small dairy farms around then and a number of small
dairy factories. Demand for wool was high and prices were good in the 1950s due to the Korean War. It was needed to make soldier’s uniforms and the dairy farmers went into sheep farming. Things have changed now and sheep farms are being converted to dairying,” says Robert Flett. Robert’s father, 79 year old Jim Flett was a dairy company director for more than 30 years, from the 1960s to 1994. He remembers when there were 70 different dairy factories
in Southland and these dwindled down to five during the wool boom. “I was involved with amalgamating the smaller dairy factories to one big factory at Edendale which is now the largest dairy factory in the Southern Hemisphere. It has gone from producing 4,700 tons of cheese to over 300,000 tons,” says Jim. Back in 1992 Jim and his codirectors decided to be pro-active and encourage North Island dairy farmers to come south where the pastures were lush and there were no droughts. A group of them attended the National
Fieldays at Hamilton and expected to entice 10 to 15 farmers to move south. “We got 35 the first year and 72 the following year. Southland is now recognised as a major dairy producing province of New Zealand." Jim still takes an active interest in the farm and likes to keep up with the latest production figures. The two farms had an old 36 bail rotary dairy shed and a 30 aside herringbone which had started life as a 12 bail walk through and a 12 aside herringbone. With an increase in herd numbers to 750 at the peak both
these proved inadequate even with the cows in two herds. The decision was made to build a modern 54 bail rotary dairy. It was started in the early winter of 2011 and finished at Labour Weekend of the same year. “To get the best utilisation out of this dairy we will be winter milking. This means the dairy will be in use all year round and I have invested in a cow barn which will allow for greater flexibility. The milking cows can winter there and because it adjoins the dairy, they are readily available for milking,” says Robert.
The platform an d WestfaliaSurge GEA cluster.
The cow bails
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on the platfo
Left to right: Rodney Cook, Richard Erwood, Darren Main, Robert and Jane Flett, Conrad Waihape and Stephen Marr.
Water Tanks and consulting
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Clear span design light and airy Richard Erwood shows the scale of the cow barn built by Rakaia Engineering. The Norseman fabric cow barn is a clearspan structure which is an excellent alternative to conventional structures such as wood or steel. Exceptional quality control on the fabric covers results in the most durable fabric covered buildings in the industry. The clear-span design sees the absence of internal pillars or posts allowing maximum use of the total space, and the high ceilings provides for excellent air flow. The translucent fabric cover plus the reflection from the white interior of the fabric increases the natural light within the building which reduces or eliminates the need for artificial lighting during daylight hours, saving thousands of dollars each year in additional lighting costs. Total project costs, including construction, can be significantly less than prefabricated steel or wood structures particularly in clear-span applications and the fabric cover is virtually maintenance free. They don’t trap dust or dirt and don’t require painting to maintain their clean appearance. Norseman building designs meet the same building codes as pre-engineered steel
structures, and are designed and engineered with combined snow and wind loads in strict accordance with the building code. The Norseman compliments the range of agricultural structures that Rakaia Engineering Limited Group provides to the dairy industry. The feed mix provided for the cows in the barn is supplied by CRT Co-operative which is a South Island wide rural supply co-operative. They can supply a standard stock food or a special mix to suit the client. It exists for one reason and that is the use of the collective power of the shareholders to negotiate better deals and improve profitability for all types of agriculture. As well as a variety of stock food they supply all other types of merchandise that farmers require. Its rapid growth and success is a good indication that its retail pricing is very competitive. Preparing the ground works for this major construction was the responsibility of Conrad Waihape of Waihape Excavators based at Nightcaps. His son Ra and two others work for him. They do mostly rural work such as dairy conversions, land clearing and drains. “With this project we prepared the founda-
tions for the Kliptank, the cow barn, the dairy shed and yards and prepared the raceways. We had more bad weather than good, especially during winter. To get a stable base we had to dig out a lot of dirt and back fill it with rock and replace the top soil. There is still some landscaping to do and then it will look magnificent” says Conrad. Robert chose a GEA WestfaliaSurge milking plant supplied and installed by Laser Electrical of Gore. They are the GEA WestfaliaSurge dealer for all of Southland. “The plant is as high tech as gear can go at the moment. The soft gentle slow milking of a GEA WestfaliaSurge plant got Robert interested from the beginning. It also provided him with as much monitoring of the cows as he could get with the identification collars the cows wear,” says Laser Electrical Dairy Services Manager Darren Main. The collars can detect when a cow is in heat, her weight and any other information about each individual animal that the farmer requires. The system downloads the data as the cow enters the platform and the cow can be automatically drafted out from the main
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herd to be attended to later. They can be drafted in five directions but Robert is currently using only four. The data for each cow is stored on the farm’s computer. “The time is quickly coming when dairy farm workers will be required to have good computer skills and the ability to analyse the data and apply it to the day to day running of the farm as well as the usual practical skills,” says Robert. The milking platform is a “Yarroweyah” design and slopes into the centre so any effluent runs in that direction instead of running over the milker. The high water table meant it was not practical to dig a hole for the platform so it has been designed to sit above the ground. It comes with nylon rollers which are quieter, there is less wear and tear and has a 10 year guarantee. The 54 bail GEA WestfaliaSurge milking machine comes with automatic cup removers, restraints and fully automatic wash system. “The milker presses one button to start milking and two buttons at the end of milking to activate the wash system, “says Darren.
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NISTABEN PARTNERSHIP
Coast & Country
Effluent system new to industry Richard Erwood, Rakaia Engineering and Conrad Waihape, Waihape Contractors in front of the cow barn.
DairyPlan is designed by GEA WestfaliaSurge and is an all in one herd management software programme. It can dictate how long the cups should stay on the cow and then analyse the data from each milking. Mastitis is always a concern with dairy cows and Nistaben Partnership has installed an automatic teat washing system designed by On Farm Solutions based in Christchurch. Because one dairy is designed differently from the next and with so many variables coming into play when automatic teat spraying (eg. the height of the cows teats, wind or even the speed of the platform), Onfarm Solutions decided a moving spray nozzle would take these variables out of play. The Onfarm Solutions Teatwand has a pneumatically driven moving
arm that extends 300mm from its rest position ensuring all four teats are covered extremely well by the teat spray solution. The teat spray and other dairy hygiene chemicals for the new dairy shed are supplied by FIL. “Robert has relied on the advice and service of FIL for a number of years now, and we supply him with chemicals for sterilising and alkalines for cleaning the plant. He uses the standard Quatum Blue which is a “top end” product. We can also supply bloat oil and tail paint,” says the new Farm Services Manager for FIL, Rodney Cook. Rodney’s dairy clients are located in South and West Southland. As the name suggests, Laser Electrical, Gore installed the wash down and effluent pumps and the vat refrigeration and chillers. The dairy yard is flood washed twice a day and when the effluent hits the bottom of the yard it passes through the effluent trench into the barn and then into a
Proudly supporting Robert and his Team.
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Providing milking equipment, effluent, electrical and refrigeration for his new WestfaliaSurge dairy shed.
To keep your farm running in top gear, it helps to have a solid pit crew.
reception pit. A chunky four inch Houle stirrer separates the solids from the liquid. The system is automatic and is monitored by a laser. When the reception tank fills to a certain level the stirrer is activated and starts separating the waste into a dry waste bunker and the liquids into the Kliptank. This lowers the level in the first tank. The solids are spread back on to the paddocks. “This is a new product to the effluent market and farmers are experiencing excellent results and more farmers are choosing this system,” says Darren Main. Disposing of effluent has always been a concern of Robert’s. “There is a limitation on the land to spread effluent and the industry does need to be better equipped dealing with it. In the past it has been left to farmers to find out the best system. This one is working well and I am very pleased with it,” says Robert.
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Milking time reduced They sit on a sand base instead of concrete or timber and have a two metre high straight wall. They do not require fencing and most just have a single wire electrified outrigger to keep stock away. It does not require a water catchment drain as it is above the ground. The other advantage is they can be disassembled and sold or moved to another farm if required. Other contractors that worked on this huge project were: Bob’s Concrete & Building Services from Winton who did all the concrete footings for the dairy, Woolshed Roadsters & Engineering from
The liquid effluent is stored in an above the ground effluent tank designed and manufactured by KlipTank based at Tauranga in the Bay of Plenty. These tanks are flat packed and transported to the site on a trailer and can be assembled in three to seven days.
Peter Henderson analyzing computer data.
Otautau who installed and welded all the pipe work for the yard and platform. Robert contracts Eddie Rabbit from Rabco Ag Ltd based at Otautau, to do all his cultivation, silage and baleage making during the spring and summer. “We helped out with the preparation work for the cow barn by preparing the foundations using one of my diggers. We just like to help out our clients when we can,” says Eddie. Wreys Bush Concrete has been locally owned and operated since 1955 and has provided quality Ready Mix concrete throughout the Southland area. They supplied the tonnes of concrete for the cow barn and the dairy. They have a fleet of six mixer trucks capable of carrying five cubic metres and three truck and trailer units so the concrete always arrives on time. “All went well with the contractors. A project of this size requires
Solid waste storage.
a lot of organisation and we had the right team to make it work,” says Robert. The milking time has been drastically reduced and now requires one and half milkers with one getting the cows in. One of the three full time farm workers, Peter Henderson describes himself as “doing a bit of everything” and arrived in New Zealand in 2004. His previous job was on an arable estate in Sussex in the United Kingdom. Robert and Jane are hopeful that the next generation of Fletts will be up to the challenge of taking over the family farm when the time comes. Farm succession lingers in the minds of most farmers and Robert and Jane are no different. “Is Scotts Gap geographically attractive? Is dairy farming an occupation that spreads or clips your wings? The path of succession is conventionally through the paddock to the office
KlipTank; above the ground liquid effluent storage. but now we see technology providing the opportunity for family members to be farming the family farm, living elsewhere. Before we committed ourselves to this project and the associated debt, we discussed it extensively within the family to get a feeling for the future.” By Helen Wilson
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WAIAWA
Coast & Country Dave MacMillan and Adam Hill checking the cows in the paddock.
Future proofing at Waiawa Waiawa dairy farm at Wreys Bush in Southland was converted from a sheep farm to a dairy farm 20 years ago by an individual farmer and he was obviously ahead of his time. Twelve years ago the farm was bought by FarmRight, on behalf of an equity partnership company, which set it up as a business. It consists of 227 hectares of flat fertile dairy land which in March was growing lush rye grass and clover pasture. The original dairy shed was an old 40 aside herring bone which became inefficient when milking 650 cows. “It was taking two milkers five hours to milk the cows which meant a lot of time tied up in the dairy shed,” says Dave MacMillan an equity partner and farm manager. Dave has two meetings a year with the directors and a monthly visit from the farm investment consultant. He has production targets to reach and a yearly budget for farm expenses. Dave and his wife Heather have been managing the farm for the last four years and
production has increased over this time. The farm employs three full time staff and one casual relief milker for four months of the year. In the spring Heather is employed to feed the calves. “Women have more patience with calves.” While the North Island was experiencing a wet summer in 2011/2012, Southland was having an unusually dry summer. It was not quite a drought but the locals refer to it as “the dry.” It affected production by about 16 per cent and the cows were put on once a day milking for six weeks. When the rain finally did come the cows were put back on twice a day and easily increased their milk solids output. Dave and Heather decided on a career change about 10 years ago. “I have had various jobs; the last one before farming was working for Holcim Cement. I started out as a farm worker and worked up to second in charge and finally an equity partner and farm manager,” says Dave. To maximize the farm’s efficiency it was decided to build a new 54 bail rotary dairy shed. It was started in January 2011 and was ready to use in March of the same year. It now takes one person two hours to milk 650 cows.
“The cows were a bit apprehensive at first but after about a month they settled down and got used to the platform. Building a new dairy shed was a good move,” says Dave. The old herringbone dairy shed, which is just down the raceway, will be used for a “stand-off ” pad in wet weather. The cows can be fed there instead of pugging up the paddocks. It was not difficult for the partners to decide on which company would be best for the installation work. The fact that Nind Dairy Services, based in Invercargill, could provide a complete Milfos milking system, high end electrical packages, plumbing, builder and effluent advice all under one roof was seen as a huge advantage as it ensured the project was very easy to manage. “When quantifying which milking system best suited their farming practices it all started with discussing the Milfos 54 bail rotary platform. This stood out due to the quiet operation which comes from the double beam nylon roller technology and hydraulic drive system, also with there being one roller per bail the load is very evenly dispersed and maintenance costs going forward are minimal,” says Glen Palmer area sales manager for Milfos.
The milking machine has a simple operation format including automatic drains, milk recovery system, variable speed drives on vacuum and milk pumps, to keep power costs and maintenance down, automatic plant wash, twin milk filters and a two port wash gland, which gives the ability to recover milk between herds. It can also put the plant wash through without having to park the platform and plug in hoses every milking. “We discussed automation in depth as the goal here was to be able to have flexibility with labour, simple operation and most importantly, well future proofed as far as ability to add and integrate technology later on. Based on this the EL Cluster remover and cow restraint system fitted the bill as it is equipped with reliable infrared milk meter technology that is easily upgraded to provide yield information to either Milfos’ management system as well as integration with LIC’s Protrack management system. The EL cluster remover also provides flexibility of labour as it can be operated as a one man shed.” The Milfos system chosen achieved all the needs initially discussed but what sealed the deal was the fact that Milfos focuses
WAIAWA
PH 07 578 0030
Page 39
Effluent monitored by phone Nigel Mclymont Managing Director of Nind Dairy Services (left) Glen Palmer area manager Milfos (right).
The rotary platform.
on being modular so upgrades are quick and easy to install in the future right through to high end herd management, heat detection, animal health and somatic cell monitoring without having to discard any equipment previously purchased. Nind Dairy Systems along with Milfos have always provided a quality back up service coupled with a very reliable and technically capable team. Environment Southland gives resource consent to farmers to hold dairy effluent in a pond for 60 days. Viking Containment has extensive experience in the supply and construction of dairy effluent pond liners. The successful containment for dairy effluent depends on the design and installation. There can be disastrous
Second in charge of the farm, Adam Hill, hosing down the yard.
Effluent pond showing the pond lining.
effects if the liner has a minor breach. The technology for Agrishield is a smooth High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) geo-membrane for agricultural and horticultural applications. It is manufactured to meet all necessary quality control standards required for high quality geo-membrane lining systems. Test properties and test frequency is in accordance with GRIGM13 specifications. Agrishield is dimensionally stable, has environmental stress crack resistance, chemical and petrochemical resistance, puncture, tensile and tear resistance. It is a cost competitive and a reliable choice for most applications. Liner sheet dimensions allow fast application with reliable dual track wedge welding and testing.
Looking down into the pit area.
Smart Farm Systems is a farm monitoring system, developed primarily for effluent monitoring, has been installed to monitor the application rate and provide proof of placement of effluent across the farm. This is a software program which shuts off the irrigator when it is at end of travel or is travelling too slow which gives the farmer peace of mind. It also ensures effluent is applied at the correct application rate and with the soil moisture monitor provides critical information on the level of moisture in the ground at the time of deciding to run the irrigator. There are repeater units placed around the farm which can transfer data back to the computer in the dairy shed and then to a PC to show as a graph. Smart Farm Systems is
Equity partner and farm manager, Dave MacMillan, explains the “one touch of the button” consol for the dairy shed.
a robust telemetry system and can be linked to the farmer’s mobile phone and if there are any problems it will shut the irrigators off and send an alarm to the mobile phone. This stops any illegal discharge of effluent. Smart Farm Systems is an established software development company based in Invercargill. “The system allows me to monitor the effluent disposal from anywhere via my mobile phone. I usually wait for the third alarm and then go and check on it,” says Dave. The system has been thoroughly tested on dairy farms for more than four years and allows farmers to add other monitoring applications such as water trough monitoring, electric fence and silo monitoring at By Helen Wilson a later date.
FA I
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Turnkey Dairy shed Packages New dairy sheds - electrical and plant installation Wintering Sheds Milfos Milking Plant agents Plant automation - ACR installation Preventative maintenance Pumping Milking machine testing Protrack installation
Nigel McLymont (managing director Nind Dairy Services) and Jeff Nind (Owner) discuss the next 54 Rotary Cowshed project.
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Page 40
Coast & Country
Where cows milk themselves By Helen Wilson
There can sometimes be surprises at the end of a farm driveway and Peter Pavlovich and Nelly Koppen’s new dairy shed is certainly a surprise. I could not see any vehicles or people around when I visited but could hear the cows being milked. Imagine my amazement when I looked through to the yard and saw that they were milking themselves. This was a Lely Astronaut A4 robotic milking system installed by Lely Center Invercargill. Peter and Nelly have a 70 hectare dairy farm near the small town of Wyndham in Southland. Originally from the Waikato, they decided to move down to Southland 17 years ago. They were sharemilking with large herds for a few years and in 2010 decided on a lifestyle change and bought their present farm. “We wanted to downscale and after surgery on my shoulder, arms and elbow which makes milking in a rotary
or herringbone dairy shed hard work, so when a friend suggested we explore the robotic option I decided it would be a good idea,” says Peter. Peter had used the local Lely agents for buying farm machinery in the past and had received excellent service so decided on that brand for the new dairy shed. “It is also a Dutch company and Nelly is Dutch so that sealed the deal,” says Peter. The Astronaut A4 is the newest version in the Southern Hemisphere and Peter has two robotic consoles. Lely maintains that the cow is key and this is a natural way of milking. The farm is divided up into three section (A,B,C) for grazing and each cow has an electronic collar with a number which is read by the Lely software as the cow
robot will sense where the udder is. If the cow is not standing correctly the robot will sense it and have another go at picking up the teats. Once milkedout the cups swing off, the teats are sprayed, the gate opens and the cow is free to go to a pre-determined part of the farm for grazing until she decides to come in and be milked again,” says Peter. The system has a memory of each udder and updates the memory of each quarter so can detect any change in milk properties indicating for example; mastitis, colostrum or antibiotic milk. There are two milk lines and a dump; one milk line for good milk and one for milk to feed the calves and a dump for milk not suitable for use.
enters the dairy shed. “I have had to upgrade my computer skills as the software that comes with the system can be set up so it knows if a cow comes in too soon after its previous milking and the entry gate will stay closed. I can programme it so the cows go to a different section of the farm each day for grazing. So I am still rotationally grazing,” says Peter. The cows come in at all times of the day and night. The yard can hold about 40 to 50 cows at any one time. Sometimes it is full and sometimes there might be one or two. They stand there quietly and wait their turn to enter the bail. Hard feed is put in the feed bins to entice the cows in. “Once the cows enter the bail their teats are washed with a brush and the
the Peter Pavlovich at new dairy shed.
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Page 41
Relaxed cows wait for their turn
The size of the dairy shed and yard is quite small compared to other dairy sheds as the whole herd does not come in at once. There is less effluent as they are not standing around for long periods of time. The yard keeps cleaner so there is no need to hose it down as often. The cows seem to be very
relaxed and wait their turn patiently. If there is a problem with the robotics there is an alarm system which is connected to Peter’s mobile phone, he can then text back to the computer to fix the problem. Lely Center Invercargill provides the 24hour, seven day back up service and performs the preventative maintenance to keep the robots running at peak performance. The stock food that Peter and Nelly use is supplied by Sgt Dan Stockfoods Limited. Remember Sgt Dan of Creamoata fame? This company bought the Flemings factory in Gore that made the famous Creamoata porridge. “We have kept the well known soldier mascot as part of our logo and decided to call our company Sgt Dan in memory of him,” says Managing Director Daryl Moyes. Supplying dairy farmers makes up 60 per cent of their business and the balance is made up with calf feed, equine and sheep. They have a standard range of product or will custom blend if the farmer requires it. The company has been in business for the last seven years and supplies “muesli for cows” all around Southland. The electrical fittings and farm plumbing were all supplied and installed by Invercargill company Nind Dairy Services. They supplied the effluent pumps, cooler and vat wash. “We decided on them because of their knowledge of the dairy industry and they provide an excellent 24 hour seven day service
if needed,” says Peter. The small amount of effluent that is collected is stored in an above the ground modular plastic and aluminum storage facility, designed and manufactured by KlipTank in Tauranga. Some of the advantages of this sort of system are: quick installation, aesthetically attractive, less rainfall catchment, can easily be re located, less earthworks and does not require fencing. An electric outrigger is used instead. They are described as sustainable storage solutions. Eunson Plumbing Limited from Wyndham provided the septic tank for the dairy shed’s toilet. Agcool Refrigeration based in Invercargill installed
the project. At the moment the farm provides seasonal milk but Peter does not rule out all year milking at some stage. This is the first season the dairy shed has been operational and so far everything is going well. By Helen Wilson
the refrigeration. “I’ve been in the refrigeration for 40 years and the last 35 years installing refrigeration in dairy sheds,” says Dave Yates of Agcool Refrigeration. Peter and Nelly’s refrigeration requirements were in good hands with this sort of expertise. The unit is a standard dairy shed one but has the capacity to be updated in the future. With the increase in dairy farming numbers in Southland, Dave has been kept busy and at times employs casual labour when needed. From the planning stage to building Peter and Nelly were pleased with the way the contractors performed their part of
FUTURE IN FARMING Looking ahead is essential for farmers who want to stay in business in the long term. Currently management decisions will have medium to long term effects and investment in milking systems need to be evaluated against future requirements and limitations. The Lely Astronaut A4 robotic milking system has to be considered regardless if the size of your farm is small or large. Talk to us today to find out what your options are! For more information Call 0800 LELY NZ (0800 535 969) today or visit www.lely.com
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KNAPDALE FARMS
Page 42
Andrew and Nikita Gerritsen are an innovative young couple not afraid of hard work or taking risks.
