Business Rural South Autumn 2014

Autumn 2014

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Farmers upbeat over ‘fantastic feed for milkers’ Page 58

INSIDE

Working holiday a game-changer - PAGE 11

Bull-sale time – Be in to win PAGE 25

A classic example of Kiwi DIY - PAGE 39

A top stock job for NZ dairyman - PAGE 50

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2

RURAL PEOPLE: Paul & Nicky Bavin

Business Rural / Autumn 2014

The Bavin bunch: Staff and family at Lake Rotoiti – from left. Tom Frew, Paul Bavin, Emma McConchie, Todd Bavin, Nicky Bavin, Mitchell Flood.Lake Rotoiti is the source of the Bavins’ water take.

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Bavins bat for the Buller Kelly Deeks

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At Arnaud dairy farmers Paul and Nicky Bavin know how important water is to their business. The are taking steps to ensure that the quality of the nearby Buller River is maintained for years to come.

The Bavins, who first bought part of the farm in 2005, are in their sixth season of milking there.

They are 420 mertes above sea level in the Nelson Lakes area, “That was our run-off block,” says Paul Bavin.

“We had another dairy farm at Taparewa. In 2007 we bought the rest of the farm and converted the whole block.”

Cow numbers have increased each year. The Bavins are now milking 514 and have a production target of 220,000 kilograms of milksolids for this season.

Their son, Todd, is herd manager, having returned home to work this season after being encouraged by his parents to get wider experience

and travel overseasl. He went to Telford, worked on other dairy farms, and spent a couple of years working for a rural fencing contractor in the Nelson area Paul Bavin says the main reason for the shift to St Aranud was water. At Taparewa the Sherry River, which they pumped out of, was fully allocated and they could irrigate only a third of their farm.

At St Arnaud, about 100 kilometres south of Nelson, they have a better water supply and can irrigate all of the 162-hectare (effective) farm.

Nicky Bavin says water means security for them: “Water is going to become even more important.

We seem to be getting more dry periods.”

In 2001, the Bavins joined with other local farmers to form the Sherry River catchment group with the New Zealand Land Care Trust. The aim was to return water quality to the Sherry.

Following this success, the group has sought further improvements through riparian management and planting, stock management, improved effluent management, and soil-conservation activities.

Now, another farmer-led initiative has been established in the form of the three-year Buller River enhancement project.

The aim is to make practical environmental gains that will ensure the Buller’s waterways remain clean, and that farmers can continue to operate successful, farm businesses.

Nicky Bavin is on the steering committee, along with other local farmers, kayakers, and representatives from the NZ Land Care Trust, the Department of Conservation, Fish and Game New Zealand, the Tasman Regional Council and Fonterra.

“As farmers we need to have the science available to us so that we can go forward,” she says. “There are so many farmers doing so many good things out there, but they don’t come forward and say so.”

In the same vein, the Bavins are also motivated to encourage young New Zealanders to make the dairy industry their career path of choice. Paul Bavin and a small group of local farmers organise a dinner to celebrate and support young farmers.

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Autumn 2014

Farmers upbeat over ‘fantastic feed for milkers’

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Page 58

INSIDE

Working holiday a game-changer - PAGE 11

Bull-sale time – Be in to win PAGE 25

A classic example of Kiwi DIY - PAGE 39

A top stock job for NZ dairyman - PAGE 50

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Business Rural / Autumn 2014

RURAL PEOPLE: Balmoral Station

3

Diversity the way for future

Big country: The Simpsons (from left)

their family, they needed to change philosophy.

