Business Rural

Summer 2014

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No revolution, say ‘new boys’ Mark Rawson (left) and Kelly O’Driscoll have taken the directors’ reins at Plunket Electrical after nearly 10 years as shareholders. They are not planning any drastic changes. The firm’s rural interests have evolved into grainfeeding systems, robotic milking systems and control systems.

•See page 28

INSIDE

Ram breeders ready for sales PAGE 8

Services target rural market - PAGE 16

Silage specialists strut their stuff - PAGE 29

Promise on deer market - PAGE 43

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RURAL PEOPLE » Allan & Leeann Woodrow

Business Rural

From ‘murky, clogged’ to ‘picturesque’ Karen Phelps A lengthy regeneration project has seen Southland perendale farmers Allan and Leeann Woodrow transform eight kilometres of the Waiarikiki Stream that runs through the front of their farm.

“We’ve managed to turn a murky, clogged-up stream into something quite picturesque,” says Allan Woodrow.

Back in 2001 the couple gained consent from Environment Southland to remove hundreds of willows that were strangling around five kilometres of the stream.

“It took three or four years to get rid of them,” says Allan. “Since then, we have lowered the water table of all the good, flat land beside the stream by a metre, draining it and putting in 30,000 field tiles over a 10-year period.

“We’ve also riparian-fenced the area and planted it back into flax and toi toi. There is a bit more planting left to do, but it’s starting to look really good.”

Environment Southland encouraged the couple to enter the project in the Ballance Environmental Awards in 2012.

“We made the finals which was a good experience,” says Allan Woodrow.

Allan says he is always trying to make improvements on their 496-hectare property east of Mataura, where he and Leeann run 2900 perendale ewes, 700 ewe hoggets, 220 hereford-cross yearlings; and often finish 500 store lambs.

“Since I took over the property in 1993 I’ve planted a heck of a lot of trees as I believe ewes need shelter as much as genetics to lift survivability.

I’m a bit like my father – always looking for a new challenge and ways to improve.”

When his late father, George, bought the farm in 1952 it was so badly overrun with rabbits and gorse the local rehabilitation board (which offered farms to returned servicemen) said it wasn’t fit to farm.

“Dad was a tough old dude and bought it for the

Before (top) and after (bekow) shots of the Waiarikiki stream. A 10-year regeneration project by Allan and Leeann Woodrow has transformed the former clogged-up stream. Work included the removal of hundreds of willows and the placement of more than 30,000 field tiles.

• To page 3

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Summer 2014

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No revolution, say ‘new boys’ Mark Rawson (left) and Kelly O’Driscoll have taken the directors’ reins at Plunket Electrical after nearly 10 years as shareholders. They are not planning any drastic changes. The firm’s rural interests have evolved into grainfeeding systems, robotic milking systems and control systems.

•See page 28

INSIDE

Ram breeders ready for sales PAGE 8

Services target rural market - PAGE 16

Silage specialists strut their stuff - PAGE 29

Promise on deer market - PAGE 43

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

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RURAL PEOPLE » Tim & Jocelyn Driscoll

Business Rural

|3

Tim tries other side of ledger Karen Phelps A background in rural banking has not only helped Tim Driscoll realise his dream of owning a farm, but has also meant he feels he has something to prove.

It is possibly this motivation that has led Tim and wife Jocelyn to fast-track the 200-hectare (185ha effective) dairy farm they run at Lochiel, just south of Winton.

The couple achieved their five-year production target in their first season producing 462 kilograms of milksolids per cow.

Tim Driscoll grew up on the unit, which has been in his family for more than 100 years. It was a sheep farm until the Driscolls converted it two seasons ago. Although Tim, who has a Bachelor of Commerce (Agriculture), had previous practical farm experience, he admits his skills were limited.

“As a banker I knew how to get the finance side of things in place,” he says. “With my background I also knew which farmers were the best and who achieved above-average production. So I have sought to surround myself with these farmers to seek their advice.”

Family assistance has also been important.

A recent transaction has allowed Tim and Jocelyn to own half the land as well as the plant, the Fonterra shares and the cows. Tim’s parents, John and Carol Driscoll, own the other half of the land, which Tim and Jocelyn lease from them.

“Without their help and support, we wouldn’t have been able to do what we’ve done,” says Tim. John and Carol live in a house on the property and, and John still takes an active role on the farm.

Tim and Jocelyn milk 595 friesian and friesiancross cows. They have a 50-bail rotary shed with an DeLaval Alpro herd-management system, including milk meters and automatic cup-removers, drafting and teat spraying.

The latest technology has been well worth it, says Tim, especially when 10 per cent of the herd was affected by milk fever and another 8% by salmonella in their first season.

As a banker I knew how to get the finance side of things in place. With my background I also knew which farmers were the best and who achieved above-average production.

So I have sought to surround myself with these farmers to seek their advice. Family assistance has also been important.

A recent transaction has allowed us to own half the land as well as the plant, Fonterra shares and cows.

Rural banker come dairy farmer Tim Driscoll with wife Jocelyn and children Oliver (2) and baby Nicholas.

“My hands-on experience milking cows was limited in recent years, so the technology has helped. With the milk meters, we were able to identify the problem and treat affected cows quickly.

We didn’t lose too much productivity. We lost nine cows to salmonella, but we could have lost a lot more if we hadn’t had the technology. Because we

I keep a good eye on cow weights because I know that if they are solid, everything else is going well. My policy is simple – to fully feed the cows every day.

Perendales bring home awards • From page 2 rabbits rather than to farm to begin with. The first year, he killed more than 40,000 and made good money out of the skins.”

George Woodrow slowly broke the farm in, replacing gorse and tussock with grazing pastures and renaming the property Green Ridges, in a nod to the changing landscape.

By 1972 he was farming 2500 romneys there, but switched to perendales after buying a few hundred to try on the property.

“He pre-lamb-shore them, chucked them in the back gorse and tussock country, and left them to it,” says Allan. “When he went to tail the lambs, he found the perendales had done better than the romneys, so over the next few years he made the complete switch.”

After farming perendales most of his life, Allan remains a big fan of the “tough, hardy” breed.

“Perendales are so easy-care and bred to just get on with it. In fact, the more you interfere with them, the more lambs you kill.”

For more than 35 years the Woodrows have crossed their ewes with Kamahi Perendale Stud rams they buy off the Ayers Family from Wyndham.

Allan and Leeann have won several awards for their high-performing stock, including the national ewe hogget perendale 2008, 2010 and 2013.

In 2009 they also received the Sir Geoffrey Peren Cup from the Perendale Sheep Society of New Zealand.

In 21 years, Allan has improved the lambing percentage on the uncompromising property from 120 per cent to 151 (in 2013).

I’ve already got half by tractor work done where other farmers are still busy lambing and tailing.

“I’m expecting similar, if not better this season.

We try to push up a percentage or two each year.”

He says that with minimal management required during lambing, costs are kept low and he is able to get ahead with other jobs.

“I’ve already got half my tractor work done for the season where other farmers are still busy lambing and tailing.”

Running a low-cost structure is critical to the operation, with animal health averaging just $1 per stock unit.

“We keep costs down by doing everything ourselves. We don’t employ anybody, and do all our own contracting apart from excavating, balage and shearing. My brothers and I do all the tailing together across our three farms, and I dag all my own ewes.”

The Woodrows’ children, Oliver 15, and Annalie 13, also help around the farm.

Allan is pleased with ongoing progress and the market’s positive outlook.

“It looks like it is the sheep and beef farmers’ time to shine. However, I think there has always been good money in sheep if you can keep your costs down.”

are owner/operators, the technology has proved a good investment.”

Walk-over weighing equipment enables him to quickly and easily judge the state of the herd. He uses the data to separate cows into herds specific to their requirements.

“I keep a good eye on cow weights because I know that if they are solid, everything else is going well,” he says.

Last season the farm produced 485 kilograms of milksolids per cow in an exceptional season.

This season the conservative target is 466kg The Driscolls employ two full-time staff. Jocelyn, a physiotherapist, takes care of human resources and accounts and is a stay-at-home mum to their two children, Oliver, 2 and Nicholas, four months “My policy is simple – to fully feed the cows every day – and we’ve achieved good results,” says Tim. “We’ve been given a great opportunity so we’re trying to make the most of it.”

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RURAL PEOPLE » Paul & Tracey Ruddenklau

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Business Rural

Organics ‘profitable, enjoyable’ Jo Bailey Paul Ruddenklau says organic farming isn’t for everyone but with good systems and a lot of hard work, it can be both profitable and enjoyable.

“You have to be really passionate about organic farming to make it work. However it is do-able if you put simple systems in place and have a good structure. We added around $60,000 to $70,000 to our income last year, so it has been worth it.”

In 2003, Paul and his wife, Tracey, began managing Kilbrannan Farm, a 358-hectare property near The Key, in the Te Anau Basin; at the same time, the farm was bought by James and Fiona Macdonald.

They decided to convert the sheep-and-beef farm to organics in 2005 after poor soil on the rundown property was causing metabolic problems, such as milk fever and grass staggers, in the stock.

By 2008 they had achieved full Biogrow certification, and noticed a marked improvement in animal health.

“We had already changed our farming philosophy prior to the conversion and found we could still grow grass and crops successfully without using chemical fertilisers and sprays,”

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Kilbrannan Farm’s Paul and Tracey Ruddenklau. says Paul Ruddenklau. “After realising we were pretty close to being fully organic anyway, we decided to do the necessary paperwork and become certified.”

With the industry “in dire straits” at the time of the conversion, it didn’t hurt that meat produced from an organic operation attracted a 25 to 30 per cent premium, he says.

“The first year after we converted, our lambs sold for $100, with conventional farmers getting about $65 for works lambs. This year we got $113.50, with conventional works lambs going for $85. It has made a big difference to our bottom line.”

Paul Ruddenklau says the couple have managed not to drop either production or capital stock over the last seven or eight years under the organic regime – both remain on a gradual rise.

The Ruddenklaus farm 2460 perendale ewes and 620 ewe-hogget replacements on the property (tailing 140 to 150 per cent) and buy in around 90 calves from Mt Earnslaw Station, at Glenorchy, each April/May, which they finish for 12 months.

“There is no economic advantage to carrying these cattle for more than one winter,” says Paul. “This year we achieved a profit of $400 per head, which we’re pretty happy with.”

All lambs and cattle are contracted through Organic Futures, which supplies Canterbury Meat Packers. Most of the meat is destined for export markets, with a small amount sold to a few North Island supermarkets.

The keys to their successful organic operation are running a simple but “very structured” system, and being fully self sufficient, says Paul Ruddenklau.

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Paul and Tracey Ruddenklau say they are proud to produce lamb and beef free of pesticides, insecticides and herbicides that is produced ethically and sustainably. but you have to be really proactive with a good understanding of soil science. A lot of fertiliser still goes onto the farm – we just use certified organic rather than conventional products.”

Crop paddocks are soil tested at least a year before sowing to give the Ruddenklaus time to correct deficiencies. The soil samples are sent to the Perry Laboratory, in the United States, for analysis.

“There is no magical way of doing things, just understanding soil chemistry and having good stockmanship and stock judgement,” says Paul. “It’s about doing the basics well, not overcomplicating things and having back-up plans.”

The Ruddenklaus have reached the stage where they do all their own recommendations and source their own fertiliser.

They grow swedes, turnips, summer rape, oats and peas; stock graze on a variety of pastures that contain ryegrass, cocksfoot, timothy, tall fescue, red and white clover, chicory and plaintain.

“We achieve 16-tonne crops, which is a pretty good result and comparable to conventional farming.”

Lucerne plays a key role in helping the farm be completely self-sustainable. The Ruddenklaus grow all their own supplements, which include several cuts of lucerne a year for balage. The lambs are also finished on lucerne.

“It’s a good, clean crop that results in less worm burden,” says Paul. “We finish most of the lambs without having to drench them.”

Kilbrannan Farm has a mix of flat and rolling hill country that is prone to climatic extremes.

“We had a pretty difficult patch this winter which was testing on man and stock. The property is dry at one end and wet at the other.

We just try to work with its strengths and weaknesses.”

Paul and Tracey and their sons, Josh, aged nine, and Charlie, six, follow an organic lifestyle as much as possible, something more people are becoming interested in, he says.

The couple were pleased with their success at the 2013 Southland Ballance Farm Environment Awards where they won the harvest and livestock awards.

Other farmers are also taking note of their farming practices.“We work with quite a few conventional farmers in the area who have adopted little bits of our system such as our lucerne management and fertiliser recommendations. It’s pretty cool.”

He is proud to be producing lamb and beef free of pesticides, insecticides or herbicides that is ethically and sustainably grown.

“Sustainable is a word that gets bashed about these days. However, I don’t believe a hell of a lot of sustainable farming is going on really.”

Although it is “not easy” being an organic farmer, he and Tracey are committed long term: “We’ve put too much time and effort in to give it up. As long as we remain profitable and are keeping up with the top conventional farmers in the area, I can’t see any reason why we’d stop.”

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RURAL PEOPLE: » Richard & Debbie Peirce

Business Rural

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Wintering barn widens choices and flexibility Karen Phelps Richard and Debbie Peirce have built their farming business in the Waikaka Valley, just north-east of Gore, from scratch by buying, selling and leasing land, depending on the market.

Neither had family help to get started, so their attitude has remained pragmatic rather than emotional. They converted to dairy in 2008 simply because lamb values dictated it was no longer economic to continue with 5000 stock units on their sheep-and-beef breeding and finishing farm. They sold 80 hectares and converted 215ha to dairy.

“Because we’d just bought a neighbouring farm and lamb values were static at $55-60, the viability to keep owning the land wasn’t there unless we converted,” says Richard Peirce. “We were always able to make money, but not enough to put a smile on my face, and we were slogging our guts out.”

He says the decision to convert was not difficult – the hard decisions came when they had to cope with a totally different way of farming.

They put in a 40-a-side herringbone shed with automatic cup removers and Protrack. They peakmilk a herd of 600 friesian cows. They decided to build a large wintering barn once they noticed the amount of damage being done to paddocks in wet conditions. The 130 metre x 35 metre barn covers 0.4ha of land.

The shed has given us more choices and flexibility. I can ramp production up or down as I see fit. The shed insulates us from dry and wet spells and gives us more control.

“I’m not a dairy farmer by trade, but it’s what we do now, so I had to make a decision about how to manage things,” says Richard. “Such damage to paddocks wasn’t a problem – we’d anticipated that before deciding to convert, but I didn’t like having skinny cows either. All I knew was that I wanted to get out of the mud and feed my cows better.”

The barn marked a shift into high-performance dairy farming for the couple because they were determined to get most out of the $2.5 million price-tag. They did feed analysis.

“Statistically speaking, cows can eat only around 17 kilograms of grass per day in the paddock. To produce more, a cow has to be fed grain, silage, molasses etc. We also have to feed minerals to keep reproduction high and we’ve found

A wintering barn (top) has marked a shift into high performance dairy farming for Waikaka Valley couple Richard and Debbie Peirce. that organic minerals work best.”

The farm has moved from producing 192,000 kilograms of milksolids (400kg per cow) to 332,000kg (550kg per cow). But how has profitability stacked up? Richard thinks it’s similar to pre-barn, but says the barn has given them more options.

“It has given us more choices and flexibility. I can ramp production up or down as I see fit. The shed insulates us from dry and wet spells, and gives us more control. We’ve also moved to some autumn calving, which has given us additional choices as I can acquire cows out of season at a better price and continue to milk them.”

A high-input system and the barn have brought other challenges though, including what to do with the increased amounts of effluent produced.

The Peirces are now out to maximise the use of this free fertiliser on their farm. They use a weeping wall and de-waterer to feed a quadruple k-line system as well as a slurry tanker (depending on the time of season etc). Four sets of pods are on automatic switching, which allows for low-level application rates. Around 180ha of the farm is under irrigation.

They are also sending effluent samples to be tested for nutrient value to give them a better idea of

how to best use it and also protect the environment.

“We built a barn to protect the farm and we take a proactive approach to sustainable farming and the environment.”

The farm is a family-run business with daughter Bridgette, 24, doing the farm accounts, overseeing effluent management and milking. Another daughter, Melissa (22), rears calves, helps with dry stock and milks. Sons Alex (21) and Simon (20) help in weekends and holidays. The farm also employs three other staff.

Despite running a sizeable dairy operation, Richard Peirce doesn’t consider himself a dairy farmer. His background is in shearing, and sheep and beef. He has won two New Zealand full-wool championships and shorn in South Island teams.

He still helps organise the Southern Shears in Gore.

“The farm has been converted, but I’m not a dairy farmer. I didn’t grow up in the dairy industry, but I’m a farmer, so I do everything except for the dairying bit.

“Dairying is very high stress, and I can’t say I like the dairying bit of farming. It doesn’t fit with my natural farming instincts because I grew up with traditional and arguably more sustainable ways of farming. “But I’m determined to make sure my farm isn’t a bad example of dairy farming, and the barn is a big part of that.”

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RURAL PEOPLE » Mark & Vanessa Shefford

Business Rural

Awards help couple into a ‘more senior’ role Jo Bailey Winning awards has helped Mark and Vanessa Shefford progress in their farming career.

The couple won the animal health award at the 2014 Canterbury North Otago Sharemilker/Equity Farmer of the Year competition, and also received a productivity award from Livestock Improvement Corporation.

“We entered the awards to get our name out there,” says Mark Shefford. “Although we had a new job before the awards were announced, they helped us move into a more senior role.”

This season the Sheffords have taken over as lower-order sharemilkers on two dairy units owned

by Geoff Hay at Morven, in North Otago.

The 104-hectare home block, Pomona, has been in the family for five generations (116 years) and milks 400 cows. Around 670 cows are also milked on the 218ha Stones Farm, three kilometres away.

Mark Shefford is also in charge of the Butchard block, a 105ha run-off around 1.5km from Pomona.

Geoff Hay originally intended to employ two

managers to run the separate dairy units, but Mark was keen to take on the whole job.

“I applied for both jobs, but Geoff said no to start with, offering me the 670-cow farm instead.

