Business Rural Winter 2014 by Waterford Press Limited

Winter 2014

www.waterfordpress.co.nz

Hands-on firm celebrates It’s 30 years since Gary and Jill Duncan founded their South Canterbury-based engineering business. They paused to celebrate the milestone with loyal customers and staff, then it was back

INSIDE

Under-rated breed on positive track - PAGE 4

‘Clean freaks’ clean up title - PAGE 13

to business as usual. Appropriate, they felt, because that reflected the practical, down-to-earth nature of the way they approach their work. Story: page 34

‘Huge transition’ clouds dairy future - PAGE 20

Kiwi stud leads breed revolution - PAGE 30

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RURAL PEOPLE » Lyndon & Elizabeth Grant

Business Rural

Knowhow just as important as technology Karen Phelps Technology is important to running a successful, modern farm operation, but it’s also important for staff to know the basics of the job, say Lyndon and Elizabeth Grant, who milk 730 cows at Ashburton. “When we went to employ staff, some had never taken the cups off a cow before,” Lyndon says incredulously. “We don’t believe in relying on technology. Training people to do the job is better than relying on machines. We ensure that the two staff we have know how to take cups off and teat spray. “This gives us two sets of eyes in the shed – one at cups-on and one at cups-off. It means they notice more about the cows and also brings a camaraderie in the shed as they have someone else in there to talk to during milking.” Both Lyndon, 32, and Elizabeth, 25, grew up on farms. Elizabeth’s parents have a sheep-and-beef

unit on Banks Peninsula. She went dairy farming at Dunsandel. Lyndon, also raised on a sheep-andbeef farm, started milking cows in Clydevale. The couple met Elizabeth when they took on positions on farms (both owned by Max and Adrienne Duncan) opposite each other at Dunsandel, . They joined forces and took a lower-order sharemilking position on a 138-hectare (effective) unit for the Duncans’ son, Ross, and his wife, Sue. The next season they moved to a larger farm when Ross and Sue converted a cropping farm. The Grants have now completed four seasons as lower-order sharemilkers on this property, and are just entering their first season as 50:50 sharemilkers. Lyndon says they have become 50:50 sharemilkers several years ahead of their plans, but they like to grab opportunities when they present themselves.

Above: Lyndon and Lizzie Grant are entering their first season as 50:50 sharemilkers on a 730-cow unit at Ashburton. Lower left: Feeding time for the calves. “It’s bloody good and we’re really grateful for the opportunity because 50:50 positions are hard to come by these days. We have some of the best farm-owners we could have. They’ve really helped us all the way. It’s definitely a big step, but it’s the direction we want to head.” He admits they were fortunate to buy their herd from the farm-owners as it has a high breeding worth – an average of 131BW. “We’re trying to improve this further,” he says. “Our big goal is to try and find a balance between feed and production.” The Grants milk the predominantly friesian herd through a 54-bail rotary shed with no mod cons, not even automatic cup removers. It’s a handson approach as they maintain close contact with their cows and their results prove it is working. The average somatic cell count last season was of 82,000 and they got a gold certificate from Fonterra for four years of grade-free production. An in-shed grain feeding system is the farm’s

single nod to technology, and this season they plan to feed 500-600 kilograms of barley to each cow. A new well was put down year on the property last year, which means they can now irrigate five millilitres per hectare on 200 days (approximately) when they irrigate by Roto Rainers. “We also have an older well, so this new well will be a back-up in case anything goes wrong with one of the wells,” says Lyndon, The Grants are budgeting for 500 kilograms of milksolids per cow this season; up from 484kg last season. “We’ve had three good seasons as lower-order sharemilkers and now we’re looking to do as well, if not better,” says Lyndon. “Lizzie and I work well together – she’s a hard worker and has pushed herself a fair bit too. Land is the big driver for us. In Canterbury it’s getting harder and harder to get, but I think it’s still achievable. That will be our aim over the next five to six years.”

BUSCH

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INSIDE

Under-rated breed on positive track - PAGE 4

‘Clean freaks’ clean up title - PAGE 13

to business as usual. Appropriate, they felt, because that reflected the practical, down-to-earth nature of the way they approach their work. Story: page 34

‘Huge transition’ clouds dairy future - PAGE 20

Kiwi stud leads breed revolution - PAGE 30

www.waterfordpress.co.nz

Now offering

Bruce Hore Consultant

0275 760 303 bruce@agriganics.com

- Independent Soil Fertility Consulting - Animal Mineral Balancing - Hair Testing - Precision Soil Mapping

Jeremy Cunningham Consultant

027 2002 303

jeremy@fcn.co.nz

Business Rural

Day of farmer power looms Jo Bailey Southland dairy farmers could soon be using effluent to generate electricity, if the latest research is anything to go by. John Scandrett, of Dairy Green Ltd, has been working with Niwa (National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research) to trial the capture of methane emissions from covered anaerobic effluent ponds on dairy farms. The results are promising, he says. “All going well, we’ll have the first farm up and running by Christmas. We’re excited by the potential of this system, which could provide significant power-cost savings to farmers over time and reduce greenhouse emissions.” Through monitoring effluent ponds, Niwa found it was possible to get as much biogas straight off a pond as from a conventional biogas digester. However, the pond process was much slower because it was colder. Dairy Green has designed a covered “30-day pond” to harvest the biogas, which will then be put through a motor to generate electricity. A feasibility study on a dairy farm has demonstrated that methane concentrations and volumes were sufficient to offset a significant amount of power used in dairy sheds, says Scandrett. Dairy Green had its genesis in a project of the same name, set up in 2003 by Scandrett’s consultancy firm, Scandrett Rural, under the Sustainable Farming Fund. The aim of the project was to solve the problem of dairy effluent entering Southland waterways, particularly following the irrigation of effluent through conventional, rotating-boom, travelling irrigators. “This research led to us pioneering low-rate applications of effluent through k-line irrigation, the removal of solids with sludge beds and a weeping

wall system, and the promotion of effluent storage, so that farmers didn’t have to irrigate during wet periods and could manage the timing of irrigation, particularly in regards to soil moisture.” The Dairy Green project also pioneered the benefits of pulsed irrigation, with the aim of improving absorption of the effluent into the soil and helping prevent over-saturation. “Soil is a very good filter,” says Scandrett. “However, we found that lower applications made by pumping effluent in 15-minute blocks with a 30-minute break in between led to far greater absorption.” These findings were later confirmed by “compelling” science produced by AgResearch, which found far lower levels of phosphate and ammonia in the drainage water from test plots where low-rate irrigation of effluent was applied through k-line compared to that applied with rotating-boom, travelling irrigators. He says that as a consequence of the Dairy Green project and its influence on the dairy-effluent sector, he became “extremely busy” designing

PHOTOS Above: Dairy Green hopes to have its first example of a farm producing power from straight off effluent-pond biogas in action by Christmas. Right: Dairy Green pioneered low-rate applications of effluent through k-line irrigation. new effluent systems for farmers. This led to the formation of Dairy Green as a standalone company. “I recruited Russell Davie in 2007 and we worked together for about a year before setting up Dairy Green. We’ve since worked on projects for more than 680 clients, around 80 per cent of them in the dairy effluent sector.” The company is also heavily involved in stockwater-reticulation schemes and irrigation projects. A staff member, John Parish, is a water-scheme designer. Scandrett says they like challenging and difficult jobs. “At Landcorp’s Mararoa Station, we used water power via a pelton wheel to generate power to the water pump, and we put in a turbine to drive the

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pump at Westend Station using water power.” Scandrett describes the company as design-led, but also sells products relating to its systems. “In the early days we’d just provide designs to the farmers who would go to their suppliers,” he says. “However, sometimes items we had specified couldn’t be supplied or were replaced with other products that affected the system. We decided to take control by supplying the whole package.” Scandrett Rural continues to run alongside Dairy Green, providing farm management services. It also runs three farm discussion groups The companies have 10 staff between them in offices in Gore and Invercargill.

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RURAL PEOPLE »Wilfield

Business Rural

‘Under-rated’ Jo Bailey

With the New Zealand sheep industry shrinking, it is very important that corriedale breeders work together to improve the breed and recognise and address any issues.

Robin Wilson, owner of one of New Zealand’s largest corriedale operations, says the collective effort of New Zealand breeders is resulting in some positive developments for the “highly under-rated” breed. “With the New Zealand sheep industry shrinking, it is very important that corriedale breeders work together to improve the breed and recognise and address any issues,” he says. “One of the first collective initiatives more than a decade ago was to improve footrot resistance, with the use of DNA technology from Lincoln University providing major benefits.” In recent years, corriedale breeders have jointly invested in CT-scanning of ram hoggets at Lincoln University to find high-yielding, meat-breed sheep. Ewe hoggets in the feature class at the Canterbury A & P Show have also been CT-scanned over the last couple of years. A ram hogget trial run by the Corriedale Society is another positive venture, he says. “Breeders are invited to send ram lambs to one farmer’s property where they are grazed together, analysed on their performance (which includes CT scanning), and benchmarked against one another.” The results are starting to show, with corriedales becoming recognised as a “very genuine” dualpurpose animal with some good meat qualities, including colour, texture, pH and taste, he says.

“This was highlighted at the Mint Lamb competition at last year’s Canterbury Show, where the winning animal was out of a corriedale ewe.” He says breeders have become more marketorientated in recent years, focusing on breeding animals with finer wools. Mid-micron wool producers could get an extra boost with the use of micron-reduction technology, which allows wool to be processed around five microns finer than it comes off the sheep’s back. Robin Wilson is the former chairman of the company that developed the technology in conjunction with Canesis at Lincoln. “Although I am no longer involved, I think it is

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RURAL PEOPLE » Wilfield

Business Rural

breed on positive track fantastic technology that could add real value to customers and producers if a commercially viable business can be created around it.” Wilson, his wife, Pip, and his brother, Gavin, own Wilfield – a sizeable Canterbury operation comprised of five different corriedale studs and a suffolk texel meat breed flock on 440 hectares, split between properties at West Melton and Halkett, just west of Christchurch. They currently carry around 3500 ewes and 850 ewe hoggets, and are wintering around 500 ram hoggets. The stud operations account for about 20 per cent of the farming operation, with cropping and lamb fattening making up the balance. The Wilsons manage the intensive operation themselves with casual assistance when required. Wilfield uses Sheep Improvement Ltd across flock analysis and gene-marker technology to identify its most productive and profitable animals. ”We have consistently introduced rams with high breeding values into the flock over the last 10 years with significant improvements in fertility over the last three seasons,” says Robin Wilson.

“This year’s mixed-age ewes, including dry ewes, scanned 185 per cent and two-tooths 169%. We’re delighted with that and believe genetics is definitely playing its part.” The Wilsons have also introduced some highperforming corriedale genetics from Australia into the stud flock. “We’re excited,” says Robin. “However, it is too early to say exactly what impact it will have on the operation.” He says they look for wool quality, a good carcass and high footrot resistance when selecting their genetics. Through December the stud will sell more than 200 rams privately on farm, a method preferred over sales. This will include suffolk texel rams, which are popular with breeders around New Zealand. “Over the last couple of years, we’ve taken a few of these rams to ewe fairs around Canterbury where we’ve had good sales.” He says he is happy with the current direction of Wilfield’s sheep breeding business and has high hopes for the future of the corriedale breed. “There is a lot to be positive about.”

PHOTOS – Facing page: Lincoln University’s Amy Smail prepares a CT scan on one of Wilfield’s ram hoggets. Top: Lambs being tagged from a stud corriedale ewe . Above: Wilfield corriedale rams

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RURAL PEOPLE » Nick Love

Business Rural

‘Good pair of gloves’ key in the Maniototo Neil Grant The Maniototo was long known for its extremes of climate – hot and dry in summer, cold and dry in winter. Not your typical dairy country. The Maniototo irrigation scheme changed that. The availability of water meant that what had been typical sheep and beef, not to mention rabbit, country could be converted so that dairy cows can be productive. Crieve Farm, near Patearoa south of Ranfurly, was converted by the Herlihy family four seasons ago. Last season, Nick Love and his partner, Gabrielle, came on as 50:50 sharemilkers. Love had worked for other sharemilkers at Fairlie for three seasons and at Omarama for one season, and had grown up on a dairy farm, so had a good idea of what he was getting into. Gabrielle has an agriculture background, but dairying was new to her. The farm has a 235-hectare platform: 140ha under pivot irrigation and 95ha under k-line irrigation. Last season it wintered just under 800 cows and peak-milked 775. This season, 810 were wintered and 780 are expected to be peak-milked. “Production last season was 450 kilograms of milksolids per cow, or 1460kg per hectare,” says Nick Love. “For our level of input, that’s satisfactory.” Input is mainly grass, of course. The pasture is a mix of perennial ryegrass, white clover, chicory and plantain. Cows like a bit of a salad with some herbs as much as most humans do. But often, quite early in autumn, grass stops growing in the Maniototo and may not start again until late in spring. Ensuring there is adequate supplement for the cold times is vital. Silage is made on the farm and the owner’s run-off. Around 600kg per cow is fed, along with fodder beet grown to feed during lactation. No grain or palm kernel is used. “Cows don’t mind the cold – they do well,” says Love. “They prefer cold to wet and soggy weather. They need adequate supplement. In the summer

We like the Maniototo. I’ve done all my farming in harsher climates and enjoy it. It’s good to be in amongst sheep and beef farms and in open spaces. You’ve got to be reasonably hardy. heat, you just have to make sure they get adequate water. Calf-rearing is probably easier in these drier areas – less mud and fewer bugs.” The milking shed has automatic cup-removers and Protrack drafting. “The drafting gate is very useful. It is a key management tool for large herds.” The cows are crossbred, leaning towards black crossbred. Herd ownership is 50:50 with the farm’s owners, and income and expenses reflect the same ratio. The cows are run as two herds and are managed by the sharemilkers, three full-time staff, and casuals as required. The sharemilking contract is for three years. After that? “We have plenty of dreams,” says Love. “I network with friends and colleagues. It is important to have mentors. I have a cousin in rural banking, so have got a lot of advice and expertise on budgeting, and my last employers were very helpful.” The start of the planning is marriage. Then they will look to raise their equity by increasing their herd size to develop their business and their income. “We like the Maniototo. I’ve done all my farming in harsher climates and enjoy it. It’s good to be in amongst sheep and beef farms and in open spaces. You’ve got to be reasonably hardy, and make sure you’ve got a good pair of gloves.”

Nick Love and partner Gabrielle (above) are 50:50 sharemilkers on Crieve Farm (below), near Patearoa on the Maniototo Plain in Central Otago.