The station had diversified to include some deer, cropping (mainly oats), and forestry blocks of douglas fir and pine. The merino flock, based on There’s a romance about the Mackenzie Country. the Simpsons’ stud, had seen a drop of 1.5 microns You are captured the moment you emerge from the to an average of 17.8m, and an increase in fleece often gloomy Burke’s Pass. A brilliant sky above weight of three-quarters of a kilogram to 5.8kg. brown and gold tussock grasslands arches to “We showed you don’t need to lose wool jagged Southern Alps peaks. Three glacier-carved weight by going finer,” Andrew Simpson says. “We lakes pull the eye towards the Main Divide. Ancient have clients who buy our rams every year, but the dry watercourses wind between low hills. And the biggest gain is in our own flock.” spirit of James Mackenzie is heard as a whisper Tenure review was the spur to look for or a shriek, depending on the direction and the even more diversification. It became clear that strength of the wind. freeholding would mean the property was nonYou cannot farm here if you cannot be viable. Faced with the choice of getting out, getting challenged. Bitter winters and scorching summers bigger, or getting more diverse, they chose diversity. do not make pasture easy to grow. Farmers and Their three children all had a love for the their animals need strength of character and the place, although they had gone out into the world. ability to rebound from ill luck.

The Simpsons set up an advisory board which Balmoral Station lies against the western shore includes their children and their partners; it has an of Lake Tekapo. Andrew Simpson and his brother, independent chairman and secretary. who were farming Mt Hay on the other side of the “All can put their wishes and aspirations on lake, took it up in 1975 – 10,000 hectares of bare the table,” says Andrew land without trees or Simpson. “There are buildings, broken into five Faced with getting out, no surprises. I’ve seen blocks. The partnership families fly to bits. We was dissolved in 1979 getting bigger, or getting hope to achieve an orderly and Andrew and his transition.” wife, Karen, set about Environmental dealing with the property more diverse, they chose protection is based on themselves. Over the next scientific examination of 15 years, 180 kilometres diversity. the property. Conservation of fencing created 50 areas have been identified to 60 blocks, and a homestead, shearers’ quarters, woolshed and other and fenced off as benchmark areas of shrubland or wetland, or marked as ‘vegetation transit’ sites infrastructure were erected. that have been pegged, measured, described and High-country farming has always had its photographed so that at any future time, they can marginal moments. Snowfalls, droughts, wind be examined to see if farming practices have been whipping away the minimal layer of topsoil, detrimental or helpful. Seven water-quality sites are hieracium; all tend to make a farmer introspective. marked similarly. Two-metre soil pits have been dug The Simpsons knew that farming merinos to describe soil structure and types, and a recorded made for a marginal living, and when they started bibliography of science papers and books has been the tenure-review process, it became even more developed. obvious that if they were to pass on this land to

Neil Grant

The economic side shows considerable flair. Oldest son Ben, a doctor, has invested in a helicopter Daughter Amanda runs the homestay and assists with property-development business alongside her own investment properties. Younger son Sam has bought the stock and plant, and now runs the farm. He and a chef have a meat business, providing merino cuts and sausages to hotels, restaurants and supermarkets. Sam’s partner, Sarah, owns and runs the horse-trekking business.

Karen, Andrew and Amanda run a burgeoning wool-clothing business. The fine clip is ideal for merino-base and second-layer garments, sold from their Tekapo shop and soon to be marketed on line.

Andrew Simpson is “very excited” by a change In the forestry block – to a newly developed hybrid, cedrus attenuata :“It has a 40 to 45-year rotation, unlike pine and fir, which have about 60 years. The wood quality has superior form and density, and it has a low-spread risk. It is impressive.”

And the Simpsons’ property-development business has developed The Cairns, a nine-hole golf course based on Scottish traditions, and opened in 2012 by Sir Bob Charles.

Last year Balmoral Station was runner-up for South Island Farmer of the Year award run by the Lincoln University Foundation.

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4

RURAL PEOPLE: Hamish & Keri Moore/John & Jenne Kennedy

Business Rural / Autumn 2014

Sharemilkers share the load Kelly Deeks Hamish and Keri Moore have stepped up this season to new lower-order sharemilking positions on the Moore family farms at Upper Hook, near Waimate. No small feat with their first baby, Fletcher, born last June.

Ian and Glenda Moore own two neighbouring dairy farms, one with a milking platform of 280 hectares where Hamish milks 775 cows, and a 150ha farm where Keri milks 430 cows.

Eave of them has been managing a family farm, Hamish since 2008 and Keri since 2009.

They began contract-milking on the larger farm in 2012-13 season after Hamish’s parents offered them both the opportunity to step up to lower-order sharemilking.