In the end, our farm adviser, Jonathan Davis, convinced him we were up to the task.”

The Sheffords came to Morven from Ross and Sue Duncan’s Ashburton property where, says Mark, they had “pushed the farm to its limitations”.

“We pushed production up by 60 kilograms of milksolids per cow to achieve 520kg milksolids per cow in the 2013-14 season. There wasn’t a lot of room left to improve, which is why we were looking for a new challenge.”

The herd the Sheffords have inherited at Morven produced 390kg milksolids per cow last season and had just a 53 per cent in-calf rate at six weeks.

“The animal-health and productivity awards we won helped us get an exemption to induce more of the herd.,” says Mark. “We also used CIDRs to tighten up calving patterns and we have been very focused on cow condition. The herd came through

• To page 7

Mark and Vanessa Shefford won the Animal Health award at the 2014 Canterbury North Otago Sharemilker/Equity Farmer of the Year. For good measure they also received a productivity award.

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Business Rural

RURAL PEOPLE » Alan & Sharron Davie-Martin

|7

Pivots raise efficiency around water Kelly Deeks Efficiencies are set to improve on Alan and Sharron Davie-Martin’s Hurunui dairy farm this year. Two centre-pivots have been delivered and should be in action by Christmas.

The Davie-Martins have owned their 141-hectare (effective) farm near Culverden since June 2005. The couple moved from Northland, where they owned a small dairy farm an hour away from the Auckland central business district.

Their old farm has now been converted into lifestyle blocks, while the Davie-Martins have found their next opportunity in Canterbury.

They started with 440 cows, and have increased herd numbers to 550, after re-pasturing, growing more grass, and driving the business harder.

Davie-Martin says the farming is easier in Culverden than in Northland. The property is irrigated with water from the Hurunui River, and he has been running two RotoRainers. The centrepivots will cover 80 per cent of the farm, and the remaining 20% will be irrigated by one RotoRainer and a few sprinklers.

“I don’t expect to make a lot of money out of it,” says Davie-Martin. “We will make it easier on the labour force as it currently takes us two hours every day to shift the RotoRainers. The biggest advantage will be around effectiveness and efficiencies.

“It’s going to be hard for the RotoRainers to meet the water distribution efficiencies that are going to be required. We could have carried on with the RotoRainers for a while, but more efficiency around water is where we’re having to be, and now is the right time to move on with it.”

The centre-pivots were supplied and installed

by WaterForce, which will also help centre-pivot beginner Davie-Martin and his staff learn how to operate them.

Alan and Sharron Davie-Martin... farming easier in Hurunui than in Northland.

Davie-Martin runs a system three on the Dairy New Zealand production systems scale, occasionally slipping into system four when he needs to add in a bit more feed.

Last season the higher milk price saw a bit more feed coming into the system, whereas with a low milk price this season, economics may dictate more of a system three approach t the DavieMartins.

He brings in palm kernel and makes balage on the 90ha run-off block he leases eight kilometres away from the home farm.

He says he will look at setting up for the 201516 season from March, when the growth starts to fall away for the autumn. Depending on the milk price and the price of feed, he may deem it best to cull early.

“We’ll make the decision when we get there and play our cards accordingly,” he says. “Providing there are no irrigation restrictions, we should be right until mid to late February. If it’s looking like a long-term change to a low pay-out, we may look at making stocking-rate changes next year.”

The season is going well so far, with awesome

production, 4.5% ahead of last season and 9% ahead for the month at the end of October.

“As far as spring goes, its awesome,” he says.

“The income side is dropping away, but we’re going well on production. The state of the milk price means we have to be even smarter and produce as much as we can, as economically as possible, and keep control of our costs.”

The Davie-Martins rely on good staff to achieve good results. Two full time staff have been working on the property for five and seven years respectively.

Brakes on supplementary feed • From page 6 the winter looking all right in the end.” Around 1100 cows were calved across the two units; the aim is to milk 1070.

“We calved all the cows on the Stones Farm and, as soon as we had 250, we walked them across to Pomona. As pressure came on the shed, we dribbled more up there until we had 400. It worked really well.”

Mark is helped at Pomona by a unit manager, with a farm manager looking after the Stones Farm.

They are supported by a second-in-command, who moves between both farms, and two junior staff.

The cows are milked between February and May on a 16-hour regime, something Mark has been doing for the last seven or eight years.

“I think farmers who believe they can get a condition score on cows in winter are dreaming.

You’ve got to start putting weight back on the cows in February/March. The 16-hour regime also drops lameness by 75 to 80%, which is a huge benefit.”

Although he has been a “big grain feeder”, Mark says he’ll be putting the brakes on supplementary feed this season given the drop in payout. However, he is not too worried about the payout given the ability to increase production of both units.

“We’re focused on making as much milk as we can as profitably as we can by using every

Farmers who believe they can get a condition score on cows in winter are dreaming. bit of grass and water. We believe we can push production up to 440 or 450kg milksolids per cow if we manage it right.”

Mark’s parents farmed sheep, beef, poultry and pigs at Geraldine, while Vanessa was brought up on a sheep farm at Rakaia.

Vanessa does the bookwork, calf rearing and relief milking. They have four children – twins Jacob and James 13, Chelsea 12 and Charlotte five. .Although belts will be tightening, Mark doesn’t intend to completely defer capital expenditure.

“We have to replace the motorbikes this year and we need a new farm truck. It’s important to keep up with these sorts of purchases, so when payout goes up there’s money to invest in young stock. We’ll just alter the budgets a bit in other areas or I’ll get in the shed a bit more to save labour costs. It’s important not to lose sight of the bigger picture.”

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8|

SHEEP BREEDING» Abbotsford Station

Business Rural

On-farm sales a big event Neil Grant Whoever said the shortest distance between two points is a straight line had never tried to walk it on the country west of the Taieri Plains. These schist uplands are carved by the twisting Taieri River and its numberless twisting tributaries in a disorder resembling an old musterer’s jersey being dismembered by a playful kitten.

The rolling, tussocky hills and narrow gullies have a mystical beauty, especially when the setting sun casts shadows across the curving slopes.

Abbotsford Station covers 1700-odd hectares of this country near Lee Stream. Twelve hundred of these hectares are workable land; the rest is steep, often gorse-filled gullies.

Nichols have farmed here since the break up of the large estates in the 1870s.

Antony Nichol, known as ‘Sparky’ since he was in the Otago Boys’ High School hostel, manages the farm on behalf of his mother. (His father was killed in an accident on the farm in 2010.)

He and a staff member tend 6000 texel-suffolk ewes, 1700 hoggets, and 100 romdale rams which haven’t seen any perendale for 15 years so are pretty much romney now. In addition, there are 100 each of hereford and angus breeding cows and 180 calves.

Lambing percentages are around 140, yielding 6500 lambs. Ewes that are light or have had more than two single lambs are put to terminal sires.

“We still get good lambs from them,” Nichol says. “Texel-suffolk always get the highest prices in

Ph 03 448 6378

Texel-suffolk always get the highest prices in the sales. We get our replacements from the better ewes to maintain hybrid vigour. the sales. We get our replacements from the better ewes to maintain hybrid vigour.”

The calves are sold if they are over 250 kilograms at weaning, otherwise they are kept through the winter and then sold, except for 20 of each breed which are kept.

Several years ago, Nichol found newly born calves that had died after clearly having been active for several days. The only common factor was that they were found near water, presumably having needed to drink. None was able to be autopsied, so it was something of a mystery. Using a ‘10 in one’ vaccine seems to have been successful as calving percentages have now risen from 76 to 92 per cent.

Pasture renewal is part of a programme to rid the farm of gorse areas. Once seed has germinated it is sprayed and then oversown with grass seed.

Grassed paddocks are sprayed with Roundup,

Antony Nichol, with children Felicity and Sophie presents lambs to Otago Rescue Helicopter Trust paramedic Doug Flett, in Dunedin. The rescue helicopter attended a farm accident in which Nichol’s father died in 2010. which does not kill the tussock, sown with a crop such as turnips, and then sown with grass. Some areas are direct drilled, others sown by plane or chopper, which is just about as cheap as trucksowing. Keeping the tussock provides protection for both stock and pasture when conditions are grim.

Oats are grown for silage, and rape is now grown instead of swedes in gullies. Nichol found that in the steep areas, stock were kicking the swedes out of the ground and they then rolled into the water.

Abbotsford on-farm lamb sales are a big event each January.

“We start at 6am. By lunchtime we have weaned the lambs, and taken out the cull ewes. We do a second drench before Christmas and put a dot on

the culls then so that we can draft them straight through in January without having to bring them round again. Then the shearers do the crutching.

Eleven next morning is sale day. Usually we get 30 or 40 attending, but you only need two.”

In 2011, Nichol donated the sale price of five of his lambs to the helicopter trust. A chopper had attended his father after the accident, having been summoned by Nichol using a locator beacon his wife, Anna, had recently bought him and asked him to carry when he was out on the farm. He has since become an advocate of all farmers having these beacons when they are out of sight of the homestead.

“It was good to hear that chopper in my situation,” he reflects.

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SHEEP BREEDING » Arnie & Fiona Gray

Business Rural

|9

Research probes embryo survival Karen Phelps Involvement in studies by the AgResearch animal reproduction experts examining embryo survival and the ability to increase the number of twins born without increasing triplets could lead to the development of a DNA test for the specific genes involved.

A romney flock owned by Arnie and Fiona Gray – who, with their son, Robert, farm two units in western Southland – has been involved in the trials, which were initiated by retired AgResearch scientist George Davis.

A family-tree search traced the genetic trait back to a common grand-sire from the Davisdale line of romneys, which was initially established by Davis.

The Grays’ flock follows this Davisdale line and they have been involved in the research, including work around embryo survival rate, with AgResearch since 2006.

Laproscopic work is done on the Grays’ flock to measure the number of fertile eggs each ewe produces. The same sheep are then pregnancyscanned to determine the embryo-survival rate.

Patterns have been observed which suggest that a single gene affects ovulation rate. Scientists have also uncovered genetics that affect embryo survival.

Arnie Gray says it has been discovered that a percentage of ewes will absorb one of the embryos before day 35.

“The ewes will go on to give birth to a single lamb and the farmer will never know that eggs were lost,” he says.

“Increasing embryo survival therefore provides farmers with an opportunity to maximise the number of twins produced.”

Two genes appear to be involved In the strain of Davisdale sheep, and AgResearch is currently working to develop a DNA test for these genes, he says.

The Grays’ mixed-age ewes that carry the genes are pregnancy-scanning at 75 per cent carrying twins, 10% carrying singles, and 13% carrying triplets Their 545-hectare (520ha effective) home Braecroft Farm, at Feldwick, runs 7300 stock units and operates as a commercial romney and romtex breeding and fattening unit.

There are 5500 ewes all together – 600 recorded, 2200 romney and 1700 romtex or crossbred ewes.

LaproscopIC work is undertaken on Arnie and Fiona Gray’s Western Southland romney flock to measure the number of fertile eggs a sheep produces. The sheep are then pregnancy-tested to determine embryo survival rate.

The ewes will go on to give birth and the farmer will never know that eggs were lost.

• To page 10

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10 |

SHEEP BREEDING » Arnie & Fiona Gray/Matakanui Station

Genetics increasingly important • From page 9 The recorded ewe flock is made up of 100 registered texels and 350 suftex fully recorded on SIL and 150 recorded romneys. The suftex have been line-bred for 20 years. The farm also runs 850 dry hoggets and 150 ram hoggets.

The Grays started their stud, Hill Grove Rams, in the 1990s when the texel breed was introduced to New Zealand. They were attracted by the meat yield and hardy type of the texel breed. Danish and Finnish genetics were initially imported into New Zealand; they chose the Danish genes, which, Arnie Gray says, give a more meaty sheep.

The Grays’ suftex sheep now form the mainstay of their ram sales. Their popularity is based on their growth rates and meat yield.

“A lot of people use Hill Grove suftex rams as terminal rams because they have dark faces and legs making it easier to identify the progeny,” says Gray, who is also chairman of the Southern Texel Breeders’ Club.

All rams are DNA-tested for the MyoMAX meat yield gene. Gray says that sheep identified with the MyoMAX gene have more muscling in the leg and loin, less carcass fat and a heavier carcass weight than non-MyoMAX animals of the same liveweight and genetic background.

The MyoMAX gene can be passed on to lambs by the ram, the ewe, or through both parents. A lamb that receives one copy of the gene will have 5% more muscling in the leg and loin and 7% less carcass fat. An animal with MyoMAX from both parents will have up to 10% more muscling and 14% less carcass fat.

“All the rams we use are double copies, and as we go along, more of the ewes we are producing are double copies too,” he says.

The couple, who used the same formula in their texels, say all of this flock now carries double copies of the MyoMAX gene.

Arnie Gray considers this genetic factor to be increasingly important for farmers, as Alliance has moved to remuneration based on meat yield.

Around half of their texels also carry the Inverdale fertility gene, which increases pregnancy scanning rate by 25-30%.

The Grays also own a second farm in the Lilburn Valley. The 294ha (240ha effective) fattening unit runs 3200 stock units – 1300 romney ewes, 450 romtex ewes, 900 in-lamb hoggets, and 60 risingtwo-year-old steers and heifers.

Overall figures for both farms reveal 150% lambing ewes to the ram and an average carcass kill-weight for lambs of 19 kilograms. The flocks produce around 50,000 kilograms of wool.

Suftex forms the majority of ram sales at Arnie and Fiona Gray’s Hill Grove Rams stud.

The next issue of Rural South...

South Island farmers are known for their energy, drive, innovation and business acumen.You can communicate with these decision-makers by contacting: Mandi King: 03 983 5514 mandi@waterfordpress.co.nz Adam Feaver: 03 983 5509 adam@waterfordpress.co.nz

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Business Rural

Dual-purpose Jo Bailey Andrew Paterson reckons his Matakanui animals form possibly the best, true, dual-purpose sheep operation in New Zealand.

“Our animals are performing well, lambing well, producing top wool and meat genetics, and have proven footrot resistance,” he says. “I might be sticking my neck out but we can back it up with results.”

Paterson, who farms Matakanui Station, near Omakau, Central Otago, says the 350 rams he will have on private sale through January and February will be a “top selection”.

“Our original group of 500 rams was reduced to 405 that were eye-muscle-scanned in late October with really good results. We expect to cull another 50 to 100 before sale time.”

This year Andrew and his wife, Tracy, won the Supreme Fine Wool Fleece at the New Zealand Royal Agricultural Society’s Golden Fleece national competition for the second year in a row with a score of 99 points out of 100 for a 26-micron halfbred fleece.

In addition they won the champion quarter-bred or polwarth fleece, and the champion halfbred or corriedale fleece titles.

Matakanui’s proven wool genetics have also seen the station win the supreme champion fleece at the Canterbury A & P Show seven times in the last 10 years.

Last year the Patersons were the only fine wool lamb producers to enter the Glammies with a purebred rather than a crossbred animal, and although they didn’t get a place, Andrew says they didn’t disgrace themselves “for a first time go”.

“The Glammies is certainly swayed towards the pure meat breeds, but we think we could win on taste if we can get through the first stages next time. “ All our lambs are sold under contract to Silver Fern’s premier Silere brand, which won the 2014 KPMG Export Innovation Award. The product is becoming world renowned, with top international chefs now asking for it.”

Tracy was a finalist in the Masterchef television programme a couple of seasons ago, with her profile coming in handy when it comes to promoting the Silere brand.

Around 300 people visited Matakanui’s woolshed to watch her cooking demonstrations during the region’s two-day Blossom Festival.

The Patersons also featured in a recent article

about their property and lamb in a magazine called Taste Kitchen, which is distributed in Hong Kong and southern China.

Around 19,000 sheep were shorn on the 8700-hectare high country property this season (including hoggets shorn in autumn and summer).

Around 1300 cattle are also wintered.

Andrew and Tracy used to farm in conjunction with Andrew’s parents, Martin and Hilary, and brother Hamish, who runs Mt Stalker Station.

However since July 1 this year they have run Matakanui on their own account, after splitting the farms and buying his parents out.

Tracy has left her job as a lawyer to be involved with Matakanui full-time, and last year took up wool classing with Andrew as her mentor.

The couple put a lot of emphasis on the upcoming ram sales, says Andrew.

“We’ve doubled the size of our site at the Christchurch A & P Show, we’ve rebranded with a new logo, and we’re really pushing our wares.”

Matakanui has one stud, but around six variations within it.

“The stock are bred in their own groups so that we can trade a few genetics across them. This year we artificially inseminated around 400 stud ewes with semen from Australia and other properties within New Zealand to give us a bit more variety.”

He says they are involved in a few “outside the square” breeding programmes, including the Southern Cross Breeding Group.

“We’re a group of eight forward-thinking farmers who want to produce an all-round, dual-purpose sheep that can survive in all climates and farming types.”

The Patersons place huge emphasis on footrot resistance and have achieved good results by challenging their rams – wintering them in a swampy gully for the last three years.

“We’ve done very well in some independent footrot resistance tests and challenges, with three of our left-over sale rams placing in the top 11 in New Zealand for footrot resistance.”

Farmers interested in having a look at the Matakanui operation before the upcoming ram sales can attend a field day (run in conjunction with Merino New Zealand) on the property on December 11 from 8.30 am to noon..

“Mark Ferguson and Jason Trompf will discuss how to refine the ram-selection process and talk about how farmers can unlock the benefits of EBVs for their commercial flock. “We expect it to be a popular event, and are also looking forward to another successful sale season early next year.”

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Business Rural

SHEEP BREEDING » Matakanui Station

| 11

sheep ‘possibly the best’

Matakanui Station’s Andrew Paterson is presented with the supreme fleece of the show medal at the Canterbury A & P Show (left). Andrew’s wife Tracy, a finalist in the Masterchef television programme, promotes the Silere meat brand in a woolshed cooking demonstration in front of 300 people.

Our animals are performing well, lambing well, producing top wool and meat genetics, and have proven footrot resistance.I might be sticking my neck out but we can back it up with results.