Andrew is originally from the Coromandel Peninsula and Nikita was born in Gore. They met when doing a one year sheep farming course at Telford, a division of Lincoln University near Balclutha in Southland. Once they finished the course it convinced them to go dairy farming. They now have a six month old daughter called Nina and are equity partners in a 280 hectare dairy farm near Gore. Andrew won the dairy trainee of the year while working on a dairy farm in the Central Plateau in the North Island. The other partners are Nigel and Elizabeth Hinton who live on their orchard at Alexandra. They leave the day to day running of the farm to Andrew and Nikita but like to visit often and keep in touch with what is happening. The Hintons met Andrew and Nikita in December of 2010 and decided they had the expertise to form an equity partnership with them. The farm they
decided to buy at that time was milking 400 cows but they were able to lease some land nearby and increase the herd size. The farm near Gore in Southland is mostly flat and borders the Mataura River. They milk 760 cows in two herds and employ two full time staff. With the dry summer in Southland 60 cows had to be dried off early. Originally the farm had a 36 aside herringbone dairy shed which was sited close to the road. For better efficiency the partners decided to build a new 54 bail rotary dairy shed which was centrally sited and would include new wide raceways. “Having worked on several conversions in the past I used bits from each shed that I thought suited my workplace the best. One thing I changed was to move the platform further back in the building so I could have more room in my vet room and crèche. In other dairy sheds there is a lot of waste space there and I thought it could be better used,”
Coast & Country
says Andrew. The new dairy shed was started as soon as the cows dried off in April 2011. Andrew was the project manager as well as sharemilking on another farm, and the cows were due to start calving on July 20. “The pegs were put in the ground in the second week of April, we had 34 guys working on the site at times but they all worked in together and it was finished and ready to go as the first cows came in. We were really impressed how well it all went,” says Andrew. It was a big task for the builders to complete the job in two months but Neil Milne of Milne Building Contractors did it. It was a basic rotary dairy shed design with a few modifications along the way. “Instead of a closed in utility room we just built a concrete wall to separate the area. I like open clean cut lines and no clutter. It got a bit frantic at times and I cannot speak highly enough of the builders and the team at
o the pit area.
Looking down int
Waiting in the yard.
The top of the range cup remo vers.
on Cows waiting to go
the platform.
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Page 43
Automation makes life easier Waikato Milking Systems sales man Diego Brandao and equity part ager ner Nikita Gerritsen
dairy and pumps,” says Andrew. Milne Building Contractors Limited is the largest dairy builders in Southland. Their main office is based at Rakahouka on the Lorneville – Dacre highway in Southland. “Ninety five percent of our work is building new dairy sheds now and we still do some residential work. We can build either rotaries or herringbone dairy sheds, depending on the size of the farm and what the farmer wants. Andrew and Nikita made a few simple changes to a standard design.” Knapdale Farm chose a Waikato Milking Systems 54 bail orbit concrete rotary platform with SmartECR cup removers, three port-wash gland and milk recovery. “It’s a standard rotary shed with “top of the line” cup removers. “The cup removers have AutoStart and the milking process is activated simply by lifting the cluster,” says Waikato Milking Systems sales manager for Southland and South Otago, Diego Brandao. The performance of a Waikato Milking Systems can be enhanced
over time. It is designed in a way that electronic component in key products can be upgraded to accommodate new ideas or change existing features. The change required to do this is made quickly and will be offered to customers as and when new software versions becomes available. In keeping with the need to conserve energy the milking system has been installed with variable speed SmartDrives on the Blower vacuum pump and the milk pump. Systems like these reduce the motor speed of each component saving up to 47 per cent in the case of vacuum pump motors. Cooling efficiency and milk quality is improved when controlled with a SmartDrive variable speed controller. “The dairy shed is humming along and the automation makes life a lot easier. We have one milker at “cups on” and one bringing the cows in. It makes the whole process of milking a breeze,” says Nikita Gerritsen. The earthworks for the new dairy shed were carried out by Invercargill company Crooks Construction. Their part in the
it a
construction was to make sure the ground preparation was spot on. A lot of time and money went into the forming of the races, first the top soil was removed then a 500mm layer of gravel material was laid followed by 250 mm of crushed rotten rock which was done by Kelso contracting. The lanes are eight metres wide around the shed and seven metres down the farm. Dairy Green Limited from Gore is an expert when dealing with Environment Southland and resource consents for the discharge of effluent. They designed the effluent pond within the requirements of Environment Southland’s guide lines and the Gerritsen’s are very happy with the result. Hokonui Rural Transport operates a fleet of 19 trucks from their base in Gore. They specialise in general cartage, stock, fertiliser cartage and spreading. “Hokonui Transport does all our cartage including urea cartage and spreading, fertilser and mainly the cartage of stock to and from winter grazing. We find them reliable, friendly
pays to have wrangler
and efficient,” says Nikita. Munro Electrical 2001 Ltd is a locally owned and operated business based in Invercargill and has spent the past 25 years working all around Southland, completing dairy farm upgrades, new sheds and maintenance, effluent systems, domestic alterations, new houses and general maintenance. They made sure the milking plant worked when the switch was activated, and fitted the effluent and washdown pumps, chiller units and lighting. In the event that a cow does become lame it can easily be drafted off in “The Wrangler” where she can be comfortably restrained while her hooves are attended to. It is easily incorporated into the yard design of a new or existing dairy shed. There are several models available depending on the farmer’s requirements. The Gerritsens are good at what they do and dairy farming is assured of a long time future with young couples of this caliber taking up the challenge. By Helen Wilson
The large effluent
pond and stirrer.
A set of Waikato Milking Systems cups.
ROCKYFIELD FARM
Page 44
Coast & Country
Picturesque setting for Rockyfield Farm Rockyfield Farm in Greenfield, a beautiful green valley near Balclutha, nestles beside the Clutha River in South Otago. Peter and Chantelle Allan are 50 per cent equity partners in the 155 hectares property and milk 430 cows which is the maximum for this sized farm. They have two boys aged three and one.
Background picture: The 54 bail rotary dairy shed. The dairy shed from the yard.
By Helen Wilson
Peter is the fourth generation of his family to take on the challenge of farming. Previous generations ran it as a sheep farm and in 2011 Peter persuaded his father to become equity partners and convert to dairying. “Chantelle and I were lower order sharemilkers with her brother on her parent’s farm in West Otago for three years. We were milking 700 cows there. It took a while but I finally convinced my father (Taffy) that the only way my family farm would stay viable was to convert to dairying. He wanted to stay on the farm so this was a good solution for all of us. He has kept his interest in the farm and helps keep things running. I usually have a list of jobs for him each morning,” says Peter. The contour of the land is flat to rolling and very free draining. It does tend to dry out in the summer and 130 hectares is irrigated during the summer months. They also have 42 hectares runoff close by which is used for
wintering and young stock. “We chose a 54 bail rotary dairy shed for ease of management and more technology and labour saving.” As well as Peter the farm employs one full time worker and the new dairy shed only requires one milker. It is a seasonal dairy farm and because of the dry summer this year, in March the cows were on 16 hours milking. The new dairy shed was started in January of 2011 and ready to milk in at the beginning of August just as the cows started calving. The cows were all sourced locally and some were used to being milked in a rotary dairy shed.
54 bail platform
Rockyfield have chosen a Centrus 54 bail platform bundled with extras to enhance the performance of their milking. “When we made the decision to convert our Southland farm to dairy we chose Waikato Milking Systems with confidence. They have a great reputation in the
area and once I met Waikato Milking Systems area sales manager, Diego Brandeo and the team I knew they were the guys I could trust,” says Peter. “I was really impressed with the new Centrus Platform. Getting 20 tonnes of weight off the drive system gives me confidence that my system will have a long life with minimal maintenance costs. I could see the great value I was receiving for the initial costs especially since the technology is so advanced. “Milking time is around one and a half hours. The cows are content and relaxed in the shed. We are really happy. I would recommend Waikato Milking Systems to anyone in the area. The support we have received has been great and the people we have worked with make all the difference,” says Peter. According to Diego Brandeo this is the second Centrus 54 platform in the Otago province. “Farmers are finding them easy to install and being lighter, less maintenance, easy
to keep clean, save power and the rubber matting helps with cow comfort,” says Diego.
Smart mirror
One of Peter’s own innovations in this brand new dairy shed is a “smart mirror.” “It’s a cheap and an easy way to check the tail paint on the cows during mating,” says Peter. The mirror has a wooden frame and is attached at the entry to the platform and saves the milker climbing up and down on the platform to check the tail paint. Roger Farley of Modern coatings has been applying Acraflex to dairy shed walls for 19 years. Acraflex is proven to be one of the best products to use on dairy shed walls with a ten year guarantee on new work. Acraflex applied by Modern Coatings is long lasting, easy to clean and creates a decorative surface. McGregor and White Electrical, has been in business in South Otago for over
ROCKYFIELD FARM
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Page 45
Contented and relaxed cows Background picture: Wide raceways for easy access.
Approaching the new dairy shed from the road.
The composite platform.
The Waikato Milking systems cup removers.
The inside of the dairy shed. 45 years. In September 2004, they began trading as Laser Electrical Balclutha and now enjoy the benefits of this association from superior systems and software to national support. They carry out a wide range of services throughout South Otago including industrial, commercial, residential and domestic work. The dairy industry is one of their specialties and they did the wiring, effluent and refrigeration for Rocky Field Farm. They also sell and service most brands of water pumps with extensive experience in light and heavy industrial fields, motors and pumps up to 500HP, soft starters, variable speed drives and PLC work. Laser Electrical Balclutha is a reputable Waikato Milking Systems dealer and can carry out maintenance and installation of
cool rooms and milk vat refrigeration. The site works for the dairy shed, tanker track and laneways were carried out by John Sinclair of JP Sinclair Contracting which is based in the Clutha Valley. He cleared the sites for the two new houses and the tracks to them. “I dug five and a half kilometres of irrigation ditches and then back filled them,” says John Sinclair.
Landscaping
John has had 40 years’ experience in earthworks and has a digger grader and tip truck. Most of his work is rural based and most times can manage on his own but at times needs to employ casual labour. Heriot Earthmoving has been based in Heriot, West Otago, for over 50 years and since 2000 has been under the ownership of
Murray and Blair Young. Murray has more than 30 years’ experience in the earthmoving contracting industry. They can do any sort of job from landscaping to dairy conversions. They formed the seven metre wide raceways on Rocky Field farm using rotten rock available on the property. The wide raceways allow easy and trouble free access for the cows to and from the dairy shed. The average dairy shed has about 300 cubic metres of concrete and Balclutha company Stahlton Engineered Concrete supplied the concrete for Rockyfield. “The concrete was carted by our ready mix division and we broom finished the yard so the cows don’t slip and worked a smoother finish on the inside of the dairy,” says assistant manager Gavin Scott. Stahlton Engineered Concrete is a fully owned division of Fulton Hogan. They have
four concrete trucks operating and make pre-cast and pre-stressed concrete panels for bridge beams and wall panels for commercial and domestic buildings. They cover Otago and Southland areas. Whether roofing requirements are residential, commercial or agricultural Queenstown Roofing can offer a value for money solution. They have a team of qualified people who were able to advise Peter on which sort of roofing would be best for his requirements. He chose the long run coloursteel option which requires no maintenance and adds to the aesthetics of the new dairy shed. This was complemented by low maintenance aluminum windows and doors from North End Joinery based in Balclutha. They supply residential, commercial and rural joinery around the South Otago area.
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Page 46
ROCKYFIELD FARM
Coast & Country
Peter Allan and John Sinclair of JP Sinclair Contracting with the large rock found during excavation work.
Irrigation up-grade Reporoa Engineering installed the Herdflow round yard backing gate and centre pole. They can be electrically or water driven. Every gate can be adapted to meet the farmer’s requirements.
360 degree rotation
The top gate caters for 45 degree to full 360 degree rotation and includes the controller and all automation. They are a robust construction and all bolt together. The centre pole is designed to cater for electricity and water requirements to the centre of the round yard. It provides a good support and pivot point for the backing gate and the top gate. McNeill Pumping were requested to submit designs and quotes for the Rockyfield Farm dairy conversion in Sep-
tember 2010. Areas of interest included an upgrade to the existing irrigation system, a dairy stock water system, dairy effluent treatment and application systems and dairy shed pump duties. Because of their experience in design, leading technology and the bringing together of a client’s expectations, district council consent requirements and the right price, McNeill Pumping were successful.
Irrigation
The existing irrigation system covered half the farm, drawing from a Clutha River backwash. A 200mm river screen suction filter was installed to a suction manifold to stop didymo from entering the system. A 37kw pump was installed at the riverbank pump shed to supply the irrigation exten-
sion and another 37kw pump as a booster to the newly acquired 211 pods. The stock water system utilised, 34 x 1500 litre round troughs and valves with design parameters including, stock numbers, location and peak flows. The dairy shed effluent is gravity fed to a dual concrete pond system that incorporates a mechanical solids separator which removes solids to 500micron, sump stirrers and transfer pumps. The new irrigation system also disperses the dairy shed effluent to the pods via a suction bypass into the irrigation suction line. With the investment this family has made in dairying, there is more than likely going to be a fifth generation on Rockyfield farm. Background picture: By Helen Wilson The effluent system.
Peter Allan stands in front of the backing gate.
Peter Allan and Diego Brandeo, area sales manager for Waikato Milking Systems.
ROCKYFIELD FARM
PH 07 578 0030
Page 47
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WINDY RIDGE
Page 48
Coast & Country
From sheep to dairy – the Windy Ridge experience Malcolm and Rosie McIntosh decided to convert their sheep and dairy support farm into a dairy farm in 2011. “I was a bit disillusioned with the way sheep farming was going and wanted a viable farming enterprise to pass on to the next generation. I am the third generation to farm this property and it would be great to see our children take up the challenge of dairy farming,” says Malcolm. The farm is 175 hectares, just north of Gore in Southland, and is now milking 500 cows. There are still 10 sheep on the farm which produce 10 to 15 lambs each year and these usually end up in the freezer. Malcolm had little knowledge of dairy farming and had never put a set of cups on a cow in his life. “I was reliant on getting expert advice from people who knew the business and this is why I chose Southland Farm Services who are the DeLaval agents in Southland. As well as installing the milking machines they supplied the pumps, did the electrical work and the plumbing and organized the builder. It meant I was only dealing with one person most of the time. Their experience and guidance made the transition very easy and we are very pleased with the result,” says Malcolm They decided on a 50 bail rotary dairy shed on top of a hill “so we didn’t have to pump the effluent up hill” with stunning views over the surrounding countryside. Southland Farm Services are based in Invercargill and have been in
business since the early nineties. “We advised Malcolm to fit a DeLaval PR1100 bail rotary with automatic cup removers and automatic wash system. It incorporates the DeLaval automatic drafting system. This is pretty much standard now as farmers realize the benefits of more automation. It saves on labour costs, time and is easier on the body,” says Mark McMillan manager of Southland Farm Services. Once Windy Ridge had decided on Southland Farm Services to project manage the new dairy shed, they in turn use the expertise of contractors they had used on other projects which would guarantee the dairy shed would be completed on time, within budget and would Malcolm work efficiently for McIntosh of many years to come. Windy Ridge “We provide an dairy farm. all round service for farmers from start
BRETT GOULD BRETT GOULD Email brett@lgwlawyers.co.nz Phone 06 370 Phone 6475 Mobile 0274 6475 427 436 Email brett@lgwlawyers.co.nz 06 370 Logan Gold Walsh Lawyers Ltd, PO Box 562, Masterton 5840 Logan Gold Walsh Lawyers www.lgwlawyers.co.nz
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to finish. We installed all the plumbing, electrics for the plant, pumps, lighting and refrigeration. Everything flowed well from start to finish and it means we have good control over the whole project and Malcolm didn’t have to worry about a thing,” says Mark McMillan. The electrical
The centre of th
e platform.
The exit way
rm.
fo from the plat
component of the C200 DeLaval wash system was undertaken by Southland Farm Services Electrical. “We wired up the platform, effluent system, wash system and installed a generator plug in case of power outages,” says Nigel Brown Electrical Manager for Southland Farm Services Electrical. Malcolm and Rosie have a WETiT Platform Magic automatic teat sprayer and WETiT Waves. They were very happy with the service from WETiT contractor, Chris Dunn, who installed the equipment as the shed was completed, and then returned to commission the teat sprayer once milking was underway. Milne Building Contractors Limited is the largest dairy builders in Southland. Their main
office is based at Rakahouka on the Lorneville – Dacre highway in Southland. “Ninety five percent of our work is building new dairy sheds now and we still do some residential work. We can build either rotaries or herringbone dairy sheds, depending on the size of the farm and what the farmer wants. This was a standard design and Malcolm just made a Delaval cluster. few subtle changes rather than major ones to suit his requirements,” says Neil Milne owner of Milne Building Contractors Ltd. The dairy shed was started in January of 2011, every thing went smoothly and it was finished by April of the same year. Neil employs 12 builders’ full time
WINDY RIDGE
PH 07 578 0030
Page 49
The dogs have adapted to the new shed too
Mark McMillan and Malcolm McIntosh discussing the DeLaval milking cups.
installed at Windy Ridge is a standard refrigeration unit. Its job is to keep the milk at the required temperature in the milk silos and it is coping well,” says David. He employs three other staff and the company also supplies refrigeration units for fish processing factories, supermarkets, cafes and bars, charter boats, freezing works, butcher shops and live crayfish export. They provide a 24 hour seven days a week back up service for their clients and their mobile service vans are all equipped as workshops. Overall Malcolm is very pleased with the performance of the new dairy shed. He has one other full time worker, Bruce Turner, who enjoys being in the dairy shed and it frees Malcolm up for other farm work. Rosie David Jack fro m Jack Refriger ation stands beside on e of the milk silo Ltd s.
reflects Neil’s design. “I work in consultation with the client and in this case Neil and work out a yard design that suits,” says Doug McDonald. For this dairy shed Doug set up the gland system in the centre of the circular yard and did the pipe welding for the yard. He has been focusing on dairy sheds for sometime d. so can advise farmers which yard m the circular yar The dairy shed fro design would suit their situation. “We also do general engineering work and any repairs and maintenance that our rural clients want,” says Doug. David Jack of Jack Refrigeration has been The view from the installing refrigdairy shed. eration units for 23 years. He has now started up his own business based at Invercargill and he covers the Southland area. “The unit
and temporary staff as required. “We have seen a big increase in farmers converting to dairy farming and they are also replacing older dairy sheds with larger more efficient ones,” says Neil. Doug’s Engineering at Woodlands, north of Invercargill,
Project team, Dave Jack, Nigel Brown, Mark McMillan, Malcolm McIntosh and Neil Milne.
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helps rear the calves and their 22 year old son, who lives nearby, also helps out when needed. Southland experienced a dry 2011/2012 summer and Malcolm had to put the herd on once a day milking until the end of the season as they lost too much condition. Malcolm
is too busy now to continue with his hobby of dog trialing and when asked how his three dogs coped with cows instead of sheep he said, “Pretty good. I can send them off and they will bring the cows to the shed without any direction from me.”
Designing effluent ponds
By Helen Wilson
Dairy Green Limited from Gore is an expert when dealing with Environment Southland and resource consents for the discharge of effluent. They designed the effluent pond within the requirements of Environment Southland’s guide lines. The effluent pond is lined with a special Agrishield liner supplied by Viking Containment. The successful containment for dairy effluent depends on the design and installation. There can be disastrous effects if the liner has a minor breach. The technology for Agrishield is a smooth High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) geo-membrane for agricultural and horticultural applications. It is manufactured to meet all necessary quality control standards required for high quality geo-membrane lining systems. Test properties and test frequency is in accordance with GRI-GM13 specifications. Agrishield is dimensionally stable, has environmental stress crack resistance, chemical and petrochemical resistance, puncture, tensile and tear resistance. It is a cost competitive and a reliable choice for most applications. Liner sheet dimensions allow fast application with reliable dual track wedge welding and testing.