It has been a good first season sharemilking both the farms – Hamish describes it as the best growing year they have had for some time. A slow spring led to a good November, followed by a poor December. Now the Moores have started trickling some balage into the system, but nothing like they would normally expect in January and February.

They have made supplement on farm for the first time in many years. They’re on a dryland farm, and still need tiob buy in a loat of supplement, but as Hamish says, any they can make on farm is better than nothing.

“The farms are in a better growing state now, and we haven’t lost the quality in the grass like we normally do,” he says. “In a dry year, our pasture species is quick to return to native pastures and they dominate. We’ve been pretty aggressively regrassing.”

On the larger farm the Moores have broken in land that had been earmarked for grazing carryovers and dry stock. It has been regrassed and brought into the milking platform, allowing the Moores to regrass even more of the farm with the extra paddocks available for milking.

Sharemilkers Hamish and Keri Moore with recent addition Fletcher (left) and the new lane (right) on the farm at Upper Hook, near Waimate.

Another 50ha of hilly pastures remains to be broken in and brought into the milking platform, says Hamish.

Once that is completed, he won’t increase cow numbers, but will try to get maximum productivity out of the available land.

The smaller farm is kinder, he says – flatter terrain and better-quality pastures. Its herd is made up of mostly crossbred cows, while on the larger

farm which is much steeper, the herd is mainly jersey.

The Moores are targeting production of 500,000 kilograms of milksolids this season, but will come in a bit short.

Hamish says it has been tough not having Keri on the shop floor since Fletcher was born, but she is due to resume shortly doing a couple of days a week.

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Holstein friesian breeder and dairy farmer John Kennedy represents the interests of Holstein Friesian New Zealand members as a councillor and Otago Southland (along with Grant Lilley, from Edendale) representative.

The national association provides a variety of services to its members, with the ultimate objective of developing and supporting the breeding of genetically elite holstein friesian cattle to ensure profitability of the breed in New Zealand, he says.

His role requires a proactive approach to ensuring the voices of Holstein Friesian New Zealand members are heard when decisions are being made on issues that may affect them.

A contentious issue for the association currently is the transfer of the some of the animal database from Livestock Improvement Corporation to Dairy New Zealand.

“That’s quite a big issue for dairy farmers in general, and for breeders in particular,” Kennedy says.

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The couple are looking forward to next season, (and a three-week trip to the United States and Canada before then) and finishing the developments started this season with a new laneway providing better access for the cows to the dairy shed.

They will be focused on the cows and the grass in an effort to push production up to 420kg milksolids per cow on the big farm, and 440kgs on the “wee block”.

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Business Rural / Autumn 2014

RURAL PEOPLE: Nathan & Vicki Cook

5

The Cook family (left) , Nathan and Vicki, with children Belle 5, Tyson 1 and Macey 3. The start of the dairy conversion at Gummies Bush, showing the shed site and tanker track (middle) and the farm view at Lillburn Valley

Couple inch closer to ownership Jo Bailey Southland dairy farmers Nathan and Vicki Cook are one step closer to achieving their dream of farm ownership.

The couple are in the process of converting Keith Welsh’s (Vicki’s father) sheep farm at Riverton into a 220-hectare effective, 600-cow dairy unit.

“We’re putting money into an equity set-up with Keith and hope we will slowly progress to taking the farm over,” says Nathan Cook. “It’s a prime opportunity for him to get out, and for us to get in.”

There are already three houses on the farm, following acquisitions of neighbouring land over the last few years.

Nathan and Vicki and their three children, aged five, three and 11 months, will move into one of the houses, with a third free for farm workers.

“Keith probably won’t have too much to do with the dairy side of things, but will help out with tractor work and general farmwork,” says Vicki. “He has lived on the farm since he was six months old, so I think he’s pretty pleased to see the next generation coming through.”

A 54-bail DeLaval rotary cowshed is being buuilt on the property, which has “reasonably rolly” country, says Nathan.

“The longest walk is only one and a half kilometres, which is quite a bit less than where we are farming now.”

The Cooks are just completing their fourth season as equity managers and contract milkers at Lillburn Valley’s Dairies sizeable 396ha property at Tuatapere, where last year they wintered 1060 cows.