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Phone 447 4080 Mobile 027 224 7540

12 |

SHEEP BREEDING» Blairich Station

Business Rural

Sires key source of attributes Neil Grant Until three seasons ago, Blairich Station in the Awatere Valley had run a merino stud in which it concentrated on producing sheep with fine to superfine wools, and focusing on wool weights, body size and fertility.

Then the Smalls bought the Erewhon Station stud of merino and poll merino sheep, which have been bred for their fine to medium wools and their ability to cope with the high rainfall and snowfall conditions of the Canterbury high country. The polls had also been bred for their carcass and dual purpose characteristics.

This move could be seen as complicating an already highly scientific business, or as Tom Small suggests, it simply enhances the range of attributes Blairich can offer clients.

The Smalls came onto Blairich in 1999 after farming in the Wairau Valley. Tom Small took off for his obligatory OE for four or five years, returned in 2008, and slipped right back into Blairich life.

His father, Ron, had developed the Blairich line to consistently produce structurally sound animals that grow “white, crimpy, nourished” wool.

“Some places produce bales that have coloured wool after wet seasons,” says Tom Small. “We don’t get any of that.”

As a result, when their wool goes on sale in Melbourne, it attracts the same Italian buyers

Above: Blairich sires keen to start work. Below: A mob of Blairich sheep on the hills that guard the Wairau Valley. year after year. They have learnt that it will be of consistent quality.

Tom is studmaster for the poll merinos, and he and his father share responsibility for the other two sections of the stud. The 700 stud Blairich ewes, 250 Erewhon and 250 Erewhon poll stud ewes are all run together.

In addition to the stud sheep, the Smalls run 5000 commercial ewes and winter 4500 hoggets, mostly in vineyards. They have 100 working rams, and a sale mob of 500.

The sale mob drops to 250 after shearing, and is then cut again before the February sale. Apart from two or three selected rams that are taken to

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the Tekapo ram sale, the rest are either for their own use or are sold privately to buyers – ranging from a Waikato farmer who runs a small mob of merinos on her dairy farm, to other stud and commercial high country farmers in the South Island.

“Most clients come and pick out their own rams,” says Tom Small. “If they are after four or five, we give them 20 to 25 to look at based on the type and micron they want, and give them advice on selection. That way even the guy who comes last still gets a fair pick of good rams. Some buyers can’t make it here, and just say, ‘Pick some and send them to me’, but we prefer them to come and pick their own. Then it’s their decision.”

Haldon Station, in the Mackenzie Basin, is a Blairich customer. Its stock include 8000 purebred merinos, living between 365 and 1525 metres in temperatures ranging from -20degrees to +40 degrees celsius.

Station manager, Paddy Boyle, says Haldon had previously used Moutere bloodlines. When Ron Small established Blairich, also with Moutere bloodlines, but enhanced the fleece to have more length in the staple, more character, and softer

handling qualities while maintaining 17 micron adult wool, a relationship was established that has lasted 10 years.

“What Ron has done, and Tom is continuing, has been to be active in sourcing good sires, and out-breeding from Australia to keep wool quality.

This has been good for us,” he says.

To maintain sound bloodlines, genetics in the form of live rams or semen are introduced from Australian studs, mainly Wurrook, Roseville Park, Nerstane and Tara Park, which have similar backgrounds and are genetically similar.

“This ensures predictability of breed for us and our ram clients,”Small says.

“Live animals usually settle in satisfactorily, but, sometimes it takes them 12 months to work out how to be a sheep again.”

We try to stick to Australian studs that have high summer rainfall so we know their sheep can handle wet weather.”

The way he tells it, it doesn’t sound so complicated after all. And there are advantages in having responsibility for the poll mob: “They don’t get stuck in fences.”

SHEEP BREEDING » Geoff & Deborah Howie

Business Rural

| 13

Texel breeders aim for high yielding sires Karen Phelps Dairy conversions have meant sheep farmers have been left with a smaller market for selling their rams. But this has simply prompted texel breeders Geoff and Deborah Howie to raise the bar: “You have to be putting up your best stock all the time and be keeping your finger on the pulse,” says Geoff Howie.

The couple and their son, Tim, own two units: the 40-hectare Lo-debar Station on the flat at Moneymore, and 425ha on Circle Hill, which is run

by Tim. The Howies bought Lo-debar seven years ago.

Geoff Howie started their Iona-Lea stud (which is based on Lo-debar) in 1984. He began by breeding poll dorsets, but now breeds pure texels and texel crosses, texel poll dorsets, suftex and texel/poll dorset/suffolk crosses. All up, the stud has 300 ewes.

Howie, who is now chairman of the New Zealand Sheep Breeders’ Association texel breed committee, says that when the texel breed came to New Zealand in 1991, he was immediately attracted by its toughness and meat yield, and the fact texels are easy to farm. The breed will next year celebrate 25 years in New Zealand.

The Howies hold an annual, on-farm auction where buyers can get their hands on the farm’s genetics. This year’s sale is scheduled for December 1, and the Howies will offer around 125 rams.

Geoff Howie says that right from the inception of the stud, they have bred for high-yielding sires with plenty of meat and good constitution. The flock’s eye muscle area (EMA) is 20-25 and weaning weight averages 38-44 kilograms.

The Howies always take their top four to six rams to the Gore A & P Stud Ram Fair to offer them to other registered breeders as stud sires.

“I use a fair bit of eye appraisal,” says Geoff, in revealing his recipe for breeding. “If I don’t like the look of them, I don’t keep them – no matter what their figures are.”

If I don’t like the look of them, I don’t keep them – no matter what their figures are.

Up on Circle Hill, Tim tends a flock of 2500 ewes. The ewes’ origins are in Wairere, but the Howies have put texel perendale over the flock and are now using perendale rams. Their breeding regime has resulted in a “stylish” fleece, which yields good returns at $4.65 per kilo last auction, says Geoff.

They also run 700 replacement ewe hoggets and 100 angus breeding cows, selling around 90 calves per year.

He says the main challenge of the property is the cold winters – the farm rises to 350 metres above sea level. The Howies combat this by making supplement on farm and trying to cut down their costs as much as possible by ensuring they have the right stock to suit the land.

Geoff works on the farm and his wife, Deborah, and their daughter, Jaime, help out occasionally.

The Howies say their aim is to pass the farm onto family to carry on the tradition.

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14 |

SHEEP BREEDING » RoslynDowns

Business Rural

‘A sheep we needed and our clients like’ Neil Grant Just south of the legendary Hokonui Hills, notable for producing fine spirits in the misty, wooded gullies, Roslyn Downs farm is creating its own reputation for producing fine sheep, but this activity is legal.

Chris and Gaynor Miller came onto 149 hectares of rolling to flat land near Glencoe, between Mataura and Hedgehope, in 1960. Their two sons, Jason and Quentin, have since joined the business, and two adjacent farms have been bought. bringing the farm to 625ha. Three years ago, they leased another property at Mataura. The business now has four separate farms, 851ha in total, all under the Roslyn Downs umbrella.

They run 5200 flock ewes, 900 recorded stud ewes, 1870 ewe hoggets, 280 ram hoggets, 200 one-year beef cattle, 200 beef calves, and this season, for the last time, they are grazing 230 dairy heifers.

“We are going out of the dairy heifers,” Chris Miller says. “We’ve got more faith in the sheep. We got into the grazing when we lost lambs in the big snow-storm. But I’ve always been sheep orientated.”

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Roslyn Downs is getting good yields with high survivability and minimal shepherding from its coopworth/perendale/texel crosses.

Initially, he was farming coopworth sheep, which are noted for their fertility, mothering ability, growth rate and wool weight. In 1997 he crossed the coopworths with perendales, which bring survivability, ease of care, good conformation, bulk and parasite tolerance.

This coopdale composite produced good results until 1999, when texels were introduced into the mix. The texel has high yielding carcasses, a conformation that produces choice lambs for the market, are hardy with good lamb-survival rates. and have white bulky wool.

“Now we are getting good yield results with high survivability and minimal shepherding.,” says Miller.

“The flock is low maintenance, conformation is improved, they lack dags, and the wool is bulked up and is fine micron. The meat companies are looking for better yields and the texel puts in more oomph.

Our carcasses at the works are yielding 57–58 per cent. That produces good payouts.

“When you have big mobs together, the sheep are more stressed. The perendale means they handle that better than the straight coopworth. It’s a matter of selection. The best perendale, the best coopworth and the meat from the texel – it suits our conditions.”

The combination he has developed also suits his clients, many of whom are on hill country. They like the hardiness, plus the performance and yield of down-country sheep.

“You are always trying to get the perfect sheep.

You never get there, but we are getting better all the time. We are noticing yields are going up, but we are not losing fertility. There are not too many triplets. Two nice twins is what we really want. We average 150% year in, year out.”

Miller says the coopdale is not all that widely known in New Zealand, and you get the feeling he thinks that is a bit of a pity.

“With some crosses you have a lot of sorting out after mixing breeds, but the coopworth and perendale cross was pleasing from the word go.

The coopworth and the perendale were two very successful breeds. We needed to be more selective with the texel being introduced, but we’ve got it sorted out now. With one-eighth texel in the flock, we have been able to take the best points of all three breeds and make a sheep we needed and our clients like.”

The stock are largely pasture fed, with swede turnips and kale as a second crop in winter. Swedes are part of the pasture-renewal programme.

They have recently sown sugar grasses and feel these are doing a good job. It is too early to tell whether these grasses will last as long as traditional pasture, but the signs are good. Supplementary feed is needed for the cattle, which have to be taken off the grass in winter to prevent pasture damage.

Contractors are used to make hay and balage and for spreading fertiliser. The Millers do other agricultural work themselves.

“We’re stockmen really. We do DNA testing to intensify the selection process, and we keep selecting for the production traits we need.”

Roslyn Downs sires are sold privately December - January each year.

Miller reckons that unless there is some unexpected change in markets or the environment they will carry on producing stock to suit their own and their clients’ needs, while all the time looking to make things a little bit better.

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SHEEP BREEDING » Bob Masefield

Business Rural

| 15

Bob Masefield farms 650 hectares at Goughs Bay, on Banks Peninsula, in Canterbury, where he and runs the oldest dorset downs in New Zealand. The Okaruru stud was established in 1949.

Ram sale ‘beyond expectations’ Neil Grant Goughs Bay is just about as far east as you can go on Banks Peninsula. Like so many of the peninsula’s outer bays, it is approached via a long, narrow spur dropping into the valley. The spurs on either side of the valley end in sheer, towering volcanic cliffs. Between them is a picturesque, sandy beach, popular with surfers or picnicking families who arrange access.

Bob Masefield’s family have farmed here since 1863. Just 25 of their 650 hectares are flat, so both farmer and stock spend a lot of time gaining or losing altitude. It is sheep and cattle country, and the animals bred here are noted for their hardiness.

Four main breeds of sheep make up the Okaruru Stud flock. The ubiquitous romney, that dual-purpose sheep that makes up half of the New Zealand flock, has been modernised by Masefield to produce animals with good growth rate and fertility.

No singles have been tagged for nine years, and this last season saw 183 per cent lambing with no triplets.

Romdales, a cross between romney and perendale, have been bred to produce an animal that will thrive in tougher environments.

Masefield’s main focus, though, has been on his dorset down stud, established in 1949 and the oldest in New Zealand. They were imported as a meat breed with early maturing, export-lamb qualities.

“We concentrate on growth rate and developing mid-loins and hindquarters,” he says. “We have targeted DNA testing for footrot resistance for the last 12 to 15 years, footrot being the curse of all terminal sires.”

To meet the demands of some of his buyers who had been toying with suffolk/texel crosses, Masefield has also been breeding dortex, a dorset down/texel cross.

“They’re just little meat machines,” he reckons.

“They’ve got huge hindquarters.”

Because Goughs Bay is an out-of-the-way place, most of the rams have sold by Masefield selecting on behalf of clients. As an experiment, he arranged for his own ram sale at Little River in the week after the Banks Peninsula Show last January.

We were worried about the timing, it was late in the season, but it was beyond our expectations. We put up 160 rams of the four breeds. Sixteen passed, but ten of those sold in the next two days. It was unbelievable. We’ve had an absolutely brilliant year.

The feed is good, prices are good, and the stock are looking good.

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At the “We were worried about the timing, it was late in the season, but it was beyond our expectations. We put up 160 rams of the four breeds. Sixteen passed, but 10 of those sold in the next two days. It was unbelievable.”

They put out fliers, contacted past and potential clients, advertised locally, and put up hoardings.

The Canterbury A & P Show was a great place to get the message out. And they made sure the rams were looking their best before transporting them to Little River.

“There was a lot of hard work getting them ready, but they were looking a picture on the day,” says Masefield. “We had great support. Rural Livestock ran the sale helped by other stock firms.”

The sale was such a success he will be doing it all again next year – on January 29.

“We’ve had an absolutely brilliant year. The feed is good, prices are good, and the stock are looking good.”

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16 |

RURAL SERVICES » Paul Warren Building

Business Rural

Variety of projects boon for builder Sue Russell Southland builder Paul Warren enjoys the challenges that come with running a construction company primarily servicing the rural sector.

He and wife Nicole, who handles the bulk of the paperwork, employ six builders. They feel the business has grown to a good size since Paul went out building on his own six years ago.

“I enjoy just about everything we have a go at,” he says. “Every job is different anyway. We’ve been involved in a lot of projects...effluent systems, dairy and farm sheds and houses. Everyone has a different way of looking at things. What is really important is that we keep communicating all the time with our clients.”

The company also does work in town... alterations, kitchens and bathrooms. As with a lot of builder businesses, most work comes through word of mouth.

“Progressive Engineering is the Waikato dairyshed agency in this area and this is a good source of work for us,” says Paul.

The nature of work shifts with the changing seasons. There’s a lot of maintenance work over winter while summer brings the new building projects.

Warren employs two apprentices, and says it is important to keep the young ones coming through into building. The variety of the work he gets involved in makes for a rich apprenticeship experience.

“We had a big job with a client we’ve done a lot of work for, who was doing a full conversion at Riversdale. It took up five months of our time constructing a new dairy shed, two houses, and shifting an implement shed and a couple of two-bay garages.”

The Warrens have four conversions on their books, with the first of them under way. They hope to complete two or three by Christmas (progress will be determined by the amount of rainfall).

The couple and their three children live on a two-hectare plot, which they describe as a great space to bring up children. Trips to a crib in which

• To page 17

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RURAL SERVICES» Phoenix Aviation

Business Rural

| 17

New pilot takes to southern air Kelly Deeks New Zealand’s oldest aerial-topdressing company, Phoenix Aviation, has a spring in its step as a new pilot rejuvenates the business with a youthful enthusiasm.

Fred Sprenger was hired to replace manager and senior pilot Barry Morton, who was grounded after suffering a heart attack.

Already a qualified pilot, Sprenger had to be trained in agricultural flying by a category E-rated flight instructor;Phoenix Aviation brought the trainer from the North Island, and acquired a dual-control Fletcher aircraft from Ravensdown.

Sprenger has completed 40 hours of flying with the instructor, and has worked through 40 hours of flying under the guidance of Phoenix Aviation chief pilot Brian Casey. Spenger is now a grade 2 agricultural pilot and flying by himself.

Once Morton is back in the air, Phoenix Aviation will be running four pilots, three turbine-powered aircraft, and two piston driven aircraft.

The business was established in 1968 when Peter Browne arranged a syndicate of farmers and transport operators to buy two Cessna Agwagons from Rural Aviation, which was closing down. The syndicate formed a new company to engage in a commercial-aviation operation from Gore.

Phoenix Aviation built its fleet to five Cessna Agwagons and operated over a large area of rural land south of the Waitaki River.

As farming boomed in the south throughout the 1970s, Phoenix Aviation flourished. A number of new pilots, including Morton and Casey, were trained over this period. In 1971, Phoenix Aviation bought its first Fletcher 400, and acquired four more over the next 10 years.

The new Labour Government removed farming subsidies in the 1980s and they have not been

Phoenix Aviation, established in 1968, remains a major player in the topdressing and aerial spraying field. restored. This meant there was a sharp drop in the money available for topdressing and aerial spraying.

Like all other such aviation companies at the time, Phoenix Aviation was obliged to cut back.

However, the rural economy improved and in the 1990s, Phoenix Aviation prospered and expanded, buying out Des Pirie (at Balclutha), Gary Langman’s Agair Aviation (at Gore), and Malcolm Hill’s Turbo Air Services (in Central Otago).

The topdressing work in Central Otago called for the use of turbo-prop aircraft. After initially trialling a Cresco 750hp turbo prop, Phoenix Aviation joined with two other operators to form Turbine Conversions Ltd. A type certification to convert Fletcher piston-

driven aircraft to Czech Walter 550 hp turbo props was granted in 1998, and two concersions have been completed.

According to Morton, these converted machines have performed excellently and efficiently for the company.

In March 1995, Phoenix Aviation Maintenance was formed to maintain Phoenix Aviation’s aircraft.

Today it not only maintains aircraft for Phoenix Aviation, but also for other commercial operators and various aero clubs.

Morton says Phoenix Aviation has operated and survived for 46 years because of its fantastic clients, some of whom have been with Phoenix Aviation since the beginning.

Once Barry Morton is back in the air, Phoenix Aviation will be running four pilots, three turbinepowered air craft, and two piston-driven aircraft.

Level of work suits builder • From page 16 they have half-shares at Kingston are always looked forward to.

Paul Warren, who also designs and builds holding yards, says the level of work suits the size of the business. It also allows him to keep in touch with all sites.

“I’m in my mid-30s now and I’m happy with what we’ve achieved. I don’t regret for one moment the decision to go out on my own; there’s something very satisfying running your own business and you definitely reap the rewards of the hours you put in.”

I enjoy just about everything we have a go at. We’ve been involved in a lot of different projects... effluent systems, dairy and farm sheds, and houses.

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18 |

RURAL SERVICES » Dave McCrea Building

Business Rural

Experience ‘point of difference’ Karen Phelps Mid Canterbury-based builder Dave McCrea gets the most satisfaction out of seeing cows walking through a milking shed he has built.