TUHOE TRUST
Page 50
Coast & Country
Careful, considered planning for Tuhoe Trust’s new rotary dairy Matt and Diane Brown are into their second season share milking on the Te Manawa O Tuhoe Trust Ruatoki dairy farm and have already increased milk solids production from 14,000 to 19,100. The couple have just renewed their contract with the trust and are excited about working in the new dairy. At $1.9m, the development came in just under budget and is virtually ready to roll on the Reid Road farm. “Working for Tuhoe is just great,” says Matt. “Tuhoe care much more about people than other employers I’ve worked for. Some commercial farmers have never actually farmed before and see things a bit differently. But Tuhoe care much more about people and I really like working with them. We plan to stay here long term.” Don Chapman Builders customised an existing dairy design to accommodate the facilities required by Tuhoe. Don says they also had to make sure all the plant fitted in the building
while project managing the construction. “Mostly the trust wanted something that would milk 800 – 900 cows. We designed around that brief and the DeLaval platform. There are always obstacles with any build and the main one for the Tuhoe project was the soft foundation soil and substrate. “We also had to ensure that farm staff could easily operate the system while allowing for future accessories, easy stock access for tailing and pregnancy testing and it needed to incorporate as many labour saving devices as possible while looking good too. “The dairy and yard layout is based on one of our standard concepts that are proven after building literally hundreds of these dairy parlours. While a feed system has not been installed it would be a simple matter to install one at a later date. Future growth “Who knows what they might add, who knows what’s coming? But it pretty much incorporates most of today’s technology, and provides for future needs.” The building includes a lighted roof
gully giving ventilation and light which is particularly good in summer for keeping workers and stock cool. “We’ve also included a dung removal channel in the yard that will help keep the yard clean. It is an innovation we came up with and regularly install.” Overall Don is very pleased with the build. Tuhoe have been great people to work with, and Smith Builders have done a fantastic job of constructing the dairy parlour. And all other contractors have worked in well together, and taken a real pride in their work and the finished result. Breaking ground for the new plant began before Christmas 2011 requiring quite a bit of earth works prior to foundations and the holding area concrete being laid.
it was a pretty straight forward job. Tracks have been a leading concreting contractor in the Eastern Bay of Plenty for over two-decades. They are specialists in commercial and residential concrete laying. Tracks cover all types of concrete including house floors, cool-store floors, industrial slabs, skate parks, paving and imprinted concrete, cobbles and pavers, concrete advice and landscaping including rock and retaining walls, sports-grounds, Stable surface machinery hire, bobcat, diggers The foundations were laid on top of and trucks. crushed rotten rock and compacted Stephen Smith of Smith Builders to provide a stable surface for the provided the muscle for the new building and says he enjoys workreinforced concrete pad. ing with Don Chapman. Tracks Concrete laid approximately “We’ve built about four Chap200m3 of concrete. Kevin Dodds says
Congratulations Te Manawa O Tuhoe. We are proud to have been the electrical contractor for this project.
ntractors o C l a ic r t c E le
A Don Chapman dairy parlour built by Smith Builders.
man Dairy Parlours. I think it is one of the better designs around. They’re nice buildings and people who see them think so too. It all went pretty smoothly other than the foundation issues,” says Stephen.
Three way drafting
The DeLaval rotary dairy plant will allow for future growth of the farm as Matt plans to increase the herd by 30 per cent year on year until reaching a maximum livestock level of 750 animals. Automated cup removers and three way drafting are just a couple of the labour saving devices installed on the new plant that will speed up milking time.
PH 07 578 0030
TUHOE TRUST
Plant designed for future herd growth A DeLaval parallel rotary PR2100 platform and DeLaval milking machine has been fitted by King Farm Services. This is a state of the art system designed to offer full advantage of current and future advancements in milking equipment and herd management technology. Because the platform and the milking machine are designed to work together, they provide a seamless milking operation. It is this seamless integration that gives the complete system improved cluster alignment, low stable vacuum and the easy adaptation of automation equipment. Overall this solution gives superior milking performance. The DeLaval Alpro herd management system is a modular concept that allows for the management of drafting, feeding, milking, breeding and health recording. The Alpro system gives up to date information on the yield of each cow. If any cow deviates from its usual production milkers will know at once and this can assist with mastitis detection. Receiving timely accurate information from the Alpro software means immediately action can be taken when cows are sick or yielding less milk than expected.
Right information
Vacuum can also be withheld from any suspect animal or cows which require checking prior to attaching the clusters. All treated cows will also have vacuum withheld and require manual invention to allow the clusters to attach. The Alpro system is the dairy farmer’s best friend. It provides rapid access to the right information that makes it easy to make the right decisions which saves time and improves profitability. The team at King Farm Services have installed this plant and also designed and installed the dairy water systems. This is one of two major installations currently being fitted by King Farm Services. The KFS crew have fitted out six large rotary dairies since 2007. Steve King is happy for anyone interested in viewing a dairy to contact him direct to organise a site visit.
BRIDGE IT NZ
The new Tuhoe plant drains to the existing effluent pond which meets Bay of Plenty Regional Council resource consent requirements with an upgraded pump system.
Latest technology
Karam De Lacey from Karam Electric Limited (KEL) has been involved in the project since day one. Specialising in rural, industrial and commercial electrical installations, KEL have previously built and installed a fully automated effluent system on the trust farm. “Working on the new diary has been very rewarding,” says Karam. “Planning is a major part of ensuring things are done properly. We spent quite a bit of time early on in the construction process installing concealed ducting and access pits throughout, giving us the ability to get cables anywhere desired and ensuring whatever Tuhoe decide to install at any future date they are ready for it. Having the expertise to install and write PLC programmes and keeping up to date with the latest technology has ensured Tuhoe have received the very best when it comes to this electrical install,” says Karam.
The DeLaval rotary plant will allow for future growth.
Continuity important
John Mika, Chairman of the Te Manawa O Tuhoe Trust says they are really pleased to have just signed a five-year management deal with Matt and Dianne. “This gives the trust and Matt and Dianne continuity. That’s really important for the success of the farm,” says John. “The new rotary dairy replaces an old herring bone dairy. We needed a new plant in order to make the farm more productive. “Kings Farm Services have designed us a future proof dairy we can add to as needs dictate and finances allow. “To do a proper job takes a bit of planning. The trust wanted a good job, something we could be proud of. We have taken our time to do a good job. We’ll be adding a generator pretty shortly. “We’re putting existing equipment to good use too. The 22000ltr milk vat from the old herring bone plant was relocated to the new dairy.” By Paul Kendon
Farm manager Matt Brown checks out the fruit on the new PR200 platform.
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NEW FARM DAIRIES
Coast & Country
of New Zealand’s total earnings comes from our dairy industry
Sourced from research conducted by the at Index Mundi http://www.indexmundi.c
NZ EUrope
unit sta
Mega Litres of dairy
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major exporters of dairy in the world
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of the world’s total dairy exports comes from New Zealand farms
NEW FARM DAIRIES
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million people are fed by our dairy exports annually
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Not only do kiwi farmers contribute nearly a quarter of the country’s GDP, we are the largest international dairy trader in the world. Last year 16.4 billion litres of milk was exported, which fed 100 million people in over 150 countries. New Zealand may be small but our footprint on the world dairy trade is larger than any other country’s. Ingenuity, hard work and a can-do attitude puts kiwi farmers ahead of the rest. Managing a world-class dairy enterprise is your speciality, providing you with world-class milking solutions is ours.
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Page 53
SINGH
Page 54
Coast & Country
Family progressed from scrub cutting to dairy farming When Joe Singh’s grandfather arrived in New Zealand in 1920 he was a scrub cutter and drain digger. By Paul Kendon
In 1963 he and Joe’s father, Guru Singh, started sheep and beef farming on their easy rolling farm in Perrott Road, Wharepapa South, Waipa. Joe’s son Shan is the fourth generation Singh farming the property. The family began farming in ’63 with 475 hectares. Now the family holdings are 780 hectares. Joe Singh holds the reins today and reckons his granddad would have been proud of the property now and confident in the future of the farm after the partial conversion to dairy. “My son Shan and I thought long and hard about the conversion for about three or four years,” says Joe. “We spoke to a lot of consultants. We finally got a sheep and beef consultant on-board who had converted to dairy themselves. So we crunched the numbers with
them, then we met with our lawyers, bankers and accountant before we decided to green light it. Once we got that decision after final meetings we decided to go ahead with the project.
Sustainability
separation unit. We can use the waste to irrigate pastures over the summer dry with green waste water.” The Waikato Regional Council is very happy with this system, Joe says. The slope screen takes out the solid waste and leaves nutrient rich water. “That protects the environment and is sustainable.”
“We’re passionate about sheep and beef but building the dairy will give us sustainability Energy savings for the next generation coming along. Our “We’ve also installed a gas hot grandchildren or even their children may water system which gives us not want to be farmers but they can keep a 30 per cent energy saving. the land. As far as dairy design is concerned, we’ve been here for 50-years and we wanted something a bit special because we want to be here for another 50 years at least. “As far as effluent is concerned we’ve future proofed the farm. We’ve lined the pond and put in New 40-aside herringbone dairy on the Singh property a Houle slope screen in Wharepapa South, Waipa, north of Putururu.
DAIRY TECH
Next season a type of chilling system is to be installed. We’ve put in a new water system, new fencing and bought power 1.8km in from the road to the dairy. “We’ve also built 8km of new races. For the tanker track we had to get metal from the quarry but we also dug up our own rock
Joe Singh, Guru Singh, Shanmir Singh, Debbie and Henry Dalley.
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An environmentally friendly lined effluent pond uses a Houle slope screen separation unit that provides green-waste water that can be reticulated to irrigate pastures over the summer dry.
Page 55
Milk silos and gas cylinders protected by curved roof.
Farm conversion planned for future generations which is rhyolite. That’s very good for cows feet because it’s a very soft rock that we packed to form a hard base. Rhyolite is good because there are no sharp bits to hurt the cows’ hooves,” says Joe. Paul and Carolyn Anderson from Anderson Quarry provided metal for the track to complement the crushed rhyolite extracted from the farm. Paul says Andersons Quarry is a family company that has been in business in Pukeatua since 1975. “Joe Singh came to us and told us what he
needed and we worked out a good price for him,” says Paul. “We dig out everything from brown rock to the black stuff. We even have clay suitable for building oxygenation ponds out of. We provided the base metal for the main tanker track leading to the dairy and bits and pieces like drainage metal,” says Paul.
Mixed farm
Joe says the family didn’t want to make the entire farm dairy. “That’s why we went with the 40 aside herring bone. Once you build a
rotary your total business goes to dairy.” Joe has modified a feed system that provides a meal for each cow leaving the dairy. “There’s another outfit with a similar system but we’ve modified it. Each cow gets a feed on her way out of the dairy. We’re also adding a dispenser attached to the silo,” says Joe. Otorohanga based builder Peter Gray from Dairy Tech built the dairy and says he is happy when the customer is happy. “The Singhs wanted a covered milk silo so we opted for the curved roof design, which was no real problem,” says Peter.
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“We talk to every customer first to give them their different options and go from there. “The swing arms on this dairy are particularly good and so is the little feed pad.
Covered silos
“It’s all pretty good really. We do work all over the country as well. Everyone is a bit customised. They don’t all have a curved roof but we wanted something that would cover the large silos. The whole build probably took a couple of months, maybe a bit longer. “We have a team of about 15 guys
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SINGH
Coast & Country
Auto-wash controller reduces waste and we keep them pretty busy. I’d rather be out there building than anything else. The Singh dairy is a pretty solid building based on one of our designs. We were also involved in the effluent system’s sump and a bridge for the Singhs too. We can pretty much build anything.” GEA Farm Technologies has provided the milking plant and the effluent upgrades. Andrew Robinson, Northern North Island Capital Equipment Area Manager for GEA Farm Technologies, says the new dairy is a basic herringbone with a swing over arm which allows better alignment of milking cup position. The Singh’s have chosen the ‘Rolls Royce’ of milking plants, installing WestfaliaSurge equipment.
World first
Andrew explains that GEA Farm Technologies four-way clusters were the first in the world. They have a split milk chamber for each quarter which allows much more stable vacuum resulting in better teat condition and no chance of cross contamination between quarters and between cows. Andrew says no other company has anything like it. “We supplied high quality, German designed products. We’ve been around a very long time and
have built a reputation for quality. Economies of scale being a worldwide company, means we’re making so much product that we can provide really good value for money. Sheds we put in 30 years ago are still operating well, like the day we put them in. Quality is what stands the test of time,” says Andrew. The dairy incorporates the new variotherm auto-wash controller, which ensures the accuracy of dose of dairy detergents are maintained, essentially reducing waste, and ensuring wash-water temperature and contact times are constant. The products used for the cleaning of this high turbulent plant are FIL’s ultra-low foam Quantum Blue, as the acid detergent sanitizer, and Quantum XL as the alkali. Bruce Cameron from Acraflex Specialised Coatings completed the build with quality coatings offering exceptional appeal and wide-spread functionality. “Bruce says after 30-years in business they probably work with the majority of builders in both islands and stands by the Acraflex high build coating system. Their combination of such features as the coating’s ease of use, high gloss, abrasion resistance, hygiene, toughness and chemical resistance gives the product blanket support from the building industry. By Paul Kendon
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SINGH
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SINCLAIR
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Do it once
Coast & Country Leask Engineering supplied and installed all the steel work.
do it right ethic for Matamata project Bruce and Meiri Sinclair moved to Matamata in the Waikato in 1969, and over the years developed their farm into a real family affair.
The complete dairy shed equipped with DeLaval milking system.
Rob Broomfield of Broomfield Construction is proud to show the shed off.
The local contractors who worked on this dairy, all have the ethic ‘do it once and do it right’
Youngest son, Colin, assumed the management duties about six years ago and eldest daughter, Karyn, looks after the calves and helps out on the farm. With a couple other workers on board the arrangement worked well, so when a neighbour’s 190 ha deer farm came on the market in April this year the Sinclair family purchased it for conversion into a dairy unit. While he continues to oversee the home farm, Colin is also responsible for getting the new conversion up and running. At the moment the new property is running the dry cows and springers, the cows from the new 300 strong herd that calve are taken to the home farm where they are milked along with the home herd. It’s becoming a bit of a tight squeeze so the new dairy can’t be commissioned fast enough—mind you, they didn’t waste any time starting the conversion, and a new dairy was the first order of business.
With one eye on efficiency and the other on the budget, the Sinclairs decided on a new 40 aside herringbone. “A rotary costs about 1.2 million, this is less than half that, so it makes good economic sense,” said Bruce, “and we have a herringbone on the home farm and it’s fine,”
Local builder
When they looked for a builder the Sinclairs quickly settled on Rob Broomfield from nearby Morrinsville company Broomfield Construction because of his reputation for quality, punctuality and all round efficiency. “And he’s turned out excellent. Excellent,” Bruce emphasised. Dairies are Rob’s speciality and he obviously knows a thing or two about them, so when Bruce came to him they sat down together to work out exactly what the family had in mind and designed it on the spot. “Farmers invest a lot of money in sheds, so the job’s got to be
right. I want to be able to bring people here to see a good tidy job,” explained Rob. When Rob had the building up Ag-Worx Milk and Water Systems installed a DeLaval milking system. Ag-Worx has a long history in the Matamata region and over the years has gone from strength to strength. As agents for DeLaval, milking systems are their core business, but they’re also Grundfos agents for the area.
Straightforward choice
DeLaval are keeping Ag-worx’s five engineers pretty busy installing, testing and servicing milking systems ranging from fairly straightforward systems like the Sinclairs’ through to fully automated, robot operated dairies. For the Sinclairs the choice was straightforward—Ag-Worx and DeLaval. “I’ve got a DeLaval system on my home farm and never had any problems, so it makes sense to have the same again,” said Bruce and by choosing DeLaval he’s gained the benefit
SINCLAIR
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Page 59
From deer to dairy in a few short months Alan Jobe from Ag-worx, the DeLaval agent.
Bruce Sinclair (L), Nick Briant from Agfirst Engineering (centre) and Colin Sinclair are very happy with their new effluent system.
Nick Briant from Agfirst Engineering, Colin Sinclair, Rob Broomfield from Broomfield Construction and Bruce Sinclair. of their Sustainable Dairy Farming initiative and more than 125 years of experience and innovation in the business. Today they offer milking plants ranging from efficient basic systems to very complex ones with all the automation you could imagine. Colin and Bruce opted for little computerisation, just labour saving automatic cup removers and a power saving variable speed drive milk pump and hot water heat pump, but he’s left the capacity to integrate any one of DeLaval’s many systems later on. But it’s not just the milking systems that’s keeping Ag-Worx on the run.
Water systems
“As well as installing all the milking system and all the associated equipment, we also put in all the water—wash down, vat washes, hot water cylinders, cooling pumps, the lot.” said Alan Jobe, Ag-Worx Dairy Sales Manager. The power needed for the milking plant and water pumps was wired in by another Matamata based company, King Electrical. Over the years that Adrian Baker’s been a director of King Electrical he and his staff have built up a wealth of experience, especially in the dairy industry.
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“We’ve got 19 staff, they know all the facets of the sheds and are all very skilled,” said Adrian. “This is really a pretty standard herringbone, but there is a stand out in a very innovative pump in the effluent system that we installed with Agfirst Engineering. It operates at around 70 per cent efficiency compared with the norm of around 30 per cent.”
Weeping Wall
Last year Adrian combined with Bay of Plenty company Agfirst Engineering to install a new effluent system on the Sinclairs’ home farm. That system proved so efficient they had no hesitation getting them back for the new shed. The secret to that high efficiency lies in Agfirst Engineering’s ‘weeping wall’. “It’s a louvred wall that sits at the end of a narrow receiving pit where it acts as a filter. The liquid passes through the wall and the solids remain behind, so when you pump from the main pond you’re only pumping liquid and you only need a small pump instead of a big effluent pump. The solids build up behind the wall and act as an additional filter,” explained Adrian. There are two pits, it takes about six
E: admin
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E: admin
@ag-worx.co.nz
Specialised Coatings' Acraflex protects the pit. months to fill one pit then the flow is switched to the second and the solids allowed to settle and dry before being removed and the pit and weeping wall cleaned ready for reuse. Agfirst Engineering’s consultant Nick Briant designed the effluent ponds and disposal system. “We’re an accredited effluent design company, one of only five in New Zealand,” said Nick. “We do the specs, and then we either do the installation or oversee it, whatever the client wants. Bruce was keen to have his local contractors, so this was pretty hands off for us.”
Reduced run-off
Green water is both recycled to wash down the yards through jets on one of Leask Engineering’s double backing gates—that’s a huge saving in a water-conscious business—and delivered to the pasture via a very low rate pod system that reduces run-off on rolling country. The backing gates and wash down system were supplied and installed by Morrinsville company Leask Engineering, but that was only a small part of the steelwork they did in the shed and the yard.
@ag-worx.co.nz
Leask Engineering are another example of a local company whose vast experience in the dairy industry has taken them from humble beginnings to a global presence. They not only cover New Zealand, they send prefabricated steelwork for dairy sheds and yards all round the world—and not just the materials, they’ve sent crews as far afield as Malaysia, Pakistan and Ireland to erect them. To finish the job Specialised Coatings were called upon to paint the pit with their Acraflex finish. Acraflex is a unique product that’s put on in two parts—first there’s an acrylic flecked base, then a clear solvent glaze is applied that sets into the base coat, giving a hard wearing perfect finish that’s fully resistant to acids and alkalis. With about 70 per cent of the market, it’s one of the most popular finishes in dairy sheds throughout New Zealand. The new dairy would have been ready and operating a couple of days after this article was written and the two farms settling into their respective routines with the new herd in their new dairy. Then come the hard yards needed to turn this new conversion into a successful dairy business. By Graeme Dobson
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TROUGHTON
Coast & Country
Rotary revolution on Troughton family farm Vic Troughton was just 20 when he arrived in New Zealand from Northern Ireland in 1922 to work on a farm in the Waikato. It wasn’t long before he bought land near Waharoa and began draining and clearing it of flax and ti-tree to create a dairy farm. Today his youngest son Terry farms on the land which Vic first cleared and, in an ironic twist Vic’s grandson Ben is planting flax and ti-tree on sensitive parts of the property, but not in numbers which will over-run the lush dairy pasture. Ben and wife Sarah are 50/50 sharemilkers for Terry and Marg, milking 700 mainly jersey cows, this season through a brand new rotary dairy built to replace two herringbone sheds which were around 50 years old. They are continuing Marg and Terry’s 35 year tradition of planting trees as shelter for the stock on the 200 ha of flat land near Waharoa. Ben has also planted trees for both shelter and firewood. However, the biggest revolution on the Troughton farm in decades is the new 54 bail rotary dairy which has the capacity to milk up to 1000 cows. The project has been Terry’s ‘baby’ from the start and he used Coast & Country’s New Farm Dairies publications to research milking systems, builders, equipment suppliers and installers. “It became my Bible. I rang up
farmers who were featured and picked their brains before making decisions.” Through all his research, Terry eventually settled on locally based companies for the project. “We are fortunate in the exceptionally high calibre of businesses in the Matamata area which specialise in the dairy industry. The trades people we had on this project worked very well together
By Elaine Fisher
and if there was a minor issue it was because each were perfectionists who wanted the best for us,” says Terry. That research led Terry to Paul Lowe of Lowe Builders Matamata who specialises in dairies, cow houses, feed pads, block laying, stone work, and farm buildings and it was to be a partnership which proved both successful and enjoyable. While Terry was project manager (he has the hard hat the prove it) it was Marg who kept the
The team from left are Max Trower, sharemilkers Ben and Sarah Troughton and Peter McKendry.
wheels of industry turning with her home baked morning teas. The build began in October last year and the first cows – two early calvers, were milked on July 5, 2012. Paul Lowe doesn’t build to a standard design. Instead he designs buildings to suit each farm situation and those who will work in the dairy. He and Terry design this dairy and the plans were produce by Sarah Hardie of Technology Works of Papamoa. “In this dairy Terry wanted the vats inside
so it made sense to extend the building to provide two additional rooms either side of the vats. “Terry was easy to work with. He knew what he wanted and because he was on site most days, we could discuss any issues as they arose,” says Paul who has been building dairies for 22 years, throughout New Zealand and in Tasmania. He carries out virtually all the construction from block work to exterior cladding, roofing, the yards and even the painting and texture work on the interior. “That way I can control the quality and keep costs down.” It was Rex Barnes Engineering of Matamata which designed and constructed the building’s galvanised portals.
