CO-OPERATIVE NEWS
Farmlands field trip boosts knowledge The Australian state of Tasmania played host to a group of Farmlands shareholders in February, for a whirlwind tour of some of the island’s dairy farms. Sponsored by FMG,Meridian, Winton Stock Feed, Trounce Transport and Farmlands Grain and Seed - the group of 18 dairy farmers from the Culverden and Mid Canterbury areas were led by North Canterbury Tasman Field Manager Adam Williamson and Culverden Technical Field Officer Robin Moody. Adam says the tour was “a really good opportunity for our shareholders to have a look at a fast developing dairy area in Australia and look for both inspirations and innovation for their own farms, as well as bench mark themselves against how the Australians do it. “For Robin and myself, we saw it as an opportunity to strengthen our relationships with those shareholders.” Basing themselves at Launceston, the group visited five Northern Tasmania farms over 3 days, leaving only a little time to take in the picturesque surroundings
| The tour group inspect a site in Northern Tasmania.
55 | THE FARMLANDER
and enjoy the warm weather.
Adam and Robin have received an
First up was a visit to the Meander Valley,
“overwhelming” amount of positive
south west of Launceston, to a farm run
feedback from attendees, with all
by Bryan Lawrence, runner up in the
expressing a desire to do a similar
2014 Tasmania Dairy Farmer of the Year
trip again.
competition. This was followed closely by
“Having shareholders who were
a stop at the Crowden Family Farm for a
passionate about agriculture and their
look at its Delaval robotic dairy plant. The
own farming systems meant that they
third stop was the Rigney’s family farm in
were genuinely interested in gaining
the Northern Midlands area, a fourth-year
knowledge and seeing how other
dairy conversion.
people farm. They weren’t afraid to ask
The group had a long 3 hour drive up to
questions and provide advice not only
Smithton on the next day of their tour,
to the Tasmanian farmers but also their
where they visited VDL with Business
New Zealand counterparts,” Adam says.
Manager Paul Niven.
Tania Jones, of Culverden, who attended
On the following day the group headed
with her husband Raymond, says
north east towards Scottsdale, where
she had never been to Tasmania
they visited Agrilac Farms’ Oxberry
before the trip and would do it again
property – an operation similar to the
“in a heartbeat.”
groups’ own dairy farms in New Zealand.
Tania says she enjoyed the tour because
“On the whole the group felt that most
as much as they were excited to learn
of the farms we visited were a few years
how farmers in Tasmania ran their farms,
behind New Zealand in terms of pasture
the people they visited were interested
management and utilisation. They all
to learn about how New Zealand dairy
seemed to have plenty of technology in
farmers did things too. “Everyone is out
the cow shed and around the farms but
for the same thing,” she says.
were not extracting the most out of their cheapest form of feed,” Adam says.
| The FMG - sponsored group discuss their thoughts.
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