“It’s about seeing a project grow from the initial meeting with a client to milking cows. I love being in the dairy industry and seeing it prosper.”

McCrea had been building for many years when he was called in to rescue a significant cowshedbuild that had started to go wrong. He took over the 100-bail shed project – which was so successful it marked the start of Dave McCrea Building in 2005.

McCrea, a licensed building practitioner and a member of Registered Master Builders, brings more than 20 years of building experience to his clients.

The company employs 10 staff.

The firm does dairy-shed design and build, and project management. Farmers typically select their own plant, with McCrea providing expertise and contacts to facilitate the process.

The company also constructs feedpads and

silage bins, and does concrete work for effluent systems, barns and sheds.

McCrea says the point of difference with his company is the experience he and his staff bring.

“My staff have worked with me for a very long time. I oversee each project and I’m on the site, hands on,” he says.

He typically focuses on one project at a time.

“This way we can finish the job in a timely manner and the client doesn’t have days where builders don’t turn up because they are off on another job.”

The considerable number of contacts he has built up also brings benefits to clients, he says.

“It means I can advise my customers on who to see for various aspects of the job.”

McCrea says the firm has been busy since its inception as a number of farms in the region have converted from cropping and sheep and beef to dairying.

Dave McCrea Building also builds houses for rural and town-based clients. Through its association with Registered Master Builders, the

Cashmere Engineering specialise in dairy sheds, structural work and pipe work, plus all types of welding.

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Ashburtonbased builder Dave McCrea brings more than 20 years of experience to his clients. firm can offer the association’s 10-year guarantees to clients.

“Registered Master Builders is the oldest and largest provider of guarantees in New Zealand and nearly 100,000 homes have been covered by the association’s guarantees over the last 20-plus years,” says McCrea. “There is a range of products, including the option to transfer the guarantee to a new owner. Only a registered master builder can offer Master Build guarantees to clients.”

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He says his company gets a lot of repeat clients.

For example, the firm has built six dairy sheds for Ngai Tahu, which Dave McCrea considers a good indication of its service and work ethic.

“I’m happy with where the business is at because it’s important to me to be hands on and offer my clients a personal service. It’s the interactions with the clients that I enjoy the most, and I get great satisfaction out of successfully completing a project.”

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RURAL SERVICES » JLD Engineering

Business Rural

| 19

Rural firm based on innovation and versatility Karen Phelps It’s a business founded on versatility in what it can do for the rural sector. JLD Engineering Ltd (formerly J L Davidson Engineering) has developed everything from poisoned carrot feeders and purpose-built trailers (including fully enclosed shuttle trailers) to grain-feeding and wool-handling equipment.

The company was formed around 30 years ago. John Haggitt worked for the business for a number of years before he and his wife, Thea, took it over two years ago. A diesel mechanic and engineer by trade, he has added specialisation in hydraulic equipment to the spectrum of skills.

He also owns and operates Hozman, a sister company offering a mobile hose and hydraulic repair service. This two complements the engineering business, he says.

Based in Hawea Flat, in Central Otago, JLD Engineering has a workshop furnished with lathes, mills, plasma cutters, folding

and bending presses. Haggitt says the firm is capable of completing all types of engineering work for its largely rural-based clientele It does repairs on farm equipment and builds new farm equipment by request. A full mobile hydraulic and engineering service with a mobile welder and plant can handle onsite engineering and repairs, including dairy machines, cattle yards and stops.

“Someone may be drilling a paddock and the drill breaks, so we rush over and fix it,” says John Haggitt. “It’s a rapid-response service we offer to farmers, and the benefits for them are reduced downtime.

“Agricultural contractors are always on a tight schedule, so one breakdown can mean jobs backing up. Getting our customers’ equipment up and running again as soon as humanly possible is what we’re about.”

He says the company works on the premise it will build anything customers request and fix anything that’s broken.

For example, it is building a big firewood screen for screening wood.

JLD Engineering’s product development and construction includes dog motels (above left), wool handling equipment (above right) and purpose-built trailers (lower left).

“We offer a complete design-and-build service. We’ve worked with the customer to solve the problem he was having and come up with the design.

The firm’s versatility was also on show when it came up with a splash-back to go behind a stove-top. It was able to retract automatically when required to give the customer a clear view from the kitchen.

Haggitt says demand for one of the company’s most successful products – the poisoned carrot feeder – is growing because of problems with rabbit over population in the region.

The feeder, designed to be towed behind a quad bike, comes with a four-speed gearbox, which allows farmers to regulate the amount of carrot being dropped. A grubber tine on the front breaks up the surface of the soil before the poisoned carrot is dropped; this helps attract rabbits to the bait.

“We don’t charge for smiles or cups of tea,” says Haggitt. “We’re a small operation and we really are here for the farmers first and foremost.”

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RURAL SERVICES » Higgins Fencing Contractors

20 |

Business Rural

Family brings on-farm touch to fencing Jo Bailey As farmers themselves, the owners of Nelsonbased Higgins Fencing Contractors claim valuable, in-built knowledge and experience when it comes to rural fencing.

Philip and Sue Higgins started the firm in 1999; their son, Sam (now operations manager), joined them in 2007. The business covers the northern part of the South Island.

“As fifth and sixth-generation farmers, Philip and Sam understand the habits and movement of stock,” says Sue Higgins.

“The design and construction of yards, including the installation of animal crushes, for many types of animals is another integral part of the business.”

The company’s activities range across sheep, deer and boundary fencing, waterways management, tree protection, windbreaks, horse arenas, driving orchard and vineyard posts, vineyard wiring, riparian fencing and floodgate construction (for private clients and councils), and wooden bridges (several for the National Cycleway).

Driving plastic posts in vineyards is a new area for the company.

“We’ve just completed a vineyard with these posts, which looks fantastic. We expect this work

to become more predominant.” she says. “We also do a lot of work for lifestyle developments. We can provide landowners with the full package – advice with paddock layouts, constructing fences and yards, even sorting out the best irrigation system for their needs and installing it.”

Over its 15-year life, the firm has built relationships with suppliers and contractors in the Nelson region. Sue Higgins says this allows Higgins Fencing to work with appropriate partners on specialised projects, source materials at competitive rates, and access the machinery and technical capability needed for projects, “If we haven’t got the expertise in one aspect of a project, we can bring in the appropriate contractors.”

The business is also involved in the residential and commercial sectors...school fencing, retaining walls, commercial and industrial fencing, security fencing, sports-ground fencing, residential fencing, piles for houses and sheds.

“We’ve even put security fencing up inside warehouses where areas need to be divided up, or where lockable areas need to be created,” says Sue Higgins.

She says Higgins Fencing is the only Nelson fencing contractor accredited by the Fencing Contractors’ Association New Zealand.

Level 3. 7 Alma Street Buxton Square Private Bag 75098 Nelson T: +64 3 548 2369 F: +64 3 546 8836

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RURAL SERVICES » Gardynes Grain

Business Rural

| 21

Oat breeders strike gold Kelly Deeks An eight-year oat breeding programme in Southland has achieved a milestone with the release of the first new milling oat cultivar in New Zealand for almost 20 years.

The new cultivar, Southern Gold L5, is a plump oat with a large groat, or kernel, and claims a small yield advantage over other varieties. However, its main advantage is said to be its quality.

Southern Gold L5 was developed by the Oat Improvement Group, a collaboration between research provider Plant Research New Zealand, which is based at Lincoln University, Southland Oat Growers, and Harraways.

Oat varieties were pollinated and crossbred at Lincoln, and evaluated in Southland.

Graeme Gardyne, of Gardyne’s Grain, provided a one-hectare area on his Chatton farm for the programme. Trials were undertaken annually with up to 3000 potential cultivars assessed to find one with the genetic traits suitable for commercial production.

Oats were assessed for traits growers were looking for – higher yields and better disease resistance – while Harraways wanted high-quality oats for processing into food products.

“What has made the programme a bit slower is the fact we’ve got multiple goals,” Gardyne says.

“The new cultivar has got to meet yield criteria as well as Harraways’ quality criteria, and that slows up the selection process. We would make serious gains if we were selecting for only one trait.”

He says cross-breeding oats is a difficult job. Plant Research New Zealand managing director Adrian Russell has been dedicated to the programme, and has been assisted by Keith

Graeme Gardyne (right), of Gardyne’s Grain, welcomes development of the the new Southern Gold L5 oat cultivar Armstrong, who developed the current cultivar, the Armstrong oat, in the 1990s.

“Armstrong is still a very good oat,” says Gardyne. “An average oat yield of 6.5 tonnes to 7 tonnes per hectare or better could generally be expected in a good growing season.”

Southern Gold L5 produced 8.5 tonnes per hectare last season, however it was a particularly good growing season.

The release of the new cultivar is a good thing for Southland’s oat industry, and will contribute to its growth...

This is the first stage of the new cultivar’s development, and there is more research and evaluation, and better things to come.

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While the yield of Southern Gold L5 is expected to be about 3% to 5% above Armstrong oats, its quality and the ability to maximise use of the grain with minimum waste were more important factors for Harraways.

Southern Gold L5 could also produce a more consistent grain size, which would provide milling benefits over current cultivars.

Gardyne says this is the first stage of the new

cultivar’s development, and there is more research and evaluation, and better things to come. In particular, the next round of re-selecting will focus on improving Southern Gold L5’s purity.

“The release of the new cultivar is a good thing for Southland’s oat industry, and will contribute to its growth,” he says.

Southern Gold L5 is available from Farmlands and Gardyne’s Grain.

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22 |

RURAL SERVICES » Russcoll Excavating

Business Rural

Part of the Russcoll Excavating fleet of earthmoving machinery.

Moving earth heavenly pastime Harrison’s Supplies Ltd specialising in automotive, industrial, agriculture and equipment

Proud to support Russcoll Contracting 59 Mersey St, Gore Phone 03 208 7299 Fax 03 208 7521 Email: hsl@ispnz.co.nz

Kelly Deeks Southland firm Russcoll Excavating recently completed a conversion for the Moseby family at Mataura – and Russell Morton is highly impressed by the project..

Planning to complement the contour of the farm was of a very high standard, says the man at the Russcoll helm.

The finished result is a credit to Ryan Moseby, the fourth generation of the Moseby family to farm this land.

“I really like the fact that he has been able to maintain the established trees and incorporate what the previous generations have created,” says Morton. “It is a credit to them all.”

Lane maintenance, water systems, and rocking pads for calving or new yards have consumed his firm’s winter months as farmers got ready for the spring.

“Last year farmers were having a magic start to their spring, but this year it is quite the opposite,” Morton says.

“In the last few weeks the phone has gone with guys needing calving pads put in, like now! Others

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Earth mover: Russell Morton (above) and his wife, Colleen, established Russcoll Excavating nine years ago. Alongside Russell is Tommy, his pet Mack truck. are really good about me attending to what is high priority, and know I will do the same for them if and when an urgent job arises.

“These clients have become good mates. We visit one another’s farms and talk over what works and, more importantly, what doesn’t.

“We are certainly not afraid of getting advice from the right sources. You can’t beat recommendations from those who have experienced success with certain systems, whether it is effluent, drainage, lanes, or water systems.”

Morton and his staff have worked on a conversion every year for the past six years, and are very proud of the farmers and their staff.

“I can learn so much from them and they certainly pick my brains with what has worked for others, it’s great,” he says. “I get most enjoyment out of being able to help them create their desired result and see it in action during the season.

“There are some very good operators out there, we wouldn’t exist without them. Those high country farms are just awesome, on a good day clearing the land is magic, you can see for miles!

“I feel privileged to be asked onto them and look back on the land that has been developed with pride. We come from a great place, I wouldn’t change that. The people I work for are such good buggers!”

Morton describes Gore-based Russcoll Excavating as a small, personalised contracting business. It wa established by Russell and Colleen Morton nine years ago.

Most of its work is in Eastern and Northern Southland. Largely in the agricultural field, with a few construction-site projects making up the balance.

• To page 23

Cnr River & Mersey St, GORE • Phone 03 208 8110 • Fax 03 208 8119 Email dean@generaltyres.co.nz • www.generaltyres.co.nz

RURAL SERVICES » South Otago Grain

Business Rural

| 23

Company beefs up plant, storage Kelly Deeks Farming in South Otago has evolved since locals set up a grain-drying, storage, and handling facility. South Otago Grain, which was established by local farmers in 1967, has continued to move with the times.

South Otago Grain grew quickly and began manufacturing stockfood shortly after its inception through the acquisition of local business Vital Stockfoods.

Today, South Otago Grain supplies stockfood made from locally grown grain for sheep, cattle, pigs, poultry, dogs, deer, birds, rabbits and horses.

In 2000, South Otago Grain upgraded its manufacturing plant to keep up with the increasing demand.

South Otago Grain general manager Mike Maley says that at certain times of the year, stockfoods need to be produced quickly, so all pellet processors, augers, and associated gear were replaced and upgraded.

“Instead of producing one tonne an hour, we now produce five tonnes an hour, so we had to speed up all of our machinery and also add more storage to store the fresh product,” he says.

Maley says the number of sheep farmed in New Zealand has halved in the last 30 years, and at least half of them have gone from South Otago.

“Dairy farmers feed a lot of grain, but they do have other options,” he says.

A lot of dairy farmers in the region have their own grain crushers these days, while others grow their own grain.

“If they do grow their own grain, or have contracts with grain growers, we can make that into a product for them,” he says.

With dairy conversions taking over much of the region’s arable land, grain is becoming harder and harder to source.

But because South Otago Grain has been around for so long, it has been able to forge and maintain good relationships with local crop farmers.

“All of our grain is sourced locally, and we also use some soy meal which we bring in from Christchurch,” Maley says.

“Pellet ingredients are tested for their protein content before being used in a recipe, in order that we can produce our products to the highest possible standard.”

PHOTOS South Otago Grain supplies stock food for sheep, cattle, pigs, poultry, dogs, deer and horses.

Vital Stockfoods’ standard and high protein calf pellets contain Bovatec, for control of coccidiosis and improved liveweight gain.

The standard pellet provides minimum protein of 15 per cent, while the high protein pellet provides minimum protein of 18%.

Maley says farmers get only one chance to develop their animals and get them off to a good start in life, and that is while they are young.

Vital Stockfoods also provides Vita-Corn Calf Rearer, a blend of high protein calf pellets

plus crushed barley, maize, and molasses, formulated by Vital Stockfoods.

Maley says the corn mix is ideal for starting calves onto solid rations: “This is ideal when you are trying to get the animals to eat feed.

“Get them on to it while they’re young and get them growing.

Products can be custom-made to farmer requirements, and Mike Maley says South Otago Grain staff are happy to share their stockfeed knowledge and offer suggestions to clients.

New scoop an asset to fleet • From page 24 It’s a one-man-band, with Morton hiring casual staff and getting a helping hand from family when needed.

“They love it. Driving in the open spaces and seeing the farms develop is something Colleen and my extended family really enjoy,” he says.

“My father, Tom, has been a real asset to the business. His knowledge, presence and retired time, I couldn’t have done without. He yarns away and keeps me on the straight and narrow, and his lunch box is always a pretty good too!”

In the tight-knit Gore community, everyone knows one another well and they certainly want to look after one another, says Morton.

“I regularly hire my machinery to the other contractors and vice versa. It makes good financial sense and keeps the machinery moving. Everyone benefits.”

He says the company’s machinery is modern, up to date and reliable, and his background as a mechanic helps when things go wrong: “I do a lot of work on high-country sheep and cattle stations around Northern Southland, which is why I invested in a new eight-metre scoop and tractor.

“This tractor will allow me to work on the high country when the weather is rough and the tiptrucks can’t manage the slippery slopes. The scoop is a real asset to my fleet, it makes short work of

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24 |

RURAL SERVICES » Think Water Leeston

Business Rural

Owen Broomhall

Think Water services: from little t Kelly Deeks Water-services business Think Water Leeston has restructured its management this year to help manage increased sales, servicing and project work, and everything that goes along with such growth – more staff, more plant, more compliance.

The firm has grown significantly since the mid1980s when Lyn and Owen Broomhall started Allied Water Systems. Sons Sam, Andy and Scott now run the business with their mum and dad keeping a watchful eye and helping when needed.

In 2009 Allied Water Systems became the first Think Water franchise in New Zealand, gaining access to a wider range products, marketing and training opportunities, and engineering expertise.

Think Water Leeston is now the largest Think Water store in Australasia.

In January this year the company appointed Ross Sinclair as general manager, then in April Tim Yellowlees arrived as retail manager. He has linked with Scott Broomhall, who looks after store sales.

The old hands who have been building systems and servicing them for years have been reinforced by Mike Mechen, David McBean, Gareth Whittington, and David Mundt. All have backgrounds in irrigation, mechanical engineering, pumping, project builds, and servicing.

Sam and Andy Broomhall have been joined by Darcy Aker in looking after project design and sales, and project management. Between them, they offer stock water, irrigation, effluent management, and metering and monitoring products and services, provide quotations, and project-manage the work to completion.

There has also been growth in the office where Julie Robertson has company from Steph Lemon and Anna Arndt. The office staff are managing the upgrade to Simpro and Xero, systems that will improve workflow management, accounting functions, and provide a customer asset database.

Tim Yellowlees says this is due, in part, to

• To page 26

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| 25

Sam Broomhall

things big things grow

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RURAL SERVICES » Think Water Leeston

Business Rural

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Canterbury’s intensive and well supported irrigation schemes, but also to Think Water’s involvement in both rural and domestic services.

“We can offer anything from servicing your water blaster to servicing your irrigator,” he says.

“We don’t just do big centre-pivots and travelling irrigators; we also have things like pop-up lawn sprinklers and subsurface, drip-irrigation systems for lawns. We’re more than just a farming irrigation store.”

People are starting to think of how their lawns and gardens will be affected when councils start to charge for water use over a certain limit, he says.

“People still want to have a nice lawn and garden, but they now have to think about not leaving their sprinklers running.

“Come and have a chat, and we’ll give you some options, such as rain-water storage. Everyone’s requirements are different.”