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TROUGHTON
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Dairy light, airy and roomy “This was the first project we had carried out for Paul Lowe and we really appreciated working with him and his team, and with Terry,” says Jamie Barnes. “We have an in-house design facility and were able to model the portals in 3-D before they were made so we knew everything would fit. We encourage clients to use galvanised portals as that gives the best protection against what can be a harsh environment inside a dairy.” Jamie says Rex Barnes Engineering prides itself on quality and ‘getting it right first time’. The dairy is larger than normal, thanks partly to the interior vat stand but also to the generous space around the rotary platform. The automatic access door to the vats can be opened in summer to allow airflow to keep the dairy cool. There’s a vet area, ample storage for chemicals and cleaning products, a toilet, plus a lunch room and office which also serves as a crèche for Ben and Sarah’s children. The room’s internal window looks into the dairy, ensuring youngster can keep an eye on mum and dad and vice versa. Paul Lowe Builders also constructed the main circular yard leading to the milking platform and the smaller adjacent yards, designed to meet the Troughton family’s specific needs. “We raise around 140 calves each season and wanted yards in which to handle and draft the calves, as well as cows,” says Ben who helped design a drafting system similar to that used
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for sheep. The yards lead to either a full-sized and height loading ramp for trucks or a smaller one for loading trailers. “We sell a lot of calves to life-stylers who turn up with a trailer or horse float so this works well,” says Ben. Site preparation was carried out by Darryl Goodwin of Okoroire Excavators who has been in industry for 40 years. “We needed to bring in a lot of sand to build up the site and also put in extra races leading to a single shed instead of two as previously.” Darryl’s own background in the dairy industry means he has an understanding of cow flow and how a farm operates, so he worked with Terry to plan the best location for the new building. While wet weather was an issue at times, Darryl says the project went well and Terry was great to work with. Terry chose a 54 bail, Centrus composite rotary platform from Waikato Milking Systems mainly because of its lighter weight and consequent reduction in wear on the drive system. Paul McGill of Waikato Milking Systems says the Centrus composite Kevlar rotary platforms were first tested in New Zealand four years ago and have more than lived up to expectations. “The platform is 80 per cent lighter and five per cent stronger than a concrete deck which means the drive gear will last longer.” Paul says Waikato Milking Systems’ Smart D-tect early warning mastitis
detection system has been installed in the Troughton dairy. “This system senses conductivity of each quarter of the udder and if it detects any abnormality, an LED warning light is switched on to alert the milkers. A wireless signal is sent to the drafting gate which will automatically draft the cows needing attention out from the herd.” In another measure to control mastitis, the SmartSpray teat sprayer has been installed which is linked with the ECR cup removers, “Once the cow has finished milking and the cups removed a signal is sent to the teat sprayer from the spray ‘bullets’ installed in the platform deck.” The programmes include a kick-off alert so the bail gate will remain down and the cups can be replaced when the cow reaches the cups-on station. The programme will ensure the cow is not over-milked even though she will stay on the platform for another revolution. Any residual milk is removed by a vacuum system between the milking of each cow to avoid cross-contamination and at the end of milking the lines are purged to ensure every drop of milk reaches the vats. Cleaning the dairy is as simple as pushing a button as the SmartWash system is fully automated. It has a 10 wash programme which includes chemical pumps; high-speed detergent pumps delivery up to 600mls/minute; compressed air operated valves; temperature sensors and data logging.
TROUGHTON
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Coast & Country
Effluent system reduces fertiliser bill tanks from Bowers & Sons. Robyn Bowers says the award winning tanks made from self-compacting concrete provide a healthy environment for storing water and keeping it at much lower temperatures than plastic tanks. Water tanks are one of a range of products the company supplies farmers
The vacuum system is the Waikato Milking Systems’ BP400 air driven SmartDrive variable speed vacuum pump which offers up to 48 per cent savings in power use. “The Troughton dairy has been future-proofed so more automation can be added at any time,” says Paul. Milk quality is of paramount importance and when it came to keeping it cool, Terry commissioned temperature control specialists Centigrade temperature control specialists of Matamata. Centigrade Project manager Paul Donderwinkel says the Troughton system, which he specifically
designed for this application and built by Patton, has a two stage plate cooler, the first using ground water and the second chilled water `bulk-stored’ in one of the four large concrete tanks. “The system has been designed to spread power consumption load, it prioritises the temperature of milk in the vats first, then the chilled water which is continually recycled and cooled, after the milking platform has stopped operating, hot water from the heat recovery system is also included.” Storage for both the ground and chilled water is supplied by four, 25,000 litre Duracrete concrete
closely with Eurotec on the project and was instrumental in the installation of a web based temperature logging alert messaging programme which will enable the performance of the system and any failures to be monitored remotely by computer or mobile phone. “This is the first time this system has been used on a dairy in New Zealand,” says Paul. Kelly Larritt of Eurotec says the system comes from the Italian company Terra Technology. “It will text the farmer if there is
The yards have been designed to handle both cows and calves. including feed pads and bins, stone traps, water and feed troughs and effluent tanks. Paul Donderwinkel worked
a problem with the refrigeration system such as a change in the temperature of the milk in the vat or of the chilled water.”
It’s first application in a farm dairy in New Zealand is exciting and Kelly says and there is the potential to extend the functions it monitors. “It could, if required, also be linked to Fonterra’s systems too.” Since its establishment in 1985 Eurotec has built a reputation not only as an importer and marketer of a wide range of superior quality controls and instrumentation but also as a company whose people are committed to providing their clients with quality service. The Eurotec refrigeration business unit markets and supports the Carel range of refrigeration and air-conditioning control products and systems, sold throughout the country. Eurotec is well known for the equipment and services it supplies to kiwifruit coolstores and supermarkets. King Electrical of Matamata electrician Jason Doherty says the dairy has been wired so any electrical up-grades can be carried out with relative ease. “A big issue with building new sheds today is the need to meet the amp limits put in place by the electricity supply companies.” In order to ensure the dairy stayed within those parameters it was essential for King Electrical to know the demands of each piece of equipment installed. Terry wanted to keep things simple so most electrical system can be operated by the push of a
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TROUGHTON
Page 63
New irrigation system helps everyone Wash down and chemical systems are activated by the push of a button as electrician Jason Doherty of King Electrical demonstrates.
Fenton Viggers of FDL Water Services with the Yardmaster effluent pump from Reid & Harrison of Matamata.
Centigrade Project manager Paul Donderwinkel and the four Bowers and Son concrete water tanks, one of which stores chilled water.
button. “The dairy is a harsh environment for electronics and rather than have a touch screen, we installed a push button system to start the wash down. “The dairy also has an automatic chemical mixing system so staff don’t have to handle chemical or mix them by hand,” says Jason. Power savings were also achieved through the variable speed effluent pump which will shut down, rather than burn out the motor, should there be a problem. Fenton Viggers of FDL Water Services was no stranger to the Troughton Farm. He was an award winning variable sharemilker for Terry and Marg in the 1990s so it was a pleasure to return to help with the new dairy project. “Terry already had a very large effluent pond (100 m by 30m) and in the past had consent to
Races leading to the new dairy were constructed for ease of movement of both cows and vehicles.
discharge into a drain but with the new dairy he wanted to change that.” Fenton says irrigating effluent onto the farm will save around $15,000 a year in fertiliser costs. “That means the new system will soon pay for itself. Around 60 ha of the farm is being irrigated at a low rate per hectare which means the nutrients stay in the root zone enabling the plants to get
full value from them, and they don’t leech out. “The lower application rate has an animal health benefit too as it can reduce the risk of cows picking up infections.
“The variable speed pump uses about one quarter the energy of other pumps.” Because of the size of the storage pond and the efficiency of the irrigation system, there is also less risk of the farm breeching its regional council consents. Key to the success of the effluent system is the 15 hp Yardmaster effluent pump and 10hp stirrer from Reid & Harrison of Matamata, a company which has been designing and manufacturing effluent pumps for 50 years. Seaton Dalley says the pump and stirrer are mounted on a six drum pontoon which floats on the effluent
pond and the only part of the equipment in the liquid is the housing and impeller. “Bearings and seals are not in the effluent so they won’t rust or seize. The other features are the self-greasing cartridges which mean the pump needs attention just once a year.” The success of the Yardmaster pumps is due to their innovative design which means they don’t clog and their ability to run dry without causing equipment failure. The pumps are so reliable they are used across a wide range of industries including chicken abattoirs, piggeries and meat processing plants. “However, dairying accounts for around 80 per cent of our business,” By Elaine Fisher says Seaton.
BOLT
Page 64
Coast & Country
Taking the dairying lead in a drystock region Clyde and Heather Bolt bought their farm at Matira, near Naike, out from Huntly on the West Coast in 2003. The 300 hectare property was already an amalgamation of several farms and run as a dry stock farm with sheep, cattle and deer. By Helen Wilson
“We bought out here with the view to convert to dairying but back then cow prices and Fonterra shares were ridiculously high and we decided to wait a while until things had settled down,” says Clyde. It was a good decision as prices did come back and in October 2011 the 60 bail rotary dairy was started. The farm has a gently rolling contour and the dairy was sited in a position to allow easy access for the cows and the milk tanker. It meant putting in two underpasses as the farm is separated into three areas with two roads running through it. In the past Clyde has bought run down farms, one a dairy farm and two were sheep farms which he converted to dairying and sold them on. He had bought two herring bone dairy sheds so had some knowledge of the sort of dairy he wanted for the Matira farm. “I’m getting a bit older now so I decided a rotary would be the best option,” says Clyde.
The pre-cast silo stands.
He had heard good reports about Peter Gray of Dairy Tech Limited, a company near Otorohanga which specialises in building dairy sheds and yards.
Two-year old quote
“I got Peter Gray to give me a quote about two years before we decided to build and when it came time to make a commitment his price hadn’t changed and it was comparable to other quotes,” says Clyde. The dairy took three months to complete and it was in use by January 2012. It is a standard Dairy Tech Rotary with an octagonal building and lean-to areas. The building is enclosed on three sides to keep out the bad weather. “Most clients have specific requests on how they layout the lean-to areas and it often depends on the land and site,” says Peter Gray of Dairy Tech Limited.
the site and joined together, ready for us or the client’s builder to pour the concrete floor. We have installed two large milk silos in this dairy,” says Peter. Another addition was a retracting arm teat sprayer, designed and installed by Dairy Tech. “This is the first one we have installed. It squirts each cow’s udder as they back out and stops the
spread of mastitis. It can be fitted to new dairy sheds or existing ones,” says Peter. The Dairy Tech staff stayed on site with Clyde and Heather during construction of the dairy as the farm is located a fair distance from any accommodation. “Everything worked out well.
Access tunnel
The dairy has an access tunnel under the platform with steps and a hand rail. “This makes access a lot easier and saves me climbing over the bails to get to the gallery,” says Clyde. Dairy Tech Limited also fitted the aluminum meal bins on the platform and a new design, rectangular backing gate for the large yard. “We sell so many pre-cast silo pads for existing suppliers who need larger milk silos. They are delivered to
The construction phase.
A Dairy Tech dairy shed. Clyde Bolt and the two milk silos.
www.delaval.com
BOLT
PH 07 578 0030
Page 65
Efficient shed designed for 700 cows I had built a dairy shed for Clyde’s brother some years ago and it was always his intention to build a rotary dairy himself at some stage,” says Peter.
Good combination
Te Awamutu company Milk and Pump Systems Limited installed the
DeLaval milking plant. “We have a good working relationship with Dairy Tech fitting our equipment on to their platforms. From sale to design and fabrication we ended up with a good combination,” says Patrick Haden owner of Milk and Pump Systems Ltd. The plant was designed to include the DeLaval MPC150b automatic milking
The race way to the paddocks.
point in the future. This is relevant to the thought process and design. An auto splash has been installed which eliminates human error as there is no detergent handling and it saves time. The milker just has to push a button and go home for dinner or breakfast and the plant is cleaned to the required standard. “We installed a Lobe vacuum pump with reduced maintenance and speed control, which saves the farmer power expense. All the pumps were installed in a remote pump shed reducing the noise in the milking area. It was a pleasure to work with Clyde and Heather and we still enjoy a good working relationship,” says Patrick.
Winter milk
Milk and Pump Systems Limited are the DeLaval agents for the Te Awamutu area and in addition to installing milking plants and effluent systems they stock a
comprehensive range of dairy detergents, rubber ware teat spray and consumables used in dairy sheds. Clyde decided not to install automatic cup removers but there is the capacity to do that at a later date. At present there are two full time milkers and when this story was written, Clyde was milking 160 cows for winter milk. “I bought cows from all over the place and their calving dates were all different. It’s just not economical to milk cows over the winter so next year they will all be calving in the spring. We will be milking up to 700 cows this year so it was essential to have an efficient dairy and I am very pleased with the result,” says Clyde. Matira is mostly a drystock farming area so it will be interesting to see if other farmers will follow Clyde’s example and consider converting to dairy farming.
Entry on to the platform.
A DeLaval cluster.
By Helen Wilson
DeLaval milking clusters. Cups off area with push button control.
The pit area of the dairy shed.
The Dairy Tech backing gate.
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KAIAWA
Page 66
Coast & Country
Function and aesthetically pleasing dairy for Kaiawa Four generations of the Robinson family have proudly farmed land in Robinson Road, Roto-oRangi south of Cambridge so when it came time to build a new dairy, more than functionality was required.
Jonathan Robinson wanted a complex which was aesthetically pleasing, fitting into Kaiawa Farm’s landscape and reflecting the family’s pride in dairying. “My great grandfather was a ploughman who came out from England in the late 1800s to work on an estate, and eventually bought part of that property to go farming himself.”
Jonathan and Brian Robinson are the third and four generations of their family to farm the land at Roto-o-Rangi south of Cambridge.
it a
pays to have wrangler
The farm has grown with the generations and today covers 150 ha of rolling to flat land, of which 145 are effective, milking 450 to 500 cows. The new 54 bale rotary replaces the 43-year-old shed Jonathan’s father Brian built and it’s a building both are very pleased with. “I looked at a number of sheds before deciding to go with Reporoa Engineering. I had no experience of rotary sheds so wanted to work with people who knew what they were doing. “The backing gate was another reason I decided on Reporoa Engineering for the contract.” Among his requirements were that the dairy and yards enhanced cow flow and that the dairy was safe and pleasant to be in for both cows and staff. “Brad Atkins, our contract milker, is beginning his fifth season on the farm and was keen to be involved in the construction of a new dairy which was important because you
need staff on side to make a project like this work.” John Perrin, director of Reporoa Engineering 1982 Ltd (the home of Herdflow) said the Robinson dairy was a project he and his team particularly enjoyed. “This is the kind of top end dairy we are known for.” In a departure from the norm, Reporoa Engineering made the tilt slabs on the farm. “Normally we would pre-cast them off site but because we were able to begin work before Christmas last year we had the time to make the slabs on site.” Ensuring optimum cow flow, including exceptional animal handling facilities, and covering all the needs of the farmer are the prime focus of the Herdflow team. "We take into consideration every step of the milking process, from the moment the first cow steps onto the yard until the last cow leaves. Our experience and know-how of farm and pasture management, specialised
farm building and quality construction techniques work together to make the milking experience an easier, efficient process. " The Robinson's 21 x 20 metre dairy with operator pit contains pre-cast 1.2 metre high concrete tilt panels on all walls with a 75 mm chiller panel above. The steel is hot dipped galvanised RHS portal construction for premium strength and durability. The roof pitch is 15 degrees and with two clear panels per bay, draws natural light into the shed while the vented ridge allows for optimal airflow. The 60 metre x 12metre rectangular yard includes the Herdflow Crowd Gate with an automatic yard washing system. Raised office and vet room, external secure chemical storage and covered cattle crush are part of the design footprint, which creates a perfect environment to get on with the job with ease and efficiency.
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KAIAWA
Page 67
So cool cows don’t want to leave
"This project pulled together most of the unique design and construction features of a Herdflow Dairy Shed and yard. The result is exceptional cow flow, a user friendly milking operation and overall a natural fit in to a wellrun farm," says John. The Dungbuster auto yard washing system from Technipharm offers many benefits over manual washing and is a step forward to sustainable use of resources, says Harmen Heesen, Technipharm Group CEO. “Effluent management and sustainability starts with less water use. Every drop of water pumped into a dairy and mixed with dirt, dung and waste becomes effluent. Water is precious so should be used wisely. “By installing a Dungbuster there is significant reduced water use, less pumping in, less effluent generated and less effluent to manage. There is a consequential saving in power use.
The Kaiawa dairy is designed to be operated by one person operation.
Farmers who have Dungbusters report water use down by as much as 40 per cent. “Additionally labour savings of up to four weeks per year for most farms mean a saving or reallocation of at least $3000 to $4000 of time. Dairy sustainability and production growth is all about making our natural resources go further. “For farmers engaging a “green-wash” system, the new Dungbuster Greenwash will be an option to consider,” Harmen says. The dairy is designed to be operated by one person and creature comforts are included. According to Dan Pratt of Pratt Milking Machines , the environment in the shed in summer is so pleasant, the cows don’t want to leave. That’s thanks largely to the 10 fans which generate a fine mist to drop the inside temperature by as much as 10 degrees, and keep flies away. “It’s an idea I first saw in a bar in Arizona. The mist is so fine you don’t get wet, but flies won’t fly through it,” says Dan whose company carried out the installation of the Milfos plant.
Ensuring optimum cow flow was a focus in the design and construction of Kaiawa dairy.
Mike Prendergast, Milfos iCare Sales Manager for the Upper North Island said the milking system installed is a Milfos 54 bail iFLOW rotary with an hydraulic drive and iCR cup removers and cow restraints. “The dairy has iPUD teat sprayers and the next step will be to install the heads down display which will alert staff to individual cows with cups off or health issues.” As cows complete milking, the cups drop down under the bridge, preventing animals from getting caught up in them, and enabling the cups to be washed as they pass through. “Jonathan was second to none to work with. He paid close attention to detail and everything has been put in place to ensure any future up-grades are easy to carry out.” Mike Russ managing director of Russ Water Services says careful planning before the project began ensures the dairy is future proofed. “We put in a lot of automated products to save time, energy and labour.” Bradford Johanson of King Cooling installed the Mahana Blue system which heats water by harnessing waste heat from the refrigeration system. The system is particularly effective in dairy sheds because of the high volume of hot water needed for cleaning and sterilising, and the amount of waste energy produced from keeping milk cold in refrigerators. A Wrangler Cattle restrainer was installed in the yard to enable the safe and easy care and inspection of cow’s hooves and Wilco KleinOvink, of the Whakatane based company says the restraints are becoming almost standard in new dairies. “It’s easier to put a Wrangler in when a dairy is under construction, and increasingly staff are asking that they be available. The Wranglers are now so well-known we are exporting them too.”