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RURAL PEOPLE » Jon Dampney & Hayley Bennett

Business Rural

Record defies windstorm Jo Bailey Jon Dampney is relaxed about running Deebury Pastoral’s Ealing Dairy, a 273-hectare (effective), 1175-cow unit near Hinds, in just his third season as a manager. “I enjoy the challenge. We have quite a high stocking rate and we’re pushing the boundaries a bit. But we grow a lot of grass and have the luxury of plenty of water.” He says feeding and pasture management are central to his role. “Our cows know how to eat and can really mow a paddock down. We’re proactive about maintaining grass quality and topping the cows up with a bit of grain when they need it. If you put plenty of feed into them, they give you the rewards in terms of more milk in the vat.” The herd of big crossbred cows achieved record production of 485 kilograms of milksolids per cow, or 2006kg per hectare, last season – which was pleasing after a windstorm in September knocked one of the property’s two pivot irrigators out for three months. “It was a good result and we’re aiming to better the record again this year.” Dampney says wintering the cows off-farm is a relatively simple exercise – they are sent to a grazing block on a neighbour’s farm straight across the road. ”The grazier grows all the kale and wheat, and we continue to manage the stock ourselves. It’s a great arrangement, and handy having grazing so close.” He hopes to milk around 1150 cows this season, split into two herds. “We run all the heifers and three-year-olds in one herd, and the older cows in another mob. The heifers seem to do better without too much competition in the first year, and the peaking threeyear-olds are saved from the rude awakening they can get if they’re run with the old girls.” The 50-bail rotary shed has just undergone a “massive” upgrade – Protrack, Milfos cup-removers and a GEA Farm Technologies system.

Former Kaitaia boy Jon Dampney runs Deebury Pastoral’s 270-hectare Ealing Dairy, near Hinds. The herd hit record production levels of 485 kilograms of milksolids per cow last season, despite one of the pivot irrigators being knocked out of service for three months by a windstorm in September. This will allow Dampney and his four full-time staff to monitor intensively, from fat/protein leaders to conductivity. “We’re looking forward to getting some cows on the platform and getting started,” he says. “We’re hoping that the introduction of the new technologies will cut milking time by around 40

We’re hoping that the introduction of the new technologies will cut milking by around 40 minutes which will allow us to get outside the shed and concentrate on other aspects of farm management.

minutes, which will allow us to get outside the shed and concentrate on other aspects of farm management.” Deebury Ealing is one of three Mid Canterbury dairy farms owned by Deebury Pastoral, which has five major shareholders. Dampney started as second-in-command at Deebury Ealing four seasons ago. He then spent a year as manager at Deebury Lismore before taking up the manager’s role back at the Ealing farm. Originally off a dairy farm at Kaitaia, Northland, he moved south with his parents when he was 14, when they came to jobs in Mid Canterbury. “I got a bit sick of the early-morning starts, so got out of dairying when I finished school. I did a few eight-to-five jobs and went overseas twice,

but always knew I would get back into farming eventually.” His parents are now farming a 900-cow dairy unit in the Bay of Islands, but he is content to stay in the South Island. “My partner, Hayley Bennett, works for a local accountancy firm and we have a wee one due at the end of August. I have a lot of good mates here, play rugby for Mid Canterbury Heartland, and do a bit of hunting. It’s a great area to live and work in.” Like most sharemilkers, farm ownership is his ultimate goal, but he doesn’t expect it to come easily. “Farm ownership is getting a bit harder to achieve with all the corporates in the market now. It’s not easy to compete with the big boys, but we’re hopeful that’s where we’ll end up.”

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Rural People: » Delos Dairies

Business Rural

Dairy set-up a family affair Karen Phelps

Mark (left) and Natalie Russell, with Natalie’s husband Phil (right) and their children, Ruby (with Natalie)) and Cullum (with Phil).

a d n o H

e k i B Farm

It has taken a lot of pressure off us financially as the load is spread over more people – and it’s family. We wouldn’t have got to where we are today without being part of an operation like this.

Big changes have taken place on Mitch and Jo Russell’s Mid-Canterbury farm over the last year. A run-off block has been converted to dairy and the Russells have cut their ties with the late Allan Hubbard’s business (they had been in an equity partnership with him). The home farm was converted about 10 years ago as part of a larger unit. The Russells now own half of that original farm. They continue to lease the land they used as a run off block and have just converted to dairy. Both farms are under the umbrella of Delos Dairies Ltd. The partners also include the Russells’ son, Mark, their daughter, Natalie, and her husband, Phil. With the new arrangement, dairying has become a real family affair for the Russells. Mitch and Jo’s older son, Greg, and his wife, Liz, are sharemilking on one of Liz’s family farms at Geraldine, and their younger daughter, Sarah, and her husband, Ian, are 50:50 sharemilking near Opunake, in Taranaki. The Russells’ Mid Canterbury farms have been set up identically for ease of management – both milk 1000 friesian-cross cows through a 60-bail rotary dairy shed with an in-shed feeding system on around 240 hectares. The sheds have automatic cup-removers and heat-detection technology. The home farm (Delos) is run by Mark, and the lease farm, Dalmhor, by Natalie and Phil. Phil admits it has been a busy time for the family, particularly as early in the season both herds had to be milked through one shed while they were building the new shed on Delos. “We just grazed on both farms and walked the cows over,” he says. “We lost a lot of production, but we picked up a bit of fertility. Now it’s about trying to get things into a routine and ticking along. “The aim is to become self-contained in coming years to keep cost structures down and for control.” This is the first season the farms have been operated this way and Phil says it will take time to get things to where they want them to be. He is relishing the opportunity for a bit of friendly competition with Mark to push them both to excel. “Trying to beat Delos will be the aim this season,” he says. Combined production from both farms last season was about 900,000 kilograms of milksolids. Both farms had a 75 per cent, six-week, in-calf rate and an under-5% empty rate with very little intervention. The herd has a breeding worth of 118.

• To page 9

Greg Sim

Building & Excavating • New homes • cow sheds • farm buildings • Alterations/additions • 4 diggers - 20 ton, 14 ton & 13 ton • Mini digger & truck for smaller jobs • Tip truck hire • Drain cleaning • Headrace work & trenching • Grader • Dairy Lanes Proud to support Delos Farm

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RURAL PEOPLE » Ray & Sonya Simpson

Business Rural

Demise of big companies a loss – farmer Sue Russell

PHOTOS Sonja Simpson is hands on with the farm’s heavy farm machinery (such as the digger (above) and with the farm’s canine staff (upper right). Ray Simpson says investing in a new, hightech DeLaval dairy shed (below) last year has significantly cut down the time it takes to milk their herd of 600 cows at Maheno. In the old 24bail shed, milking took 10 hours every day.

The demise of large-scale dairy holding companies such as Tasman Agriculture is a loss to the dairying industry, says dairyman Ray Simpson. Simpson, who was brought up on a dairy farm on the West Coast, and his wife, Sonja, moved to the Oamaru district in 1990, and began a 10-year association with Tasman Agriculture. He remembers those years as providing fertile ground for excellent learning – something missing in terms of opportunities these days, he says. “Tasman Agriculture had farms ranging in size from 150 to 1500 cows. As a sharemilker, you could work on different farms and progress upwards. It was a fantastic opportunity for young farmers.” His connection with the farm they now own goes back to when they moved to Maheno, just south of Oamaru, in 1990. They were there for five years before moving on to a new-conversion farm at Dunsandel, in Central Canterbury. Another five years and a lot of hard work gave the Simpsons the opportunity to increase the herd by 200. Moving back to Maheno in 2000, they bought the property they now farm. Their familiarity with it cemented their progression from sharemilking to farm ownership. They have since bought two neighbouring farms to create a plot of 350 hectares (320ha effective), 170ha of it fully irrigated. In the 2014-15 season the farm will carry 600 milking cows and 140 replacements, and will be fully self-contained. “Because our goal now is to get the most we can per cow rather than going for a bigger herd, we made the decision three years ago to change the

bloodline by using semen sourced from Holland,” says Ray. “Before this, we had used Ambreed CRV genetics, but felt it was time to introduce a new bloodline to boost performance.” Last season the herd produced 229,000 kilograms of milksolids – a figure Ray Simpson describes as a tad disappointing but a fair reflection of the season. “Because a lot of our land is dry, we’re affected by the weather and the amount of feed we have. In the coming season they are aiming for 475plus kilos of milksolids per cow.” A new 54-bail rotary shed commissioned on February 1 last year has brought significant technologies into the milking regime. The DeLaval parlour uses the Alpro herd-management system. Ray Simpson says the decision to build the new and significantly larger shed was driven by the time spent on milking in the old 24-bail rotary shed – it occupied two and half labour units for up to 10 hours every day. “We wanted to go bigger and future-proof ourselves, and the 54-bail rotary with meal and molasses and the Alpro system gives us the tools

to promote the best performance from every cow.” The old dairy shed, which is built of Oamaru stone in an octagonal shape with one side open, makes quite a feature. The plan is to one day use it for horse stables, says Sonja Simpson, who is a keen horsewoman. Equestrian has been a big part of the Simpsons’ lives, with all four children riding to varying levels. More recently they have extended into the breeding business, and have had three foals on the ground so far. Sonja is very much hands-on around the farm as well. “Sonja is extremely competent using all the farm gear,” says Ray. “It’s a huge weight off to have someone you can absolutely trust when you’re dealing with gear worth up to $200,000. She really enjoys it.” His philosophy and his success in farming has been tuned around the words a wise man once told him years ago. “There will hardly be a day go by when a door won’t open and an opportunity present to succeed. It comes down to seeing these opportunities and deciding whether you will take them up.”

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Business ‘a great opportunity’ • From page 8 Phil and Natalie say their main focus this season will be getting cows in calf early. From next year there will be no inducing of cows. They Russells trialled a molasses-based mix with minerals with good results last season – better bloods, less mastitis, and higher fertility rates. A 60ha lease block 20 kilometres away supports both farms. Each farm buys in around 300 tonnes of balage and 500 tonnes of grain a season. The farms have two new effluent ponds with 30-day storage. Effluent is spread over 60-70% of the two properties. Both are under centre-pivot irrigation. Moisture meters and temperature probes have

been installed so that the family can find out what is happening through apps on their cell phones as well as being able to turn pivots and pumps on and off remotely. Phil and Natalie, who were previously lowerorder sharemilking on another unit, say the new family business has given them security and a great opportunity. “We had done two moves in the last three years,” says Phil. “With Ruby, five months, and Cullum, 17 months, this gives us more security for the family. It has also taken a lot of pressure off us financially as now the load is spread over more people – and it’s family. “It’s a really good operation – we wouldn’t have got to where we are today without being part of an operation like this.”

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10 |

RURAL PEOPLE: » Travis & Catriona Leslie

Business Rural

Landcorp’s vision looks like 20/20 I enjoy it. It’s a tremendous change from farming in the north. The basic principles are the same, but there are quite a few differences, particularly wintering.

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Neil Grant Landcorp has a vision – to be the world’s most effective pastoral-livestock farmer. The state-owned enterprise owns or leases 137 properties covering nearly 377,000 hectares of New Zealand. Its own farms grow sheep, dairy and beef cattle, and deer, and it manages other farms as well. With farms dotted from near North Cape to the Catlins, it provides wide opportunities for staff to gain experience and advance through the system. In the Manapouri basin in Southland, Landcorp’s Kepler Farm borders the township. It has 1773ha on mostly flat with some rolling land. Ninety hectares is set aside in QE2 covenants, shelter areas and a couple of small pine blocks. Travis Leslie, manager of Kepler Farm for the last two and a half years, knows about the vision – he has worked for Landcorp for 14 years. “I grew up in Rotorua. When I left school I went shepherding. Then I got a job on Waikite Station, between Taupo and Rotorua, which is home to lamb supreme (Landcorp’s composite breed), along with texels and simmentals. It’s a complex operation. I next moved to Huririmu, near Mangakino, for eight years. It’s a 900ha breeding and finishing block. Then I came down here.” Coming to Kepler was the Leslies’ first trip to the South Island. “I enjoy it,” says Travis. “It’s a tremendous change from farming in the north. The basic principles are the same, but there are quite a few differences, particularly wintering. And there’s a different pace of life – there are no people! It has been a big challenge.” Kepler has 6800 commercial two-tooths and landmark ewes, plus replacements. Landmark is a composite maternal sheep bred for its high fertility, its meat, and its ability to put lambs on the ground. There are 1700 stud ewes, and lamb supreme sires, a white-faced composite terminal sire bred

• To page 11

Top: Travis and Catriona Leslie with their children, Ellen (seven) and Robbie (eight). They manage Kepler Farm, a 1773-hectare property in the Manapouri Basin. Above: Kepler Farm runs 6800 commercial two-tooths and landmark ewes, including 1700 stud ewes and lamb supreme sires.

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Business Rural

RURAL PEOPLE: » Andrew & Marissa Simpson

Manapouri farm a challenge • From page 10 specifically for meat, high yield and lamb growth. Kepler Farm won the 2013 SIL-ACE Terminal Sire for Meat Yield award with lamb supreme rams – testimony to the animal and farm practice. Landcorp has a history of developing breeding schemes going back some 40 years. These have met the needs of, initially, Lands and Survey farms, and, more recently, Landcorp’s own farms. But there is more to it. Landmark ewes and lamb supreme rams are available to the wider, private, sheep-farming market. Currently, stud stock are sold in roughly equal numbers to both groups, improving the genetic quality and giving performance gains. The SIL-ACE award is a satisfying result for Kepler Farm. As Travis Leslie says, it’s not only the winter cold of the south the farm has to contend with. There are other challenges, too. The land around Manapouri and Te Anau is old glacial moraine. Consequently, it dries out very quickly. “Our stock are all fed outside, and there is zero grass growth in winter, so we have to grow enough

crops to feed them,” he says. “ We put in 130ha of crop a year – swedes, kale, grass silage and lucerne silage. Renewing pasture is tied to cropping. Each year the new grass creates blocks to graze lambs. “We’ve been experimenting with tall fescue. It’s highly successful because it is dry tolerant and grass-grub tolerant. Lucerne is successful here, too. “The biggest risk we have to growing crops here is the dry periods.” Quality control of the pasture is assisted by the 500 commercial angus cows. They also produce calves for finishing. Leslie says he, wife Catriona, and children Robbie (eight) and Ellen (seven) are enjoying the new environment. “The children are thriving. There’s good schooling and plenty of activities for them to be involved in.” If awards, wide commercial sales in the pastoral community, genetic improvement, and happy staff and their families are anything to go by, Landcorp’s vision seems to be 20/20.