A lot of new residential subdivisions going up in the Selwyn district, and Yellowlees urges housebuilders to bring in their plans and have an irrigation system mapped out for their land.

Even though the dairy industry is facing a low

payout this season, farmers aren’t stopping with their irrigation, he says: “They are committed to the Central Plains irrigation schemes, and they want cost-effective systems that will give the best performance and value per hectare.

“We listen to what our customers want, and we try to find the most efficient and cost-effective way of getting liquid on to their land.

He says Think Water Leeston is getting a lot of enquiries about rain guns. A new high-tech product from Cobra is capable of low application depths and rates, and spreading over large distances.

New dairy sheds continue to go up in the area, with Think Water Leeston completing the water systems for five shed-builds since April.

While understanding change is inevitable to keep up with client requirements, the Broomhalls insist the business maintains its family feel.

The Broomhall family’s connection to the district remains strong with continued sponsorship of sports clubs, organisations, events, and individuals.

A three-year sponsorship of the ripper teams with Leeston Rugby Football Club, and a 20-year deal to provide pivot irrigation to the new South Island Agricultural Field Days site on Courtenay Rd, Kirwee are some of the latest initiatives.

RURAL SERVICES » Irrigation New Zealand

Business Rural

| 27

‘Smart’ framework set up for irrigators Irrigation New Zealand is preaching smart irrigation.

The SMART (Sustainably Managed, Accountable, Responsible and Trusted) irrigation framework is a three-step process.

It requires: • Irrigation systems to be designed to industry standards and codes of practice.

• Annual checks on irrigation systems to check performance.

• Users to justify why they are applying for irrigation.

Irrigation NZ says the programme sets out to help irrigators use their water efficiently, evaluate their system regularly, and keep ahead of technical and environmental issues.

Education and training resources have been aligned under this umbrella. The framework also links into the organisation’s accreditation programmes for irrigation design, farm-dairyeffluent design and water measurement.

The programme has been developed in response to polling that revealed public perceptions of irrigation needed tackling.

The SMART Irrigation website (www. smartirrigation.co.nz) details SMART irrigator case studies, outlines training opportunities and accreditation guidelines, and provides industry codes-of-practice updates.

IrrigationNZ’s Blue Tick water measurement accreditation programme provides guidelines,

standards and performance benchmarks for companies offering water measurement-services to the irrigation industry.

The aim is to create national consistency of service and outputs.

To get the “blue tick”, accredited companies must install, verify and offer data-management services that comply with national guidelines for the measurement and reporting of water-takes under the Resource Management Regulations 2010. The programme is supported by resources and training courses.

Providers are accredited once their water measurement-skills and systems have met industry standards. A user guide is available to ease water-

permit holders through the decision-making process for full-pipe (water-meter) and openchannel installations. http://irrigationaccreditation. co.nz/watermeasurement/ Irrigation NZ also hosted its second Water Meter Master Class to discuss issues facing the watermeasurement industry. Around 30 participants from New Zealand and Australia spent two days discussing verification and data management.

Topics included the national standardisation of data management, challenges around in-situ verification, and how the Australian pattern approval of water meters could be adopted in New Zealand.

Participants also visited Meter Services Ltd’s laboratory, the only water-meter testing facility in New Zealand that is IANZ accredited to ISO 17025.

IrrigationNZ project manager Charlotte Butler, who organised the workshop, says industry support was stronger than in the first year, with around 60% of those attending coming from water measurement companies.

“Given the discussions, higher numbers of registrations and positive feedback, we’re confident there’s enough interest to follow up with another master class,” she says.

Workshop presentations from the master class: www.irrigationnz.co.nz.

Irrigation New Zealand’s new SMART Irrigation framework is a three-step programme that aims help irrigators use water efficiently, evaluate their system regularly, and keepahead of technical and envirornmental issues.

28 |

SILAGE CONTRACTORS » Mehrtens Ag Services

Business Rural

Evolution not revolution for ‘new’ boys Kelly Deeks Plunket Electrical may be under new directorship, but it’s still in old hands. New directors Mark Rawson and Kelly O’Driscoll have been involved in the business for a number of years, and both have been shareholders nearly 10 years.

They say their customers can expect the same level of service they got from the previous owners, Mike Rawson and Robbie Julius, who bought the business in 1979. O’Driscoll and Rawson also acknowledge the support and guidance they have received from their two former business partners.

Plunket Electrical was founded in Oamaru by Maurice Plunket in 1944. Since Rawson and Julius took over, the company has increased its presence in the rural sector, working on dairy sheds, plant, irrigation, and farm offices, and more recently becoming the installer and service company for Lely robotic milking systems.

Plunket Electrical now has branches in Oamaru, Timaru and Waimate, with 53 staff servicing North Otago and South Canterbury.

O’Driscoll says the company’s rural focus has seen it gain experience in the construction of dairy sheds, irrigation, and grain-feeding systems.

In recent years Plunket Electrical has evolved with the agriculture industry and associated technology, and expanded its activities into robotic milking systems and control systems.

“Farmers are taking on this new technology fairly quickly,” says O’Driscoll.

“They have had Protrack systems in their dairy sheds for a while, and they are getting really used to things like that.

“Having all of this information is helping the farmers a lot, and a lot of it can save them on labour costs. I can see the new generation of farmers taking up new technology really quickly.”

The new owners have put emphasis on training and educating their staff to allow them to keep up with new technology and assist farmers.

The company has a good record on training, and currently employs 15 apprentices, says Rawson.

PHOTOS Right: Mark Rawson (left) and Kelly O’Driscoll... the new directors of Plunket Electrical Below: An increasing amount of Plunket Electrical’s rural work is involved with water and irrigation. Grain-feeding systems is another area of increasing involvement.

“Bringing new people through into our industry is high up on our list of priorities,” he says. “We take part in the Electrical Contractors’ Association of New Zealand apprentice challenge every year, and in the last eight years, we’ve had six guys in the national finals.

“We’re pretty proud of that, and the guys get a good sense of achievement out of it as well.”

Plunket Electrical is also now doing an

Bringing new people through into our industry is high up on our list of priorities. We take part in the Electrical Contractors’ Association of New Zealand apprentice challenge every year, and in the last eight years, we’ve had six guys in the national finals.

increasing amount of its rural work with water and grain-feeding systems.

“With water being the essential commodity it is, farmers are trying to use what water they have in the most efficient way possible, watering at the right times and not exceeding their allocations,” says O’Driscoll.

“We’re also aware dairy farmers want to get as

much production out of their cows as they can, so grain-feeding systems are becoming more popular as they try to get more molasses, grain and other additives into their cows.”

Plunket Electrical also has a data and security division, which has been helping farmers keep their stock and plant secure with cameras and alarm systems.

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SILAGE CONTRACTING » B A Murray Contracting

Business Rural

| 29

Old firm driven by technology Karen Phelps It’s a family company started 65 years ago. And B A Murray Contracting’s founder, Bryan Murray, now aged 84, still gets out on the job.

“For us, it’s all about what the customer wants and delivering it to them,” says Bryan’s son and company managing director, Stephen Murray.

Bryan grew up on a farm and the beginnings of the company emerged when the family bought a tractor to do their farmwork. This soon extended to work on other farms in the area, and B A Murray Contracting was born.

The company’s services include cultivation, seeding and heading, baling and silage. It also offers a landscape maintenance service, which includes section clearing, cultivation, and clearing and hedge trimming for commercial clients.

Stephen Murray, who came into the business full-time in the 1990s, brings a sound business background with him.

“Today farming is a business, and a hard business,” says Murray, who runs his own farm and is a zone councillor and past director of Rural Contractors New Zealand.

“It’s about farming smarter, and farmers need a contractor who understands this.”

He says B A Murray Contracting therefore places emphasis on providing a cost effective service without compromising results.

An important aspect of this philosophy has been investing in technology to do the job well.

For example, over the past two years, the firm has invested in GPS technology to allow tractors to self-steer. GPS technology is also used in drilling equipment.

This has brought many benefits to both the company, drivers and customers, says Murray: “It allows the driver to focus on other aspects of the job, and from a cost perspective, it saves money by increasing accuracy to within an inch.

Because we don’t do any additional runs, we save diesel; and we save seed when drilling by not overrunning – the machine senses when it gets to a boundary and automatically shuts off.”

Because of the number of farmers converting, the dairy industry now forms the mainstay of the firm’s clientele, and this has brought specific demands from clients.

“They require contracting services that are on time every time. The quality of the harvest is even more important for them and grass needs to be harvested at the right time.”

BA Murray Contracting employs 12 staff and works in the wider Canterbury region. The company is a member of Rural Contractors New Zealand and was judged New Zealand Contractor of the Year in 2002.

Today farming is a business, and a hard business. It’s about farming smarter, and farmers need a contractor who understands this.

We are proud to support B.A. Murray Canterbury-based B A Murray Contracting specialises in silage, harvesting, cultivation, seeding and baling.

Adjusting to the changing nature of farming has helped the company succeed, says Stephen.

“We believe our reputation for providing quality agricultural and farming services in Canterbury is only as good as our last job, which is why we always work to exceed our standards every time.

We recognise technology and we move with the times. We’re always looking for new ways to do things.

“As we have met a lot of different farmers with different ideas about how to do things, we have learned a lot over the years, which we can pass onto our customers. It’s about showing them how to get the best out of their paddocks. With a strong business model, we can adapt and respond to customers quickly.”

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30 |

SILAGE CONTRACTING » Mehrtens Ag

Business Rural

Growth leads to new structure for management Kelly Deeks A new management structure at agricultural services company Mehrtens Ag Services is allowing the business to remain robust, reputable, and sustainable in an area where farm sizes and production are both on the increase.

Mehrtens Ag now has a business manager, Jake Vargo (from a corporate background), an operations manager, Nigel Kirk (who was one of the company’s machine operators for a number of years), and a fleet manager, mechanic Craig Scarlett (who left Mehrtens Ag to gain experience with John Deere and Claas before returning to run the workshop).

Managing director and co-owner Steve Macaulay says the Oxford, Canterbury-based firm, has been on a steady growth curve since it was established 30 years ago by Kevin Mehrtens – and even more so in the last 15 years as the Waimakariri irrigation scheme has come through.

The scheme now provides water to 18,000 hectares, and production in the district has increased five-fold, he says.

Mehrtens and Macaulay both come from farming backgrounds in Oxford, and have a good understanding of the local soil and climatic conditions.

“We’re focused on serving the guys we serve well,” Macaulay says. “We don’t travel too far for the work, we’re more focused on servicing our local

We’re focused on serving the guys we serve well. community. We have a big focus on employing locally as far as we can, with some overseas guys for the seasonal work. We’re also focused on supporting our community, sponsoring most of our local sports teams and community organisations.”

He describes Mehrtens Ag as a one-stop, problem-solving provider of forage services in the Waimakariri district. It is available for cultivation, silage, drilling, bailing, harvesting, trucking, digging, and farm maintenance services.

The payout to dairy farmers may be plunging this season but Macaulay says Mehrtens Ag will continue to provide an efficient service regardless.

“The dairy guys will try to cut as many costs as possible or drive production as much as possible,” he says.

“In low payout years, farmers will hold off buying a new machine and gets us in to do the work instead, or they might decide to grow a more low-cost crop rather than buying it in. We fit in to both ends of the spectrum.”

He says there is a trend in the Waimakariri district towards bulk silage, as farmers seek to reduce the cost of feed conversion and supplements are used in bigger volumes on higherproduction farms.

Mehrtens Ag Services is available for baling, silage, cultivation, drilling, harvesting, trucking, digging and farm maintenance work.

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SILAGE CONTRACTING » Rod Fox Contracting

Business Rural

| 31

Contracting firm sticks to its knitting Sue Russell Otago-based Rod Fox Contracting Ltd has experienced strong growth over the last three years, something operations manager Stu Millar says comes down to getting the basic building blocks of a business servicing the rural industries right.

“We have built strong and trusting relationships with our clients. Growth has come by word of mouth and just getting the basics right. We’ve not diversified so much that we can’t keep a check on quality and deliver our services at a consistently high level.”

The company has been busy servicing the rural industries in the region for more than 30 years. It has a core permanent staff of five and a reliable call-in squad of the same number. Between them they concentrate mainly on silage and excavation work, busy on the slipstream of demand for irrigation systems to support the South Island’s burgeoning dairy industry.

Stu Millar hails from Ayrshire, Scotland but

The Rod Fox Contracting team concentrates mainly on silage and excavation work.

• To page 32

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Seal Imports opens branch in Dunedin Seal Imports’ new Dunedin branch is providing enhanced service to the company’s markets in the lower South Island, says manager Paul Dunbar.

“We opened the branch here to service our existing customer base from the Waitaki River south, and the response has been great. We are in an excellent location with really good street frontage and signage on the main thoroughfare along the wharf. This has put us in close proximity to many of our customers who are enjoying the convenience.”

The firm is Australasia’s largest stockist and supplier of hydraulic and pneumatic seals, o-rings and bushes through its network of branches in Auckland, Hamilton, Wellington, Christchurch, Brisbane, Townsville, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide; and the new Dunedin branch, which was officially opened in April.

Seal Imports also has a manufacturing arm called Seal Innovations which is located in Hamilton.

Dunbar worked at the Christchurch branch for four-and-half-years before shifting his family south to take on the management of the Dunedin operation, where he is assisted by Brendon Martin, who is “very clued up” and already knew a lot of the firm’s customers having worked in the local area for the last few years.

Seal Imports buys direct from the world’s leading seal suppliers and manufacturers, giving its customers competitive prices with full technical support.

The firm services a broad range of clients from sectors including agricultural, engineering, hydraulic, pneumatic, industrial, manufacturing, and automotive.

“The applications for our products are endless.

We do everything from supplying an o-ring for a garden tap, or someone needing a seal for a fuel gauge in a classic car through to a hydraulic ram on a crane. Then there is the full range of industrial and manufacturing applications. It’s very hard to narrow it down one sector.”

Seal Imports continues to trade strongly in the rural sector. It is a supplier to Fonterra’s dairy processing plants with other clients including agricultural stores, engineers and farm machinery manufacturers.

Farmers, like the rest of the public are always welcome to pop into the firm’s retail outlet and buy direct, either via cash sales, or on account, says Dunbar.

“We have over 40,000 products in stock in Dunedin, and just over one million parts held in Hamilton. However if we can’t find what the customer is looking for we will either source it, or have it made by our Hamilton manufacturing facility. We have a great team there. There is very little we can’t do.”

The food and beverage; and wine and bottling sectors are the latest markets to be targeted by Seal Imports.

“We are starting to provide a lot of seals for customers involved with food packaging and bottling processes, and expect this to continue to be a growing market.”

Dunbar travels widely throughout the region to talk to existing and potential clients.

“The best way to increase our market share is to get on the road and talk to people face to face. I’ve been travelling to the bigger towns like Invercargill, Alexandra, Cromwell, Wanaka and Oamaru, and all the smaller places in between.”

Seal Imports was founded in New Zealand in 1983 due to an industry-wide need for availability of higher quality o-rings and seals.

The firm later moved into the Australian market, with its branches in both countries offering same day or overnight delivery.

After just six months servicing the lower South Island, Dunbar is happy with the progress being made by the new Dunedin operation.

“We came here primarily to service our existing customers but knowing we had the potential for growth. To see this happening is really pleasing.”

32 |

ON FARM » Falcon Farms

Business Rural

Harness racing is an off-farm hobby for Balfour-based farmer Kelvin Reed. He is pictured with capable mid-grade pacer Cam Before The Storm. Kelvin’s wife Gloria (above) organises the 23 staff and helps out at key times like calving.

At 74 Kelvin still enjoys a challenge Karen Phelps He may be aged 74, but rather than considering retirement South Island farmer Kelvin Reed is still growing his dairy operation. He has just bought a new farm to add to his rural portfolio.

“Why have I done it? I just enjoy a challenge,” says Kelvin.

Reed0 grew up on a dairy farm in Opunake and clearly has a passion for the rural industry.

His progression has been the result of good old-fashioned hard work. He bought his first farm – 48ha in Pihama, Taranaki milking 120 cows – in the early ‘70s after working in a dairy factory and managing farms to save the deposit. He owned the farm for the next 18 years managing to buy a second farm of a similar size nearby.

But like most business people, not everything he has touched has turned to gold. The second farm was sold and he dabbled in kiwifruit planting 3ha of his farm, which got wiped out by Cyclone Bola in 1988. He also had shares in the first limousin heifer brought into New Zealand, which he says did not make him any richer but was an interesting experience.

Kelvin hasn’t limited his business interests to farming – he also owns the Coronation Hotel in Eltham, which he ran for a number of years and now leases to an operator.

He made the decision to sell his first farm in 1991, as he couldn’t expand further. It was then he made the move south when he bought a 283ha farm at Makarewa, Invercargill and milked 550-600 cows. Extra land was purchased, taking the farm up

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to 400ha before it was sold in 1997.

Now based at Balfour, he owns six dairy farms, three run-offs and leases another under his company Falcon Farms. The farms are at Balfour, Riversdale and Mandeville giving a total of 2428ha milking 3700 predominantly friesian and friesian cross cows.

His most recent purchase was a 205ha farm at Riversdale, which milks 550 cows through a 54 bail rotary dairy. Like most of his other farms this one too is dry land with no irrigation and Reed says he was attracted to the property for the challenges it provided. Investment has already been made into the farm in terms of fertiliser, spraying weeds and re-grassing 20ha. Around 26ha of the farm will be planted with summer turnips and fodder beet to carry the stock through the dry months of December to February. On this farm Reed is targeting 190,000 kilograms of milk solids this season.

Over the whole business the farms employ 23 staff in total and are predominantly run

by managers (only one farm is on a 50:50 sharemilking contract with Kelvin’s son, Greg, and Greg’s wife, Anne Marie). Kelvin says this gives him more control over his operation. Kelvin’s wife, Gloria, organises the staff and helps out at key times of the season such as calving. Kelvin oversees the farms and also gets out on the tractor.

A full-time tractor driver is also employed as all the cropping, apart from sowing, is done in house.