Nathan had sworn he would never milk a herd of 1000-plus cows, and was working as a shearer when the opportunity came up to enter an equity partnership in the operation.

“I’ve been dairy farming all my life, but had gone shearing for 18 months to have a complete break from the industry and to sort out what I wanted to do. That’s when I received a call from Simon Hopcroft, a former neighbour at Riverton, who I’d done a bit of casual work for.”

Simon asked the Cooks if they’d be interested in the farm at Tuatapere, and they decided to have a look “with an open mind”.

“We liked what we saw and by the end of the visit had decided the opportunity was too good

to pass up,” says Nathan. They also had the safeguard of spending the last four months of the season milking on the farm before making their final decision.

The Cooks eventually bought a 5% share in the farm alongside equity partners – Simon Hopcroft, and Sid, Richard and Trudy Slee.

The partners have made considerable additional investment in laneways and farm facilities.

“We have also made good production gains. By the end of this season we will have lifted production by 130,000 kilograms of miksolids (this season’s figures are already up 4.5%)m” says Cook. “We’d like to think we can achieve 450,000kg milksolids, or around 440kg milksolids per cow, which would be a pleasing result.”

He says he and Vicki have not regretted the move back to dairying: “It has been really good for us. We’ve made good gains on the equity side of 0, which is giving us a good kick-start into our new place.”

They are already buying cows in anticipation of the move back to Riverton: “We have managed to find around 400 of the 600 mainly friesian or crossbred cows we’re going to need, so we’re still looking for another couple of hundred.”

The Cooks currently manage four full-time staff at Tuatapere, but with the lower cow numbers, will employ only two at Riverton.

“We’ll be busy the first few years getting things to where we want them on the new farm,” says Nathan.

“But we believe there is potential to double the size of our herd if we take on a contract-milking job in around five years.”.

“We are extremely grateful to Simon, Sid, Richard and Trudy. Without them we wouldn’t be where we are now.”

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new database ‘big issue’ for farmers of that information the association needs to conduct its business.

“We have lobbied LIC, Dairy NZ, and the Government to make sure we are able to access the new database known as DIGAD, and carry on that business unfettered by charges that may well be unaffordable, and shouldn’t be imposed.”

The Kennedys have been breeding holstein friesians for more than 30 years.

John Kennedy and his wife, Jenne, took over sharemilking on the family farm and the Whinlea (it means ‘fields of gorse’ and was established in the 1920s) Stud in South Auckland. About nine years later they moved the stud to Southland.

The Kennedys now have four dairy properties just out of Winton. Their son, Andrew, is a partner and runs one of the dairy farms, while the other three are run by 50:50 sharemilkers.

“We came up through the 50:50 sharemilking ranks, so now we employ sharemilkers because we believe that sharemilking is very important to the industry,”says john Kennedy.

“We’re keen to make sure young farmers have the opportunity to buy their own farms in the future.”

When the family moved south 20 years ago,

they brought with them Whinlea Kai Ebell, and that cow remained the mainstay of the stud’s breeding until her retirement about three years ago.

“She has consistently provided bulls that were in demand, with the attributes LIC and Ambreed have been looking for,” Kennedy says.

Whinlea Kai Ebell and her daughters and granddaughters have had many sons in LIC’s premier sires, all of which have been on the Ranking of Active Sires list.

Ebell herself maintains pride of place as the only holstein friesian cow among the many bulls featured in LIC’s gallery of top New Zealand genetics.

Kennedy says it takes a long time for a bull to get a proof.

“A bull might have semen taken off it when it’s a year old. Mate that to a cow and by the time she calves, the bull is two years old.”

“Then that calf has to grow up and it takes two years before she calves, then she’s lactating and that can take a year.

“So, its five years before you get daughters on the ground that are milking and performing, and then you can decide whether that original bull is any good or not.”

Breeding companies are now taking blood

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This season the Kennedys have taken embryos from several of Ebell’s many progeny to ensure the genetics from that family can continue well into the future.

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RURAL PEOPLE: Alessandro Alves

6

Business Rural / Autumn 2014

Farm manager Alessandro Alves, from Brazil, will soon take up an additional management role for owners Craig and Helen Elliott on a 1400-cow farm in Mid-Canterbury.