500 commercial Angus cows assist in quality control of pastures on Kepler Farm.

| 11

The unusual the norm for the Simpsons Karen Phelps Andrew and Marissa Simpson admit their farm is not operated in the usual way. “It all looks normal to me, but I know a lot of people come here and look really confused,” Andrew says with a laugh. The couple, who have a two-year-old daughter, Gabriela, are lower-order sharemilkers on a 300-effective-hectare (305ha total) unit at Mayfield, in Mid Canterbury. They milk 1100 holstein friesian cows for farm-owners Brian and Annette Beetham. Because the Beethams have been buying and selling farms in equity partnerships to expand their business, the Simpson farm is often used to grow and hold stock for the other Beetham farms. This affects the quality and number of animals on the Simpson’s unit. “Everything changes every day on this farm,” says Andrew Simpson. “We don’t have a set target about where we’re going. We deal with everything on a daily basis because this farm operates with outside influences, depending on what’s happening on the owners’ other farms. “If they sell a farm, cows from that farm come into this system. If they buy a farm, some of these cows leave. This can happen quickly too. as sometimes they take over a farm within a matter of weeks. But that makes this an interesting farm because instead of just the same routine all the time, it keeps you thinking and on your toes.” And if this wasn’t enough to keep them busy, the Simpsons calve three times a year and winter-milk. “Calving three times each year keeps stock fresh and gives cows more chance to get in calf,” says Andrew. “It also keeps the milk yields even year round. We stay between 45,000 and 60,000 kilograms of milksolids per month year round.” They mate their cows only by AI – they don’t use bulls. The farm is classified as a system-five unit and on average, the Simpsons feed three kilograms of supplement plus half a kilogram of protein, per day year round, plus molasses and minerals. It’s their first season of using a mixer wagon. While most farmers choose to feed either in

We deal with everything on a daily basis because this farm operates with outside influences, depending on what’s happening on the owners’ other farms. the shed or on a feedpad, the Simpsons use both. “We feed in the shed when they come in to milk and then on the feedpad when they leave the shed before they go back to the paddock,” says Andrew. “Our cows eat more than a crossbred – they’re more aggressive eaters and bigger cows. Our average kill weight for culls is 630-700 kilograms.” While most farmers will say grass is king, the Simpsons say grass is not the focus in their system. “Other farmers are farming their farms – we are farming cows. Grass is the cheapest feed and we still utilise it. But it’s an unbalanced feed. Grass changes every day, so the consistency (of nutrients) is not there. “If we rely on grass less, we can have better control over the nutrients going into the cows and our production. Also, we can’t get 18 kilograms of feed into the cows each day with just grass because our stocking rate is quite high. Supplement allows us to balance things out.” Automatic heat detection and rumination technology works off collars, which the cows all wear. A computerised system in the cowshed provides milk-yield information each day. “So, the more litres a cow produces, the more it gets fed,” says Andrew. In another deviation from the farming norm, the Simpsons milk 300 of their highest producing cows three times a day and the rest twice a day during spring to boost production. The farm has a 60-bail rotary shed They employ seven staff, and produced 630 kilograms of milksolids per cow last season. This season’s target is 650kg per cow.

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12 |

RURAL PEOPLE » Waitai Dairies

Business Rural

Waitai brings point of difference Neil Grant Most of the 13 Synlait Farms properties are based around Dunsandel and Te Pirita. One out-lier is Waitai Dairies, 18 kilometres south-east of Ashburton. David Lansdown, who has managed Waitai since 2008, joined Synlait in 2003 as second-incharge of a new conversion. He moved to a 600cow farm, then on to Waitai. Waitai is different from most of the other farms. Right near the coast, it has heavy Waterton and some Longbeach soils. Traditionally cropping country, it presents challenges as a dairy farm. “We don’t have a feedpad, and we don’t feed grain in the shed,” says Lansdown. “We have struggled from wet Augusts with pasture damage. We take late-calving cows from the other farms in the group. We mate for August 1 calving, and any of the cows we get in calf, we sell to other farms in the group.” Cows put up for AB are mated with kiwicross bulls. This arrangement means that within the group, farms that calve traditionally benefit from

David Lansdown has managed Waitai Dairies, part of the Synlait Farms group, since 2008. This season the 303-hectare Waitai Farm will calve 1085 calves. the cows Waitai produces on time, and Waitai gets cows that are producing late and may otherwise be culled. These cows get another season to see if they can be recycled back into the system. It also

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helps to minimise the effect within the group of no longer being able to induce cows. “The wonderful thing about the group is the number of different systems,” says Lansdown. “High-genetic-worth cows get intensive feeding with grain etc on appropriate farms. Low-geneticworth cows are not mated through artificial breeding and are farmed on other farms. It all depends on the needs of the group at any one time.” Waitai Dairies is a 303-hectare (effective) farm. Two hundred and ninety hectares are irrigated by pivot, and 13 by k-line. Irrigation water is strictly allocated, with soilmoisture meters the management tool for that. Feed is mainly pasture, with grass silage in spring, and maize silage in autumn to put weight on the cows during lactation. In the coming season Waitai will calve 1085 cows. Milking is done in a 60-bail rotary shed by Lansdown and four other permanent staff. This

We rely on both New Zealanders and overseas people. They have been excellent. We have people from Ecuador, England Sir Lanka. It makes for interesting coffee breaks. season there will also be a temporary staff member through calving. “Blair Woods, my second-in-charge, will be with us for his third season” says Lansdown. “We rely

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RURAL PEOPLE: » Chris & Carla Staples

Business Rural

| 13

Clean and green: Whataroa sharemilkers Chris and Carla Staples took out the national dairy hygiene award at the 2014 NZ Dairy Industry Awards. The couple with their cows (left) and with their award (below).

‘Clean freaks’ clean up national hygiene title Karen Phelps Curiously, despite taking the national dairy hygiene accolade at the 2014 New Zealand Dairy Industry Awards, Chris and Carla Staples failed to win the same award in their own region. That honour went to their mates, Ant and Suzie O’Malley. The Staples admit they have a bit of friendly competition with the O’Malleys to see who can keep their shed the cleanest. It has been a focus for the Staples, who sharemilk a 180-hectare unit at Whataroa in South Westland for Keith and Angela Kelly. They have been grade-free for five seasons and last year, they did win their regional dairy hygiene award. They put their success down to both of them being extremely neat. “We’re both pretty much clean freaks – that helps,” says Chris. “I know one of the judges didn’t believe our shed was that clean all the time, so we took a photo a month later and sent it to him.” They keep their shed meticulous, they say, by having good systems in place, which are easy for staff to follow. “We water-blast the shed every six weeks and we have a wash procedure drawn up by a chemical rep and stick to that, although I like to use a bit

They’ve got an exemplary hygiene record and have won the national dairy hygiene award at the 2014 New Zealand Dairy Industry Awards Sharemilker/ Equity Farmer of the Year. They also won regional risk-management and business-performance awards. So what can farmers learn from Chris and Carla Staples about dairy shed hygiene? more chemical than he recommends,” says Chris, once again deferring to his neat freak streak. “We make sure we hose down the meal bins after every milking so that the birds don’t come in and make mess. We hose the yards down every milking and we’ve even painted the shed since we’ve been there.” They say that because their dairy shed is on a public road, they feel greater responsibility to keep things looking spick and span. “It doesn’t happen often but sometimes people do just pop in to take a look,” says Chris. “We want to make sure it’s always looking its best.” The Staples came to the Kelly farm in the 2011-12 season and peak-milked 365 cows. Herd numbers have now risen to 380. The farm is flat and two-thirds is riverbed with shallow, stony soils, that get dry in summer. The other third of the farm is ex-totara bush, giving heavier ground that holds moisture.

They say it’s a manageable balance as they can move animals around the farm depending on the time of year. They sacrifice an area of the farm to plant kale for use in winter to minimise pugging. They also feed the cows seven kilograms of dry matter of grass and two kilograms dry matter of hay/straw a day through the winter “It can get really wet here in winter, so we grow/ feed kale and straw on here and strip-graze it,” says Chris. “The cows get three kilograms of dry matter per day over winter. If it’s dry enough, we let them into the paddock; if not, we feed out along the edge of the kale break. But this is necessary only in extreme conditions, generally we can get them onto the paddocks.” The herd, made up of roughly half jersey and half crossbred or friesian, is milked through a 32-a-side herringbone shed with in-shed feeding system. The herd is fed palletised meal every day –

two kilograms from the start of calving until the end of mating then dropping to 1.2 kilograms for the rest of the season. “It’s just a top-up at that point so that if the weather is bad, we can maintain production and condition.” The Staples are crossbreeding all the cows, putting friesians over everything. “It’s something we’ve done for a long time,” says Chris.”We believe it gives a bigger stronger cow.” The average weight of their cows using this system is not excessive – around 430-440kg. The couple say they are aiming at producing a cow that can produce its bodyweight in milksolids. They are almost at their goal; last season each cow produced just under 430kg of milksolids. The farm’s previous best before they arrived was 125,000kg of milksolids. In their first season the Staples produced 136,000kg from 365 cows and last season. 155,000kg. The herd breeding worth averages 89 (up from 74 their first season) and the production worth is 118 (up from 89). “We’ve only just finished our third season with this herd, so this is something we’ve worked really hard on because as sharemilkers we need to add value to the herd to make it the best it can be.” says Chris Staples.

Mix make coffee breaks ‘interesting’ From page 12 on both New Zealanders and overseas people. They have been excellent. We have people from Ecuador, England and Sri Lanka. It makes for interesting coffee breaks.” Lansdown’s wife, Jenny, is a registered nurse working in Ashburton, as well as being a mum to

seven-year-old Lachlan and six-year-old James. She also manages our business side of things, too. “Working for Synlait Farms is wonderful,” he says. “It is headed by managing director, Juliet MacLean, who leads a team of innovative staff who get the best out of people. There are fantastic opportunities in Synlait, and I hope to grow further within the group.”

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14 |

RURAL PEOPLE » Barry & Val Scott/Carran Scott Contracting Ltd

Business Rural

Barry and Val Scott’s Airport Farm near Te Anau winters 800 cows on a new feedpad consisting of four pens with 200 cows in each.

Winter grazing big business Neil Grant Supporting the dairy boom has become an industry in its own right. There’s building sheds, installing and maintaining plant, providing feed, veterinary services, fencing and laneways. Another farming activity that has become more widespread is winter grazing of herds so that pasture on dairy farms can recover or be renewed. The grazing farm provides the diet cows need to

be in optimal condition for calving, the dairy farmer does not have to make or buy in and store winter supplement. The argument is that this provides economic, as well as time and labour benefits, for the farmer. The Te Anau Basin, like so many other areas, has seen traditional sheep and beef farms converting to dairy and dairy support. Southland gets a fair bit of rain in winter, and low temperatures bring grass growth to a halt; winter grazing makes sense. Barry and Val Scott had been sheep-andbeef farming near Tuatapere, and branched into agricultural cultivation and silage in 1996. They

then made a more dramatic move in 1998, and sold their farm to Chris Carran, and, along with their sons, Aaron and Mark, bought Chris and Helen Carran’s contracting business in Te Anau. They renamed it Carran Scott Contracting Ltd, and because roading and agricultural cultivation and silage work is seasonal, they looked at options to keep the workflow going so that they could retain their staff all year round. In 2006 they bought 100 hectares about 10 kilometres out of town at Ladies’ Mile, and three years ago built a concrete wintering pad there. In 2012 they expanded their farming enterprise and bought the old Airport block of 100ha for wintering

cows and making silage; this complements and works in conjunction with the Ladies’ Mile farm. This season, the Airport block is wintering 1300 cows on grass and crop. The Airport farm also produces grass and whole-crop (barley) for silage. Some of this is carted to the Ladies’ Mile farm where it is stored in two concrete bunkers, each holding 2000 tonnes. In a good year, such as this one, some may be available for sale to other farmers. At Ladies’ Mile, 800 cows winter on a new feedpad and 300 on crop. The feedpad consists

• To page 15

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RURAL PEOPLE »Glen & Jennifer Bakewell

Business Rural

| 15

Shift south to ‘milk and honey’ Jo Bailey Canterbury is “the land of milk and honey” as far as lower-order sharemilker Glen Bakewell is concerned after he and wife Jennifer made the move south from Taranaki in 2012. “I’m impressed with the amount of feed we can grow, while not having to deal with too many extreme weather events,” he says. “The September winds and a wet April were challenging, but nothing compared to the floods and droughts in other parts of the country”. Bakewell is a lower-order sharemilker at Riverview Farm, a 206-hectare (effective) property milking 850 cows at Dorie, seaward from Rakaia. The well-established farm was converted by Willy Leferink around 12 years ago and split into two independent dairy units seven years ago; the second farm is milking 800 cows on 180ha. Leferink sold the two farms to the Barilla family (from Italy) late last year for more than $25 million; Hayden and Jessie Dorman, the sharemilkers on the other dairy unit, took on the lease of the entire operation. The Bakewells, who had been confirmed as lower-order sharemilkers by Leferink not long before the sale, have been kept on by the Dormans. They run a split-calving regime with a couple of hundred cows on each farm calving in the autumn and milking through winter. The cows are fed in the shed year round, and a feedpad is used for around nine months of the year. Glen Bakewell says it was a “steep learning curve” to get used to the high-input feeding system. Just over one tonne of wheat per cow is fed, alongside maize grain, maize silage, grass silage, canola, peas, lucerne and sugar beet – the majority grown off farm by local cropping farmers. “We feed a lot of supplements and we are trying to push towards production of 600 kilograms of milksolids per cow. Last season we achieved 565kg milksolids per cow, which equates to 452,000kg milksolids from 800 cows. The budget was a little higher, but we were pretty happy given that a third of the herd were first calvers.” His road to dairy farming has not been typical – he grew up in Palmerston North and did a finance degree at Massey University.

Front row seats: Dorie farmer Glen Bakewell with their children, (from left) Grace, Jessie and JJ and wife Jennifer

“Once I graduated I started with PGG Wrightson Finance. Funnily enough, after looking at farmers’ accounts, I could see the opportunities for people who were prepared to work hard in the dairy industry.” He left finance and started work as a dairy-farm assistant, then went sharemilking two years later. After moving to the South Island he was contract milking in the Hororata district before the position came up at Riverview Farm. “Learning from the good people I’ve worked for and worked with was the key to progressing quickly,” he says. Bakewell says his finance background is a “big help” when it comes to managing the business. “With a high-input system, it’s even more important to understand the cost-benefit analysis of the different feeds we’re adding in. It’s very easy for costs to run away.” With good systems and infrastructure already in place, he says attention to detail in all areas is the

key to boosting the performance of the farm and getting that little bit extra out of the cows. Jennifer Bakewell helps with the administration work on the farm and is busy with the couple’s three children, Grace aged nine, JJ, six, and Jessie, who has just turned one. After this season they are keen to continue

progressing to either a 50:50 sharemilking position, or entering an equity partnership, says Glen. “I think there will be a rise in intensive barn systems in Canterbury, which will create opportunities for established cropping farmers to partner with dairy farmers for profitable, win/win outcomes for both parties.”