The farms are supported by four run-off blocks totalling 785ha used for winter grazing, growing crop and silage. This year Kelvin is experimenting with palm kernel planning to feed two kilograms per day for two months over summer.

Kelvin is targeting 1.5 million kilograms of milksolids over all the units this season. Despite the size of the business, he has no plans to slow down.

“We’re actually looking at another farm now.

When I was young, my mother and father didn’t have anything and their days were tough so I wanted to have my own land. I just enjoy farming because it’s always a challenge.”

‘We don’t try to do everything’ • From page 31 is very much a proud South Islander these days.

Since shifting out here in 2006 he has worked in most districts.

When asked if he has one main job he focuses on, the answer is “Not really, I get about and pretty much do anything”, though time is regularly spent in the office taking care of the admin and keeping track of the work the team has on its plate.

He feels Rod Fox Contracting is in a good space in terms of the nature of work it specialises in.

“This is a very competitive industry and I think one of the reasons we have grown so significantly in the past few years is due to the fact we don’t try to do everything like some contractors do. For instance, we specialise in silage, excavation cartage and heavy transport.”

The company often works with two other Otago based rural companies, Middlemarch Excavation Ltd and Joe Herbert Contracting. Over the last three years they have helped one another by stepping in when extra machinery and manpower is needed to

... we specialise in silage, excavation cartage and heavy transport. cope with peak seasonal demands.

“This has worked out really well for us. It means we can maintain our focus on delivering quality on time to our customers as much as we possibly can while specialising in our own areas of expertise.”

The company has a fleet of six tip-trucks, four excavators and a full silage crew.

Another arm of the business is the heavy transporter used for carting forestry machinery in the Otago and Southland areas.

The firm also offers workshop services and supplies oil and inoculants in the local area and the new yard in Milton also have a fuel stop.

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Business Rural

ON FARM » Evert & Catteliyne van Sante

| 33

Farm ownership ends long journey Kelly Deeks Southland dairy farmers Evert and Cattelijne van Sante have moved from a 1200-cow, contractmilking job at Hedgehope to their own 300-cow farm at Tussock Creek this season.

The van Santes bought the 100-hectare farm last season, and converted it from a grazing block to a dairy farm with a 36-a-side herringbone dairy shed with automatic cup removers.

They put a lower-order sharemilker on the farm last season, and Evert van Sante says he did a great job. But it is now time for the couple to take a step back to a smaller herd and enjoy life on their own farm. van Sante says they liked the farm’s location – just 15 minutes from both Invercargill and Winton.

The nice, flat contour of the farm was also a huge selling point.

The van Santes immigrated to New Zealand from Holland 10 years ago. Evert had been working as a farm assistant on a 60-cow farm in Holland, and they were keen to work their way through the dairy industry in New Zealand and, one day, own their own farm.

They had heard Southland was the best area in New Zealand for growing pastures, and there were plenty of dairy jobs and opportunities to work on large farms.

They worked as herd managers for two seasons at Winton and Lumsden before moving to Hedgehope.

Balage is fed out on the feedpad at the van Sante farm at Tussock Creek, in Southland.

Evert van Sante says this season has started differently to last, with rain, sleet, and snow providing challenging conditions at calving time.

“Still, we were calving only three to six cows per day, when last year we were calving 35 a day,” he says. “It was a big change for us. Instead of five staff we now only have one.”

Cattelijne gave birth to the couple’s second child in May, but is already back to work calf rearing and milking.

Last season the lower-order sharemilker on the Tussock Creek farm was feeding out with

palm-kernel trailers, which van Sante says made quite a bit of mess in the paddocks even when the weather was dry. After feeding out about half of the contracted palm kernel with trailers, van Sante put a meal-feeding system into the dairy shed.

The Tussock Creek farm achieved production of 1400 kilograms of milksolids per hectare last season; the target this season is the same.

If bad weather does become prevalent, van Sante is confident his feedpad, where the cows are fed balage will help. But he is also keen to look into

shelter options for next season so that he can gain more control and save more pasture.

His cows’ body condition was good for calving, with the cows coming back from wintering with Malcolm Sinclair, at Wyndham, who van Sante says did a good job.

Van Sante worked hard on maintaining body condition going into mating, feeding three kilograms of palm kernel through the dairy shed. He will start to build up body condition again in March, to give him the cows a good start for next winter.

They likes the farm’s location – just 15 minutes from both Invercargill and Winton. The nice, flat contour of the farm was also a huge selling point.

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34 |

ON FARM » Helen & James Hartshorne

Business Rural

Stable family life key driver for sharemilkers Karen Phelps Helen and James Hartshorne were drawn to New Zealand from the United Kingdom because of the opportunities they saw for farmers in the New Zealand sharemilking system. They say they have no overall goal of farm ownership, but rather are seeking to create a sustainable income for themselves balanced against the needs of caring for their young family.

“We’ve worked really hard to get to where we are,” say Helen Hartshorne, as she is out completing a pasture walk with the couple’s young baby strapped to her front.

“But bigger is not always better when it comes to your dairy business. We want to enjoy what we do and enjoy our family while creating a good

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livelihood. It’s about creating balance as our family grows.”

Neither of the Hartshornes grew up on a farm but they did have farming relatives, and from an early age, holidays and weekends were spent on farms.

James did an exchange to New Zealand as part of his agricultural diploma in the UK, which is when he became interested in the possibilities offered by the New Zealand system. Helen, meanwhile, was completing a Bachelor of Agricultural Science degree. They met at the Royal Welsh Show and decided to head to New Zealand in 2000.

They began working in Canterbury, James as a dairy-farm assistant and Helen as a relief milker for an agency. Their aim was to learn the ropes.

“Dairy farms are typically much larger in New Zealand, so we went from farming 100 cows to 800 cows, which is a big difference in how you do things,” says Helen.

They moved around farms in Canterbury over the next six years, building experience and progressing through the system. In 2006 they were ready to go sharemilking and took on a 900-cow, lower-order sharemilking position at Balclutha.

Three years later, they moved to the 172-hectare effective (187ha total) farm at Tapanui owned by Hennie and Gea Amtink where they are still based.

This season they are milking 580 friesian crossbred cows through a 41-a-side herringbone shed with no mod cons. The farm has a concrete feedpad for 300 cows and a riverstone stand-off area.

Helen says they have developed an extremely positive working relationship with the Amtinks, which has benefited both parties: “They feel confident investing in the farm because of the trust we have developed. We can now grow better feed and use it better, which has allowed us to increase the stocking rate. All this, of course, is good for us as it helps us to increase production.”

Re-grassing and 15 kilometres of Novaflow drainage has helped significantly improve pastures, enabling the Hartshornes to increase production to

• To page 35

A feedpad (top) and riverstone stand-off area on this Tapanui farm owned by Hennie and Gea Amtink.

Sharemilkers James and Helen Hartshorne are milking a 580-cow herd on the property.

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ON FARM » John & Colleen Neustroski

Business Rural

| 35

Winton farmers go back to basics Kelly Deeks Winton dairy farmers John and Colleen Neustroski are going back to basics this season, with no feed contracted in, their 600 cows will be fed all grass and silage, with the couple focussing on getting the best out of their pastures.

The Neustroskis are running 600 cows on the farm they have owned for the past eight years. After sharemilking in the Waikato for six seasons, the couple shifted to Southland for a sharemilking job in 1993.

“We stayed on that property for six seasons,” Neustroski says. “In our first year we calved 570 cows, and in our last season we calved 1100.”

The couple then bought a 300 cow farm at Otautau, before selling up and buying the Winton farm as well as a 100ha run off block at Dipton.

The Winton farm was a self contained unit with all stock wintered and all young stock raised on the farm. It was running a small rotary dairy shed and producing 130,000kg milksolids from 300 cows.

The Neustroskis moved wintering and young stock to their Dipton run off block, built up to 600 cows on the Winton farm and built a new, fully automated 54 bale rotary dairy shed.

About four years ago they purchased another 58ha run off block near Centre Bush, which is now used to graze calves and heifers, as well as cutting about 200,000kgs of silage for the dairy farm.

This season the couple are going back to an all grass system, having fed out a bit of palm kernel last season due to the high pay out, as well as wanting better body condition on their

John and Colleen Neustroski run 600 cows and are going back to an all-grass system this season.

We were losing a bit too much condition off our rising three-year-olds... young stock before mating.

“We were losing a bit too much condition off our rising three year olds through the early part of the season,” Neustroski says. “We were also hoping to prevent so many empties in that age group as well, and we got their empty rate down to 2% last season. Their condition was much better and we were able to milk them longer into the autumn.”

The couple achieved production of 272,000kgs milksolids last season.

The high pay out last season also had the Neustroskis investing a bit more into extra solid fertiliser to boost P levels on one part of the farm where they are below the rest of the farms levels of 34 to 35. While they usually use 200

Couple’s focus on profitability • From page 34 270,000 kilograms of milksolids from 525 cows last season – up from the farm’s previous best of 190,000kg.

The Hartshornes’ own herd is also improving through culling and better breeding.

“We came here with an odds, bits and bobs herd,” says Helen. “Assisting the owners to improve the farm has helped our cows as well.

We are artificially inseminating each year using Ambreed genetics and we’re not breeding purely on production; we place a big emphasis on longevity (feet, udders, temperament) and milking speed.”

This is part of the couple’s goal to focus firmly on profitability rather than production.

“We can’t control the weather or milk payout, but we can control our farm working-expenses.

Everything we buy, we look to see a return.”

This year, for the first time, they are growing fodder beet and fed it over the past winter to try to gain more control over their winter feed and budget.

“Fodder beet is cheaper supplement and it helps us to put better condition on the cows over winter.

We took good advice and we had no problem transitioning the cows onto it.”

Both the Hartshornes are very hands-on in their farming business. They have three children: Ben, 5,

Our priority is stability for the children and for family life. We want to to concentrate on doing really well on this farm and enjoying the kids while they’re little.

Sam, 20 months and Kate, one month.

The couple say their ultimate goal is not farm ownership – although this is still a possibility it’s not a focus.

“Our priority is stability for the children and for family life,” says Helen Hartshorne.

“We’re not chasing moving jobs or increasing cow numbers. We want to concentrate on doing really well on this farm and enjoying the kids while they’re little. Our aim is to achieve financial freedom. It’s not about being asset rich and cash poor. We’re creating an income and a future through sharemilking.”

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units of nitrogen, last season they used 180 units and still grew a lot more grass.

Neustroski is confident going back to an all grass system this season, targeting 260,000kgs milksolids and saying he knows the Winton farm consistently grows between 17 to 19 tons of dry matter every year.

The farm has been contract milked by Nathan Gold for the past two seasons, although he worked there under the previous contract milkers Charlie and Delwyn McGregor for five years as well. Gold has one full time and one part time staff member.

Neustroski says in this lower pay out year, monitoring and updating of cash flow as the year progresses is more important, as is the communication of any cash flow changes to all involved parties.

Neustroski spends a lot of time on cultivation, with his own aerator he aerates the heavy clay soils on the dairy farm, and uses his own drill to direct drill annual rye grass into the Dipton run off block after winter.

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36 |

ON FARM » Mark & Amber Hutchins

Business Rural

New herd was ‘hard going to start with’ Jo Bailey Mark and Amber Hutchins have taken another step in their dairy farming career. The lower-order sharemilkers started as contract-milkers with Dairy Holdings six years ago, and this season have managing Lamesen Holdings.

“Moving to a farm with really good soils is a treat as the smaller property we managed for Dairy Holdings down the road was an old forestry block with fairly rough, hungry country,” says Mark Hutchins.

“We were there five years and spent a lot of time developing the farm to the stage we put a pivot on it last year. We achieved a hell of a lot, but were ready to move onto a new challenge.”

The Hutchins are establishing an entirely new 1000-cow herd at Lamasen, a 297-hectare (effective) farm on the outskirts of Dunsandel, in Central Canterbury. The herd is made up of 480 of their own cows, with the balance sourced from two other “well established” Dairy Holdings herds.

“Around 400 cows came from herringbone sheds, so we had to train them onto the rotary platform,” says Mark.

“It was hard going to start with. We employed an extra guy to help us push the cows on, as we were getting a bit sore from being rammed in the yards.”

Most of the cows adapted fairly quickly, he says.

However it took a couple of weeks before a few of the “older girls” finally adjusted.

The Hutchins employed some visiting backpackers to assist with calving, but dropped back to their regular four staff by early September.

Mark says there were a few teething problems in the property’s older 50-bail rotary cowshed at the start of the season, but these were quickly resolved by a local engineer.

“You don’t always see that things aren’t working too well until they’ve got a bit of pressure on them,” he says.

The addition of automatic cup removers has made a big difference to milking, he says.

“Around 90 per cent of the herd can now be

Team Lamasen: Tash and Lotte Thomas, Mark Hutchins, Amber and Beau Hutchins, Bobbylee Ross, Michael Thompson, Louie Lopez, Bob Asibal and Darren Thomas (front) with Oliver Thomas. milked by one person. The automation saves us having to employ two more staff, and gives our team a lot more time out of the shed, which they appreciate.”

He was fully involved in the shed during the early transition to the new farm, but once the herd was re-trained onto the rotary platform, he took a step back to concentrate on the overall management of the dairy unit.

“I enjoy taking more of an overview and I’m pretty sure our staff like the responsibility of being in control of the shed.”

Production targets have been set at 400,000 kilograms of milksolids – 400 kg/cow – from an all grass-based system with a bit of silage, which is is a bit of an unknown given that this is the first

To own 480 cows and have all our gear paid off is great. The next step is to continue to increase the number of cows we own in the herd, with the ultimate goal of owning the whole herd within the next few years

If anyone can make it rain, Rainer can!

season milking an new herd on a new property.

Development-wise, Hutchins plans to re-grass a lot of the property’s older grasses, patch up some of the old fencing, and put in new fencing.

“Some of the paddocks are 14ha, with just one trough in the middle. We have new troughs going in shortly, and intend to split some of the paddocks in half to make management easier.”

Amber Hutchins helps with calving, office work and staff housing, and looks after the couple’s oneyear-old son, Beau.

“We’re in the process of having a red-zoned house transported out from Christchurch for our new second in command, which will give the property three bigger houses and one small cottage.”

Hutchins says that over all, he and Amber are happy with the progress they’re making through the sharemilking ranks.

“To own 480 cows and have all our gear paid off is great.

“The next step is to continue to increase the number of cows we own in the herd, with the ultimate goal of owning the whole herd within the next few years, depending on Dairy Holdings’ plans.”

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ON FARM » Nathan Cook & Vicki Welsh

Business Rural

| 37

Conversion and children keep couple busy Sue Russell Nathan Cook and Vicki Welsh very much enjoy the dairying life, though right now the couple have a lot on their plate, coming to grips with working on a very recently converted sheep-to-dairy farm just out of Riverton, in Western Southland.

Nathan Cook is taking the changes in his stride, having worked one way or another in farming since the age of 16 and coming from a farming family.

The 216-hectare (effective) gentle, rolling farm – 25 minutes from Invercargill, closer still to Riverton and just down the road from Otautau – has good heavy soils.

It also has a new, DeLaval 54-bail, rotary shed on the property owned by the couple and Vicki’s father, Keith Welsh “I did the cow-purchasing side and Vicki’s dad took care of the infrastructure needed to convert the farm” says Nathan. “Fortunately, we could use the existing sheep lanes to develop the races.”

Describing this spring as the hardest season he’s farmed through, with 150 millilitres of rain in

I did the cow-purchasing side and Vicki’s dad took care of the infrastructure needed to convert the farm.

October alone, Nathan says he’s expecting a solid, total production level in the vicinity of 245,000 kilograms of milksolids.

“We’ve invested well with additional feed of 2kg per cow per day of dairy meal pallets as well as balage to enhance condition. We wanted them in in the best possible condition for mating.”

The 60 per cent, crossbred ‘black-cross’/40% friesian herd was sourced from several farms.

Cook plans to introduce more friesian into the 610cow herd.

Nathan Cook and Vicki Welsh with their children: from left, Belle, Macey and Tyson.

The couple milk a 610 cow herd on a recently converted farm near Riverton.

The couple employ two full-time staff. Troy Henderson came with them from the farm they had been managing, and Tania Devery is the milkharvester (they milk twice daily). Keith Welsh does the feeding out and Vicki rears the calves.

The couple have three children – Belle, who turns six in December; four-and-a-half-year-old Macey; and 19-month-old son Tyson.

“Ashley Kennedy, who lives in Riverton, takes care of the kids, so that Vicki can do pasture walks once a week. Vicki takes care of the books for our equity, and also the farms,” says Cook.

His goal longer term is to 500kg milksolids per cow in a season. He is working towards this through a two-pronged process – creating more dairying pasture, and improving genetics through selective breeding.

Farm adviser Alex Hunter is also a part of the

development of the new farm. His wife, Miranda, helped with the conversion-consent processes.

“Alex is a great support,” says Cook. “He gives me excellent advice, but ultimately leaves the decisions up to me. I am more than happy to ring him, and communication with him is really easy.”

The local discussion group is another source of information sharing and support. Topics discussed have included mating, feed management and pasture rotation.

The choice of the DeLaval shed came down to history. Cook had no problems with a DeLaval on a previous farm, so decided to stay with it.

“The shed is smart enough for me with automatic drafting and milk meters for each cow. It means you can keep track of the situation of each cow and link it to condition. It’s a nice shed to work in.”

Nathan Cook and Vicki Welsh’s new 54-bail DeLaval dairy shed accentuates the gentle, rolling nature of the 216-hectare farm they have recently converted.

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ON FARM » Rylib Group

38 |

Business Rural

Backing instincts secret to Jo Bailey Most dairy farmers have ambitions to own their own farm. However John and Kelly Nicholls have taken that dream a giant step further.

Over the last decade, their company, Rylib Group, has grown significantly in Mid Cantebury and now has five farms under its ownership, plus another in the South Wairarapa area.

One of the extraordinary things about the Nicholls’ story is that neither had a scrap of dairy farming experience before they decided to buy a 205-hectare sheep farm at Featherston (Wairarapa) in 1996 and convert it to a 440-cow dairy unit.