Mike Prendergast, Milfos iCare Sales Manager for the Upper North Island. Because of prolonged wet weather during the construction phase, Steven Curin and the team from Curin Contracting excavated the rotary pit after the roof was up. “That’s the first time we’ve done that on a new shed and the operator had to be careful not to damage the roof but with all the rain, it was the best way to keep everything dry.” Among the finishing touches to the dairy was the application of Acraflex coating in subtle grey tones to the walls, carried out by Roger Farley of Modern Coatings. “It’s a durable easy clean, spray on product which looks great and will stay on for 20 years,” says Roger who has been painting dairies up and down the country for 20 years. By Elaine Fisher
100% New Zealand Owned & Operated since 1982
MID ISLAND DEVELOPMENTS
Page 68
For 16 years the 500 cows on the Mid Island Developments farm near Waitoa were milked in a 24 bail rotary shed. By Elaine Fisher
Twelve months ago the herd and the farm managers Mike and Debbie Wood enjoyed the luxury of the first milking in a brand
new 44 bail rotary dairy which has shaved around two hours off milking time. “We didn’t want to build the new dairy until we could afford to pay cash for it,” says Bob Thom of Mid Island Developments. “We don’t want to have too much debt and aim to keep costs under control so this project had to meet our budget.” And it did. Registered Master Builder Don Chapman of Don Chapman Builders Ltd won the contract to construct the dairy,
working alongside suppliers and contractors the company had been involved with on several other projects. “It is a fairly simple building, designed with both the cows and staff in mind. Cow flow through the yard and building is the over-riding factor for a dairy to work correctly,” says Don who has been designing and building dairy parlours since 1967. As is typical of a Chapman dairy, the building is light and airy, with
Coast & Country
sliding windows which can be opened in summer to improve airflow, or closed for winter warmth. Their task was made easier, thanks to the high quality finish achieved by Bruce Cameron of Specialised Coatings who painted the complex.
Mount Te Aroha is an attractiv the Mid Island pro e backdrop to perty.
The new Mid Island dairy is just metres from the old 24 bail rotary shed but when it comes to technology the two are much further apart.
The Technipharm Dungbuster automatic yard cleaner on a Leask backing gate is an efficient means of keeping the yard clean.
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MID ISLAND DEVELOPMENTS
The Milfos iDuro platform has a single beam design with nylon running gear to reduce overall running and maintenance costs.
Farm managers Debbie and Mike Wood with Tony McLaren of McLarens Rural Services, Don Chapman of Don Chapman Builders, Bob Thom of Mid Island Developments and Mark McKewen, sales manager for Milfos in Northland/Waikato inside the new dairy at Mid Island Developments.
Page 69
The vet platform has improved the ease and safety of working with cows in the new dairy.
Mid Island new rotary project came in on budget Keeping the dairy complex clean, saving water and time were the motivations behind installing a Technipharm Dungbuster automatic yard cleaner on a Leask backing gate. Dungbusters can reduce water use in the yard by up to 40 per cent and incorporating it onto a backing gate makes it easier to handle the two herds milked by Mid Island Developments. Bob says the combination of the Dungbuster and the Leask The Milfos iCR cup removEngineering backing gate has ers, iCRS cow restraints and been a great time saver for staff. Milfos drop-down system The backing gate is fitted make the new Mid Island to a centre post which Chapdairy a one person operation. man Builders designed for easy removal should water lines need replacing. Cow comfort is a consideration in shed design and Don says the rubber surface covering concrete where cows back off the platform is easier on their feet, meaning they are relaxed about exiting the rotary. Wetit automatic teat sprayers
have been installed as a mastitis management measure. In order to meet Mid Island Developments’ budget Milfos installed its iDuro platform. Mark McKewen, sales manager for Milfos in Northland/Waikato, says the single beam design with nylon running gear reduces overall running and maintenance costs. The platform includes deck ports for milk and air tubes and the machine is mounted behind a protective stainless steel skirt. The platform has Milfos iPud 1000 leg spreaders to help with the alignment of the cow’s back legs for milking. “The iPud (which stands for Platform Universal Device – and the ‘i’ is for intelligent) can be upgraded at any stage with teat sprays and a visual display to alert staff to any issues with individual cows.” Tony McLaren of McLaren’s Rural Services, the company which has just won the Milfos Australasian Dealer of the Year award, fitted the equipment. “The dairy is not high tech but has been future-proofed so it can be upgraded when needed,” says Tony. “This is a one-person shed and the Milfos iCR cup removers, iCRS cow restraints and Milfos drop-down system make it easy to operate. “Among the advantages Milfos offers is that it is a New Zealand owned company based in Hamilton producing equip-
ment and systems for New Zealand conditions.” Tony says a new service offered by Milfos through McLaren’s Rural Services is iCare, a scheduled maintenance plan for timely service, scheduled maintenance and replacement of parts in the dairy system. “The up-take of iCare has been good with farm owners and managers pleased to have the service.” Leask Engineering, which works on many sheds designed and built by Don Chapman, supplied the rails and gates for the Mid Island project. Rom Stellingwerf of Leask says the company has been building cow sheds for around 50 years and well understands what is required to hold and move cows safely and efficiently. Pump & Pipeline took care of the effluent system for the new shed. Paul Skiffington says a sump and submersible pump were installed to pump the waste to the existing effluent system around 100 metres away. Earthworks for the site were carried out by Paul Steiner Contracting Ltd, a company which has worked with Don Chapman for 20 years. Paul Steiner says it was a relatively straight forward project. “We stripped the topsoil and put in pit sand to build up to the required levels and also put down rock and lime fines for the approaches to the shed.”
This is a one-person shed
MOURITS
Page 70
Tom and Monica Mourits aren’t beginners when it comes to building a new cowshed. They have built two cowsheds since buying their farm at Morrinsville in 1986. By Sheryl Brown & Lois McKinley
Tom built their first new shed in 1989 – an 18 a-side to replace the 12 a-side original herringbone. In 2011, he extended it again to a 40 a-side, including some new systems and technology to make life in the milking shed that much
easier. After purchasing another farm next door four years ago, Tom and Monica were milking through two different cowsheds for a while, before putting in an underpass to amalgamate the two properties. Steelcon Construction from Matamata installed the underpass, which took approximately two and a half weeks. “Because the site was so wet we had to install concrete retaining walls on each side of the underpass” says Rodney from Steelcon. The underpass goes under a neighbour’s private driveway running between the two blocks, and has allowed Tom to operate from one milking platform, and gave a reason to
Coast & Country
put the extension on the shed. The old cowshed had good cow flow and “we wanted to carry that over to the new shed” says Tom. “We did look at a rotary option. But for the size of our operation, we felt the herringbone suited us better and was more cost-effective. And it was less maintenance. “We haven’t probably got that many opportunities to buy land around us – to expand – but you could still go up to 500 cows comfortably in this size shed.” This shed was also a good option for two milkers says Tom, whose daughter Tracy and farm worker Tim Brown are both employed
FARM & LIVESTOCK SERVICES
full time. The new shed has made life a lot easier for staff. “We were milking out of two 18 a-side sheds. We are milking 370 cows at the moment, which gives us nine and a half rows. Milking out of one shed is far more efficient and also a slight saving of milking time. “It makes it easier to get relief staff in, as there is always one person in charge.” The new cup removers have made it possible to have one person milking when required. “One person can still milk by themselves with the cup removers. It might just take 15-20 minutes longer, but it’s manageable.” The cup removers are part of the DeLaval system installed by Peter McGregor.
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Page 71
Dairy built around existing infrastructure The DeLaval plant is a 40-unit midiline with NPC 150B cluster removers, which is the latest model. There are a number of variable settings that can be changed to alter the take-off time. The cup removers are programmed on time and milk flow. There is a C200 Auto wash system and a LVP blower vacuum pump. “I’ve never had cup removers before getting these,” says Tom. “I’m really happy with them. The system is faster. “We’ve got two milkers in the shed, they can keep up easily.” “Once you’ve got the settings right, you wouldn’t need to change them,” says Howard Anderson from McGregor Farm Services. “The cups come off 5, 10 or 15 seconds after milk flow slows.It’s relatively easy to change settings; you load it into the computer and then sync it with the infrared.” The new setup with the swing arms is great says Tom. “The swing arms work really well, they are nice and tidy and there is plenty of room to walk down the pit. There is plenty of room when
herd testing. “The swing-down jetter-wash system and the automatic wash system work really well. “It’s great because the staff don’t have to worry about handling chemicals as much.” The shed is not really technical; there are some simple features that work really well – a covered AI race and a manual DeLaval vacuum operated teat spray system. “We can upgrade to an automated teat sprayer in the drafting race further down the track if we want.” Tom says Peter McGregor from DeLaval is great to work with. “Pete’s been really good at explaining and working through all the available options and helping us to decide which the best option for us was. Peter and his team did a great job with the insulation and he got us milking as quickly as they could. “This is the first new shed worked on with Pete, but we have a DeLaval plant in another shed on our other property down the road which McGregors Farm Services look after for us.” Tom is still running two herds through the shed at the moment.
“We can run one herd past with the other on the feed pad. We designed our shed around the existing infrastructure because we had the feed bunkers and feed pad all there, and we’re still using those facilities. “We spent quite a bit of money on concrete so that cows can move from and around the feed-pad area to the yard without walking on metal. “We did all of the prep work for the concrete. Because we were trying to build a shed in a short space of time – we did the circular yard and feed pad extension in March while we were still milking in the shed. “We were lucky that most of our concrete was done before it got really wet. Also included in the extensions are new plant room, office and silo pad with a 14000 litre vat. It’s handy having the bit of extra capacity. “It was good when the major gas leak happened. We got three milkings in the vat when Fonterra weren’t picking up so we didn’t have to tip any milk out.”
Tom Mourits, Howard Anderson and Tony Hutchison.
EASK Established 1958
NGINEERING
Page 72
MOURITS
Coast & Country
Simple, practical and efficient design Leask Engineering stepped in and supplied all the zig-zags, backing gate, breast rails, yard gates and pendulum gates. Leask Engineering supplies kit sets around the country and overseas – for example Brazil – says Rom Stellingwerf and that is what they put into Tom’s cowshed. “It’s basically our standard design,” says Rom. “We do custom make things, but we’ve got them pretty well sorted now. We’ve been building sheds for more than 50 years now.” Wayne Cullen from Cullen Bricklayers did a great job extending the shed says Tom.
“He was good – he and his son (Daniel) did the extension to the pit and the block wall and they did a great job.” They also did the dairy and the vat stand. Wayne says blocks are a great option for a cowshed. “Once a block is in place, it is there to stay.” He says building on an extension is slightly more tricky than starting a cowshed from scratch. “All the old extensions might not necessarily be plumb, so it’s not always straight forward.” Cullen Bricklayers are based in Matamata and cover a big part of the
From left; Terry Storer, Howard Anderson and Tony Hutchison (De Laval), Brett Meehan and Rom Stellingwerf (Leask Engineering) and Tracy Mourits, Tom Mourits and farm worker Tim Brown, and can’t forget Axle the dog.
region, including Matamata, Te Poi, Hinuera, Wahoroa and Walton. Paul Steiner did an excellent job of the earthworks says Tom. They started with digging up sand and building up new races. “He had to do the demolition of the old shed, did all the yard and the levelling out and then the prep work for feed pad and shed. “Paul was great – because we would only need a digger for a couple of days at a time. It’s not like a new shed where you could do it all at once. We had to do it in bits and then going to another job and then coming back.” Paul has five excavators and four trucks so he says he is able to spread his staff between jobs. Paul also dug out the 3.5 million litre effluent pond that Tom installed. “We put in a huge new holding effluent pond which can handle 90 days of storage, and put in a whole new effluent system, to be able to irrigate about 50ha of the farm.” It was quite a complicated job says Paul. “It took us about 10 working days. It’s not just digging a hole – we had to seal it with imported clay.” Tom did his own measuring out of the pond, but Paul says they can do that for farmers as well. “We are doing more and more effluent ponds,” says Paul. “I have done about four this year, and have another five in front of me to do.” Pump & Pipeline Ltd installed the new effluent pump and stirrer and connected into the existing system. Owner Paul Skiffington says
the job was completed in a couple of site visits, amounting to a day’s work. The team installed a self-priming Rovatti effluent pump into Tom’s pond, connecting into the existing pipework. A submersible Irriland blueline 7.5kw mixer was also installed, mounted on a galvanised adjustable mounting frame. Tom also installed Dungbusters from Technipharm for the yard – after his staff asked him too.“I had until Christmas to get them in,”Tom says “and they work really well”. Paul Donderwinkel from Centigrade says Tom has put in a simple, yet practical and reliable refrigeration system. “It’s a conventional direct expansion type system. It has direct chilling on the vat, however, it has two compressors that can be either staged or duty-cycled, depending on the individual requirements of the shed.” Centigrade were involved with the design of the ‘Real Cold’ unit says Paul and it has proved to be a successful design. “It has a de-super heater heat recovery system that produces warm water for the hot water cylinders which would otherwise be wasted energy. “We’ve kept it basic because with technology usually comes electronics which can have issues in cowsheds for refrigeration – so we’ve kept it simple and practical and that’s what it is.” By Sheryl Brown & Lois McKinley
MOURITS
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Page 73
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MULGERE FARMING
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Coast & Country
Simplicity key to efficiency at Achray Station By Graeme Dobson
After owning one dairy farm and leasing a second in the Marlborough region, Euan and Rose Lawson moved to a share-milking position near Culverden in 1996 while they evaluated local opportunities. Over the next few years they owned various farms in the Rotherham and Culverden area until they settled on Achray station and an adjoining 160 ha milking unit near Rotherham about 10 years ago. Achray station itself has 423 ha, of which they’ve put 85 ha under irrigated, giving them an effective 245 ha off which they milk 525 cows. The remaining steeper country is still running dry stock Deciding on a new farm dairy wasn’t too hard. They’d worked in both herringbone and rotary and, on the whole, preferred a rotary and had a pretty good idea of what they wanted and what they didn’t want. What they wanted was a straightforward, functional 50 bail dairy that was efficient and
user (and cow) friendly. What they didn’t want was all the extras, such as computer controlled drafting, automatic milk monitoring or automatic cup removers. They prefer to be hands-on with their herd and view these things as unnecessary—although they have made provision to install them later if they change their minds. Before deciding what farm dairy to build they visited a neighbour who had just built a new one. They were so impressed with the high standard of workmanship and that they got the name of his builder, Nigel Hodges of Rural Building Solutions Ltd, and went from there. “Nigel turned out to be as reliable, well organised and professional as we expected,”
said Euan. “And the end result was as high quality as we expected.” Nigel, a builder who specialises in farm buildings, says that the first and most important thing is planning. This might seem obvious, but many farmers don’t put enough into this phase and regret it later. So Nigel sat down with the Lawsons and went through the whole process—the size they wanted, where they wanted it and which way it should face. “We work closely with the customer to ensure they get the best possible outcome, and that includes orienting the building to keep out the worst of the weather. It’s better for the workers and the cows,” Nigel explained. In this case that meant facing the open side toward the north to keep out the cold winter southerlies, but also angling it so the hot nor’westers don’t blow in too much in the summer. Fonterra were also in on the planning stage to ensure they
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had suitable access for their tankers. In this part of the world that includes coordinating the tanker track with the big pivot irrigator to ensure all the irrigators wheels pass over the tanker track at the same time—if they weren’t laid out properly the wheels would cross the track one after the other, blocking the drive way for hours and seriously upsetting the tanker’s schedule. Rural Building Solutions are a licensee of Don Chapman Dairies, so when it came to building design the Lawsons were happy to go with a Chapman Dairy design. “We became a licensee of Don Chapman because of the high quality design features that are incorporated into their dairies which makes milking more efficient,” Nigel explained. “The custom design process also provides a choice of milking parlour styles, yard layout, plant room design and pipe work configuration,” he added. There are now about eight Chapman designed farm dairies in the area.
“We work closely with the customer to ensure they get the best possible outcome”
MULGERE FARMING
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Page 75
‘Superbly functional’ dairy
Euan & Rose Lawson and builder Nigel Ho dges from Rural Building Solutions. Don and wife Yvonne started Don Chapman Builders in Morrinsville in 1988 and have been building farm dairies ever since, but Don’s experience goes back even further – he remembers building his first rotary, a 17 bail operation, back in the mid-seventies. Today they have a selection of concept designs that Don adapts to suit individual situations and he works directly with his clients to ensure they get the dairy they want. In the Lawson’s case Don came on site with Nigel and they went through the whole process of adapting the design to suit Euan and Rose’s needs and siting the building to suit the conditions. One of those needs was steel bird mesh over the air vents that run down either side of a central sky light (a standard Chapman
e of Skylights are a featur Don Chapman sheds.
feature) which, together with fully clad walls that leave no opportunity for nesting, keeps the shed mostly bird free. An unusual, but very practical innovation Euan included was an old car seat mounted above and adjacent to the platform where he can sit to tail paint cows for AI (or anything else) and then draft them out with a simple lever operated gate as they come off the platform. As the build progressed Nigel needed electricians, so he called in Gary Roxburgh from Nairn Engineering. As he’s done on many other jobs, Gary worked closely with Nigel and the Lawsons to install the dairy’s electricals. “Nairn have pretty much got all north and central Canterbury tied up now,” said Nigel. “They’re just so good at what they do, very reliable and good to work with.”
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Nairn’s highly experienced staff are on top of problems before they occur, for example they take particular care to prevent stray voltage. Stray voltage, usually caused by variable speed devices supplied by third parties, is one of the biggest challenges they’ve faced in farm dairies over the past few years and it can be a major problem for staff and cows. Outside, the dairy’s effluent is handled by a trap, a sump and a screw press to remove hair and anything that could clog the system. The green water then gravity flows into a large holding pond ready to be pumped to the paddocks. The hole for the holding pond was created when material was dug out for the building’s foundations, but it needed water-proofing so they called in Viking Containments to install
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The Lawsons prefer a ‘hands-on’ approach to milking but have ma de provision for an upgrade to automatic cup removers.
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a strong and durable pond liner to ensure it was absolutely watertight. Viking Containment has offices in Christchurch, Hamilton and Auckland and are New Zealand’s leading suppliers and installers of geosynthetic products, so they were well placed to installed an Agrishield liner. This is a tough, smooth, heavy duty and high density polyethylene product that is resistant to cracking, puncturing, tearing and many chemicals. Viking, who used to be known as Skellerup Containment Systems, weld and install the liners on site and rigorously test them to the same standard as sewage ponds—testing that can detect a pinhole. All things considered, the new Mulgere shed is superbly functional, exactly as it was designed. By Graeme Dobson
WILLOWCLIFF
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Coast & Country
Postcard picturesque and high producing too By Graeme Dobson
Some of the rolling hills show signs of Plateau Works recent attention.