Boy from Brazil finds his niche Kelly Deeks The chance to manage a larger herd has attracted Alessandro Alves to take up a second farmmanagement position on a neighbouring farm.

Alves has been in New Zealand for 10 years, having moved from Brazil. He did a couple of years of vineyard and orchard work before getting into the dairy industry as a farm assistant on a Three Springs Dairies farm, with 800 cows, in Canterbury.

He moved to become herd manager at a 1400cow farm at Lauiston, in Mid-Canterbury, and, after three months there, was given the opportunity by owners Craig and Helen Elliott to manage another Beith farm with 900 cows, also in Mid-Canterbury.

He has been there for the past four seasons, and will soon start an additional management role for the same owners, on their neighbouring property with 1400 cows.

He will take up the new opportunity once the current manager completes his tenure. Meantime, he is spending a bit of time on the second farm to help out with a few jobs and get the place ready for an easy transition.

Alves says production and cow condition were

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Dream team: Alessandro Alves says it helps having nice people to work with. his focus in his first year on the 900-cow farm. He has managed to improve the cows from average condition to the point where they aare now sitting at a condition score around 4.7.

The 213-hectare farm runs a mainly grass based system with some palm kernel thrown in.

A nearby run-off block supports the four Beith Farms dairy properties by growing 60ha of fodder beet, as well as kale; it is then planted in oats to make into silage.The herd is wintered on the run-off.

Alves has a production target of 450,000 kilograms of milksolids this season; by the middle of February, it was on track to achieve that, having produced 320,000kg milksolids. This year’s production target is slightly above last year’s production of 2100kg milksolids per hectare.

Alves says he is managing a really good farm and really good cows.

“We achieve some good grass growth and we have one of the best types of soil in this area,” he says. “We’re regrassing about 20ha every year and

maintaining good quality and good growth.”

The property has also undergone some development over the last four years – all the waterways have now been fenced off, and a ditch at the back has been shifted to make room for the centre pivot to irrigate the whole farm.

Alves says he is enjoying working in the dairy industry. He particularly likes the lifestyle it brings and being able to work with animals, which he loves.

Of course, he says, it helps that he has a nice place to work and nice people to work with. There are four other staff on the farm, and “a really good” second-in-charge helps Alves make sure the farm is as productive as possible.

The Elliotts have been very supportive employers, with Alves saying they are always around and doing a lot of physical and paper work which helps him in his work.

Alves has completed AgITO level four, and is now starting level five.

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RURAL PEOPLE: Chris & Rochelle Fisher

Business Rural / Autumn 2014

7

Fishers plan for future in Geraldine It’s about using the

Kelly Deeks It has been a busy couple of years for Chris and Rochelle Fisher, who are in their second year of dairying on their 95-hectare property not far from Geraldine.

The couple carry strong links to the district and it has long been their aspiration to farm in the vicinity.

“It has always been our focus to be here.,” says Chris Fisher. “Geraldine is quite a vibrant town and it’s growing.”

The Fishers formed a family partnership with Chris’s brother and sister-in-law, Brent and Denise, while Mum and Dad are also very much part of the family community developing the farm on since its conversion to dairying two years ago.

By mid-August 2013 the conversion was completed. The farm had been tracked, re-grassed two-thirds of it, built a dairy shed and installed an effluent system – all built with a view to future, carrying capacity. The 40-a-side herringbone shed was in the middle of the farm with a yard capable of holding 500 cows and the effluent system is futureproofed to hold up to 150 days volume.

“We picked the worst year to do the conversion with eight to nine inches of summer rain holding up the earthworks. Then eight to nine inches in the spring when the cows started calving.”

Now the farm is up and running, and producing 1000 kilograms of milksolids per hectare, he can see the goal of 1400kg milksolids/hectare well within sight.

Tweaking farm management systems to increase stocking rates to five to six cows per hectare is part of the planning, and the addition of a covered area in the near future will be significant.

But the good life isn’t all about being busy on the farm.

Rochelle Fisher teaches at Geraldine Primary School and Chris is involved in the local rugby club as well as sitting on the Geraldine Community Board.