Another pad ‘a possibility’ • From page 14 of four pens with 200 cows in each. Part of each pen is concrete where the feed is distributed. A Lely robot pushes the feed out to the cows to prevent wastage. When they have fed, the cows can move onto a drained area of stones covered with wood chips. Once a month, the chip and manure is scraped off and spread onto paddocks by a muckspreader. The urine drains into effluent ponds for irrigating paddocks when appropriate. Building the pad was, of course, not cheap. But it has economies, says Barry Scott. “In the paddock, the cows get 16 to 18 kilograms of dry matter a day. In wet weather a lot gets trampled, so they may get only half that to eat. On the pad they get 12kg a day, reducing to 8kg in the last three or four weeks when the calf gets bigger, and there’s no waste. The pads are by far the better way, he says. The

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The pads are by far the better way. The cows don’t wreck the paddocks, and there’s no mess. cows don’t wreck the paddocks, and there’s no mess.” Another pad at the airport site is a possibility. This is a big business. In this small rural community, the two sides of the Scotts’ business employ the family and 15 full-timers in winter and 25 in summer, supporting the civil-construction industry and farming clients in the Te Anau Basin area and the wider Southland farming and infrastructure.

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16 |

ON FARM » Vaughan & Narissa Webber/Andrew & Erin Mulholland

Business Rural

Stockmen chase new target Sue Russell

James Webber takes a stroll through one of the two winter barns at Seaward Downs, near Wyndham, where his father, Vaughan, sharemilks 700 cows.

Vaughan Webber is proud to describe himself as a stockman: “I pride myself in getting the best I can from the cows. We are very much stockmen who place a great deal of emphasis on looking after the cows.” He and his wife, Narissa, are sharemilkers on a 220-hectare (effective) dairy farm at Seaward Downs, in Southland...near Wyndham, just 25 minutes from Invercargill and nor far from Edendale. The farm carries 700 kiwicross cows, split into two herds and milked through two, no-fuss herringbone sheds, one 36 and the other 30 a side. Vaughan’s parents, Bryce and Dianne Webber, work on the farm contributing the equivalent of one full-time worker. Vaughan is responsible for the dayto-day running, and carries out some of the work of the farm’s 97-year-old owner. The Webbers employ three full-time farm workers, with two full-time in each shed. A full-time manager has been taken on recently, which gives Vaughan a break from milking, something he has been doing since he was 16. Production has continued to rise – through a combination of increasing the herd size from its 2012-13 level of 640, and concentrating on sound farm-management practices. The 2014-15 aim is to raise the 370,000 kilograms of milksolids produced in the ‘13-14 season by 10,000kg. Until this season palm kernel has been the main supplementary feed. But that is changing to a DDG and dairy pallet mix. Webber also intends to start culling out the older, less productive cows. “My long-term goal is to get 385,000kg milksolids without more expenses. We have two winter barns on the farm, and each barn has an area in the back for calving in, as well as a selfscraping system.” He says the cows have adjusted well to the barns which were completed in June 2012. Following milking, where they are also given

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The Webbers currently own 30 per cent of the farming business, and the plan is to increase this by an additional 10% every four years. additional feed, the cows spend time in the barn before heading out to pasture. Webber has found the Keenan mixer, with which he adds molasses to the feed, ideal. “I know every cow is getting a mouthful. We don’t feed out in the paddocks any more. There are real benefits in using some sort of feedpad, and for us, this is the barns.” He uses the Dairy Production’ farm management system developed by Brian McKay to get the best possible productivity from his pastures. This season the stocking rate will be increased to 3.5 cows per hectare, the result of a decision to set some land aside for the production of whole crops. The Webbers are also taking manageable steps towards owning the business outright. They currently own 30 per cent, and the plan is to increase this by an additional 10% every four years. Southland’s a great place to farm – if you’re prepared to put in the hard work, says Vaughan. The province’s dairy industry is booming. and that brings with it its fair share of challenges. “With a lot of people now dairying here, stocking rates are high. You have to source feed further afield. We’re fortunate, however, that we can do very good production on grass and silage-based systems.” The farm produces milk 11 months of the year, which is excellent in terms of cashflow, he says.

Fodder beet Karen Phelps There’s only one way that South Island farmers Andrew and Erin Mulholland can really increase their farming business. But rather than sitting and hoping that the proposed Hurunui Water Project goes ahead, which would enable them to raise cow numbers on their 180-hectare irrigated farm at Hawarden, the couple are busy fine-tuning their system to increase profitability in any way they can. This season, this involves trialling fodder beet. They are gearing up to dedicate one paddock of their 120ha run-off to the new crop. “A few other farmers in the district have had success with it, and we can grow two times the dry matter compared with kale,” says Andrew Mulholland. “It’s mainly the transition we need to get right; we will use the silage wagon to feed it out, or walk the cows over and let them graze for a couple of hours at a time.” The Mulhollands say they will have more paddocks in grass because kale is higher yielding than kale, and the change may also help them

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Business Rural

ON FARM » Wakaepa Farm

| 17

Equity set-up ‘a pretty positive experience’ Jo Bailey

Andy Keating manages Wakaepea Farm (above), a 1000-hectare, 8000-stock-unit property at Whitecliffs. Wife Janeen and children Hamish and Leah (top) help out when needed.

trialled while they wait winter a few more cows at home (half of the 600 crossbred and jersey cows are wintered off farm) to reduce wintering costs. They are also using chicory as part of their re-grassing programme: they spray out, plant in chicory for two years, drill in an annual, wait a year, then spray out again before planting a perennial pasture. “It’s a better-quality feed over summer and, as it has a longer taproot, it’s not as susceptible to the dry and doesn’t require as much water,” says Andrew Mulholland. “This system also means paddocks are sprayed out twice, which helps reduce weeds.” Water to irrigate the farm is sourced from the Waitohi River, which runs beside the farm. Although the Mulhollands do not farm with water restrictions, the weather takes care of that. A dry period (around a month) can occur any time from December to March. It is not possible to source enough water. during this periods and they fill gaps by feeding silage grown on the farm or bought-in supplements. The run-off is not irrigated. The Hurunui Water Project proposes to create

large-scale water storage and irrigation in North Canterbury by taking water from the Hurunui River and storing it in four dams on the Waitohi River. The project would enable the Mulhollands to irrigate their run-off so that they could be selfcontained or milk more cows. They say it would put them in a good position to expand or buy another farm in the district. The Mulhollands employ two full-time and two part-time staff. Cows are milked through a 44-bail rotary shed. Protrack is a recent addition, and it has given them greater control over management of their herd. The farm typically produces between 238,000 and 255,000 kilograms of milksolids in a season.. Andrew grew up on a dairy farm in Hawke’s Bay and worked his way through the system until he was in an equity partnership in a 1400-cow farm at Waimate. He spent three years there before selling up to buy his present farm about 10 years ago. Erin works full-time on the farm during calving and also takes care of the bookwork. The couple have three children: Daniel, 15, Ashleigh, 17, and Jordan, 19.

Darfield farmer Andy Keating says full farm ownership would be great, but it isn’t the “be all and end all” of his long-term planning. “I want to be involved in a reasonable-sized farming business with an investment in land and stock. However, it doesn’t have to be full ownership. If equity partnerships are set up fairly with good agreements in place, you can achieve the benefits of scale and reach goals that help everyone involved.” Ten years ago Keating became an equity partner in a farm running 2500 ewes and 50 cows (he has just sold out of this arrangement). “This partnership always had a limited lifespan, but it has been a good investment and has led to us becoming involved in the local community in different ways. Overall, it was a pretty positive experience.” For the last 18 months he has managed Wakaepa Farm, a 1000-hectare, 8000 stock unit, deer property at Whitecliffs owned by Evan Frew. “We run deer, sheep and beef, with pretty much everything grown out for meat,” he says. This farm is just four kilometres from Keating’s equity block on the opposite side of the Selwyn River. Managing both properties has made the last 18 months a busy time. He is looking forward to concentrating on one farm, and is already in the early stages of exploring another local equitypartnership opportunity. Deer is the main focus on Wakaepa Farm, which is 80 per cent hill country, with three flatland blocks making up the balance. The herd of mainly red deer includes 1400 breeding hinds and 130 velveting stags; all the stag fawns and replacement hinds are fattened on-farm. “The reds are well suited to our country and the growth rates are pretty good. We tried crossing some hybrids over the hinds for more hybrid vigour, but found that when conditions got tough, they packed up quicker.” He says the breed is also good to work with,

Stock have to be reasonably tough to thrive on the south-facing farm, which can receive three or four dumps a year in its snow-prone valley.. and any deer with temperament issues are culled quickly. Although the market has been low, there are positive signs of recovery, he says.. “There are some strong winter contracts out there for meat and the velvet price has held reasonably steady.” Around 1600 ewes and 140 angus and hereford breeding cows are also run at Wakaepa; the lambs and calves sold as stores, and replacement ewe hoggets are kept. “A 60ha block of flatland is used for the hoggets, winter-grazing ewes and some of the cows, with the other 120ha mainly for fattening the fawns and running the velveting stags. All young stock are grown out on the flats, where we make quite a lot of supplementary feed – mainly balage and lucerne.” Stock have to be reasonably tough to thrive on the south-facing farm, which can receive three or four dumps a year in its snow-prone valley. “The heavy, wet, clay country can make it hard to get use of feed sometimes, especially in the rain.” The tough country doesn’t daunt Keating, who grew up on a small farm in Mid Canterbury but always wanted to work in the hills. “I never liked driving tractors much, and always preferred to be working with dogs and stock. There’s nothing like getting up there in the hills where there are some pretty amazing views on a good day.” His wife, Janeen, and their children Hamish, 12, and Leah, nine, enjoy helping when needed.

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18 |

RURAL PEOPLE » Peters Farms

Business Rural

Field days spread low-cos Jo Bailey

Above: Yearling angus heifers at Clutha Downs. Left: The Peters celebrate at the South Island Farmer of the Year dinner: From left, Jeannette, Clayton, Karen and Trevor.

The old saying, “Look after the pennies and the pounds will look after themselves”, rings true for Peters Farms, a sizeable sheep-and-beef operation with 60,000 stock units spread over six farms. In fact, Otago farmers Trevor and Karen Peters, who head the business, have made such a success of a low-cost system on their commercial and stud operations they ran on-farm field days for six weeks over winter, to help mainly their staff and a few other farmers. “We’re doing this because of the way the cost structure is going in farming,” says Trevor Peters. “I think the latest increases in fuel and mileage will test the average operator. Karen and I have built our business by being careful rather than extravagant. It’s easy to let costs get away, but through the field days, we can show people it is possible to farm in a cost-effective way.” Around 20 people have attended each field day, which were held weekly across Peters farms. “The field days are aimed mainly at our managers and their shepherds. We brought in one or two people from outside to answer questions, and our feed consultant, banker, and board chairman Trevor Wilson were there too. We’re very fortunate these people wanted to be involved.” Trevor Peters admits that not all of their farming practices would suit every operation, but says other farmers are also interested in having a look around and seeing what they’re doing. The Peters policy is to stock their properties with high-performing animals fed well to ensure good health and production gains. The Peters run their own truck-and-trailer and do all of their own sowing, fertiliser application, fencing maintenance and some new fencing. “We run 12,000 stock units at Beaumont, our 1400-hectare (effective) home farm with no

It’s easy to let costs get away, but through the field days, we can show people it is possible to farm in a cost-effective way. tractors, and no hay or crop growing,” says Trevor. “We use an aeroplane, and electric fences are a big part of the operation. It’s a lot of hard work because it’s a steep property, but it’s very rewarding to achieve what we do without driving a tractor.” Running a low-cost system doesn’t mean farmers have to compromise on production, he says. “Our farms have high scanning rates. Mixedaged ewes at Spylaw (a 1050ha, 12,000-stock-unit farm run by son Clayton and his wife, Jeanette) recently scanned 204 per cent potential.” Trevor and Karen plan to introduce more lowcost initiatives to the other properties under the Peters Farms umbrella – Teviot Valley Station, a 2000ha (8000 stock units) romney and angus stud unit managed by Shane Carter; Bullock Range, a 1250ha (10,000 stock units) property farmed by another Peters son, Morgan, and his wife Megan; Mt Margaret, a 390ha (4000 stock units) property run by Eric Harris; and Attadale Station, a 2200ha (12,000 stock units) farm managed by Brent Carter. The Peters also helped daughter, Justine, and her husband, Don McLachlan, into a 6000-stockunit property near Gisborne; the scope of the operation has been doubled by buying nearby land. Trevor and Karen held the Wairere South Romney ram breeding franchise for the region for many years before deciding to go it alone and form Peters Genetics in 2012.

RURAL PEOPLE » Peters Farms

Business Rural

| 19

t word This business now incorporates a sizeable commercial arm, and a growing stud operation breeding romneys, romney texels, hot shot terminal rams and angus cattle. Their latest venture is a satellite operation set up at Mt Brown, near Wanaka, under the management of Stacey Anderson, better known as “Lowie”. “He is running our ‘promers’ (romney/merino cross and merino/romney cross sheep). The first two-tooth rams will be sold from here this year,” says Trevor. The Peters have also recently bought the Lochern Perendale Stud from Alan and Annette Williamson, from Oturehua. “We’re trying to cover all fields by crossing the perendales to produce merino/perendale, perendale/ merino and romney/perendale,” says Trevor Peters. “We believe there is a huge potential as they result in dual-purpose sheep that will add value to farmers’ businesses.” He says this is integral to the family’s overall mission to breed rams and bulls that “make farmers extra bucks”. Stock for the Peters’ on-farm sales are looking good, he says. Peters Angus’s fifth spring bull sale will be held on farm at 2pm on Friday, September 16, with some rising two-year-old bulls on offer. “We’ve taken care of the wintering, so the hard work has already been done,” says Trevor Peters. “The bulls are simply set to go out and do the job. Our clients don’t have to pay for the bulls until October, which also helps their cashflow. It’s our point of difference that works well and keeps the farmers happy.” Around 1000 rams will be sold privately on farm from early December: “Because of our ongoing research and development, combined with the science available and Shane Carter’s stewardship, all ram purchasers can choose from a selection of rams that are fit for purpose.”