“We both came from corporate backgrounds and John had never milked a cow,” says Kelly Nicholls. “ However, we had a clear plan to develop a business that would put us in a position of choice.”

With no history of dairy farming, and a 100-year drought hitting in their second season, the first few years were tough. Kelly returned to full-time work to keep their dream alive, and over the next three years, they drew virtually nothing from the farm business.

“We had to dig deep and just run with it. What we learned was to surround ourselves with the best people we could afford to help us learn and drive the business forward.”

In 2005 they sold the North Island farms and bought the Ma Taua and the Fairmont farms, both in Mid Canterbury.

Next they bought the Delarbe Farm, near Hinds in 2008, added Hauroa to their portfolio in 2009, and in 2013 bought the Haslett block, a 340ha sheep farm that has just been converted into two identical dairy farms, Kaiora and Mahanga, each milking around 775 cows.

“We could have built an 80-bail shed on the

Rylib Group, set up by John and Kelly Nicholls (right), has grown significantly in Mid Canterbury, now owning five farms like the one above. Rylib has six dairy units in total, employing 28 full-time staff.

We both came from corporate backgrounds and John had never milked a cow. However we had a clear plan to grow a business that would put us in a position of choice.

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ON FARM » Rylib Group

Business Rural

| 39

non-sharemilking model farm, but decided to create two identical units to make it much easier on our staff and the cows,” says Kelly.

Rylib (named after their children, Ryan, aged 19 and Libby, 17) now has six dairy units totalling 1086 effective milking hectares, The group employs around 28 full-time staff and will produce about 2.2 million kilograms of milksolids this season.

The target is production of 2000 to 2300kg milksolids per hectare, with a cost structure variance of $4 to $4.25 per kilogram of milksolids across the farms.

“We also strive for a six-week, in-calf rate of 78 per cent, and the farms generally achieve between 72 and 77%. It is a great effort by our staff.”

She says they are often asked how these results are achieved with a non-sharemilker model.

“We say to our managers, ‘These are not our farms, these are your farms’. We empower them to run them as their own business units and let them get on with it. If we look at the performance of the farms by way of economic farm surplus, they are all achieving at the top end. It works for us.”

Recognising and valuing the importance of all of staff and business partners such as banks, accountants and lawyers has also been critical to their success, she says.

“Everything revolves around our staff and culture. We align ourselves with great people, let them learn, celebrate success and invest in the industry’s future. We don’t just pay lip service to our culture. We back it.”

John and Kelly Nicholls are also happy to share the good times with their staff.

“When we received an extra 35-cent payout last season, we gave our managers a travel cheque to take their families to the Islands for the winter holidays. We share the wins, and in return get 100% buy-in when we have to tighten the belt.”

Rylib provides its people with “cutting-edge resources and industry-leading systems” and rewards them through a range of other incentives and initiatives.

“We give our staff whatever time they need to further educate themselves in personal or professional development programmes. If they pass we pay; if they fail, they pay.”

For the last five years Rylib has run its own group performance awards, complete with sponsorship.

The 2014 awards were held at Sky City, where manager Craig Minson accepted farm of the year (EFS/ha) for the 255ha Ma Taua Farm, which also won three other awards.

Rylib Group runs its own performance awards, complete with sponsorship.

Todd Halliday and his staff at Delarbe Farm took the coveted farm pride award and highest in-calf rate award.

“After John and I won the lower North Island regional award at the NZ Westpac Kiwi Farmer of the Year awards in 2001, we suffered quite strongly from the tall poppy syndrome, which is something I vowed to change,” says Kelly Nicholls. “Having our own awards creates healthy competition and respect between the farms.”

The Nicholls are looking at initiatives to help their top people develop, and have recently taken two of their farm managers into equity partnership on the farms they oversee.

“We are passionate about equity. If you look at the average price of a dairy farm, how are these guys going to get into ownership without family

Waimate 03 689 6200 | Timaru 03 687 4699 Oamaru 03 433 1246 | Ashburton 03 308 6011 enquiry@rooneygroup.co.nz | www.rooneygroup.co.nz

Our philosophy is to back our decisions and trust our instincts. John has the ability to recognise opportunities others don’t always see. farms or some extra help?”

The couple remember their own tough introduction to the industry back in the mid-1990s,

and rate business acumen, determination and hard work as the obvious keys to their success.

“Our philosophy is to back our decisions and trust our instincts,” says Kelly. “John has the ability to recognise opportunities others don’t always see.”

They run the group’s administration and human resources from offices on their 4ha home block on the outskirts of Christchurch.

“John visits most of the farms each week and is chairman of three other boards, which is an advantage from a governance perspective.”

They haven’t ruled out buying more farms, as it is the only way they can progress more staff into management.

“Watching our people develop and become stakeholders in this industry is what drives us.”

40 |

ON FARM» Brendon & Karen Stent

Business Rural

Ongoing conversions ‘big challenge’ Jo Bailey Brendon Stent always wanted to give dairy farming in Canterbury a go. So, two years ago, when the Horowhenua-based farmer was given the opportunity to oversee the ongoing conversion of Landcorp’s sizeable Maronan livestock complex in Mid Canterbury, he jumped at it.

“Taking on the farm business manager’s role here is a big challenge, but I love it. It took quite a few years to convince my wife, Karen, to come south with me, but she’s warming to the region now we’re here.”

Maronan Pastures – an 1100-hectare farm about 30 kilometres from Ashburton on the way to Mayfield – incorporates two 1300-cow dairy units and a dairy replacement cattle grazing operation which has been gradually converted from a deer, sheep and cattle farm. An additional 260ha farm, Rosebank, at nearby Carew has been converted to provide dairy support for Maronan.

The first shed was built on the main farm six years ago. Over the last two years the focus has been to convert 100ha of the farm’s deer operation into an additional dairy unit, says Brendon Stent.

“We ripped out all the deer fencing and converted the old border-dyke irrigation to pivots.

The second dairy shed was commissioned in February this year. We plan to start building a third shed on the farm by the end of the year on a further 130ha of deer land we are in the process of converting.”

Around 1300 cows have been wintered on each of the dairy units this season.

“The long-term plan is to have three 1050cow dairy units once the conversion is complete.

We want them to be equal in size so that we can benchmark each farm with the other, and against the top 10 per cent of dairy farms in the district.”

We ripped out all the deer fencing and converted the old border-dyke irrigation to pivots. The second dairy shed was commissioned in February this year. We plan to start building a third shed on the farm by the end of the year on a further 130ha of deer land we are in the process of converting.

Maronan Farms manager Brendon Stent and wife Karen.

The conversion has been a “long process” but is going well, says Stent. As farm business manager, his role is to oversee the development as well as managing Maronan’s day-to-day operations, and setting budgets and five-year strategy plans with each farm manager.

“One of my main goals is to ensure our 13 staff get home safe at night. It’s important our health and safety policies are adhered to to provide a safe working environment. Along with animal welfare, this is an area we want to be industry leaders in.”

Sustainability is also key: “We milk only around 3.1 cows to the hectare. We have placed soilmoisture meters alongside the pivots, we use storage ponds to hold effluent, and we ensure we apply effluent at the right times of the year to mitigate nitrogen leaching. It is our goal to leave the land in the best possible condition for future generations.”

Last season’s production – around 1200 kilograms of milksolids per hectare – was achieved largely on dry ground as the pivot area was still being developed.

“We were a little behind target. But over all, we were pretty happy as we milked 2250 cows through one 60-bail rotary for much of the season.

We won’t get a true indication of production until the conversion is complete; our goal is to eventually sustain around 1500kg/ha.”

Before coming south Stent had been a sharemilker with Landcorp for 10 years and had managed one of its farms for four years. He and Karen also own a 350-cow farm in Horowhenua, which is managed by their son, Robert.

“After sharemilking 1000 cows there, a 300cow farm wasn’t enough of a challenge for me. It’s great to have a succession plan to allow our son to develop in the industry too.”

Brendon Stent has recently relinquished his role on the executive of the NZ Dairy Industry Awards after several years, and would love to mentor some of his staff to awards success.

“It would be great to assist one of my farm managers to win the Farm Manager of the Year title, and I would love to see the Landcorp name feature at the Ballance Environmental Awards.

“It’s a goal I’d definitely like to achieve before I step down.”

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The combination of opportunity, being given a chance by others, and being prepared to work hard and take responsibility can make dairying a road to success almost without equal in New Zealand.

Kiwis of all ages have taken a punt in recent years, often coming into the industry with little or no dairying experience, yet finding fulfilment, pleasure and economic stability, despite what is proving this season to be a somewhat volatile market.

After studying, travelling overseas and working in various jobs, Jonathon Rowe and his sister and brother-in-law formed a company called XL Farming . They took on sharemilking for the Fraser family, near Waimate.

“They gave us a chance to get going five years ago, even though we didn’t have any proof to say we could do it,” says Jonathon Rowe. “It was an awesome opportunity. We’ve gone from nothing to sharemilking one farm, then joining an equity partnership, running three farms with 2300 cows.”

The three partners had grown up on farms, so were not completely without experience, but,

nonetheless, they are appreciative of the gamble the Frasers took. The equity partnership has equal thirds to XL Farming, the Fraser family’s Mt Cecil Farms, and another investor from Waimate.

Rowe is running the newest of the three farms, and his sister and brother-in-law look after the other two. His farm is 185 hectares of flat to rolling country near Makikihi.

Seventy hectares is under k-line irrigation, the rest under pivot. It had been a dairy run-off until its conversion. Fencing was fine, so what needed doing was improving a couple of races, building a new 54-bail rotary milking shed and yard, and making effluent ponds.

Experience has shown they needed more water to grow enough grass. The past two seasons have required quite a bit of palm kernel as supplement.

They have sunk a new bore this year with the expectation the extra water will improve the amount of grass grown so that they can at least halve the amount of supplement they need to buy in.

Rowe’s farm has four full-time staff equivalents, plus occasional part-timers such as at calf-rearing time. The other two farms have eight or nine staff to attend to their 1600-odd cows.

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ON FARM » Dan & Brett Frew/Mt Cecil Farms

Business Rural

| 41

Environment first for award-winners Sue Russell The Frew family sheep and beef farm Highfield, nestled in Southland’s Otapiri Gorge, continues to be an “evolving busy space”. Recent The recent aquisition of 230 hectares sees the farm now spreading over 1050ha.

The property has been in the family since 1984 when Dan Frew’s parents, Mervyn and Marie, bought the original 560 hectares of rolling green country. They added to that in 1996 when they bought the neighbouring 320 hectares.

“I came onto the farm in 2005 and my brother, Brett, who had been busy as a chef for about 13 years, also came back in 2010,” says Dan Frew.

Dan says the latest piece of land brought into the farming business has really boosted production potential.

The farm carries more than 9000 stock units and, until recently, ran beef cows as well. Though there were sound reasons to no longer carry the cows, Dan says they are missed.

“The main reason we’ve stopped the beef cows is because of the impact they have on the environment. Heavy cattle certainly have an impact and we are really keen on putting the expensive grass feed into our sheep. We managed to find a single purchaser for our beef cows, which was good as there was an emotional connection to them.

“Mum and Dad have both worked really hard.

Their hearts are in this farm and they still help out.

Mum helps with the farm accounts. Dad’s got a really wonderful, open-minded approach to trying new farming approaches as well.”

Dan and fiancé Stephanie welcomed daughter Charlee six months. Brett, who is two years older than Dan and married to Leticia, originally from Brazil, also has a young family – in the form of twoyear-old Luiza and newborn Emily.

“We also have valued employees Richard McKenzie, who joined us in 2011 as manager of the Lora farm block, and Kane Gillan, a general farmhand who’s here for his third busy summer season,” Dan says.

Last year accolades flowed for the quality of meat and health of the stock the farm produced.

The Beef and Lamb New Zealand livestock awards judges heaped praise in the excellent health of the stock, liveweight targets and lambing percentages (155) and for the ways the high-performing ewes were treated.

“We learned a huge amount through the awards,” says Dan Frew. “We really enjoyed the process and were so lucky to get the judges on the site. In taking out the livestock award, three critical areas were assessed from a sustainability perspective; financial, social, and environmental.

He puts the outstanding condition of stock down to valuing and making the best use of the

We learned a huge amount through the awards. Three critical areas were assessed from a sustainability perspective: financial, social, and environmental.

A field day on Dan and Brett Frew’s Farm at Highfield, in Southland, attracts a strong following. undeveloped tussock country and the sheltered lambing environment it gives.

“It’s a case of hands off, giving the lambing ewes the space and the right environment to get on and lamb in. If you have a good strong and healthy sheep, leave her on her own and she does really well, that has been our experience. We went up 13 per cent in survival rates with the unshepherded two-tooth flock and hoggets also.”

The key lesson he has taken from the awards process has been to adopt a holistic approach to financial sustainability by “taking care of the environment”.

“So the environment comes first and goes hand in hand with production and profitability. I think a lot of the general farmers are coming to grips with the fact that sustainability in the environment underpins profitability.”

Not only has the farm evolved its farming practices to the point where it is producing stock of an outstanding standard but each February or March a special part of its space opens up to welcome thousands of visitors through its gates

opportunity’ into reality At times staff are shared across the three properties: “It pays to have good staff. Our core staff have been with us for a year or two now.”

The partners’ goal is to own their own business.

When payouts are high, buying a farm becomes a huge hurdle for young farmers. When the payout drops, farm prices do too, creating opportunities for those able to advance.

“We want to keep progressing as we’ve been doing. We’ve been quite open about this. We look around for opportunities. We attend local discussion groups and maintain good relationships.

It’s great to hear how other people are doing.

Sometimes it makes you feel better.

“We’re in this for the long haul. We think we can cope with the current cycle”

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42 |

ON FARM » Southland Demonstration Farm

Business Rural

Barry Bethune, farm manager for Southland Demonstration Farm, is trialling a crop of sugar beet to see if it has any potential as a stock feed.

Sugar beet cost-effective alternative?

Karen Phelps Because of the emerging practice in the Southland region of growing and lifting sugar beet for dairy cows, the Southland Demonstration Farm decided late last spring to demonstrate if the crop has any potential as a feed in Southland.

Farm manager Barry Bethune acknowledges it is early days (the three-hectare trial began late in the season last year and will be expanded this season).

But he is confident that the anecdotal results so far demonstrate that if sugar beet is grown correctly, it may provide a more cost-effective feed alternative than grass silage.

“Sugar beet is a high-carbohydrate, lowprotein feed. This year our cows have kept better condition and we’ve needed to feed less barley in the shed,” he says.

Because sugar beet has a 25 per cent higher dry matter content than fodder beet, it stores better and longer.

The sugar beet crop on the demonstration farm was lifted out with a machine and put on a concrete feedpad without washing or chipping; it is expected to last three to four months.

The suitability of the crop as an alternative, low-cost feed option to replace the unreliable and lower-energy quality of silage is one of the focuses of the trial.

The farm has used sugar beet in conjunction with fodder beet, which has been grown for a number of seasons.

Bethune says using sugar beet as a supplement with high-quality pasture has not only helped cows minimise body-condition loss leading up to mating, but has also helped them transition more easily to fodder beet.

“We used sugar beet to help set up the rumen. It’s easier as we can just leave them in

the paddock and take the sugar beet to them rather than making them walk to the fodder beet.

“There is very little wastage as sugar beet is big bulbs. And because the cows like it so much, they tend to seek it out and will eat it even out of the mud. We can then put them straight onto the fodder beet.”

He expects sugar beet to also help minimise milk fever and metabolic problems through its high calcium content.

Bethune says it can be pricey to remove the crop from the ground, but because sugar beet grows more crop per hectare than its rivals, it works out to be cost effective – a potential cost as low as 11 cents per kilogram of dry matter, depending on yields.

He acknowledges that like fodder beet, sugar beet is one of the trickier crops to grow.

“It needs to be planted when the soil temperature is 10 degrees Celsius and rising, and you have to keep a close eye on it, monitoring for pests, spraying etc.

“It’s not a crop you can plant and forget about. But if you do it well, you get a good pay back; if you don’t do it well, it can cost you a lot of money.”

This season the demonstration farm will use 3ha of sugar beet in late April/early May to transition the herd onto fodder beet, and as a supplement to extend lactation and maintain body condition score.

Another 3ha paddock will be used in spring, when cows start calving, to provide additional energy and minimise body-condition loss coming into mating.

Bethune says the farm is also doing more to support the grazier with the farm’s young stock.

It has been recognised that the rising two-yearolds entering the herd have historically been too small. The farm has used the Livestock Improvement Corporation IC MINDA weights programme.

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“If a calf is down on weight, we can now see it in black and white and work with the grazier to make better decisions,” he says.

“The graph shows which calves are doing well, which were doing well and now aren’t, and which have improved. This allows us to tailor our grazing to individual calves.

“Using the programme, we have found that the rising two-year-olds coming into the herd are now better grown. Our calves will weigh 300 kilograms at the start of mating – and that’s including friesian, friesian-jersey and crossbred cows. Some are above the average expected weight at that age.”

The demonstration farm is a 295ha property that was leased by Southland Demonstration Farm Ltd, controlled by the Southland Demonstration Dairy Farm Trust, on June 1, 2007.

The property has a milking platform of 254ha and runs 750 cows. It supplies Fonterra’s Edendale factory,and targets annual production of 340,000 kilograms of milksolids – 1300kg milksolids per hectare.

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DEER » Peel Forest Estate

Business Rural

| 43

Young stags exciting prospects Jo Bailey Substantial South Canterbury stud and commercial deer operation Peel Forest Estate is about to sell the first two-year-old stags from the Windermere herd it bought from North Island farmer John Kempthorne in 2012, says stud manager Steve Blanchard.

“This is new for us as we normally sell threeyear-old stags. However, the demand is there for the younger stock. If the big thick spikes we’ve just cut on the Windermere spikers are anything to go by, the two-year-olds should be really good come sale day.”

Peel Forest has stuck closely to the Windermere herd’s original bloodlines, he says.