Willowcliff ’s gently rolling green hills may not have been so gently rolling or green before Plateau Works arrived with their GPS and machines to smooth them out. Derek Chalmers has put all his 60 plus years of farming experience into developing Willowcliff Farm near Duntroon. Sitting amid rolling green hills with snow-capped mountains for a backdrop, Willowcliff is one of the most picturesque farms I’ve seen and could easily be featured on a postcard, but it’s not there for its looks—Derek’s made sure it’s a high producing unit. Willowcliff ’s 357ha under irrigation is run by share-milker Nathan McLachlan with four full time staff who milk a herd of 850. This is set to expand to 1400 over the next two years using a 352 ha support block down the road. To milk a herd this size requires irrigation, but this is not flat country and presents challenges for irrigators, so Derek called in local irrigation and contouring specialists Plateau Works Ltd.
it a
Plateau Works saw a need for specialised earthworks to cater for the burgeoning dairy conversions—not just for new farm buildings and raceways, but also the specialised earthworks that are needed to allow the giant pivot irrigators to cross the countryside. So they designed computer software that uses GPS to map the terrain and determine the best locations for the buildings and irrigator pathways. With this programme they can tell exactly where and how much earth needs to be shifted and then the computer and the GPS guide the earth movers, enabling New Zealand farmers to irrigate land that in any other part of the world would be considered too steep. The software also shows the best location for centre tower to ensure maximum irrigation efficiency. The raceways around Derek’s dairy are still a work in progress, but building the new 60 bail rotary shed, along with houses and other buildings was quick—work began in June and the cows were milked in August. At the peak of building activity there were 70 workers on site, so it was no mean feat coordinating it all. Inside the shed Derek called in Ryan Mounty
pays to have wrangler
Mark include their new SmartD-Tect programme to pick up mastitis before it gets established. At cups-on SmartD-Tect milks each quarter separately for 15 seconds and analyses it for clinical signs of mastitis. If mastitis is detected a red light The earth works around the shed are still a work comes on to alert the in progress by Plateau works Ltd. milker. When working to its fullest (settings are from Whitestone Electrical to install a Waikato set by the farmer), SmartD-Tect will detect Milking System supplied by Mark Wilks from quarters that are not yet clinically visible and local company Waikato Milking Systems will pick up over 80 per cent of infected cows Timaru. Whitestone Electrical is the product of giving a very tiny error rate of 0.4 per cent of local companies Calect Electrical (who project false readings—that’s just four false readings in managed Derek’s job) and Plunket Electrical every 1000 cows tested. pooling their resources for larger projects. This “This was a good project and I enjoyed workcooperation enables them to confidently take ing with Derek and his consultants,” Ryan says. on all work, no matter how big the project. “The main contractor kept us well informed of Waikato Milking Systems are renowned the project’s progress so we knew when we were for innovation and at Willowcliff they had required on site. This made it easy to work with
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WILLOWCLIFF
Page 77
Animal and environmental health looked after Waikato Milking Systems on the milking plant and the other contractors on the herd management side of it. The end result is a credit to all those involved.” The milking plant is impressive, but it needed refrigeration to go with it. This was supplied by Milfos International, a family owned Hamilton based business that expanded into the South about 13 years ago and now have a range of dealers throughout the South Island. Milfos provide their Oamaru dealer, Blair Brosnan from Blair Bronsan Refrigeration, with their new iConverter glycol chilling system to cater for Derek’s refrigeration needs. The heart of the iConverter system is a heavily insulated tank containing ‘freezer balls’ and glycol. The glycol is super-chilled using off-peak power and freezes the balls as it circulates, these super-chilled balls are then used as a refrigerator during the day. During milking glycol passes over the frozen balls, chilling it to about 0°C. Then it goes through a
heat exchange that rapidly cools the milk from an ambient 35oC to 4oC and maintains the vats at 4oC—all at off peak electricity rates. Further power savings are made by using the heat recovered from the milk for the shed’s hot water. Blair trained to install iConverters with Milfos in Hamilton and on site. He receives the systems from Milfos packed in crates and assembles them on site then works in with the other on site contractors to install them, and they’re keeping him pretty busy. “In this general area, from Waimate to Oamaru we have 10 of these machines installed and we’re working on having more. There is an initial expense, but the pay back is impressive,” he says. Derek has in shed feeding, so for his feed sup-
plies went to CRT who were able to offer him a complete range of feed products and other leading farm products, including agricultural chemicals and animal health products. CRT are complete suppliers who can provide farmers with just about anything they could need, even down to his boots, and pride themselves on always pre-empting the needs of newly converted farms. Right from the planning stage they’ve played a vital role in Willowcliff ’s success by supporting the operation with regular visits to offer support and advice. Also vital to the cow’s health is a Wilco & Waverley ‘The Wrangler’ hoof trimming press out in the yards. Nathan said that during the development of the raceways they had many problems with the cows’ hooves and at one time or another most of the cows in the herd had been in ‘The Wrangler’ for treatment. “It’s one of the most valuable pieces of equipment on the place,” he said The Wrangler immobilises the animal in a press and once the animal is secured a system of slings and ropes are used to lift and restrain each leg so it can be worked on accurately and safely. The environment’s health is also looked after by the shed’s effluent system, which consists of two large ponds and a sand filter before the green water it is pumped out onto the paddocks.
The ponds closely resemble a small town’s sewerage treatment plant (they do exactly the same job) and as such were water proofed with Agrishield liners, supplied and installed by Viking Containments. Agrishield is a heavy duty, smooth high density polyethylene product that is resistant to cracking, puncturing, tearing and many chemicals. Viking, (once known as Skellerup Containment Systems), weld and install the liners on site and rigorously test them to the same standard as sewage ponds—tests that can detect a leak as small as a pinhole. Viking Containment has offices in Christchurch, Hamilton and Auckland and is New Zealand’s leading suppliers and installers of geosynthetic products. All up Derek has used all his experience, together with all the right contractors, to make Willowcliff into an attractive and productive property. By Graeme Dobson
MILFOS iConverter and milk silos.
Cows going into the new shed. Derek Chalmers (right) with share milker Nathan McLachlan.
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QUIGLEY FARM
Page 78
Dave Quigley’s family have been farming in the Punawai area in mid Canterbury since 1962. In 1987 David and his wife Jill bought the land, initially as a sheep and beef property, but about two years ago they decided to take the plunge and venture into dairy farming. “We wanted a farm that could support itself and give us a return on the money without me having to actually run the farm. That was the key factor for us, and once you go to the expense of putting a central pivot on this land, dairy is your best use—just running sheep on the place doesn’t stack up.” Manager Gwen Wilce, 2 IC Joe McNally and farm assistant Wayne Cleave run the farm along with the occasional relief milker and a part time calf rearer. They have 175ha of grazing to milk 660 cows, and now they have a brand new 54 bail rotary cow dairy to make the job easier. “The shed’s pretty good all round. Waikato Milking Systems provide a good service,” Gwen said enthusiastically. “Their dairies are known for being easy to maintain. You hear some nightmare stories about new conversions and all sorts of issues, but we haven’t had any prob-
lems at all.” David and Jill were won over to Waikato Milking Systems in the first place by their new composite rotary milking platform. “There’s no concrete, it’s a composite mould made in six sections,” Paul Morrison from Waikato Milking Systems explained. “It’s far lighter than the concrete platforms, hence the wear and tear is less and the maintenance on the underside of the platform, where all the weight is carried, is much reduced.” The platform is made of fibreglass and composite with a non-slip rubber floor in the bails. The moulds vary to suit the number of bails on the platform. Waikato have just finished developing the moulds for their 60 bail platform. “We think that this is the way of the future, so this is what we’ll be pushing in the next six months and further out, but concrete will still be an option for those who want it,” said Paul. David and Jill’s shed also has Waikato’s new
D-Tect programme that detects mastitis before is gets established. D-Tect milks each quarter separately for 15 seconds and analyses it for clinical signs of mastitis. “If mastitis is above the limits that the client has set, it sets off an alarm, then the cow is either automatically drafted out or, if automatic drafting is not in place, the bail gate will remain down and she will re-present at cups on for marking and checking later,” Paul explained. When working at its fullest, D-Tect will find quarters that are not yet clinically visible with an error rate of a mere 0.4 per cent of false readings. Once the milking plant was. in Lee Gilbert from Dairycool, installed all the refrigeration needs, including a Mahana Blue Heat Recovery unit that uses the heat lost from cooling milk to heat the water for the shed, giving a good supply of 60o C hot water.
“You hear some nightmare stories about new conversions and all sorts of issues, but we haven’t had any problems at all.”
SCANNELL HAY EQUIPMENT ‘Buy the Best - Forget the Rest’
Coast & Country
Dairycool is a local company, established by Murray Hollings in 2004 with the aim of providing local Canterbury farmers with independent products and a high standard of service. Lee said that most of the plant he installs is pretty standard, but for David he added a simple silo insulating wrap (an insulating sleeve) to the milk silo. “It’s an energy saving option,” he explained. “Once the milk’s cooled down the refrigeration unit doesn’t need to come back on during the day.” For in-shed feed supplies David and Jill turned to CRT’s Ashburton District Manager, Henry Ross, and his Technical Field Officer, Bruce Taylor. Henry and Bruce met with him and his farm manager pre-season for a planning session that resulted in David sourcing CRT supplies for all his on-farm dairy shed needs. Henry could offer him a complete range of feed products as well as other leading farm products, including agricultural chemicals and animal health needs. Right from the initial planning CRT has continued to play an integral role in David and Jill’s success by supporting the operation with
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QUIGLEY FARM
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Page 79
Brand new home and now brand new shed
From top left: Paul Morrison with the Waikato Milking system Smart system, Richard Armstrong from Scarlett Ltd with the Scannell Universal Stock Feeder wagon. Farm Manager Gwen Wilce working the new platform, The herd and the farm, From L - R Paul Morrison, Richard Armstrong, Dave Quigley, Manager Amy Russell and 2IC Gwen, The non slip rubber floor in the dairy shed, The Cows.
Dairycool’s silo insulating wrap.
regular visits to offer support and advice— they pride themselves on always pre-empting the needs of a newly converted farm. For Bruce Taylor, the successful first year of milking was testament to the solid advice and quality inputs that CRT was able to provide. A new conversion needs more than just a new milking dairy—among other things the staff need housing and this is where Alistair McIntosh from McIntosh Builders Ltd came in. McIntosh Builders are a family firm that have been around the mid Canterbury area for 80 years. When Alistair built David and Jill’s new house three years ago they were impressed with the job and as a result they developed a good relationship. So when
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the conversion came along he was keen to have McIntosh Builders build the accommodation. So far they’ve built a manager’s house and are in the process of building a two bedroom single man’s accommodation. “We totally trust Ally and his team to produce good quality, affordable housing options for us,” Jill said. “And they are such tidy and clean builders—never a mess while they’re on the job” McIntosh Builders have a very proactive attitude and they are willing to take on any challenge that comes their way, from domestic through a range of industrial buildings to full scale laboratories. Out on the farm David opted for a Scannell Universal Stock Feeder Wagon for his feeding out needs. Scannell feeder wagons are manufactured, supplied and serviced by Richard Armstrong from Scarlett Ltd of Timaru. Richard pointed out the unique features the Scannell feeder wagon offers. “As well as being the strongest feed out machine
on the market, it’s also the most user friendly,” he said. “It has a fingertip control, ergonomically designed multifunction joy stick so all the functions can be operated with one hand.” Impressive for such a robust machine. “And a tilt elevator has been added on the front that makes it easy to get the feeding pattern that’s needed,” he added. But that’s not all that’s been added to the Scannell feeder. Where most feeders use a chain to deliver the fodder to the distribution point, Scannell have used a maintenance-free hydraulic cylinder to push the feed onto to the cross floor where it’s fed into a tilt elevator. The hydraulic system pushes everything forward and scrapes the floor clean behind it, something a chain drive cannot achieve. The low operating and maintenance costs together with its robust design and ease of use have made the Scammell feeders, like the rest of David and Jill’s set-up, a winner. By Graeme Dobson
ALPINE DAIRIES
Page 80
Coast & Country
Big shed, big gains at Alpine Dairies
By Graeme Dobson
Feed and milk silos dominate the front of shed
The Hulme’s family farm, the 270ha Alpine Dairies near Ashburton, is not a new conversion. They’ve been milking cows on it for 12 years now, but when they lifted their herd size from 600 to 1000 they decided to get out of the old herringbone dairy and build a new rotary to provide a more efficient use of staff. With the new complex they only need two milkers to complete a milking in two and a half to three hours. Before they converted the property to dairy it was run as a sheep farm. In fact son and family spokesman Milton still works as a wool buyer and leaves the cows to someone who knows what they’re doing—his farm manager, Patrick. The custom-built 64 bail platform was chosen because it worked well for the
new herd size, but it also has the potential to handle bigger herds in the future. The platform is big, but the shed around it is even bigger than is needed to house it, allowing more work space around the platform. To go with the bigger than normal shed the yard size is also doubled from the standard plan. “Probably the greatest benefit of this shed is the space. For the staff that’s just huge,” Patrick said. “And the shed suits the cows. They used to hate going into the old herringbone, whereas here they just about fight to get in.” With the buildings up, the Hulmes opted
to put a Waikato Milking System in it. “I’d seen several sheds with Waikato, heard good reports about them. The technology they had was what we needed, and Paul being local is an added benefit,” he said. Having Paul Morrison, Waikato Milking Systems’ Ashburton agent, on board ensured the dairy’s fit out went smoothly. Waikato Milking Systems is well established and well respected both in New Zealand and overseas, respect based on service, quality equipment and continuous innovation to keep up with a developing industry. Paul said that several of those innovations were included in this shed, for example the new D-Tect pro-
I guess this is just a shed you walk into day to day, turn it on and it goes.
Happy cows on the platform.
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gramme that detects mastitis before it gets established. The D-Tect is a ‘stand-alone’ system that milks each quarter separately for 15 seconds and analyses it for clinical signs of mastitis, if it detects any the milker is alerted and the cow can be drafted out as she comes off the platform. “If mastitis is above the threshold that the customer has se,t an alarm will go off, then the cow is either automatically drafted out or, if automatic drafting is not in place, the bail gate will remain down and she will re-present at cups on for marking and checking later,” explained Paul. When working to its fullest, D-Tect will detect quarters that are not yet clinically visible with an error rate of just 0.4 per cent of false readings—that’s just four false readings in every 1000 cows tested. Refrigeration is a vital part of any dairy and the Hulmes turned to Lee Gilbert, Sales
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ALPINE DAIRIES
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The new dairy is a great work place Manager for Dairycool, to supply and install their refrigeration needs, When I asked Milton why they went with Lee and Dairycool he said: “They’re local, we had them in the last shed and were impressed with the service and the technology they offered, particularly the Mahana Blue.” Milton was referring to the Dairycool supplied Mahana Blue Heat Recovery unit that uses the heat lost from cooling milk to heat the water for the shed. The Mahana Blue produces about 200L/hr at 85oC—that’s about 600L of hot water per milking. And then there’s the service Milton mentioned. “We have an annual service programme that’s our default position. If we don’t hear from the farmer we just come and do it. Most The other vital component for any dairy people don’t want to know about it, just so shed is sanitation, and here they turned to long as it’s done,” said Lee. Bruce Smith, area manager for Mt MaunDairycool was established by ganui based FIL (Farms and Industries Murray Hollings in 2004 Ltd) for all the chemicals needed to with the aim of providmaintain the shed in a pristine ing local Canterbury condition. Why FIL? Milton farmers with indedidn’t hesitate: pendent products “It’s a good product and and a high standgood service at a good ard of service. Now cost,” he said. with 580 dairy As well as the detergents clients in greater and cleaning chemicals, Canterbury, he’s FIL also supplies the teat the region’s main sprays, tail paint and any provider of dairy other consumables that farm refrigeration Milton needs. He doesn’t technology. supply any of the equipMilker Alistair at cups on.
Paul Morrison from WMS; farm staff Alistair and Alicia; manager Patrick; farm owner Milton and Lee Gilbert from Dairycool. in-shed feed system is on order from Auckland based stock food company PPP. “They’ve just got too much work to handle at the moment, so they’re not taking on any new clients at this stage,” said Milton resignedly, but he’s not tempted to look elsewhere. The PPP system is not as elaborate as some systems. It consists of large storage silos linked ment, but he makes a dairy to a mill that inspection every month or cracks the two just to make sure Patgrain, then rick and his crew are getting delivers a fixed the best out of his products. portion of grain “We look for anything that’s and/or molasout of place that the boys need to ses to a feed bin for know about, check if there’s any trainThe shed and yards. each cow to eat during ing that they need or anything like that,” milking. It loses nothing from Bruce explained. its simplicity which in PPP’s case equates One of the very popular products that FIL to reliability—which is why they’re in such supplies is an iodine based teat spray that demand. But while they’re looking forward contains Manuka honey. to getting in-shed feeding, everyone seems “It’s a natural healer that’s popular around more than happy with what’s already there. the Canterbury region,” Bruce explained. Currently grain and molasses are fed directly The shed’s been operating since the middle of August 2011 and they couldn’t ask for a better in the shed, the one thing that’s so far lacking work place. is an in-shed feeding system, however a PK By Graeme Dobson
HIGHFIELD
Page 82
Coast & Country
Earthquake proofing with a herringbone at Highfield At first sight Andrew Lapping’s 182ha farm looks like all the other dairy conversions on the Canterbury Plains—it’s flat and green—but there’s one big difference, Andrew’s rejected rotaries and built a brand new herringbone dairy. “It’s the earthquakes,” said Andrew. “There’re no moving parts here. No matter what happens we can get the cows in and out and, with the back-up generator, we can keep on milking.” He considers his new 50 aside herringbone to be as fast and efficient as a rotary—he can milk 600 cows in 2 ½ hours with three milkers—and with the added advantage that the milkers have closer contact with the cows
and can spot problems more readily. To build his new shed Andrew called in local herringbone specialist Dave Allan from Allanway Engineering. Dave is a local engineer and builder who specialises in the farming sector, supplying cattle yards, farm machinery and herringbone dairies. Andrew’s is one of the biggest he’s built and probably among the biggest herringbones in the South Island. “I just build herringbones,” he said. “There’s more than enough work for me keeping up with demand for them without going into rotaries.” Allan certainly knows what he’s
doing and it shows in his workmanship. Being local he knows how to build for local conditions, including earthquakes, and he makes very heavy use of reinforcing mesh to prevent major cracking in the concrete. “I also make sure absolutely everything is earthed properly so there are no shocks for the cows or the workers,” Dave said. Dave’s concern for stray voltage is shared by Steve West from Nairn Electrical who worked closely with Dave when he wired the dairy. Steve explained that one of the biggest challenges Nairn have faced over the past few years is stray voltage, usually caused by variable speed
Dave Allan with the shed that Dave built. d.
The yards and she
IMAGINE...
The 50 aside herringbone shed.
devices supplied by third parties. “Farmers need to be careful that VSDs are installed correctly with the appropriate filters and the total harmonic loading is monitored,” he explained. Another local tradesman Andrew called on was Shane Stocker of Stocker Dairy Services. Shane is the local Milfos agent who fitted the dairy with a Milfos milking plant, supplied by Hamilton based Milfos International. Milfos is a family owned business that’s been actively involved in the South for many years. They have built up a range of dealers throughout the South Island and have built an impressive reputation for service and reliability. Shane and his wife Cheryl set up Stocker Dairy Services in Ashburton 17 years ago and have been kept busy with all the dairy conversions that are going on in the area ever since —especially after they became a Milfos agent. “On this dairy we put in all the milking
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Page 83
Features galore for the new modern shed in Christchurch
Chris Bezuidenhout from Aakland way Chemicals, Dave Allan from Allan is fully fenced Engineering, farm owner Andrew The effluent pond ycool to prevent any The Rainer effluent pum ure sec Lapping, Lee Gilbert from Dair d an p. Shane Stocker shows off the accidents. and Shane Stocker from Stocker Milfos Intel system controls. Milfos swing arm. Dairy Services. system consists of storage silos linked to a mill plant in Christchurch, so we don’t have to rely refrigeration system Lee installed included a equipment, all the plumbing and all the that cracks the grain before delivering a fixed Mahana Blue Heat Recovery unit that uses on getting supplies from elsewhere. We make water pumps. Milfos supply the milking gear portion to a feed bin in each bail. the heat lost from the cooling milk to heat and we install and maintain it. This includes it, we deliver it and we service it. Once “It’s a pretty simple and easy system to work the water for the dairy, giving a a regular maintenance schedule, we liaise with a month I check on the farmers o good supply of 60 C hot water. with,” said Andrew. “And there’s very little the farmer for that as the season goes on,” needs and our blokes deliver wastage.” Dairycool was established by straight from the factory. In Shane said. “It’s not factory farming. Murray Hollings in 2004 “There’s a lot more elaborate systems about, new sheds chemical use is A feature of this dairy is the Milfos swing I install a lot of them and I don’t think I’ve with the aim of providuniform from one month arms which are installed above the milker’s In a herringbone you ing local Canterbury seen any better,” added Dave. to another so I can prehead. The swing arm carries all the hoses get much closer with farmers with independBut what goes in must come out, so to cope inside a rigid framework that lies alongside dict pretty closely what the cows, you can have a ent products and a high with the dairy’s waste Andrew had Rainer Irrigathe automatic cup removers and can be swung each farmer will need.” standard of service. He tion install an effluent disposal system to settle Between seasons, from side to side of the pit so that the cups much better look at achieved his aim and is the solids out of the effluent before pumping the when the dairy is idle, hang just behind and above the cow. When them and pick up now the main provider green water from a concrete holding pond to the someone from Aakland the cups come off they retract up to the arm big rotary sprayers in the paddocks. The Rainer of dairy farm technology comes and ‘spruces up’ which is swung across to put the cups on the on any problems,” pump is mounted centrally on a pontoon in the in Canterbury. the cleaning system to other side, all very neat, tidy and efficient. Andrew Lapping Back at the business end, pond so it can pump from a central sump. A ensure all is good to go for Shane also installed the automatic washing the cows get a ration of grain feature of this effluent pond is the solid safety the new season. With their system to take care of cleaning the milking and other goodies while they’re fence around the pond so there’s no danger of plant using chemicals and detergents supplied current local clientele standing animals—or children—wandering into it. milking, courtesy of an in-shed feed at about 120 farms this makes a fairly by Christchurch based Aakland Chemicals, system supplied by Auckland based stock It’s unusual to see a new herringbone for herds intensive month or so, but it’s all part of the specialists in sanitation products for the dairy food company PPP. Tim Conner, PPP’s South this big, but dairies like this one definitely have a industry. Chris Bezuidenhout, Aakland’s local service. Island rep, provided Dave with all their equip- place in the modern dairy industry. Refrigeration needs were handled by Lee sales representative, told me: By Graeme Dobson ment to be installed as he built the dairy. The Gilbert, Sales Manager for Dairycool. The “All our products are manufactured in our
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Coast & Country
From dry stock to 24 hour dairying This family is up to the challenge
LH Dairy, in its picturesque valley half an hour out of Hanmer Springs, is the perfect place for James McCone and two brothers-in-law, Duncan Rutherford and Kevin O’Neal’s ideal lifestyle—jet-boating, fishing, hunting and all the sport the mountains can offer. But when it comes to farms they’re all business. The property is part of a hill country run that has been in their wives’ Rutherford family for six generations, that’s 152 years. Until five years ago it was all dry stock then the opportunities that dairy offered became apparent so they converted some flat land and milked their first cows in the 2007-08 season. Ultimately they plan to
convert three blocks into stand-alone units running as separate businesses, independent from each other and the dry stock station, but on a co-operative basis. James, Kevin and Duncan are all Lincoln graduates, but as Kevin was overseas playing rugby and Duncan was travelling, it fell to James and father-in-law David Rutherford to begin the conversion. Within four seasons Duncan was home and they were milking 2300 cows in four herds in 16 hour rotation with three shifts of staff. “But in terms of sustainability and risk management it was a bit nervy, if something broke down. At peak we were almost milking 24 hours a day. It was always our intention to build a second shed at some point, but 16 hour milking all the cows through one shed fully utilised our resources and provided low cost production
James, Trevor from James Silver Smith Ltd and Kevin O'Neal with the new milking platform.
that enabled us to make the jump to two sheds a little faster.” The second stage in the conversion gave them 803ha under irrigation of which 100 ha is used for wintering and the rest milked off. The first dairy is a 60 bail rotary and James opted for the same for the second and they are now milking about 1150 cows in each. Duncan now runs the original dairy and Kevin has recently taken over running the new one from James. Now James and wife Belinda have moved onto a dry stock property that the group have recently purchased and begun converting it into a 500 cow dairy
unit for the 13/14 season. This season the business fell just 3000 short of one million milk solids. “That was well over budget, but it would have been great to crack that milestone,” said James. James and Belinda entered the dairy industry awards for the first time this year and were placed third in the Sharemilker Equity Manager section for Canterbury/North Otago. “It was a really worthwhile experience, it made us take a good look at everything we do in our business, not just the bits we like to look at,” said James.