The force behind Peters Genetics: From left, Clayton Peters, Shane Carter, Trevor Peters, Morgan Peters, Karen Peters. Trevor and Karen Peters were one of six finalists in the 2013 Lincoln University Foundation South Island Farmer of the Year. “It was great to see how our farming business measured up from the point of view of outside experts,” says Trevor. “And it was good recognition for the hard work the family, and our priceless farm managers and staff, from the office lady, to our cook, junior shepherds and truck and tractor drivers, put into running it.” He says he and Karen are always thinking ahead and looking at opportunities, with family succession at the heart of everything they do. “We see ourselves as caretakers of the land who follow good farming and sustainable practices to help the next generations of our family carry on farming.”

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We employ highly skilled staff for  Quality Work  Flexibility in different Wool Contract requirements For all enquiries please contact Dion or Gabriela PH. 03 448 9170 M. 027 630 9081 E. dmshearing@xtra.co.nz Above: Mixed-aged ewes at Spylaw in May this year. These ewes recently scanned 204 per cent potential. Clayton and Jeanette Peters runs 12,000 stock units on the 1050-hectare property. Left: Karen and Trevor Peters...always thinking ahead and looking for opportunities, with family succession at the heart of everything they do.

Proud to be associated with Peters Farms 3 Fairfield Street, PO Box 268, GORE | P: 03 208 9560 | F: 03 208 9189 | E: gore@mallochs.co.nz

ON FARM » John Hood/Robin Hornblow

20 |

Business Rural

‘Huge transition’ clouds future Jo Bailey John Hood has one of the bigger dairy jobs in the country, with around 4400 cows and 20 staff to look after. The Mid Canterbury, lower-order sharemilker manages the 1256-hectare former Ealing Pastures farm near Carew. The farm has recently been split into three dairy units, each owned by a different owner, milking 3800 cows between them. Hood also oversees Mill Ford Farm, a 520-cow property run by his daughter Amy Hood and her partner, Stu Vanderweg, near Temuka. John Hood is part of Eastfields Farming Ltd, which bought the property at auction 18 months ago. He is not daunted by the scale of the dairy operations he manages, but says the job does come with a set of challenges.

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“My style of management is to get on top of any issues quickly, as little things can become big things in a heartbeat on these sorts of properties. I keep a very close eye on things day to day to ensure we perform well and provide our investors with a reasonable financial return at the end of the year.” He started on the “big farm” as a manager in 2001, then took the opportunity to move into sharemilking in 2008. Until the restructuring, the cows were milked between two sheds, with some management flexibility when it came to on-farm tasks and moving cows between the properties. But now that it has been formally split into three entities under separate ownership (Align Dairies, Ealing Pastures and River Terrace Dairies), each farm is run autonomously. “We just have to get in and make it work,” says Hood. “How I structure my staff will be one of the biggest challenges. It’s important to have the right mix of strength and experience on each farm. In saying that, I work for good people and employ good people. This makes it a wee bit easier.” Around 1600 cows will be milked on each of the Ealing Pastures and Align Dairies farms, with 600 on the River Terrace Dairies unit, which is currently being converted from the farm’s former run-off. A second cowshed being added on Align Dairies will give a total of four sheds across Hood’s entire operation. The fully-irrigated properties run “fantastic”

Land prices have got to the point where a lot of people wouldn’t make it with a payout under $6...It’s getting to the stage where people are going to need a lucky break or a helping hand to get there. cows, he says. “This is one of the better herds I’ve had anything to do with. A lot of time and effort has gone into breeding and culling, and they are very good converters.” Production has held steady at 1750 to 1800 kilograms of milksolids per hectare for a number of years. “On a good year we can feed as little as 500 kilograms per cow of supplement and push production to over 410kg milksolids per cow. We feed more than that at times, depending on the year. If we get a rough autumn like we’ve had, we might dry off with a bit more grass cover to avoid paddock damage.”

Almost all the cows have been wintered at home over the last few years, but with the run-off being converted into a dairy unit, this will change. The Temuka farm is achieving production of just under 2100kg milksolids per hectare. “Stu and Amy worked for me for a number of years on the big farm, so they know how I operate and think. We sort most things out over the telephone, but I like to get over there when there’s a project on – and to catch up with my grandson.” This farm is owned by a consortium that includes the Thompson/Hood Group. John Hood, his wife, Michelle, and her brothers, Vaughan and Craig (who own Timaru-based Thompson Construction and Engineering) are major partners. Tayler and Sons and Fallgate Farming Ltd – both “great farming families” – are also involved. With milk prices dropping, John Hood says he is worried about what the future holds for the industry, which is in a “huge transition”. “Land prices have got to the point where a lot of people wouldn’t make it with a payout under $6. I particularly worry for the younger generation coming through. “When I was a kid, you could make a choice to go sharemilking and end up owning a farm. I think that with the restructuring and cost of land, this is becoming a dream gone by. “It’s getting to the stage where people are going to need a lucky break or a helping hand to get there.”

PHOTOS Left: Cows graze in front of the damaged centre-pivot irrigator on the 274-hectare Camden Group farm managed by Robin Hornblow. Below: Robin Hornblow on a motorbike rally on Molesworth Station Lower right: Prairie Farm under snow.

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Structure ‘a Karen Phelps Working for Camden Group has helped Robin Hornblow progress quickly through the dairy system. Hornblow, 26, has been with the group since 2007 in between completing diplomas in agriculture and farm management at Lincoln University. He started as a junior and progressed to a senior dairy assistant before taking the second-in-charge position at Prairie Farms in 2012. After a year in that role, he was appointed farm manager. The 274-hectare effective (280ha total) unit milks around 1000 predominantly crossbred cows through a 50-bail rotary dairy. The main issue Hornblow has faced as manager was a major windstorm last September, which blew over the centre-pivot irrigator putting pressure on staff to keep the farm watered adequately. “We still had the Roto Rainers, so we could irrigate about three-quarters of the farm, but 70ha

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ON FARM » Brett & Megan Baird

Business Rural

| 21

In-shed feeding system yields triple benefits Karen Phelps

The Bairds have been feeding around 200 tonnes of grain – a mix of barley and molasses – to the herd over the season, and plan to stick with that regime

Since Megan and Brett Baird installed an in-shed grain-feeding system, production has increased by nearly 30,000 kilograms of milksolids per year, the farm’s empty rate has dropped from 13 per cent to 9%, and farm cashflow has improved. “Our third rotation always seems to be short here because of the weather and grass growth rates,” says Brett Baird. “It’s a crucial time prior to mating, so the grain just helps to lift them.” Other benefits of the in-shed feeding system have included a reduction in mastitis – they cut this by around 30% on the previous season, achieving an overall average somatic cell count of 110,000. Although their first season with the in-shed system has raised farm profits, the Bairds are aware this coincided a high pay-out, and will be watching costs closely this season. The Bairds are lower-order sharemilkers (730 predominantly crossbred cows) on Lance and Sally Hammond’s 290-hectare (effective) farm at Dacre, near Invercargill. Brett was raised on a neaby dairy and sheep farm and started relief milking for the Hammonds while at school. The Hammonds own four dairy units in the area, milking around 2230 cows in total. Brett, who has worked on and off for them in various roles, is in his fourth season on this farm. The Bairds have been feeding around 200 tonnes of grain – a mix of barley and molasses pellets – to the herd over the season, and say it has worked so well they plan to stick with that regime. The farm is supported by a 180ha run-off block next door, which is used for running young stock for

some of the Hammonds’ properties. All the cows from the Bairds’ farm are wintered on the run-off, and they also cut balage from the block. The farm employs two full-time staff and a relief milker. Brett is on the farm full-time; Megan does the bookwork and fills in on the farm when needed. The couple have a 20-month-old daughter, Maisie. Brett Baird says the Hammonds have invested heavily in the unit over the past couple of years, including an upgrade of the lanes. This has left the Bairds free to concentrate on fine-tuning. They are targeting a 7% empty rate this season and production of 340,000 kilograms of milksolids. Their overall goal is farm ownership. They own all the machinery outright and are saving to buy the herd from the Hammonds. The Hammonds live on the farm and the Bairds acknowledge their support has been key in their progression. “Whenever we need to, we can go around to the Hammonds for a cup of coffee and a chat to get their advice,” says Brett. “They’re such good people. That’s why I’ve always come back to work for them over the years.”

turned into dry land and we couldn’t graze it at all.” The storm and its repercussions affected the reproductive performance of the cows (“It remained the same as the year before, but we could have done better”) and overall farm production. However, they fed the cows well, and he believes that this, reinforced by a good autumn, means any effects shouldn’t carry over into the 2014-15 season. The farm produced 420,000 kilograms of milksolids from 990 cows in 2013-14; the target for this season is to top 450,000kg. Around 30% of the farm was re-grassed last season; by the end of this season, more than the half of the farm will have been re-grassed. Hornblow says he is working on enhancing staff management and planning. He also aims to improve cow condition scores, which currently sit at 4.5. “The re-grassing programme will start to produce better-quality pasture. In springtime we will do a lot of pre-graze mowing to manage pasture quality. We’ll assess the pasture quality on our weekly farm walks as we go around and see if it needs to be mown.”

This will be complemented by strategic use of supplement, in particular grain and fodder beet. Hornblow is a fan of fodder beet. “It’s the way you manage your transition period. You have to be regimented and stick to a plan. We measure the dry matter of the crop; from this, we work out how much area the cows need, then break-fence. “We start our transition period in early May while they’re still milking because it takes 10-14 days to transition them. We lift fodder beet out of the ground and feed it out of a silage wagon.” Camden Group is one of a number of jointly owned, limited-liability companies that own and operate large-scale dairy farms on the Canterbury Plains. It has three managed dairy units, two dairysupport farms, and interests in three cow-owning sharemilking businesses “It has been great (working for Camden Group),” says Hornblow. “They’ve got a really good pathway for people. My eventual aim is to have my own herd and take on a sharemilking role within two to three years, and then farm ownership.”

really good pathway’

Brett and Megan Baird and daughter Maisie. The Bairds are lower-order sharemilkers for Lance and Sally Hammond, milking 730 cows at Dacre, near Invercargill.

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22 |

ON FARM» Kolmar Dairies

Business Rural

Cow-barn turns cropping farm into hybrid Karen Phelps With land values continuing to climb, building a cowbarn has allowed Methven farmers Bruce and Susan Turpie to continue to expand their dairy operation. They built a free-stall cowbarn after a visit to the United States to investigate how barns could enable them to integrate dairying with their cropping operation. They now operate a hybrid system with two herds that rotate between being in the barn for half of each 24-hour period and out in the pasture for the other half. Bruce Turpie, comes off a sheep-and-cropping farm in South Canterbury that was originally with his grandfather. In the mid-1980s the Turpie family moved north to Seaview, about 16 kilometres seaward of Ashburton, in Mid Canterbury, where they continued

cropping and started winter-grazing dairy cows. Bruce and Susan bought the farm in 1988 and 20 years later moved to their present unit at Methven. While carrying on the family tradition of cropping, they decided to convert 80 hectares of the 411ha farm to dairy in 2012. They milk 1200 predominantly friesian cows through an 80-bail rotary dairy. The Turpies favour genetics mainly from the US because they believe American cows are better suited to high-input systems. Their aim is for the cows to produce more than their bodyweight in kilograms of milksolids each year. In their first season they produced 520 kilograms of milksolids per cow and 570kg per cow last season. They aiming for 600kg per cow this season. The Turpies look after the business side of their operation rather than doing the hands-on milking.

• To page 23

It’s a matter of keeping on asking questions. That’s the good thing about the dairy industry – there’s always somewhere to go for advice.

Bruce Turpie (left) operates a hybrid cropping-dairying system near Methven. The Turpies built a free-stall cowbarn (above) after a visit to the United States to see how the barn could help them integrate dairying with their cropping operation. They intend to convert more of their cropping operation to dairy, aiming for an eventual 50:50 split where all the crops they grow will be destined for feed for their herd.

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Business Rural

ON FARM» Bob Christie

| 23

Low input ‘about simple system Jo Bailey Southland dairy farmer Bob Christie believes it is possible for low-input, low-technology farms to achieve similar animal-health benefits to high-input systems. “High-input or low-input farming has little effect on empty rates or other animal-welfare problems that cause slippage in the herd,” he says. “ I believe these problems are directly linked to feed levels and cow condition through the season.” He follows low-input principles on the 293-hectare, 800-cow dairy unit he manages and farms in equity partnership at Waianiwa, 22 kilometres north-west of Invercargill. His costs for the 2013-14 season were $3.65 per kilogram of milksolids – including management wages and depreciation; economic farm surplus (EFS) $6296; return on farm assets (ROA) before interest at tax ,12.62 per cent; animal health, $41 per cow; production, 1185kg milksolids per hectare. “We bought in no feed and fed 106kg of drymatter supplement per cow over the season. Our average empty rate is 7%,” says Christie. “The biggest saving is staying focused on production and hitting targets while maintaining costs.” He says cows should have “freedom” from hunger and thirst, discomfort, pain and injury, disease, fear and distress, as well as the ability to express normal behaviour. He does not believe it is necessary to invest in expensive housing and wintering barns to achieve these “freedoms”. “I agree that wintering barns have benefits and, if farmers have them, they should definitely use them. “But if they are building them to achieve animalhealth benefits, I don’t think they’re doing it for the right reasons.” He says most animal-health issues will go away with well-fed cows. “Most sick cows occur in the first week of calving. The best way to minimise this is to achieve condition-score targets at drying, calving and

Southland farmer Bob Christie, pictured with daughter Beth, follows low-input principles on the 293-hectare, 800-cow unit he manages in equity partnership at Waianiwa, near Invercargill. mating. Targets should be as close to score five as possible.” Christie also questions the payback period for the investment in a new wintering barn. “Many components are manufactured in Europe or China, then shipped here. In many cases the expensive machinery to help with feeding and disposal of waste from the barns is also imported. What is the carbon footprint and true payback period in this era of sustainability?” He agrees cows should be protected from adverse weather, but says this could be achieved by making it compulsory for 70% of paddocks on a farm to provide access to shelter. Bob Christie grew up on a sheep and beef farm, but has been dairying most of his life since leaving school. He has been the equity manager on the current property for 14 years, farming in partnership with one silent partner. “I used to run more of a medium-input system here, but it got too complicated going into the paddocks and measuring the grass all the time. “My farm consultant introduced me to a simpler, low-input system and I haven’t looked back.” Buy-in from the farm’s three staff, who work full-time alongside Bob, is critical to the success of the operation, he says. “All our staff know what the farm goals are, and

French fries part of cows’ diet • From page 22 They prefer to employ a manager and eight staff. to handle that Although they are new to dairy farming, they say the change hasn’t been difficult: “It’s a matter of keeping on asking questions,” says Bruce. “That’s the good thing about the dairy industry – there’s always somewhere to go for advice.” Because they operate a specialised, high-input system, they use the expertise of a nutritionist and a farm adviser. “The cows’ diet is all formulated on a laptop,” says Bruce. “We feed 22 kilograms of dry matter per day to each cow. One third of that is grass and the rest is total mixed rations made up of about 16 different things, including French fries left over from a local factory. “ We’ve had to monitor inputs very carefully because of the cost of feed versus milksolids

produced because it’s easy to blow the budget. We have had to work pretty hard to keep things in line with a grass-based system.” The whole dairy platform is under irrigation through three centre-pivots. Green water goes out through one of the pivots, and effluent from the cowbarn is dispersed via a slurry tanker. The farm has three storage ponds, with a combined capacity of 12,000 cubic metres. The Turpies intend to convert more of their cropping operation to dairy eventually. They are aiming for a 50:50 split where all of the crops they grow will be destined for feed for their herd. They presently grow a spring crop and harvest mainly barley in February, then sow green-feed oats. The Turpies have three children, Sarah, 22, Georgina, 19 and Richard, 14, and the dairy bug has bitten one of them. “Richard already has his own mob of beef cows and will use these to raise equity to start dairy farming one day.”