“We think John did a tremendous job with the breed. He wasn’t swayed by the trophy industry and remained staunch in his belief of how velvet should look. We plan to keep the heads clean and in a similar style to what John was doing, and we hope tp continue to improve genetically at a similar rate.”

The Windermere stags will be sold at Peel Forest Estate’s elite stag sale on January 7 which will also include trophy breeding sires and other bloodlines with exceptional velvet genetics. Stags from Peel Forest’s B11 and Forrester lines will also be sold privately through this period.

This year Blanchard expects to offer a few more stags from the B11 terminal bloodline, a composite with elk and high DBV reds for growth rate, which was developed and trademarked by Peel Forest Estate.

“We get a lot of repeat buyers for these easyto-manage, reliable terminal sires that produce fast-growth-rate fawns.”

Over all, he says the sale stags have come through the mild winter in “really good condition”.

“We have already sorted the sale stags into groups. We hope we can repeat or better the excellent sales we enjoyed last year.”

With several established stags reaching the end of their breeding lives, Peel Forest Estate is in an interesting transition phase, he says.

“We’ve just completed our best embryo-transfer programme ever using some top young sires and we are expecting a really good fawning from the recipient hinds. It will be exciting to see the progeny come through as we have a lot of belief in these young stags.”

Both Peel Forest’s terminal and maternal sires are bred to be genetically resilient to Johne’s disease, which continues to be a major focus of the operation’s breeding programme.

“Professor Frank Griffin, at the University of Otago, has been re-doing some of the tests on different bloodlines which have come back with very good, strong result,” says Blanchard. “We’re starting to see some serious progress when females by Johne’s-resilient stags are kept for breeding and crossed with another resilient stag, as this provides a two-pronged attack.”

He is pleased with the few heads of velvet that have been cut at Peel Forest so far.

“The velvet is looking really good. To cope with the reasonably rapid growth of this herd, we’ve just finished converting an additional shed for velveting at the other end of the farm. It has a new crush, additional pens, freezer, and a whole new washdown and waste system.”

On the commercial side, Peel Forest Estate

Valuable velvet: Peel Forest Estate will be selling its first two-year-old stags from the Windermere herd it bought in 2012 at its elite stag sale on January 7.

We’re hoping we can repeat or better the excellent sales we enjoyed last year. continues to develop the “challenging, steep” 1400-hectare hill block it bought two years ago in a bid to test its Forrester hinds under commercial conditions.

“We’ve had a really successful first fawning on this property of 97 per cent, which gives us heart our deer can produce in really tough terrain.”

The original plan was to leave the last block of land above the house on this property for the operation’s sheep and cattle. However, with such a successful fawning, the it was decided to maximise the potential of this area and convert it to deer as well.

“We’ll continue trying to improve the hill in terms of access, fencing, fertiliser and spraying,” says Blanchard. “We don’t want to stock it too high, just capitalise on the extra weaners, which makes it all worthwhile.”

He says Peel Forest Estate will continue to develop the property and its stock: “As stud breeders we are always prepared to try new things, and with quite a few lines it’s important we treat them equally so nothing gets left behind.”

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DEER » Downlands Deer

44 |

Business Rural

New pens help firm streamline Jo Bailey Geraldine-based transport operator Downlands Deer Ltd has upgraded its deer and cattle handling facilities to streamline systems and provide more capacity.

Partner Kris Orange says the firm’s current project is the addition of 10 new lairage pens at its Geraldine base to hold stud beef stock, a market it has branched into in the last five years.

“We work with some good, key clients who get us to deliver all the bulls from their sales direct to the purchasers. This means the bulls can be cleared out within a couple of days rather than the weeks it can take if each of the purchasers arranges transport.”

The addition of further pens will help the firm hold more animals separately with the use of companion animals.

Orange says the outdoor pens are effectively “small paddocks” that provide a safer, kinder, environment than saleyards, where stock is often rested during transit.

“We shouldn’t have any issues with lameness, which can happen when the animals are standing in concrete yards.”

There is “no room for error” when handling premium stock, particularly stud animals, he says.

“With some beef bulls worth up to $75,000, things have to be done correctly. However, we treat every animal as if it was prime stock.

“This level of respect is one of our main points of difference as a company.”

Downlands Deer Ltd has upgraded its deer and cattle handling facilities at its Geraldine base. Downlands Deer is adding 10 new lairage pens to hold beef stock, a market it has branched into in recent years.

Rise in meat prices a positive sign for New Jo Bailey

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There are positive signs for the New Zealand deer industry with spring prices from meat processors likely to be at least 40 to 50 cents per kilogram better than last year, says Deer Farmers’ Association chairman Kris Orange.

“With no stocks being carried over as in previous years and a smaller kill because of a bit of retention on the velvet side of things, the supply and demand curve should tip in our favour this season,” he says.

For the last few years the Deer Farmers Association has worked alongside Deer Industry New Zealand and the Ministry of Primary Industries on the Passion2Profit (P2P) programme (formerly the Productivity Improvement Programme).

This programme is driving both on-farm production and the promotion of New Zealand venison overseas.

“Our current focus is to break away from our reliance on the traditional game meat commodity

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trade in Europe and create a brand with a premium price and year-round demand,” says Orange.

One of the initiatives of the P2P programme is a “three-pronged” promotion of the premium Cervena brand into emerging markets. This being worked on in a collaborative effort with the five main venison meat processing companies.

“We are targeting our traditional game markets in Germany, Scandinavia and Switzerland, the rest of Europe, and China, which is a very exciting new market.”

Four of the five meat processors have now gained listings to send product to China, a process that has taken over two-and-a-half years to complete.

“China is the big one as we can go in there with a blank sheet. Although we will have a joint focus pushing the prime Cervena cuts of meat, there is the potential to sell offal and by-products into this market too.

“By exporting directly to China rather than going through the grey trade in Singapore and Hong Kong, we should be able to consistently capture a lot more value from these products.”

He says it is a “pretty big deal” for the processing companies to work together on the initiative as they generally see themselves as competitors.

“The processing exporters usually like to do their own thing, but they can see the potential of pooling their marketing dollars.”

Orange says there are several other factors, both overseas and on farms, that are contributing to the

deer-farming sector’s positive outlook.

“During the global financial crisis many traders in our traditional game markets in Europe, particularly Germany, moved to lower-cost, inferior wild game shot in Spain. However, a lot of these traders are now swinging back to New Zealand farm-raised venison, as the cheaper product didn’t have the quality, consistency or traceability our growers can provide.”

On farm, the P2P programme is encouraging local deer farmers to aim for across-the-board production gains in five key areas – animal health, genetics and physiology, feeding, freedom to operation, and the value chain.

“We believe there is the ability to go from a 55-kilogram carcass to around 64-65kg without any issues in the market. This adds a fair bit of bottom line for farmers.”

Other targets in the plan include: lifting survival to sale from 72 per cent to 80; shortening the time to kill by 16 days; improving hind liveweights from 110 kg to 115kg; increasing feed conversion efficiency; lifting kilogram output/hind from 38kg to 50kg.

“Over the last 12 months we believe we’ve started to notice an increase in overall carcass weight coming through the plants, says Orange.

“However it’s still early days.”

He says eight regional “commitment” groups (called advanced parties) have also been set up, with eight to 10 farming businesses in each to provide support, benchmark, and address on-farm or regional issues.

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DEER » Kris Orange

Business Rural

| 45

cattle and deer handling

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This year 1650 weaners were wintered, largely a mixture of Kris Orange’s own stock and some bought from Clayton Station, in the Fairlie Basin.

Zealand deer industry

A delegation from Taiwan on a deer fact finding mission. The emerging Asian market is an area of growth for Cervena products.

This has been organised in a bid to improve production of all the farms. Farmers also retain the ability to seek outside professional help for the groups if they wish.

Although the scheme is fairly new, he reports good buy-in from farmers..

“Each group will transform differently and we hope that what they learn will disseminate into the

wider deer farming sector,” says Orange.

He sees this sort of cohesive approach – in terms of both on-farm networking and marketing to international markets – as positive for the industry.

“We probably won’t see the fruits for another year or two, but we will continue to take small steps. At this stage, the future for the industry looks pretty exciting.”

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Clayton Station is owned by Hamish Orbell. with whom Orange has developed a close and productive breeder/finisher relationship.

Great Southern Deer Farms also runs just over 850 hinds on an 800ha property at Dunback, in Central Otago. And Kris Orange has a further 150 hinds at Downlands.

“Bringing Dave into the business as an equity manager at Downlands has given Dad, who was

running the farm, the opportunity to take a step back and have a bit of time to himself which is pretty exciting,” he says He is concetrating on improving deer growth rates and weaning weights: “Over all I’m pretty happy with both businesses. It never gets a lot easier, but we are continually trying to find better ways and systems to increase our turnover and make each operation more profitable.”

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He says Downlands Deer moved into carting beef, dairy cattle and sheep because of diminishing deer numbers.

The changes to road-user charges two or three years ago also had an impact.

“We had to change the make-up of our trucks to enable us to transport bigger loads. This has worked out quite well as it means we can now cart dairy and beef stock at peak times.

“We have also picked up quite a bit of work carting store stock for Silver Fern Farms, as well as some refrigerated venison.”

Carting deer is still the firm’s main focus, but it has been “great” to fit the other stock in around it, he says Downland Deer runs a nationwide operation with a regular inter-island service.

Orange gets a lot of feedback from clients about the quality of the firm’s drivers, their focus on animal welfare and ability to read stock.

“Our drivers are very dedicated and competent working with deer, cattle or sheep. They get good support from our office team who provide all the background logistics.”

If a delivery is going to be early or late by more than 15 minutes, Downlands drivers will let the farmer know.

“There is nothing worse that standing around waiting for someone to turn up.”

In addition to the transport business, Orange farms Downlands, a 260-hectare finishing operation at Geraldine in conjunction with equity partners Dave France and Abby Shaw, and his parents, Keith and Ruth Orange. Together they form Great Southern Deer Farms Ltd.

for all enquires contact KRIS ORANGE P. 0800 163 013 E. kris@downlandsdeer.co.nz

46 |

DEER » Altrive Red Deer Stud

Business Rural

Velvet genetics underpin stud Jo Bailey Buyers can look forward to another exciting catalogue at Altrive Red Deer Stud’s fourth annual on-farm auction in January, say Geoff and Lynette Elder.

The Southland stud expects to present 20 to 25 stags, around 40 yearling hinds and more than 60 velveting stags, including sons of established sires Everest and Zama.

The Elders bought the two stags in partnership with Eddie Brock, of Brock Deer, in a bid to breed “bigger and better heads”. And it’s a move that is paying dividends, says Geoff Elder.

“Last year our two-year-olds cut an average of 3.8 kilograms of velvet, and the two-year-olds we kept out of these sires averaged 4.3kg. Our mixed-age stags averaged 7.25kg. We’re making performance gains across the whole herd with only five two-year-olds cutting under 3kg these days.”

He says velvet production is the biggest driver at Altrive, “Our aim is always to increase velvet weights but maintain style – with a big round beam, correct tyne placement, and stylish bulb, growing to a more traditional type of head.”

For trophy stags, the stud concentrates on increasing points on top without detracting from velvet style and round beam.

Altrive has won numerous top prizes at the National Velvet Awards.

Zama made a name for himself at the 2012 event, winning the open red section with an 11.3kg head of velvet, and being named people’s choice and grand champion.

Everest has also sired two-year-old and threeyear-old National Velvet winners, and is known to breed very heavy, tidy velvet.

• To page 47

Above: Altrive’s award-winning, six-year-old stag, Zama, made a big impression at the 2012 National Velvet Awards with this whopping 11.3kg head of velvet winning the national open, grand champion and people’s choice awards.

Below: A 7kg head of velvet from a two-year-old son of top Altrive sire Everest.

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ON FARM » Stuart Farm/Altrive Red Deer Stud

Business Rural

| 47

‘More big gains’ on the horizon • From page 48

Landcorp’s Stuart Farm manager Luke Wright and partner Nicola Esler.

Up-and-coming sires impress • From page 46 Both sires are used extensively in Altrive’s embryo-transplant programme, which the stud introduced around six years ago to speed up its breeding-objectives programme and put a “lot more good stock” into the market.

“We’ve used Zama and Everest extensively through our very top donor hinds,” says Geoff Elder. “We’ll be presenting some of these embryo daughters in the sale.”

Although these top sires are proven drawcards, he is excited by some of the up-and-coming velvet stag sires in the herd, particularly 77-07 and 95-11, both sons of Everest 95-11.

“As a two-year-old, 95-11 cut an impressive 7kg velvet with 20 centimetre beam and 24cm beam above trez tine.

“We’ve used 95-11 in our embryo programme and extensively with AI, and will be presenting the first rising three-year-olds of 77-07 in the sale.”

Elder says he also gets “very good” feedback from clients who buy Altrive’s surplus two-year-old velveting stags, which are put up for auction at the sale.

The Elders are currently mating around 300 hinds and running about 190 mixed-age velveting stags, 140 rising two-year-old stags, plus weaners.

We are lifting the bar with our top two-year-olds each year...

All hinds, sires and progeny are DNA-profiled, with all stag fawns kept until they are two-year-olds.

“We had only four of this year’s crop of 135 two-year-old velveting stags that were not good enough to make the sale, which was very pleasing.”

Despite a challenging wet Southland winter, the Elders are hoping for a sale to match last year, when all stock in the catalogue sold on the day and a top price of $20,000 was achieved.

Over all, the gains being made both on the Elders’ property and in the wider deer industry are “amazing”, says Geoff Elder “We are lifting the bar with our top two-yearolds each year, but our biggest gain across the herd is how our breeding and intensive recording programme has weaned out the poor performers.

The proof is seeing only five two-year-olds cutting under 3kg last year.

“This also gives buyers a lot of confidence when buying our surplus yearling hinds. Even the lesser animals in our herd still have very good velvet genetics.”

as fast as we can, and increasing carcass yield in high-value areas, whilst keeping the hinds’ mature weight to an efficient size” To help achieve this, Focus Genetics runs the largest deer CT-scanning programme in New Zealand, with 60 yearling stags (including the Landcorp Wapiti) analysed for carcass conformation at Invermay each year. All male yearlings are also ultrasound-scanned to determine eye-muscle area.

Stuart Farm’s stags performed well in the latest Deer Select European and composite sire rankings, with its top animal jumping to number two on the index, and another five sires in the top 40.

“We’re expecting even more big gains in the next 24 months given the investment we’ve made in our embryo transfer programme and increased artificial insemination,” says Wright.

“From our 2016 mating, we expect to achieve an 8 per cent genetic gain over and above our current breeding practices.”

Around 40% of the commercial herd is mated to Landcorp Wapiti terminal sires and all surplus stock finished, with the aim to have them off farm before they’re a year old.

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With just one day of earlier conception adding 400 to 800 grams to weaning weight, “bringing forward the conception date” is a priority.

“Over all, we’re aiming to bring the mean slaughter date forward two months from January 15 to November 15. The first year I was here, we killed 200 out of 2000 deer before the beginning of November and this year, we’re on target to kill 1100.”

Stuart Farm also runs a “pretty fertile” sheep operation, with this season’s mixed age ewes scanning 195%, two-tooths 192% and hoggets 127%.

Cow stock units are gradually being replaced by deer finishing stock as more rougher-grazing blocks on the property are developed.

Luke Wright is assisted on the farm by stock manager Kris Harrison, stud head shepherd Dave Black, five additional staff, and his partner, Nicola Esler, who is almost full time.

“We will continue to closely monitor every aspect of the operation,” says Wright.

“The information we are gathering has already led to us making some pretty significant management changes, especially around hogget mating and deer finishing, from which we’re now reaping the financial rewards.

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48 |

DEER » Stuart Farm

Business Rural

Co-ordination the crunch line Jo Bailey It takes a “lot of co-ordination” to manage Stuart Farm, Landcorp’s 2843-hectare, 29,000-stock-unit property in the Te Anau Basin, says Luke Wright.

“We’re breeding and finishing three stock classes and we have a reasonably large deer stud, so we are always busy,” says Wright, who has managed Stuart Farm since 2011.

“A lot of my time is taken up with planning and strategic thinking. It’s a fairly complex and intense operation, but rewarding at the same time.”

Stuart Farm runs a commercial herd of 3700 red hinds plus replacements, a stud herd of 680 red hinds, 6200 Landmark composite ewes, 480 angus cows plus replacements, and 200 steer calves brought in from other Landcorp farms to be grown out.

The use of technology and measuring techniques is a key part of the operation.

All stock are EID-tagged, and, in 2012, the property became the first Landcorp farm to join the FarmIQ programme – an integrated farm information hub that can trace an animal from pre-weaning to slaughter. The programme includes meat yield and quality information from the processing plant.

The objective of integrating the system is to maximise the kilograms of product produced per hectare (carcass weight equivalent, plus wool and velvet) from the liveweight wintered per hectare.

The over-arching goal is to achieve 180 kilograms of product per hectare.

“The technology is really interesting and is allowing us to make management changes and build efficiencies into our systems based on the information we gather,” says Wright.

“We can measure our animals as individuals in a similar way to the dairy guys measuring the milk

Rising two-year-old sale stags at Stuart Farm, Landcorp’s 2843-hectare farm in the Te Anau Basin.

Photo: Geoff Nicol that goes into their vats every day.”

In the last year Stuart Farm staff have started to carry the recording through to slaughter for the commercial, deer-finishing operation.

Wright says this is providing them with some powerful data, especially around sire breed and gender.

“The information allows us to get down to the finer detail – for example, the percentage of a sex

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or breed killed in a certain period in a certain price bracket. It is also helping us to plan better and to maximise our terminal-sire use.”

Deer accounts for around a half of Stuart Farm’s operation.

“Landcorp has 60,000 hinds across all of its farms and is, by a long margin, New Zealand’s biggest deer farmer when it comes to meat production. Our stud plays a critical role to ensure

we’re producing the best products for our clients.”

The deer are bred through a breeding programme run by Focus Genetics. Wright says he and Focus Genetics have the aim of producing the best maternal bred deer in New Zealand.

“The attributes we’re looking closely at are increasing growth rate to slaughter at 12 months

• To page 47

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