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Focus on environment
After the planning, the first stage of any conversion is the earthworks and local identities Greg Baker and Mike Powell were ideal for the job. Greg and Mike together are Mt Lyford Contracting, a company they set up about 10 years ago to service the growing dairy industry in the region. “We began with an old truck, a digger and no customers, but over a bottle of whiskey it seemed like a good idea,” said Greg. Their reputation for reliability and quality soon meant they were expanding their fleet and labour pool until today they have eight trucks, seven diggers, rollers and everything they need to do any jobs that come their way. “Conversions are a growing part of our work, but our main focus is general farm maintenance, anything the farmers need taken care of. We do water storage as well, and dig out effluent ponds. During the winter when the cows are off the farm we spend a couple of months maintaining and resurfacing cow lane-ways,” Greg explained. “For conversions we do the lot, start to finish.” Jame’s job was pretty straightforward for them. For the yards and the shed’s foundations they used the stations own ‘rotten rock’ quarry and they recycled the stones dug from the dairy’s effluent pond for surfacing the lane-ways. James takes all environmental issues, both inside and outside the dairy very seriously and he insisted on best practice in his effluent control system. With the help of consultants he designed and built his own system to handle the waste. The effluent is gravity fed into two large settlement ponds with weeping walls dug alongside each other that are used alternately, one receives effluent while the other is settling. When all the water has drained out the solids are removed and the pond is ready to receive a fresh lot. The water from the settlement ponds flows down into a large plastic lined pond where a pump takes it out to irrigation sprays in the paddocks. This pond can hold 30 days’ worth of effluent and needs a high standard of waterproofing to contain it, just the job for Viking Containments. Viking (once known as Skellerup Containment Systems), installed a heavy duty Agrishield liner. This is a high density, smooth and tough polyethylene product that is resistant to cracking, puncturing, tearing and
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“It’s got to be profitable, sustainable and we’ve got to be proud of what we’re doing, that’s our key criteria for success in this family business.” - James McCone
most chemicals. Viking weld and install the liners on site and their rigorous testing can detect a pinhole. Viking Containment has offices in Christchurch, Hamilton and Auckland and is New Zealand’s leading suppliers and installers of geosynthetic products. But this is getting ahead of the story. In the new dairy James opted for a Waikato Milking Systems plant even though the old shed had given him no major problems. Why change? “Primarily because of their reputation for reliability Effluent ponds with Viking liner. and service. Not that the other mob is unreliable at all, but Waikato is New Zealand based and we get immediate service. The others are based overseas and if there’s a problem it has to be referred back, and that can take time. Waikato are on the spot and immediately responsive. And they’re working on technology and developments that are NZ focussed,” said James. “Everything that we did in the shed was about being as cost effective as possible. We wanted proven gear in here that had the capacity to upgrade in the future.” Enter Trevor Smith from James Silver Smith Ltd, North Canterbury agents for Waikato Milking Systems. James Silver Smith Ltd are a Christchurch PGG sprinfamily firm that’s been in the business of supplying kler system and installing milking equipment for thirty five years, Earthworks by Mt Lyford the last five supplying and servicing Waikato Milking on the low Contracting. Systems to dairy farmers from Christchurch to Kaikriver flats. oura. Trevor’s reputation as both efficient and easy to deal with was one of the main factors that persuaded James to switch to Waikato. The plant Trevor installed is simple and efficient. It hasn’t got all the ‘bells and whistles’ that Waikato have available, but it has the provision to retrofit anything that James decides he needs in the future. James did, however, opt for the latest Smart cup removers. “Cup removers are pretty much the same in their basic function, but the Waikato one has an ‘Easy Start’ function,” explained Trevor. “With other cup removers you have to physically push a button to activate them, but these automatically start when the milker takes the weight of the cups before he puts them on. There’s also a touch screen for programming the cup remover settings.” The settlement pits at the first stage of WMS supplied milking The Smart cup removers and touch screen are just platform installed by James two examples of Waikato’s ability to respond rapidly to effluent treatment were installed by the farmer James McCone. Silversmith Ltd. farmer’s needs with new innovations.
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Lee Gilbert from Dairycool supplied all the refrigeration.
LH DAIRIES
Greg Baker and Mike Powell from Mt Lyford Contracting.
Coast & Country
Trevor Smith from James Silver Smith Ltd shows off WMS’S new Smart Control system.
No procrastination in decision making here With Waikato’s quality products and their increasing presence in the area Trevor’s business is going from strength to strength and in the process he’s built a team of contractors he can rely on. One of those is Nairn Electrical. “We always recommend they do the work our sheds,” said Trevor. “They’d do 99 per cent of our jobs.” James needed no convincing. “They’re bloody good, probably one of the best contractors I’ve worked with,” he said. “When you’re building a shed it’s so critical to have people you know you can rely on and they know sheds inside out.” As well as the normal dairy wiring Nairn Electrical helped James out with conserving water by installing advanced water conservation measures to minimise consumption. For example they put in a tank filling system that involved staggering several automatic filling systems to allocate water on a priority basis and reduce peak demand. Once the shed was up, the plant was in and the wiring complete, Lee Gilbert, Sales Manager for Dairycool, came and installed the refrigeration. Dairycool is a local Canterbury company established by Murray Hollings in 2004 with the aim of providing local Canterbury farmers with independent products and a high standard of service. He achieved his aim
and, with 580 customers in greater Canterbury, is now the main provider of dairy farm technology in the region. Apart from a Mahana Blue Heat Recovery unit that uses the heat from milk to supply the shed with a good supply of 60 – 80oC hot water, the refrigeration is no frills. It just works exactly as it’s supposed to. According to James, Dairycool more than lives up to their ethos of honesty, reliability, accessibility and a high degree of client focus. Brent Dulieu, Aakland Chemical’s local sales representative, supplies all the sheds chemicals from Aakland’s Christchurch plant. Aakland is a Christchurch based company that manufactures all its own products, specialising in chemicals and detergents for the dairy industry. Brent visits James on a regular basis to check the chemicals (or “kick the drums”, as James puts it) and supplies are delivered straight from the factory. And if there’s any equipment problems Jeff Bryant, Aakland’s qualified machinery tester, comes and checks things out and puts them right. Between each season he checks all the washing equipment to ensure maximum efficiency for the coming year. He constantly liaises with Trevor from Waikato Milking Systems and between them they ensure the shed is running smoothly and cleanly. To finish the shed off South Auckland com-
pany Specialised Coatings were called upon to apply their unique industrial paints that are especially designed for high use areas in harsh conditions. Like most new farm dairies, James’ was built in winters when temperatures can be very low and most paints would struggle to dry. To avoid James’ cows having to stand around watching the paint dry, Specialised Coatings’ Manager, Bruce Cameron, told me they used Acraflex which is formulated to dry at temperatures as low as 5oC. In the wash area they put down an acid proof 2-pot epoxy coating to protect the concrete from the corrosive chemicals. To be honest, the painting wasn’t something James had taken a lot of notice of—industrial painting is something you take for granted unless it’s done badly—but when asked about it he said “It’s a good job and it makes it easy to clean down. I especially wanted the acid proof coating in the wash area so nothing would eat away at the concrete, and they were able to do that for me.” Outside they needed new land to be irrigated for their next phase. James has had a good working relationship with PGG Wrightson Irrigation and Pumping for years, so he called Garry Quayle, PGG’s irrigation designer, to install a new pivot irrigator. PGG Wrightson have a vast experience with irrigation and water
management in everything from local body water supplies to farm irrigation and dairy effluent disposal along with all the different types of pumping equipment that goes with them. Garry said that James’ job included everything starting from an initial GPS survey so they could design the most efficient system. The design is not just limited to the pivot, it includes race layout, fencing and stock water, all of which are influenced by the placing of the irrigation. Installing irrigation is as much about soil science as it is about water. “We ensure an even distribution of water, making sure the plants get what they need when they need it,” Garry said. “Actually it’s about water conservation. The rate of water application should not exceed the infiltration rate of the soil.” On the stony soils of Canterbury that would demand some pretty precise design calculations on Garry’s part, but he said that it was a good project to work on because of the excellence of both his and James’ teams. “James is a decision maker, not a procrastinator. He knows what he’s doing, he makes decisions quickly and you can get on with the job.” By Graeme Dobson
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ELBURY FARM
Page 88
Elbury Farm just north of Kaitaia on SH1 in Northland is a combination of six dairy farms. “We have six old dairy sheds on the farm from an old walk through that my grandfather milked 20 cows in, to a 30-bail herringbone,” says Joe King. By Helen Wilson
Part of the farm was originally called “The Church Farm” as Joe’s great aunt gave it to the Anglican Church 40 years ago and Joe and
Matthew Sidford from Dairy , the builder, Build.
Fiona King have managed to buy it back from the church, add on neighbouring land, and run it as a profitable dairy complex. Joe is the fifth generation to farm in the area. The couple grew up in Kaitaia, both left as 18 years olds and spent 15 years as commercial fishers at Stewart Island to make enough money to come back to Northland and buy the family farm. “The opportunity to buy some of the adjoining farms came along which allowed us to expand and increase our herd and production,” says Joe. The farm
Coast & Country
is now 252 hectares “effective” of flat Kaitaia clay which requires sub surface drainage to sustain good quality pasture. “We can have every weather pattern in the same day up here, from droughts to floods but usually the climate is not too bad.” Currently the stocking rate is 2.75 to 2.8 cows per hectare. The farm has a 650 cow dairy herd which will increase to 700 next year. They are winter milking 220 cows plus a few early calvers. The cows are kept in two herds and calve in spring (August 1) and autumn (April 1). “Calving has been a bit erratic this year
as we had to buy in cows that didn’t fit in with our calving schedule, but next year the cows will conform to our timetable,” says Joe. It has been an on-going decision, after purchasing neighbouring land, to either extend the existing 30 herring bone dairy shed or build a new much more efficient 60-bail rotary dairy. The Kings have another dairy farm about five kilometres away, “as the crow flies,” milking 850 cows. It has a seven year old rotary dairy on it which has proved efficient and easy to operate. “I asked the farm manager on that farm what he would change if he had the chance to and he said nothing so we decided to model this
erman, Kevin Wat Joe Ross d, Nigel Ross, The team: ing, Matthew Sidfor ell. Farr na K owner Fio rm worker Ettiene and fa
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The cups of
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Ettiene puts the cups on the cows.
ee Bailey rm employ eir work: fa ner Joe King. th in py Hap d farm ow Mason an
Cows in open air while milking
dairy shed on that one. We used new builders, the same sub-contractors and gave them a finish date of March 20 and we were milking on March 21, which I think was exceptional,” says Joe. The “hill” for the building was completed 18 months before construction began to allow the fill to settle. Building started in October 2011 and was completed in March 2012. Matthew Sidford, co-owner with Karsten Thomsen of Whangarei based Dairy Build Limited, brought his dairy shed and agricultural building expertise with him when he immigrated to New Zealand from Salisbury in the United Kingdom eight years ago. “I had my own business there doing agricultural construction, then met a Kiwi girl and decided to come to New Zealand. Dairy farming is very different here,” says Matthew. He was the site manager for the project and worked closely with Joe, Fiona and the other contractors to make sure they got the dairy they wanted. “This is quite an innovative design as the milking platform is only partially
covered. Except for the cups on and off area the cows are in the open air,” says Matthew. Dairy Build Limited did all the construction work such as the steel frame portal; pre-cast concrete wall, yards and the railings.
Feeding pad
“The yards are bigger than average as they will double up as a feeding pad and had to be large enough to hold 750 cows,” says Matthew. The yards measure 75 metres by 12 metres and have been designed with a flood wash system. “Joe helped design the wash system and the extra-large stone trap. It re-circulates 50,000 litres of water which is a major cost saving to the farmer,” says Matthew. Dairy Build Limited has gone global and Matthew will soon be off to Brazil for three months to oversee the building of two herringbone dairy sheds for a Kiwi farmer, milking 750 cows. “The DeLaval milking plant in the other rotary dairy shed performed so well that Joe and Fiona decided to install the same one here at Elbury Farms,” say Northern Dairy
Specialists owners Kevin and Jenny Waterman. They are based in Kerikeri and are the DeLaval agents for the Far North. They cover an area from Kawakawa to Cape Reinga. “This dairy shed is unique in that most of it is uncovered. This is the second one we have done and it seems to work well. Sixty bail rotaries are the most common size now as farms and herds get bigger.” The 4500 lobe variable speed vacuum pump is economical and makes efficient use of power. The milk and vacuum pumps are fitted with controllers which accurately gauge the flow rate and the required vacuum. The 60 bail platform does not have automatic cup removers but has been set up to install them at a later date.
24 hour service
“We chose DeLaval and Northern Dairy Specialists because we have had excellent 24 hour, seven days a week service from them in the past,” says Joe King. The Lowara pumps, vat, plant and yard wash systems were all supplied and fitted by North-
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ern Dairy Specialists. Kevin has been in the milking machine business for over 20 years, starting his career in Wellsford. Eight years ago he and Jenny bought the northern part of the business and now employ two fitters, have one sales truck on the road and Jenny is responsible for administration. Joe Ross, who installed the rotary platform, is owner of Whangarei company Northland Metal Industries and has been in business for 48 years. He can remember when the first rotary dairy sheds started being built in 1970. “Our platforms are manufactured under the name of “Placid Rotaries,” and we also do herring bone dairy sheds,” says Joe. The platform in the Kings dairy shed is made of four and a half mm thick stainless steel. It’s a 3CR12 standard design. “We find the stainless steel is better than concrete as it is lighter and easier on the wheel bearings and gears. The wear and tear is a lot less,” says Joe. They also designed and installed the top gate for the larger than average yards,
Dairy Build.co.nz
ELBURY FARM
Page 90
Coast & Country
Complete automation and herd management system First 60 bail rotary
In 1981 Joe’s company installed the first 60 bail rotary dairy shed in the world at Maungaturoto. Since then he has seen the evolution of the rotary dairy shed to the efficient milking systems they are today. Northland Metal Industries can also supply wrought iron fences and gates, canopy frames for yards, schools and houses. Joe and Fiona King have just installed their second MilkHub system in their new dairy shed. “We have found MilkHub invaluable for our farming operations in the dairy shed and we can access up-to-date cow information for management online from anywhere” says Fiona. MilkHub is a complete automation and herd management system invented by New Zealand company Radian Technology. In shed equipment allows the farmer to check individual cow production; health, weight and much more. Equipment also includes EID reading, automatic drafting, in shed feeding and a user friendly display and keypad for informa-
om iry shed fr The new da gular yard. rectan
the
tion and event recording and tracking. “The system gives the farmer the tools they need to find, monitor and draft cows during milking without slowing things down. After milking the farmer can access that day’s information from their home computer and make decisions and setup actions for the next or future milkings. All data is also stored so cow information from any pervious time is instantly available,” says MilkHub area sales manager, Nigel Smith.
Heat detection
The system has been used in the market for the last five years and currently it is installed in over 100 farms. It can be installed in new or older dairy sheds with standard systems for rotary and herringbone sheds. New innovations coming up include automatic rub-strip heat detection and milk sensors for the herringbone. Farmlands Kaitaia are proud to have been part of the Kings dairy redevelopment and are also are proud to be part of the Kaitaia community, welcoming all types and sizes of farming enterprise, big or small. “The King’s dairy shed redevelopment saw great co-ordination between Farmlands and the companies who supplied the water dynamics and modifications. On the opening day of
Kevin Waterman of Northern Dairy Specialists.
the dairy shed Farmlands helped to cater a barbecue (and cook) at the site and were thrilled to watch the new operation in progress as the cows were milked,” says Farmlands Kaitaia Business Manager, Angela Curle. Kaitaia electrician, Peter Covich made sure all the electrics performed to the high standard required. “Being able to connect all subcontractors work to power, add safety measures and insure all come together requires highly experienced electricians,” says Joe. Herdflow continues to live up to its reputation of applying innovative design and development to dairy cow handling in and around the dairy shed. Whether planning a new dairy shed or retro-fitting an existing yard, the installation of an effective backing gate is high on the farmers wish list.
Cow Cam
Cow management and loading operation within the rectangular yard is fully automated with the Herdflow Crowd Gate. Robust construction at its finest, the next generation backing gate features a single beam (up to 14 metres across), a
Nigel Smit h from M automatic ilk Hub beside the drafting ra ce.
new pinch drive system, proximity sensors, a "breech" switch, and an automatic yard washing system (Dungbuster) and more. The newest addition to the Herdflow Crowd Gate is the Cow Sensor and Cow Cam. The Cow Cam allows the operator to see from a screen within the dairy exactly what is going on at the rear of the herd and manage the gate and the herd accordingly. The Cow Sensor works by shining a beam across the width of the gate which, if broken by a cow as the gate is lowered, will stop and it waits for the cow to move away before lowering completely down. This, along with breech sensor and cow cam, are the ultimate in cow safety features. “I have always believed if a farmer has good facilities it will attract good staff and this is why we decided on an easy to use 60 bail rotary dairy shed and it certainly has proved worthwhile,” says Joe King. By Helen Wilson
eel
st e stainless ands on th Joe Ross st platform.
At Farmlands it’s all about our Shareholders. Farmlands Trading Society Limited FAR21367
which have automatic backing and drafting gates. A head bail gate was supplied to complement the outside yard system.
Their business, their family, their home, their lifestyle and their community. Farmlands Kaitaia – proud to be part of the set-up of Joe and Fiona Kings New Dairy Shed! For all your rural business requirements in store and on the Farmlands Card.
Call 0800 FARMFONE (0800 327 636) for your nearest Farmlands store.