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on June 1 each season, are given a comprehensive management plan covering every aspect of the operation.” This includes everything from condition-score targets, pasture walks, and the farm’s re-grassing policy, to its spring planner, grazing policies, effluent management and a list of formulae covering pasture allocation, crop yields and feed allocation. “We employ staff who have a good attitude towards the job and other people, and who accept that the business will get better only when we do.” Bob Christie’s 16-year-old daughter, Beth, is also involved, doing a farm walk each week, and loading all the information onto the computer. With everyone playing their part, there is no need for him to micro-manage the operation, he says. “Low-input farming is about running simple systems so that the farm can operate without me. This gives me the freedom to drop tools at any time and be away for weeks if necessary, knowing that the farm is in good hands.”

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24 |

ON FARM» Frano Volckman & Kylie Galway/Barry & Ann Matthews

Business Rural

Conversion was ‘always in the pipeline’ Sue Russell Dairy farming is very much a family affair for the Volckman clan, which owns three farms at Little Wanganui, south of Karamea in north of the Buller area. Frano Volckman and partner Kylie Galway tend the largest of the three, a farm of 200 effective hectares. It has been an exciting year or two for the couple because they are just through their first season on the recently converted farm. “The 50-bail rotary, with automatic cup removers and drafting, will be more than adequate as we increase our herd from the current 430 predominantly friesian/jersey cows,” says Volckman. His grandfather, Len Volckman, bought the original farm, the smallest of the three, in 1958. It carries a herd of 130 and is now in the hands of Frano’s sister and partner. “The other farm has 300 cows and we have just employed a new manager to run it, as the managers of seven years have moved to a new farm,” says Frano Volckman. “All the farms are linked, but the river and roads run through them. We also set aside around 80 hectares for grazing our young stock. This is the land prone to flooding.” The recent conversion was always in the pipelines, he says, and given that the decision to ‘go for it’ was made quite late, the process went well, even though the milking shed wasn’t ready for earlyseason milking. “We knew that this would be the case and the 200 cows that had calved were milked on the other two farms. It did mean a walk of 5-6 kilometres for the freshly calved cows, but we just adjusted our time-frames and expectations, and got through.” He is full of praise for local builder Damian Webster and his staff who built the shed. During

Frano Volckman and partner Kylie Galway have just finished their first season on this recently converted farm at Little Wanganui, near Karamea. planning for the conversion, milking-shed options were considered. The other two farms have herringbone sheds, but because the larger farm has the potential to go to 550 cows, the decision was made to go with a rotary. “It was definitely about future-proofing our situation, knowing the plan was to increase the herd,” says Volckman. “We saw the rotary affording us the best option to reduce the labour input as this growth occurred.” Frano’s father, Geoff Volckman. oversees the stockwater systems and racework. “Dad really enjoys this aspect of farming...not so much the daily hands-on herd management but more the farm development and infrastructure side.” Considering the herd was milked off site for the

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early part of its first season, Frano Volckman was satisfied with the 130,000 kilograms of milksolids produced. This year, with the introduction of feeding in-shed crushed barley and dairy pallets, he’s budgeting on 175,000kg. “We don’t want to get into a too high-input feeding system as we’re in a high rainfall area with a mild climate that creates great grass-growing conditions. We can have three or four major flooding episodes each year. When this happens, one of the farms loses 90% of its milking platform and this

is where its so good to have the flexibility to use supplementary feed in these tighter times.” The couple employ Scott Southwood, a young farm-hand, along with general handyman Justin Beverage who is responsible for farm fertilising and maintenance. When there is any down-time, Frano is always keen to throw a line or a net in the Little Wanganui River, although that had to go on hold over this June and July while he and Kylie enjoyed a holiday in Canada.

Karen Phelps

cows had too far to walk,” he says. “It’s also hard for people to afford to buy a large unit, but a smaller one is easier.” Both the Matthews came off farms in Southland. Barry went shearing for 20 years in Waimate after leaving school and eventually bought a 17ha farm there. He leased a few other properties as well to give him greater land area, and started trading lambs and stock while still shearing. In 2000 he bought a 256ha farm at Ngapara with no irrigation. Initially he bred ewes, then when the North Otago Irrigation Company scheme started, he was keen to go dairying. However, the banks did not share his enthusiasm and he moved to a fattening and trading operation, buying in 10,00015,000 lambs each year. But dairying was still his ambition and a few years later, he approached the banks again and

Land purchase spur to split Barry and Ann Matthews are in the process of splitting their farm into two. The couple have bought an additional 40 hectares adjacent to their primary unit, which has enabled them to consider splitting their property into two farms. Next season they will milk 450 cows on a 140ha unit and 750 cows on a 256ha unit. Each farm will have its own manager and its own 40-a-side herringbone dairy shed. It’s a phase of significant growth for the Matthews, considering that they milked 870 cows last season. Barry says they consider smaller dairy units as more efficient and as having better re-sale value. “It was taking too long to milk before, and the

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ON FARM: » Nithdale Station

Business Rural

| 25

Station wins top award – again Kelly Deeks Andrew and Heather Tripp’s commitment and passion for their land has seen them win the supreme title in the Southland Ballance Farm Environment Awards for the second time. The Tripps’ diverse farming operation encompasses six enterprises based at the historic Nithdale Station near Gore. Since winning the inaugural Southland awards in 2002, the Tripps have added a dairy farm to their sheep, beef, forestry, romney and suffolk stud, and farmstay operation. The 1635-hectare (1478ha plus a 157ha lease) property was settled by Tripp’s grandfather in 1924. Competition judges described his knowledge of the soils on the property as excellent, and noted his measured approach to increasing soil health by applying fertilisers to optimise plant uptake and nutrient efficiency. Nithdale’s 275ha (effective) dairy unit was established in 2008. A feedpad for up to 600 cows

was built two years ago to minimise soil pugging. The Tripps were praised for giving careful consideration to fitting stock classes to the best use of land, for excellent pasture use, weed control, for overall aesthetics, for riparian fencing of all waterways on the dairy farm with generous buffer zones, and for retaining as much red tussock and indigenous vegetation as possible during hill development. Andrew Tripp says a lot has changed in the past 12 years, both in his own business and also what sustainability means in agriculture. “When we won the award back in 2002, there were about 80 people at the event, and it was even combined with Environment Southland awards in an effort to get more people together. This year there were more than 300 people. The importance of sustainability is so much bigger now, and farmers are getting much better at it.” With dairy, sheep and beef operations, he says he is seeing the issue from all sides. Central and local government is striving

in farming arrangement

managed to scrape together enough capital to get the green light. The farms are set on rolling to flat country and have a mix of centre pivot, hand-hose gun, k-line and permanent sprinkler irrigation. The Matthews have a 160ha run-off at Five Forks to support their dairy farms. Cows are wintered there and half the young stock is run there. It is also used to grow grass silage. The Matthews employ eight full-time and two part-time staff. Ann does the office work and calf rearing. Barry has combined dairy farming with his job as a stock agent for nine years. He now works for Rural Livestock. “I like getting out and talking to people and finding out what’s happening on their farms. It gives us cashflow and it’s something I enjoy.” Rain has delayed building of the second shed; the aim now is to have it finished by September. They will not officially take over the additional 40ha unit until the beginning of October, but plan to bring in extra feed from their run-off block and buy in more supplement if needed to tide them over so that they can start milking. “If someone had said to me 15 years ago that I’d be a dairy farmer, I would have laughed,” says Matthews. “We have plans and goals for our business, but they change. The aim is to relax and enjoy life. We live for the moment and take things as they happen.”

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Andrew and Heather Tripp have added a dairy farm to their sheep, beef, forestry and farmstay operation at Nithdale Station, near Gore. to improve water quality through freshwater management, while simultaneously trying to double the value of export earnings. But Tripp says large irrigation schemes are going to wet a lot of ground and provide more intensification and higher production, but also more nitrate losses. “In Southland the regional council is running a bit behind in setting catchment limits. Farmers have to be informed and be part of the process of helping the council to set these limits, or they are going to wake up one day and need to make some big changes to their farms.” Southland has more rural people per head of population than other parts of the country, and Tripp feels this will be an advantage in the consultation process. “Another advantage of Environment Southland running behind is that we can see good ways of setting these limits that have worked in other areas, and implement good ways for Southland.” He says Nithdale Station is running at 30 kilograms of nitrogen loss on the dairy unit and 17kg on the sheep-and-beef unit, and is looking at how to reduce that further. “We’re looking at ways to improve soil fertility

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to make our soils more nitrogen efficient so it is being used and not leached. We’re also looking at lower protein content in the cows’ diet. What comes out the back end is a direct result of what goes in the front end. Pasture-based systems are very high in protein, so combining that with low protein feeds is going to help as well.” Tripp plans to grow and feed high-sugar/lowprotein feed fodder beet through the milking season. He says there is a lot more to farming sustainably than nitrate loss. “We’re running eight permanent staff and we’ve got a number of things in place to make sure we get good staff and keep them. The values by which we operate our business are very focused on people, the importance of family time, and having rest.” Tripp has a new sharemilker on the dairy unit this season. Sustainability is also about being profitable, he says, and Nithdale is doing pretty well with the sheep return coming close to the dairy side. “Seven years ago we sold 150 rams, and this year we sold 500,” he says. “And that’s in an industry that has shrinking sheep numbers. Farmers like the direction we are going with our genetics.

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26 |

ON FARM » Matt & Renee Kells

Business Rural

Right spot, right time, right result Jo Bailey

Renee and Matt Kells, with daughters Hannah (left) and Maddison. The couple are 50:50 sharemilkers on a 360-hectare block at Mataura, near Gore.

Being “Johnny on the spot” helped Matt and Renee Kells into a 50:50 sharemilking job in their first year as dairy farmers. The couple have just started their second season on a 360-hectare block at Mataura, which has recently changed hands. The dairy unit was the last block sold by mining company Solid Energy – part of a total parcel of 2000ha let go near the company’s briquette plant. Matt Kells tracks how it happened: “Solid Energy had the farms on the market the previous year, then decided in late April 2013 to hold onto them for one more season. The sharemilker already had somewhere else to go, so Solid Energy didn’t have anyone to run it.” He and Renee were able to organise a quick lease of 900 cows from her parents, Peter and Maree Hughes, and move straight into the role. “There weren’t a lot of other people with 900 cows ready to take it on at such late notice, which is how we got the job,” says Matt. The property was put back on the market in February this year after all the other Solid Energy farms had been sold. “When this farm wasn’t sold by its deadline date, it was put in the contract that whoever bought

At this stage, we’re just trying to do the basics right and get a bit more experience. it had to take Renee and me on as sharemilkers. It’s all worked out well for us.” Renee Kells had completed a couple of seasons of contract milking before they took on the position. However Matt had no practical dairying experience. He is off a sheep-and-beef farm at Thornbury where his family also run Kells Contracting, a balage and hay contracting business. “I’d worked for the family business for the previous five years, but Renee and I decided dairying was the best way for us to achieve farm ownership. We didn’t plan to come to this farm, but when the opportunity arose. it was too good to miss.” They are happy to have taken the plunge. “We were lucky to start in a pretty good year

• To page 33

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Business Rural

ON FARM » Craig & Stephanie Dunphy

| 27

Ambition, hard graft pays off Karen Phelps Craig and Stephanie Dunphy have managed to amass a sizeable farm business that is now targeting more than a million kilograms of milksolids. The rapid development began when Craig’s uncle rang to tell him a local property was on the market and asked if he was interested in forming an equity partnership to buy it. It didn’t take long for the Dunphys to accept.. “We’ve always been aggressive and pushed things to the limit,” says Craig. The couple sold their herd from their sharemilking position and moved to Wallacetown, on the outskirts of Invercargill, in 2006 to enter into a 50 per cent equity partnership with Peter and Cathy Donnelly on a 564-hectare unit milking 1500 cows. Craig manages the farm while Stephanie does the office work and rears the calves. But this is only part of the business they operate through their company Waitoru Farm Ltd. The company also owns a 225ha unit, milking 550 cows, at Mossburn, and a 252ha, 750-cow farm at Waianiwa, near Wallacetown. Both farms are run by managers. The Dunphys favour a low-cost structure of around $4.20 farm working expenses. Total production over the farms is 1.182,million kilograms of milksolids. They target increases by fine-tuning their systems and improving the quality of their herd. They employ 11 staff plus managers over the units. The Dunphys’ ambitions are not surprising considering that Craig got his start early. After working on his parents’ farm he went shearing and leased a 56ha farm at Mokauiti when he was 21

We’ve always been aggressive and pushed things to the limit... We knew sharemilking was the best way to get ahead in farming and we wanted to fast-track things as much as could.. and farmed bulls. After a few years he had raised enough capital to buy the farm while also managing his parents’ farm. After meeting Stephanie, he sold up and together they bought a 182ha sheep-and-beef farm at Aria, in the northern Manawatu, where they ran 2000 stock units. Two years later, over a weekend, they made the decision to start milking cows. “We knew sharemilking was the best way to get ahead in farming and we wanted to fast-track things as much as we could,” says Craig. “Steph quit her off-farm job as we got serious about dairying.” They leased out their farm and took on a married couple’s position for a year on a dairy farm at Kio Kio, north of Otorohanga. A 350-cow contract milking position at Piopio followed and, at the same time, they bought 50 heifer calves and grazed them out. Two years later they took on their first 50:50 sharemilking position,

Above: Stephanie and Craig Dunphy are equity partners in 564-hectare farm at Wallacetown milking 1500 cows, just part of their sizeable business. Lower left: A paddock conference at Wallacetown. at Te Pahu, near Pirongia, in the Waikato, buying the 220-cow herd off the farm. “There was no cow stress as the herd was used to the farm and sharemilking is all about your stock,” says Craig. At that stage they sold their 182ha farm and invested in developing an avocado orchard with Craig’s parents, Leo and June, and brother, Paul. They say they were fortunate to be silent partners and grateful for the support as it helped them financially to continue their path in dairying. The competition for larger jobs in the Waikato made them consider a move south, and they shifted to Clydevale and sharemilked 500 cows. They admit the first year was tough, transporting a North

Island herd that had never seen swedes or snow before. Three years later they moved to milk 1100 cows at Patearoa, near Ranfurly. The large herd enabled them to build their equity. They sold the cows and the avocado orchard on a good market two years later, top buy and convert the Wallacetown farm. The couple have two children Tamsyn, 15 and Paris, 8. Outright farm ownership is still the goal and they have no illusions that their hard work will need to continue for some time yet. “Nothing comes easily,” says Craig pragmatically. “Dairying is all about being in the position to take the opportunities, doing the hard graft, and sticking with it.”