Other farming interests extend to leasing 500 hectares of land around the district for grazing and

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Earthworks under way for Chris and Rochelle Fishers’ new dairy shed and effluent system (above), and milking in progress (below).

are most suited, and the arrangement works well. cropping as well as lower-order sharemilking on a farm not far from the family block.

“I enjoy the work on the community board. It has a good mix on the board and I enjoy giving back something to the community in this way,” he says.

While Brent is more hands-on running the daily dairy operation, Chris concentrates his energy on realising the more strategic goals the family business has set. He also tends to the run-off a few kilometres away.

It’s about using the skill-sets where they are most suited, and the arrangement works well.

A management group has formed with two financial and management advisers, each with financial and management backgrounds, bringing independent perspectives to thinking around future directions.

“They have given us direction and helped enormously in structuring our business,” says Chris Fisher. “By giving an independent view it has made a huge change to the business.”

Spaces for more formalised business-related talking have been deliberately created, and Fisher says that having others with a more distanced perspective has added a really good balance decision-making.

When the Fishers bought the farm, the vision was to see a few years through following the conversion – time to get the farm fully up and running. But the Fishers have decided to strike a solid stake in the ground.

“With Mum and Dad supporting us and my brother and family involved in the business, we feel we’re here to stay,” says Chris. “It’s a great place to bring up a family. We know we’ve got to where we are because of the relationships we have forged.”

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8

RURAL PEOPLE: Jared & Susan Ross/Emlyn & Hilary Francis

Business Rural / Autumn 2014

North Otago sharemilkers Jared and Susan Ross are in their third season with Richard and Jacqui Watson near Duntroon.

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The dairy business of North Otago farmers Jared and Susan Ross is going through a period of steep growth.

The 50:50 sharemilkers are in their third season with Richard and Jacqui Watson near Duntroon, where 130 hectares (effective) of the Watsons’ former sheep property was converted three years ago, and the remaining 160ha has been developed into a second dairy unit within the last six months.

The Rosses have also spent the last eight seasons on a neighbouring property owned by some long-term mentors – the first three years in a management capacity, then as lower-order sharemilkers for the previous five seasons.

This arrangement is coming to an end this season.

To “keep the fires burning”, Jared and Susan Ross are taking on an additional lower-order sharemilking contract at a 1400-cow property at Omarama.

“We’ve got a lot going on, with our business growing fairly quickly from a modest start,” says Jared. “On the Duntroon farms we’re increasing cow numbers to near 1000 for spring calving in 2014.”

The couple have milked 650 cows this season on the primary property. The completion of the new shed saw the cows spread across the two units in January-February.

“Although each unit is run separately we’re expecting to yield the efficiencies of scale, particularly when it comes to operating machinery between the two farms,” says Jared Ross.

He says nearly half of the current herd is firstcalving heifers, which reflects the late decision to convert the second unit and the limited market conditions at the time.

However, the herd is still on track to achieve previous production nearing 465 kilograms of milksolids per cow.

“We’re particularly happy with the performance of the young animals.”

One of the couple’s major objectives for the

North Canterbury dairy farmer Emlyn Francis has taken advantage of the high dollar to make a significant investment in new irrigation systems.

“The changes to minimum flows on the Hurunui River have made it unsustainable for us to continue with borderdyke irrigation. Spray irrigation is a far more reliable option.”

He has brought in seven new pivot irrigators and a smaller amount of solid-set sprinklers to replace the borderdyke and k-line irrigatuion on the 630-hectare dairy unit he and his wife, Hilary, farm at Culverden.

The new irrigators were fully commissioned and operational by early December and running well, he says.

“We’re still irrigating about the same amount of land but the new pivots are far more efficient.”

Emlyn called on local firm Dwyer Lewis

Earthmovers to fill in the old borderdyke headraces and assist with trenching work for the new irrigators. “We’ve used them for years on specific projects and to give the place a general tidy up.”

With the irrigation complete, the couple are turning their attention to their next big development – the conversion of a 210ha block they recently bought 8km up the road from the home farm.

“We will probably be ready to milk another 600 cows on this property in 2015, but haven’t decided how to structure it yet – whether we’ll take on a manager or a lower order sharemilker,” says Emlyn.