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ELBURY FARM
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KARL FARMS
Coast & Country
30 dairies before beginning his own Mike Karl had a good deal of experience to draw on when he commissioned the construction of the new 44 bail rotary dairy on the Ngatea farm he and wife Brenda own. That came not only from first hand farming experience but also from overseeing the construction of 30 new dairies for the Carter Holt Harvey conversions of forestry to farm at Tokoroa. “I’d just returned from the US assisting with a dairy conversion there and was looking forward to going fishing when Ross Townsend (Chief executive of Carter Holt Harvey HBU Ltd) asked me to look at the project.” “That put an end to my fishing for a while.” The builder who constructed the majority of the farm dairies was Don Chapman of Don Chapman Builders and the plant was supplied by Milfos so when it came time to build his own, Mike had no hesitation in employing both companies, plus others who were involved. He well and truly knew their
standards of workmanship and service. However, it was not to be a quick build. The Karl’s 156 ha farm is on peat loam notorious for the issues it poses for builders. After the site was preloaded with 2500 tonne of pumice and 5000 tonne of rotten rock, it took another three years before the pad was
Once it was stable, the rest of the construction was straight forward and Don built a light, airy dairy with a focus on good cow flow and ease of operation for staff. The roof ’s vented ridge improves airflow and clear panels maximise natural light. The use of low maintenance, durable building materials means the interior and exterior are easy to clean and the classic style that is the hallmark of a Chapman Dairy building suits the plain’s location. Leask Engineering, which also worked on the Carter Holt Harvey dairies with Don and Mike, supplied the pipework for the yards, including the AB race with drop down rails permitting easy access to cows once they are safely in the race. There’s also a load out ramp built into the yard for transport of cows to and from the property. Rom Stellingwerf of Leask Engineering said the dairy and yards feature designs well tested in the Carter Holt project and the result is a dairy which has good cow flow which is easy to operate. The dairy is centrally located so cows have to walk no more than 800 meters to be milked. The yards have a backing gate fitted with a Dungbuster which reduces water use and makes cleaning easy. Mike said a feature of the dairy he and his The successful completion staff Robbie Bain and Kieran Taaffe particularly appreciate is the vet platform which Don of a new dairy requires installed. “It drops down level with the platform team work and some of floor so there is no step up or down. It works those involved in Karl well,” says Mike. farm were from left Out in the yard, a hand-held remote control Mike Prendergast operates a drafting system, sending animals to of Milfos, Don exit left or right or to hold them in the yard if Chapman of required. Don Chapman It’s a hard working dairy as until this year, Builders and cows have been milked year round on the Karl owners Mike and farm. Whether that happens next year is still Brenda Karl. being decided.
approved by a geotechnical engineer and construction could begin. Don, who is experienced in building on the Hauraki Plains, says the pad was designed to induce settlement and loading it up in effect squeezed the water out from underneath, forcing accelerated settlement.
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KARL FARMS
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New dairy brings efficiencies
Because the dairy operates every day of the year, efficient, reliable service for the plant is important which is among the reasons Ngatea Milking Machine & Pump Services were employed to install and maintain the Milfos system. Wayne and Rachel Barker are owners of the business founded by Wayne’s father more than 20 years ago and have worked on many other Takanini Feeds-supplied meal is stored in two large silos, feeding into the new Karl dairy. Manufactured by Bustercover.
Chapman built dairies. “Twenty-four hour, seven day a week service is important to Mike because this shed doesn’t stop working and that’s what we offer,” says Wayne. Brenda says the new dairy improved efficiencies almost immediately. “Now the staff spend a lot less time in there, giving them up to six hours a day for farm work.” Some of that time saving can be put down to the Dungbuster installed in the yard, which has saved staff time in cleaning up after milking and reduced water use. Farmers who have Dungbusters report water use down by as much as 40 per cent, says Harmen Heeson, CEO of Technipharm which supplied the Dungbuster. Harmen estimates there can be labour savings up to four weeks per year for most farms, (more for those milking 365 days)meaning staff have more time to spend on farm management. Milfos supplied the milking plant and is using the Karl dairy to trial its iPUD heads down system. The iPUD which double as leg spreaders to position the hind legs correctly, have teat sprays installed and some have an additional clear panels fitted. Mike Prendergast of Milfos says the panels don’t have electronics yet. “We are trying out different materials for the cover over the visual display to see which will work best in a dairy before fitting the electronics which will be programmed to tell staff if a cow has kicked off her cups, or has any health issues.” Mike says Milfos appreciates farmers like Mike allowing the company to run these kinds of trials. “Dairies are among the toughest environments for equipment and we need to test them in these conditions to be sure they stand up. Mike’s is ideal because it is in operation 365 days a year.” Milfos also supplied the Karl dairy with its
unique iCONVERTER snap chilling technology. Milk is snap chilled from 34 °C to less than 4°C before being stored in the bulk tanks. This ensures maximum milk hygiene by lowering the bacteria count in the milk. The iCONVERTER system is highly efficient, resulting in huge power savings for a 24 hour operation. It also produces 85°C hot water meaning the financial payback is short. Mike says the high tech system is important
The Dungbuster installed in the yard has saved staff time in cleaning up after milking and reduced water use. in helping ensure milk meets Fonterra’s high quality standards. Brenda says farm production is up by around 20 per cent and cell counts have dropped since the dairy was commissioned. “We didn’t expect production to jump that much and think it’s partly due to improved conditions for the cows making them more relaxed and the feed system which ensures each cow receives supplements without having to compete for food.” Takanini Feeds supplies meal that the herd receives and Neil Burndred, says it is blended specifically to Mike’s requirement. “We don’t produce a standard feed and instead supply each client with what they need, and that
changes depending on the time of year and weather conditions. “Mike’s `boutique’ mix includes barley, wheat, grain, trace elements and Bovatec to get the digestive system working well so the cows can take full advantage of the feed.” The blend is stored in two silos adjacent to the new dairy and Neil says it’s an ideal set up. “Two silos mean you can completely empty a silo before re-filling it, avoiding stale feed remaining in the bottom. It also ensures plenty of feed is always on hand.” Like most of Takanini Feeds’ clients Mike changes the feed blend and quantities depending on the time of year and conditions. “In spring the animals need more energy from the feed and in the summer the protein requirements increase. If a farmer can see bad weather coming he can increase the amount to each cow so they don’t drop in production.” Neil says New Zealand can no longer rely on a 100 per cent grass fed system for dairying. “Our weather conditions are too changeable but with a feed system like that on the Karl farm, it is possible to protect production from the effects of drought or wet cold conditions. “It’s also much easier to pull a handle in the dairy and feed cows than feed out in the paddocks.” BusterCover Ltd Matamata, provided and installed the feed system in the Karl dairy using two 16T Meal Silos and a single cross auger and it’s a system which runs well. BusterCover has been installing rotary and herringbone dairy feed systems in the North Island for the past 10 years and met Mike Karl through the Carter Holt Harvey Dairy Conversion project at Tokoroa, where the company installed meal feeders into 22 of the converted farms. By Elaine Fisher
GRAY
Page 94
Coast & Country
Century of farming on the Plains Glenda and Neil Gray are happy they chose Don Chapman Builders to construct their herringbone dairy.
Right: The extension of the Gray dairy involved, among others, Don Chapman of Don Chapman Builders,(left) and Peter Sawyer of Thames Farm & Industrial Supplies (4th left) pictured with Neil and Glenda Gray and contract milkers Kylie and Michael Cox.
It’s 100 years since the Gray family began farming on the Hauraki Plains near Thames and that is a tradition Neil and Glenda Gray hope will continue. Neil’s great grandfather came to New Zealand to work in the gold mines before taking up dairying and while they value the family history, Neil and Glenda have also invested in the future through a recent extension to the farm’s herringbone dairy. “We had the shed built seven years ago as a 30 aside herringbone but future proofed it so it could be extended. Now we have pushed it out to a 44,” says Neil. The couple purchased the original 72 ha farm from Neil’s parents Tom and Marie in 1996 and milked 200 cows. Over time they bought more land, increasing the farm to 223 ha, supplemented by leased blocks as runoff and for making silage so today the property milks 650 to 660 cows. Don Chapman of Don Chapman Builders Ltd, who constructed the original farm dairy, carried out the extension. “When The DeLaval we built the original dairy Neil had the automatic cup foresight to plan for a future extension removers are with the result that the recent project was a real bonus fairly straight forward.” for milking in Constructing the foundation for the the extended original dairy, however, was not. “The bigGray dairy say gest issue was caused by the marine mud contract milkin this area. The concrete pad had to be ers Kylie and pre-loaded with 130 truck and trailer loads Michael Cox. of rock to squeeze the water out from
underneath and allow the pad to settle before we could begin the rest of the project,” says Don. The pad was laid in May and construction of the building began in February/March, after it received the go ahead from a geotechnical engineer. “It is pleasing to see, seven years on, that there has been no movement and the pad is sitting as planned,” said Don. Neil and Glenda knew they needed a builder with experience of the unusual conditions presented by the plains’ geology and they also liked the style of farm dairy Don and his team are well known for. “It was a no-brainer getting Don to build the dairy. He knows the industry, this area and his workmanship is excellent,” said Neil. The couple now leave the milking to former vet nurse Kylie Cox and her husband (and former builder) Michael Cox. The young couple enjoy the shed which they find easy and pleasant to work in. “The DeLaval automatic cup removers are great and save time. Milking the number of cows we do means we couldn’t always get to the cows quickly enough to remove cups when they should come off but the cup removers stop cows being over-milked which means we have low cell counts. “The design of the dairy shed means it flows well and we have to spend less time there,” said Kylie who also likes the new vacuum pump. “It’s so quiet you hardly notice it. In fact a relief worker didn’t realise it had even started the first time he was in the dairy.” Malcolm Kensington of DeLaval said when the Grays told him of plans to extend the original plant to 44 he took them to see other dairies using DeLaval automatic cup removers. “We believe 36 to 40 is about the maximum two people can manage effectively in a dairy without some automation and when Neil and Glenda saw automatic cup removers in action they realised it was the best thing to do.
“Each cow gets milked the same every time, even with relief milkers in the dairy, and no cows are over milked.”
GRAY
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Helping the next generation of farmers Leask Engineering manufactured and supplied the rails and gates Don Chapman designed and built the original Gray dairy and its for the original dairy seven years ago, cut off and re-welded them extension on a pad which had to be pre-loaded with 130 truck and The backing gate on is centre pivot for the extension, saving on costs. trailer loads of rock to squeeze the water out from underneath. makes for easy cow flow into the dairy. Peter says the 11 kw variable speed motor It’s not something we often do but it worked Malcolm says because the existing sideration for Neil and Glenda. “Just because delivers a constant vacuum and it’s quiet. well and when we re-hung the gates they all plant was relatively new and because we weren’t going to be working in it didn’t The Gray family has a long association with fitted perfectly,” says Rom Spillingwerf of DeLaval designs its equipment to ensure it mean it shouldn’t have the extras which create Thames Farm & Industrial Supplies which Leask Engineering. can easily be up-graded, the extension to the a better working environment,” says Glenda Neil says made it easy to involve them in the The extensions to the farm dairy have not Gray shed was relatively uncomplicated. who agrees with Neil that keeping good staff farm dairy. “They were there beside us the only improved working conditions for Kylie Should the Grays want to introduce further is important to a successful dairy operation. whole way and give great service.” and Michael, it has also given them an opporautomation that again would be easy because The up-grade was carried out by DeLaval Leask Engineering, a company which works tunity to increase their stake in the industry. the new equipment and sensors can be agents, Thames Farm & Industrial Supplies closely with Don Chapman Builders, had Neil and Glenda have encouraged them to installed into existing fittings. and director Peter Sawyer says increasing manufactured and supplied the rails and gates add their own cows to the herd which the The cooler and vacuum pump were also efficiencies and looking after cows were two of for the original shed, and was involved in its Grays lease back. “This has helped us grow upgraded as part of the project. “The vacuum the drivers behind the project. extension which has taken the pit out to 35 the herd and helped Kylie and Michael pump requires less kilowatts to operate and its Neil is particularly pleased with the vacuum metres and extending the yard meant cutting increase their equity in the industry. variable speed drive is very quiet.” pump from De Laval. “It is saving power and and re-welding existing pipework. It’s a win win,” says Neil. Having a farm dairy which was easy and that’s good for our contract milkers and for “Because the dairy was relatively new, we cut pleasant to work in was an important conoff the existing rails and re-welded them back. By Elaine Fisher the environment.”
The vacuum pump from De Laval saves power and is quiet.
DeLaval agent Thames Farm & Industrial Supplies and director Peter Sawyer says increasing efficiencies and looking after cows were two of the drivers behind the project.
Cows can be easily drafted and handled in the yard.
The Gray herringbone dairy has been extended from 30 to 44 aside.
Ease of access for tankers is vital in planning the placement of vats.
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GREGORY FAMILY TRUST
Page 96
Coast & Country
Convert from sheep and beef to dairying For the last two decades Steve and Julie Gregory have been farming sheep and beef on 182-hectares of rolling Tihoi pasture. By Paul Kendon
Five-years ago they invited their five children to take over the farm. Although none were keen at the time, son Daniel and his wife Rebecca had a change of heart and recently returned home to accept the opportunity.
Originally from a farming family in Northland, Steve is a builder by trade as is son Daniel. Steve plans to work alongside his son for at least a couple more years before enjoying more leisure time. Daniel has been in Australia diamond drilling in underground mines. He has returned to the family farm with plans to convert to dairy farming. The two men along with son Joel, and daughters Kelly and Aimee have built a home for Daniel and Rebecca on the property and laid foundations for a new dairy plant, with
help on the block work from Rebecca’s father Grant Donaldson. Steve says it is all about economics. “You have to make the land produce more, just to stay afloat,” says Steve. The region has traditionally supported sheep and beef industries, but that has steadily changed. “It is quite fertile land. Developing the land is quite easy being pumice based. We’re a young country. You have to realise that this region was only really developed in the 1960s when there weren’t any dairy farms here at all,
d , Mainlan iel Everett L to R Dan ng, Andrew Clarke, t Engineeri rical Rotorua, Mat ct am Kinetic Ele nd Engineering, S , ry nla Nash, Mai ilder, Daniel Grego , u Dudley, B mer, Steve Gregory ar Builder/F ilder, Nick Vernon, Owner/Bu ro Solutions, Craig ry nvi Hi-Tech E ch), Mainland Dai it Mitchell (M s. Photo By Paul Kendon. System
says Steve. Stock flow and the ability for a single man to milk up to 450 cows were two primary considerations when designing the new milking plant. They will start milking 350-cross bred cows from August this year with plans to expand the herd as soon as possible to a maximum of 450. “When we decided to get into dairy farming we wanted a short milking time. We chose to work with people we get on with and knew would get the job done. That always helps, says Steve. “After we sketched out a design we went to Mainland Engineering. Mainland had all the equipment and technology we wanted to reduce milking time to little more than an hour,” says Steve.
Continuous stainless steel feed bin.
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Page 97
Higher than normal rainfall a factor Craig Mitchell, commonly called Mitch, is the Dairy Systems Manager for Mainland Dairy systems , which is a division of Mainland engineering, which has the Taupo regional agency for Milfos. Mitch says Steve was great at organising the size and specifications of the shed he wanted. “Basically we started with a really good outline of what he wanted and what he didn’t want, says Mitch. “This is one of our first owner/operator set ups and it is really good.” Since Steve and Daniel have laid the foundations Milfos New Zealand have installed a highly efficient Milfos 44-bale rotary I-flow platform. The system is as streamlined as possible. You can control backing gates, parts of the water system that that wash down the platform and clusters all from one point. Whoever is milking can walk in one end hit the go button and drive everything from that point. Mitch says the ‘fruit’ in the system are the
automated cup removers, bale restraints, auto wash for plant and vat and a Three-C centre gland that enables you to wash while the platform is rotating. A Three-C centre gland transfers power and vacuum to the plant, while a variable speed drive allows the platform to adjust speed as required. Power savings built into the vacuum pump and milk-lift pump utilise a variable speed drive. The variable speed drive basically reacts when its senses a variation in load, it only works as hard as is needed to achieve its task, therefore minimising power consumption. Vacuum operated pinch valves also help the single man operation. “Steve and Daniel have put in a fold down vet platform so the options are there if they want to run the cows back onto the platform to reduce down time, says Mitch. “If any cow is noted for drafting, for anything like being lame or mastitis, AI or anything, the system allows you to deal with it while minimising down time.” “The plant boasts an automated walk over
Animal handling yard under construction.
Milfos teat spray, which is activated when stock exit the shed. This’ll also reduce time in the dairy,” says Mitch. An automated vat and plant wash has been installed which will be a massive time saver. The system allows the milker to push a single button from one of two pedestal control panels to activate the wash and carry on with work or take a break. “We’ve got heat recovery from the chiller, so there is about a 40 to 50 degree heat recovery running back through the system,” says Mitch. The Mainland Engineering in-shed feed system is also a big help because you don’t have to cart feed out to the paddock. Five years ago it probably wasn’t as popular as the system is today but as Steve points out the silos are appearing more and more regularly alongside milking plants. The feed flows into a continuous stainless steel feed bin also installed by mainland Engineering. Mainland Engineering have supplied and installed the dairy water system,,
the structural steel and pipe works. The dairy is approximately 17 ½m x 17m built on a ridge about 400m from the main homestead, situated centrally on the farm, with the longest distance to the shed being approx 1.2km. Modern Coatings covered the block work with Acraflex high-build coating. The coating is a six coat process with three coats of highbuild acrylic, two coats of decorative fleck and a top coat of solvent glaze which melts into the whole product and hardens as one. This makes it more hard wearing than other coatings. It can handle all chemicals used in the dairy shed from acids to chlorine based products. Exterior cladding is Polypanel, polystyrene sandwiched between steel offering good insulation, ease of installation and protection from the elements.
of McLaren Tony McLaren eparing Contracting pr races. new fences and
GREGORY FAMILY TRUST
GREGORY FAMILY TRUST
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Coast & Country
New fences and sixty new troughs required Steve has opted for galvanised portals instead of standard painted steel as this increases their life span because they won’t rust or deteriorate over time. Kinetic Electrical Rotorua kept the internal walls as clean as possible so there is nothing to collect debris or for birds to perch on helping to maintain a clean milking environment. Michael Dent from Kinetic Electrical Rotorua says they are pleased to be working with Mainland as they are both passionate about what they do and their end goals are the same. “Mainland wants the customer to be happy. We want to get the best result we can for the customer regardless of whether or not they are a corporate farm manager or an owner operator,” says Michael. “The Gregory’s wanted a safe, simple, user friendly effluent management system. We had to take in to consideration the contour of the farm and the higher than normal rainfall in the Mangakino/ Whakamaru region,” says Nick Vernon of Hi-Tech Enviro Solutions.
Receiving can
set.
Hi-Tech Enviro Solutions was established in 1992, is based at Morrinsville and has an experienced team which allows them to design the best effluent disposal system for each individual dairy whether it is for 100 cows or a thousand. Before the dairy effluent reaches the holding pond, there are two traps that remove any unwanted material such as sand and stones, which can get into the pumps and cause undue wear and damage. A pond will also be installed that measures 36m by 30m and has a storage capacity of 2.5 million litres that enables Steve to only irrigate when the conditions are right. Due to the soil type on the farm the pond has been lined with a high quality membrane Firestone rubber liner, which should last well over 30 years. “If we have a downpour I can pull over a PVC shutter which will stop the rain water spilling into the pond. The extra rain can fill up the pond and cause unnecessary pumping,” says Steve Gregory. The pond has a floating pontoon with a Doda centrifugal pump and Hi Tech stirrer. The stirrer will keep the dairy effluent at a constant mix and prevent solids building up on the bottom of the pond, and the pump then redistributes the dairy effluent around
the farm depending on the soil moisture levels. “To maximize dairy effluent as fertiliser it needs to be applied at the same or less than the soil infiltration rate with some leeway to be safe. I think Steve will find that we have come up with the best dairy effluent design for his particular dairy shed,” says Nick Vernon. New races, fencing, troughs and irrigation systems have been installed to manage stock flow. Tony McLaren of McLaren Contracting prepared new laneways shed and house site, and digging of effluent pond after removing existing top-soil, grading tracks and creating channels for run-off water. Tony says the entire job probably took about 300-hours using tractors and scoops instead of self propelled machinery. Using less machinery allows the contractor to be more manoeuvrable and he was able to work when the weather turned foul. Sixty new troughs and 7km of new irrigation have been laid by Simon Frost and Ian Coulter of Greenline Trenching. The completely new water system will tap into two existing bores using three reservoirs. The existing system was too small to cope with the 80-litres of water dairy stock drink per day and the water requirements of eering Mainland Engin water the new hot d an b tu ter jet plant. system. In total
approximately 160-litres of water is required for each beast every day. Rocks, trees and the occasional tram line are the only real obstacles but as Simon explains the area is referred to as the pumice region and quite easy to trench. Other major work required was fencing as previously the farm only had big wide laneways. Darren Johnstone and Clarke Boyd have built 7km of new fences, 7metres wide with 7metre gates. Darren says he goes to bed at 7pm thinking in sevens. “The key to a long lasting fence is good instructions, good gear and good tools,” says Darren. “And a good worker,” quips Clarke. Darren has been fencing all over the greater Taupo region for about ten years and travels as far as Turangi. “The pumice country is good to work in whether trenching or fencing, says Darren. Sentiments Steve, Daniel and the entire crew may agree with. By Paul Kendon
GREGORY FAMILY TRUST
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Page 99
Active protection which works We milk 500 predominantly Friesian cows. We changed to the SurePulse triangular TA-1W liner and insert in January 2010 and continued with our usual practice of teat spraying and dry cow therapy. For the start of the new season we installed new liners as per industry recommendations. This spring calving we have had exceptional results with a lot fewer cases of mastitis (only one box of penicillin used) which has saved us a lot of time and money and taken the pressure off in the busiest time of the year. We believe these results can be directly attributed to the SurePulse liners and inserts system.� Mark Stone Raglan, Waikato
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