Opportunity ‘too good to miss’ • From page 32 payout and growth-wise. We’re enjoying it and both sets of parents have been really helpful.” Last season the herd achieved production of 325,000 kilograms of milksolids, which was ahead of the budgeted 320,000kg. “We’ve been told the flat to rolling ground has been prone to dry conditions in other years, but we had good growth until April, apart from just before Christmas when it got a bit dry.” The couple run a mainly grass-based system, with the cows supplemented with an additional 140 tonnes of grain last season. Matt Kells expects this to rise to 200 tonnes this season, when the couple will milk around 830 predominantly friesian cows. “Peter and Maree sold 500 from last year’s herd, and we bought the remaining cows as well as another 600 from a variety of places in the lower South Island.” The Kells are assisted on the property by three full-time staff. They also have a young family, with daughters Maddison, 16 months old, and Hannah, who was born in June, keeping them busy. Although relatively inexperienced when it comes to dairy farming, Matt says he and Renee are not fazed by the big numbers in terms of property and herd size.

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Maddison Kells is following in the foosteps of her parents, Matt and Renee. “We are a fairly laid-back couple who get on and do whatever needs to be done. At this stage, we’re just trying to do the basics right and get a bit more experience. “Then we’ll start to push on and hopefully work towards farm ownership within the next five or six years.”

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28 |

ON FARM » Allan & Sonya Cresswell/Nick & Cheryl Hewitt

Business Rural

Production all about the feed Kelly Deeks With a meal -feeding system installed into his 26-a-side herringbone dairy shed two years ago, Westport dairy farmer Allan Cresswell says he now has his feeding level sussed and will continue to make production gains through genetic improvement of his 220-cow herd. Cresswell started working on his parents’ 106-hectare farm seven years ago, sharemilking for five years then buying the property and its 180 cows. The following year he bought 18.5ha of neighbouring land, and upped cow numbers to 220. The five-year-old dairy shed is coping well with the increased herd size; a 300-cow yard was built at the same time as the shed with a view to farm expansion. Cresswell says the meal-feeding system has enabled him to improve per cow production. “The reason we put it in is that we always struggle in the spring just when the cows are ready to peak. We always get wet and cold weather just when the cows have calved and are ready to fire up. It’s a wet farm with very heavy soils, and it’s a struggle to feed out in the paddocks, so we’ve needed to have a ration of high-energy feed in front of the cows every milking.” Hel has ended up feeding meal right through the season, and has found production gains during late summer and autumn, while in spring helps maintain body condition. “We’ve flat-lined our milk production curve

It’s a wet farm with very heavy soils and it’s a struggle to feed out in the paddocks, so we’ve needed to have a ration of high energy feed in front of the cows every milking through summer, and improved per-cow production from about 390 kilograms of milksolids per cow, to our best to date – 485kg per cow in 2012-13. We were on track to match that this year, but the Easter storm was a game changer.” He was flush with feed at Easter, but the stress of the storm caused the cows, which were coming towards the end of their lactation, to shut up shop a bit early. Production and ended up at 471kg/cow.. Cresswell is now focused on the magic number 501: “I’m aiming to match or better my record of 485kg/cow, and, within five years, 501kg/cow is the aim. “I’m going to do it through genetic improvement. There are a lot of passengers in my herd, a big difference between the top and bottom cows. With genetic improvement I’ll get there.” He has been trying to cull cows that aren’t doing

Allan Creswell and wife Sonia at their Curly Flat farm near Westport. The Creswells are focussed on producing over 500kg of milksolids per cow within five years. 300kg milksolids, and aims to lift that cut-off point as the herd improves. He says the herd has a strong ayrshire influence, with a great constitution that holds on to body condition well and really suits the Westport climate. He is using mainly jersey bulls to keep cow size down.

Cresswell and his new wife, Sonia. are now working the farm. The couple married in March last year, and Sonia started working on the farm at the end of January this year. She is taking care of all the business administration as well as learning her way around the dairy shed.

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Karen Phelps Getting a job with MyFarm has given Southlandbased Nick and Cheryl Hewitt an opportunity to make their mark contract-milking a herd of 850 crossbred cows a 265-hectare (effective) unit at Seaward Downs, Edendale. The Hewitts say the high payout last year made it an easy transition from their previous job on a 480-cow unit owned by Cheryl’s parents. “This meant we could invest back into the farm, for example, re-grassing and using ProGibb to help pasture growth in the shoulders of the season,” says Nick Hewitt. This was particularly important as the Hewitts are farming a predominantly grass-based system with the aim of producing milk at minimal cost. With the lower payout this season, they say they will have to be extremely vigilant with their budgeting, and make certain that every decision is going to result in increased profitability. They say their main focus this season will be on improving their six-week, in-calf rate of 78 per cent last season. They are aiming for a gain of 1-2 percentage points. The couple milk through a 54-bail rotary shed

with automatic cup removers and Protrack. They winter 250 cows at home in a HerdHomes© animal shelter and send the rest of the herd off farm. They plan to undertake more fencing and paddock subdivision as well as working on the drainage in key paddocks. “The shelter makes it easier to manage and control the condition score,” says Nick Hewitt. “We keep any lighter ones and any early-calvers at home. Consistent feeding all the way through, which will come from quality wintering, will be key. “We will dry cows off at a consistent condition score so that when we finish milking them, they are at a score of 4.5. We will then aim to increase that condition score by one over winter through feeding a combination of silage and straw in the HerdHomes© shelter and swedes, balage and straw in the pasture.” One lesson they have quickly learned is that having the right staff makes a huge difference, he says. “We need to make sure we have people who are passionate about the farm. Finding the right staff is key and, after that, everything else follows. As an example, if staff are able to identify sick cows, we can get them out and treated early to keep the

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ON FARM » Tony & Anna Wakelin

Business Rural

| 29

Partnership proves pivotal Karen Phelps A partnership with Camden Group has enabled Tony and Anna Wakelin to expand their dairy business faster than they ever dreamed possible – in fact, the couple has tripled their herd numbers in the past three years. Both come from strong farming backgrounds... Anna from a sheep-and-beef farm at Kaikoura, Tony from a sheep and cropping farm at Rakaia. As soon as he left school Tony went sheep farming, loved it and saw it as his future. Anna first tried her hand at dairying when she returned from overseas. “Dad told me to go and work on someone else’s dairy farm first to gain experience and see if I liked it,” she says. She worked on a 1000-cow dairy farm at Te Pirita, near Hororata, and knew she had found her path in life. Tony had also tried his hand at dairying before travelling and decided it wasn’t for him after a less than favourable employer put him off the industry However, it didn’t take long for Anna to convince Tony to give it another go. They both had a clear goal of farm ownership and saw dairy as the best way to achieve their dream. Their first job together was second-in-charge on a Camden Group-owned unit called Prairie Farm, a 280-hectare farm at Dunsandel. Camden Group is made up of a number of jointly owned, limited liability companies that own and operate large-scale dairy farms on the Central Canterbury Plains. In total, Camden Group farms around 6000 cows on 2270 hectares, and employs 40 full-time staff. After Prairie the Wakelins moved to a manager’s position on Camden Group’s 700-cow

A partnership with Camden Group has enabled Tony and Anna Wakelin to triple their herd numbers in just three years.

Camden Farm at Dunsandel. It proved a pivotal move: “We got married there, had our first baby there, got record production at the time (289,000 kilograms of milksolids) and reared calves which gave us the capital to go 50:50 sharemilking two years later,” says Anna. Tony says that being given the opportunity to rear 115 heifer calves in the first season and 117 heifer calves in the second season was vital to their next step in the industry as it enabled them to enter into a 50:50 sharemilking joint venture agreement with the Camden Group in 2009.

Alto Holdings Ltd was formed by the partners (Camden Group and the Wakelins) when they landed a 50:50 sharemilking job milking 530 cows for John and Jenna Drenth, at Te Pirita. Alto Holdings completed its first season in 2009-10, with outstanding milksolids production and high milk prices boosting profitability. Alto Holdings completed another two great seasons, and the Wakelins boosted their cow numbers by leasing out extra animals at the season’s end and rearing extra heifer calves. For the 2012-13 season Alto Holdings moved to a new dairy conversion for Richard and Margaret

Spencer-Bower, at Eyrewell, Rangiora. The 370ha (effective) farm milks 1350 friesian/jersey crossbred cows through a 60-bail rotary shed with in-shed grain feeding system. The Wakelins are presently concentrating on their in-calf rate. They would like to see a 9% empty rate reduced and their 70% six-week in-calf rate improved to 75-85%. They plan to do this by improving cow condition coming out of winter through the use of fodder beet. “We haven’t had a problem using fodder beet at all, it has been fantastic,” says Tony. “We’ve had a wealth of knowledge through the other Camden Group farms and have been to discussion groups,” says Anna. “The key is transitioning the herd early so that they get accustomed to it,” says Tony. “We were feeding four kilograms mid-April with grass and silage and slowly built up through the autumn. We were feeding 10 kilograms per day of fodder beet and four kilograms of high protein grass silage at dry off on May 26.” “With silage you can get quite a bit of wastage on the ground,” says Anna, “ but you don’t get that with fodder beet as it’s a more robust feed and doesn’t get trampled into the ground the way silage does.” The Wakelins produced 420 kilograms of milksolids per cow last season and are aiming for 440kg this season on the back of more established pastures, mature stock and better irrigation. They are in discussions with Camden Group about what their next move will be to develop their business. “Camden Group has been really instrumental in us getting ahead,” Anna acknowledges. “They’ve given us a leg up in the industry and enabled us to achieve a lot,” adds Tony. “It’s always about growth with us. If you really want something, you’ll make it happen.”

‘a positive experience’ The HerdHomes© shelter makes it easier to manage and control the condition score. We will dry cows off at a consistent condition score so that when we finish milking them, they are at a score of 4.5. We will then aim to increase that condition score by one over winter through feeding a combination of silage and straw in the shelter and swedes, balage and straw in the pasture.” herd as healthy as possible. Our biggest focus is on animal welfare and health. If the cows are healthy and happy, they will do their best for us productionwise.” The Hewitts have a son, Jack, two, and a second child due in September. They aim to manage a larger property as their next step to gain further experience. Their goal in the next two years is a 50:50 sharemilking position before moving on to farm ownership. They say working for MyFarm, which is a

New Zealand farm investment company that puts together and manages farm assets, giving individual investors the opportunity to own shares in dairy and sheep/beef businesses, has been a very positive experience. “It has been interesting going from a familyowned farm to a corporate structure,” says Nick. “We had a few friends who had got jobs with MyFarm. It seemed like MyFarm was a pretty progressive operation, and we haven’t been disappointed.”

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30 |

ON FARM » Shrimpton’s Hill Herefords

Business Rural

Kiwis lead world in genetics revolution Karen Phelps When it comes to reduced gestation lengths with hereford cattle genetics, John and Liz McKerchar are widely acknowledged as being at the forefront in Australasia. They currently own 11 of the top 14 females and eight of the top 10 males for reduced gestation length in the hereford industry. To their knowledge, their Shrimpton’s Hill Herefords stud is the only one in the world to have an exclusive short-gestation-genetics supply contract. Shrimptons’s Hill Herefords and Livestock Improvement Corporation (LIC) have an agreement to embark on an intensive artificial-insemination and embryo-transfer programme. A buying order has just been placed to supply 60,000 straws of the short-gestation-length (SGL) genetics to England and Ireland.

“England is the home of the hereford, so it’s an example of how short-gestation-length genetics have gone global,” says John McKerchar. The McKerchars agree that they are forward thinkers. Back in 2001 they became aware that the dairy industry to which they supplied bulls was changing as the practice of inducing cows was coming to be viewed unfavourably. At the same time, coincidentally, LIC had come to a similar conclusion. The McKerchars began sourcing the best shortgestation herefords available, both male and female, and spent the next decade establishing a large-scale AI programme to begin supplying genetics to LIC. When the McKerchars started with their programme, their shortest gestation length was -2.9 days and the shortest gestation length bull was -5 days. In 2013 the shortest gestation length calf born was -11.4 days – the first short-gestationlength herefords to break the -10 day barrier.

The McKerchars plan to use this hereford heavily with LIC’s embryo transplant and AI programme. LIC has produced bulls that are -24 days, but John McKerchar says that to date, the recorded range in the hereford breed is +9.6 days late to – 11.4 days early to the breed average. The trait has 48 per cent heritability, which means farmers can make significant gains, he says. “This 21-day (a whole cycle) variation has a massive impact on cattle management and profitability. Usually, longer gestation length means larger calves at birth and more calving troubles. The reverse exists with short gestation genetics, of course. “With a 21-day variation or 10.5 days (allowing half the genetic influence from the male), the hereford breed could change the average dairy-cow income by as much as $151 per lactation (10.5 days x 1.8 kilograms of milksolids per day x $8/kg payout). Not only does short-gestation-length genetics help produce more days of milking, it is also a natural answer to reducing inductions, says McKerchar. This year LIC will take to the market an SGL PHOTOS Top: Two-year-old Shrimpton’s Hill Herefords heifers pre-mating. Left: From left, Hamish McKerchar, Liz McKerchar, Malcolm Ellis and John McKerchar.