The couple employ nine staff (just three New Zealanders) on their 1600-cow home farm.

“Our manager, Kane McCarthy, is in his ninth season on the farm; 2IC Emma Gibb came to help us rear calves three years ago and never left; and Hamish Hogg is in his first season with us. Emma and Hamish gained prizes at the North Canterbury Agricultural Awards. It’s really important to develop people and it’s motivating to see them progress.”

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Business Rural / Autumn 2014

RURAL PEOPLE: Jared & Susan Ross/Emlyn & Hilary Francis

9

Jared Ross hopes to increase cow numbers on the Duntroon farm to near 1000 for the 2014 spring calving.

the fires burning season is to complete the development whilst ensuring the production system delivers what they expect.

Jared says they intend to improve the herd structure by trading some of the younger stock and bringing in higher genetic and productive potential in mixed-age animals.

“We’ll look at the milk volumes coming off the cows relative to their body weights and genetic scorings, and start working on the performance of the herd by prioritising the top-performing animals and picking on the least efficient.”

They are able to capture a lot of this information in the new shed, which, although similar in design to the older shed, has incorporated superior technology, including a DeLaval plant with flow meters and a weigh-scale system.

“This is a serious investment for the farmowners,” he says. “By gathering this information, we expect to improve our feed conversion efficiency and optimise our feed inputs.”

The couple are looking at some “pretty exciting” forms of monitoring and alerting, and incorporating wide spectrum data captured through the AgHub system to simplify and improve the effectiveness of monitoring across the units.

Jared spent most of his school years in Auckland, before doing a Bachelor of Agricultural Commerce degree at Lincoln University. He has been dairy farming in Otago since.

“Susan and I were married five years ago, around the same time we started sharemilking.

She was new to dairying at the time, but is from a rural and accounting background, initially working

This is a serious investment...we expect to improve our feed conversion efficiency and optimise our feed inputs.

in irrigation systems more difficult in recent years: “They don’t seem to want to work too far from a main centre these days.

We hope the construction of two more staff houses will make our farm a more attractive proposition for New Zealanders.”

Emlyn and Hilary Francis bought their first piece of land in Culverden in 1999 and have developed their operation considerably since.

Last season their predominantly friesian and crossbred herd, achieved production of 430 kilograms of milksolids per cow, or 603,000kg in total, including 200 winter milkers.

Emlyn says around 1550 cows are being milked this season through the property’s 80-bail rotary shed with cup removers, which “creates efficiencies and keeps the guys’ hours tidy.”

He retired from milking about five years ago to concentrate on the overall management of the operation.

“It was a real challenge to wean myself off milking, and I still miss the daily contact with the cows. But I’m paying people to manage this side of

the business, so I’m better to concentrate on things that add more value to it.”

The couple are continually looking to improve and develop the operation: “We are always trying to do things better, particularly around cow condition and improving fertility after we had a poor result a couple of seasons ago. We are also focused on developing people, being good environmental stewards of the land, and improving the health and safety in our workplace.”

Originally from the Waikato, Emlyn Francis came south to study at Lincoln in the mid-1980s: “I spent a year in Culverden as part of my degree and after a stint overseas. ended up back here.”

He married a local girl whose father, Dougal Norrie, was “a bit of an innovator” and early adopter of dairying – he was one of the first in the district to convert his sheep farm in the early 1980s. The couple have three children aged 13, 10 and six.

“We’re pretty happy with how everything is going and look forward to continuing to develop the business.”

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for a local accounting firm whilst studying by correspondence, and also working for her parents’ agricultural-contracting business.”

Susan also spent several years working in the agricultural and accounting sectors in the United Kingdom. Her roles in the dairy business include rearing 300-700 replacements and the administration of all their operations.

“Susan believes that having an understanding of the day-to-day operations and requirements is vital for effective budgeting and cashflow planning.”

The couple employ nine staff. They are proactive in staff development and in introducing of additional staff for the new season and farm expansion.

“We take great satisfaction from seeing our proven systems becoming a reality in the hands of others. Some of the feedback amongst our current group of guys is the best yet.”