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England is the home of the Hereford so it’s an example of how shortgestation-length genetics have gone global . dairy semen product with  a -20 day breeding value (10 days  on farm). Because some farmers had expressed concern about the misidentification of calves, and their preference was to use a white face-marker product, either between their replacement inseminations and the SGL dairy product or exclusively at the end of their AI breeding programme, the McKerchars and LIC have bred a hereford/dairy cross SGL marker product designed to breed extremely short hereford/ friesian and kiwicross bulls. This year LIC is offering four yearling SGL marker bulls to dairy farmers, which are -10 days short (-5 days on farm). All four bulls have strong white face-markings. McKerchar says LIC is aiming to sell a quarter of a million straws this year, which will produce one

• To page 31 PGG Wrightson and our Dairy Livestock team are proud to have been associated with the promotion of this sale and selling of Shrimptons Hills low gestation bulls over the years since it’s conception. Dave Earl Dairy Specialist South Canterbury Ph 0275 908 612

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Business Rural

RURAL SERVICES» Hurley Excavation & Cartage

| 31

New owners keep business in the family Kelly Deeks Specialist earthmoving company Hurley Excavation and Cartage has new owners, but remains in the same family. Dean and Victoria Hurley bought the business from Dean’s parents, Cliff and Jill Hurley, in February. The company, established in 2007, specialises in dairy-lane work and general agricultural earthwork through the Christchurch and North Canterbury area. Its fleet of excavators and machinery includes two 14-tonne diggers, a 5.5-tonne digger, a grader, a roller, and four truck-and-trailer units. “We can cater to everything earthmoving,” says Dean Hurley. “Trenching, driveways, demolition, drain clearing, site works, bulk earthworks, excavations, pivot rut filling, and much more. We use equipment and machinery specifically designed to get into the smallest or most difficult spaces.” He was managing the business before taking it over, and says he was always determined to make sure he didn’t focus too much on one area. “You only need to look back a couple of years when the milk payout was low, and we didn’t do any dairy tracks at all. So, we also do commercial and residential site works. Our five qualified truck and trailer drivers and excavator operators are

prepared to give anything a go, and they love a challenge.” Hurley Excavation and Cartage has been busy with many dairy-lane projects this year, a reflection of the record 2014 milk pay-out, says Hurley. Recent projects include a three-month job at Lyttelton, which was done by, Dean’s brother, Brendan Hurley, who is a 5.5-tonne digger operator. The project involved the renovation of an old house with a new garage going underneath. The basement was dug out for the new garage and the site works were completed in preparation for the renovation and new retaining walls. Hurley Excavation and Cartage also did the site works for a renovation to the Waimakariri Sailing and Power Boat Club for main contractor Cook Brothers Construction. The cartage side of the business includes a regular bulk silage run from Christchurch to Rakaia, and carting shingle from the Ashley and Eyre rivers for driveway and dairy-lane projects. A lot of the company’s business comes from repeat clients, and Dean Hurley says he and his staff strive to build strong relationships with customers. “We aim to be the most reliable earthmoving contractor in the area and we want our clients to receive the best possible service for their buck,” he says,

Hurley Excavation and Cartage caters to everything earthmoving, says owner Dean Hurley

Breeder pushes for ‘induction reduction’ From page 30 million days in extra milk for the 2015-16 season. And demand is high. “It’s staggering that just from the right genetics, we can create all this extra production.” he says. “If farmers even mated 40% of their top dairy cows to fresh sex semen, the average breeding worth of the national herd would go from 78 to 124, leaving the remaining 60% to go to SGL genetics. This would be a win-win in terms of producing more milk.” The McKerchars farm at Cave, in inland South Canterbury. John is the third generation on the farm, which now totals 1220 hectares. The Shrimpton’s Hill Herefords stud was founded by John McKerchar’s parents in 1969. The stud has sponsored the Canterbury/North Otago Sharemilker of the Year competition since 2007. The McKerchars currently have 1200 pedigree herefords – 550 of them cows and the rest support stock. The family also has a border leicester sheep stud established in 1869 by John’s greatgrandfather. The farming business trade in lambs, and runs 800 lambs and 200 ewes. Farmers will get the chance to get their hands on some of the McKerchars’ internationally recognised genetics when 150 Shrimpton’s Hill bulls go on the market at the bull sale in the first week of October. The McKerchars say that more aggressive

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marketing by LIC has resulted in more farmers specifically seeking short-gestation-length bulls this season. “Any country that has a seasonal-based production system can use short-gestation genetics,” says John McKerchar. “We see huge potential in South America and Australia. We will continue to push the envelope with our short-gestation-length breeding programme to assist the dairy industry and promote ‘induction reduction.”

The scene at Shrimpton’s Hill Herefords will look very much like this when the stud hosts its 2014 spring bull sale in the first week in October (this photo was taken at the 2013 spring sale).

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32 |

RURAL SERVICES » Waikato Milking Systems Timaru

Business Rural

Firm seeks the personal touch Karen Phelps

PHOTOS Above: Farmers can pop into the showroom at Waikato Milking Systems Timaru and pick up product or have it delivered to the farm. Lower right: The headquarters of Waikato Milking Systems Timaru at Washdyke. The company services the area between the Rangitata and Waitaki rivers.

Waikato Milking Systems Timaru has separated from Ashburton Milking Systems to become a stand-alone company operated by Mark and Sue Wilkes. The company services the area between the Rangitata and Waitaki rivers, and has a salesperson to take care of farmers’ needs. Mark Wilkes a mechanic, dons his overalls and personally does the service work for clients, which, he says, helps keep him in touch with their day-today needs. Sue Wilkes looks after the office administration for the company. The Washdyke-based firm is the local Waikato Milking Systems agent and can supply and install this brand of milking equipment. And, while specialising in Waikato Milking Systems equipment, the South Canterbury company also offers a maintenance service for any type of dairy plant. Farmers can pop into the company showroom to pick up their consumables or ring and have them delivered to the farm, says Sue Wilkes. “We can source consumable product for other brands as well,” she says. “We stock quite a lot of Waikato Milking Systems consumables and parts – the things in our experience that farmers typically require. But if there are special needs, we can usually get it in overnight.” Mark Wilkes recognises the importance of having dairy plant operational at all times, and his business offers a 24/7 emergency breakdown service to help farmers sort out unexpected problems. He can also test and service milking machine to help alleviate the possibility of breakdowns, which can cost farmers time and money. Waikato Milking Systems Timaru can provide a rotary or herringbone milking plant to suit all types and sizes of dairy operation. The aim is to to make the milking process more efficient and productive for farmers, says Wilkes. He says the Centrus and the Orbit are the company’s most popular rotary plants, while amongst the herringbones the Supa4 and Loopline are the clear favourites. “The Centrus is the world’s first composite rotary platform and offers superior deck strength – about 80% lighter and five times stronger than traditional concrete alternatives,” he says. “All the rotary and herringbone systems provide

The Centrus is the world’s first composite rotary platform and offers superior deck strength – about 80% lighter and five times stronger than traditional concrete alternatives. operators with a clean, fast-milking environment with excellent cow-flow.” Waikato Milking Systems designs have been thought out to cater to the everyday needs of farmers, he says. “For example, the Supa4 has a standard installation process that ensures the integrity of the product. The design calls for a single 100mm milk-pipe draining into a receiver at one end of the pit. It is impossible to flood a 100mm system. The Supa4 has out-performed and out-sold all others in its class.” Wilkes says the Loopline has been designed for use in midline swing-over and low-line herringbone installations. “The design calls for two milk-pipes that are looped together and feed back to one receiver. The main goal of the design is to spread the load/ volume in the system during milking and maintain constant and stable milking vacuum.” Wilkes says Waikato Milking Systems Timaru does not merely seek to sell and install plant, but rather to offer customers an ongoing service and to build up relationships that can span decades. “There are a lot of new conversions happening around here and we can take care of the whole process for farmers. Or, if they already have a preferred builder, we can just supply and install the plant for them. “It’s about offering our customers options so that we can offer them a service tailored to their needs. “We always meet our project targets – our motto is to ensure our dairy farmers are successful, because if they are successful, business will follow on for us.”

Business Rural

RURAL SERVICES»

Southern Vegetation Control

| 33

Spraying firm spreads its booms PHOTOS A Southern Vegetation Control truck and boom in paddock action (above) and with the boom packed up for transport (left). All Southern Vegetation Control trucks are equipped with GPS gear and operate 16-metre booms.

Sue Russell Listening to advice from an industry colleague to head south on the slipstream of the dairying boom is a decision Bretton Taylor, owner of Southern Vegetation Control, has no regrets about. The agricultural spraying professional hasn’t looked back since establishing Southern Vegetation Services, as the company was formerly known, at Waikaka near Gore, over a decade ago. “We’ve plenty of work to keep us busy,” he says. “My wife, Melanie, and I employ three staff. And I’ve just bought another agricultural spraying business, so we’ll be employing another one soon.” The decision to buy a business further north meant a change in name to better reflect the geographical area in which the company operates. Apart from a “young guy” taken on recently, all of the staff have been working with the company for at least four years, says Taylor. He says he is set up for expansion because he has invested in equipment that will cope with the demands of covering a bigger area. “All our trucks have the latest GPS gear and we operate 16-metre booms.” Staff have safety equipment and access to training, he says. Because the staff and their gear operate from various locations, the company has the capacity to service an extensive area and respond quickly when work comes along. Alan Thompson works out of

Owaka, Mark Potter is based in Wyndham, and the newest employee, Cody Murdoch, is in Gore. Taylor says his plan over the next few years is to improve efficiencies, rather than continue to take on more staff. However, he says, the key to remaining a successful operator in the agricultural contracting business is recognising what you are good at and sticking to it. “If you go away from what you know, you’re taking on risks that will affect how well your company develops. “My guys are professionals and they take pride in what they do. At the end of the day, our

business comes from word of mouth. The fact we have so many repeat-clients is proof we consistently perform to a very high standard.” Juggling demand for his services across the area he covers calls for savvy, logistical thinking at times. While staff usually work individually, there are times when they will be pulled together to get a job done on time. “If you are chasing yourself all the time, then you’re not working smart,” says Taylor. “Money is made in the paddock and my job is to make sure there is as little down-time on the road as possible. We pass these efficiencies on to our clients.”

He welcomes the regulatory world he inhabits, saying it sorts the ‘fly-by-nighters’ out and gives security to serious long-term contractors. Living in the south offers a wonderful lifestyle, he says. Two of the couple’s three children go to Waikaka School, while their eldest daughter boards at St Hilda’s Collegiate School, in Dunedin. “I got heavily involved in rugby as well, having played representative level for Northland before playing for Waikaka when I first came here.” He still finds the time to coach the EasterNorthern Barbarians, which plays in Southland’s premier club competition.

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34 |

RURAL SERVICES » Duncan Engineering

Duncan Engineering has just finished its first Norbco cowbarn; the Temuka-based company did everything apart from the concrete and electrical works. It was the first built in New Zealand by GEA Farm Technologies.

Hands-on approach Karen Phelps

Pennzcorp

“ flow with go...” TM

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email enquiriesenquiry@saecowilson.co.nz 227 Annex Road, Middleton 39B Gasson Street, Sydenham 172 Waterloo Road, Hornby

Duncan Engineering is celebrating 30 years in business. Gary and Jill Duncan, who started the Temuka-based company, say it is still a proudly family-owned and operated business. “It has just crept up on us really, but we’re certainly pleased to get to this stage,” says Jill Duncan. Two of their sons work in the business: Brett is an engineer and fits dairy plants; Hayden works in the retail store and is a Hiab driver. Jill Duncan – who looks after the company bookwork and is in the office on a daily basis – says the secret to the company’s longevity has

simply been hard work, dedication, and offering a good service at a reasonable price. “Because we are all hands-on in the business, people can easily get in touch with us. That makes a real difference and is something our customers really like.” Gary Duncan, a fitter and turner, grew up on a lifestyle block, which Jill says has given the business a real understanding of its largely rural-based clientele. Based in Temuka, Duncan Engineering started in a small workshop doing repairs and maintenance. The company moved into dairy work more than a decade ago, and this now forms a

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Proud to Support Duncan Engineering Phone 03 338 8533 Phone 03 379 3732 Phone 03 348 7171

Fax 03 338 8518 Fax 03 365 4173 Fax 03 344 5162

One stop for industrial and safety Blackwoods Protector provide more than just products. We have a comprehensive range of services and solutions available to you and your business. From manufactured hoses and safety signs to B2B E-Business solutions Blackwoods Protector are more than just products.

Proud to Support Duncan Engineering www.blackwoodsprotector.co.nz 0800 660 660

Manufacturers & Stockist of: • Aluminium Extrusion • Aluminium Sheet • Scaffolding • Ladders • Power & Air tools • Sealants & Adhesives • Fences & Gates • Fastenings • Ultraclad The team at Ullrich Aluminium are proud to support Duncan Engineering and congratulate them on 30 years in business Ullrich Aluminium Co Ltd • 60/64 Racecourse Road, Washdyke Timaru P. 03 688 7649 • F. 03 688 7659 • M. 021 539159 • www.ullrich.co.nz

Business Rural

RURAL SERVICES» Duncan Engineering

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Duncan Engineering has celebrated the 30-year milestone with a party for loyal customers and staff. And, yes, it’s a significant achievement, but it’s business as usual. And Jill Duncan says their aim is to continue to offer good service.

PHOTOS: Left: Duncan Engineering, situated in King Street, Temuka, has celebrated 30 years in business. Below: An aluminium calf trailer purpose-built by Duncan Engineering

‘makes a real difference’ large part of business. In fact, staff numbers increased from eight to 22 when the company ventured into this market. Duncan Engineering is an agent for GEA Farm Technologies, which gives the Temuka business the ability to offer a wide range of brands and products across the Canterbury and North Otago regions. The company installs Milfos and Westfalia plants for dairies, and has just finished its first Norbco cowbarn, which Gary Duncan sees as a growing market. “This cowbarn is the first built by GEA Farm Technologies in New Zealand,” he says. “We did everything apart from the concrete and electrical works. Our aim is to offer the complete package to dairy farmers – steelwork, yards, plumbing and manufacturing the backing gates. We can also hook them up with a builder if they need us to.”. The firm also builds aluminium calf and road

trailers. and does repairs and maintenance work on all manner of farm and factory machinery. A new product Duncan Engineering has brought to the market is its own vents for topof-the-road milk tankers. The vents have proved popular since they were released two years ago, says Gary Duncan. Although its rural clientele is the mainstay of the business, the company also does a lot of work for commercial clients. Its well-equipped workshop has been extended four times over 30 years to cope with business growth. The company headquarters incorporates a machine shop and retail store that sells general engineering supplies to the public. The business has already celebrated the 30-year milestone with a party for loyal customers and staff. And, yes, it’s a significant achievement, but it’s business as usual. And Jill Duncan says their aim is “to continue to offer good service.”

WELDING EQUIPMENT SALES SOUTH CANTERBURY PHONE

03 687 4187 027 667 7152 Proud to support Duncan’s Engineering ENZED@iforklift.co.nz

24/7

Anything Hydraulic

HIRE CONSUMABLES SERVICE Unit A1, 198 Springs Road, Hornby, Christchurch Ph. 03 349 9353 Fax. 03 349 9354 sales@dcwelding.co.nz www.dcwelding.co.nz

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