Like all dairy farmers the Rosses aim for top production, but not at the expense of the environment “Dairy farming is a very rewarding business and personal development opportunity,” says Jared.

“Optimising our production system is something we, as sharemilkers, and our farm owners are striving for.

“We will continue to benchmark our rationale for inputs, make absolute use of improving technologies and be entirely responsible with our resource use to ensure we operate within environmental guidelines and achieve the satisfaction that comes with balancing this.”

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10

RURAL PEOPLE: Brent & Susan McEwan

Business Rural / Autumn 2014

Calf rearing on a grand scale Karen Phelps Two hundred tonnes of calf meal and 60 tonnes of milk powder for the season, plus 500 kilograms of gas each week are some of the items Susan and Brent McEwan have used in the last year after they transformed their dairying business from three sharemilking contracts into a large-scale, calfrearing operation.

The couple took over the new farm they bought at Palmerston, north of Dunedin, on July 1, 2013.

“We entered dairy farming not as a career, but as a means to purchase our own farm,” says Susan McEwan. “It’s difficult to afford a dairy farm these days, so a property for calf rearing gave us a quicker route to farm ownership and our own business.”

Three years of sharemilking was enough for them to build sufficient equity and pursue their love of rearing calves – one of their favourite aspects of dairy farming.

It has been a case of trial by fire as the 84-hectare property was converted for calf-rearing operation during last July. They accepted their first calves on July 27.

They lease four other properties – at Middlemarch on the Strath Taieri, and at Hampden in North Otago.

“We had to subdivide 50 paddocks and build three, 10-bay sheds in one month,“ she says. “It was a massive job. Luckily we had really good support from local contractors to get the job done.”

The scale of their sharemilking contracts had provided some window into the rigours of rearing 2500 calves. The couple were going through 12,000 litres of warm milk at peak and using a 90-kilogram bottle of gas each day. The four-dayold calves were reared until they reached 100kg bodyweight.

The McEwans believe they have the only calf-rearing operation of this size in Otago and Southland.

Their largest contract was for 1500 calves, and they reared calves for a contract in Kerikeri, in Northland.

“We’d built up a good relationship with our stock agents as dairy farmers,” says McEwan. “Even when we started looking at properties to buy, we were in negotiations with our stock agents over calf-rearing contracts.”

The McEwans prefer that the agent who sells them the calves also on-sells them when they mature. They see this as ensuring they receive the best calves possible.

They accept only calves that weigh at least

37kg. Their biggest issue this season was navel infection, which can be difficult to control in such a large-scale situation.

“Every calf coming in will now be treated automatically with penicillin,” says Susan. “We spray the shed and feeders every day with disinfectant.

“No viruses were in the shed this season. We cover all the calves when they first head out into the paddocks at 10-14 days of age to protect them from the elements.

“Next season, to streamline the operation, staff will be responsible for specific jobs rather than working on a variety of jobs.”

The McEwans also finish 750 friesian bulls each year through to killing, maturing them from 18 months to 24 months.

They say the biggest transferable thing they

learned from dairy farming is how to grow and use grass effectively. Applying this skill to their new business has allowed them to finish such large numbers of stock.

The McEwans seem to have filled a gap in the market after much local land has been converted to dairying.

They are contemplating whether to stick to rearing similar numbers of calves in the coming season and streamlining the business, or increasing their calf numbers to 4000.

PHOTOS Above, Susan and Brent McEwan’s new calfrearing operation at Palmerston, north of Dunedin.

Right, The McEwans’ little helper, Olivia, with her best friend.

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RURAL PEOPLE: Eugene & Sarah Cronin

Business Rural / Autumn 2014

11

Working holiday a game changer for Limerick lad Karen Phelps Coming to New Zealand on a working holiday proved a life-changer for Irishman Eugene Cronin.

He cites tax advantages, greater land availability and ease of borrowing compared to his homeland as decisive factors in moving to New Zealand to dairy farm.

His Kiwi wife, Sarah, could also have had something to do with his decision, he admits.

Cronin grew up on a 30-hectare dairy farm in Limerick, so farming was nothing new to him when he came to New Zealand nine years ago.

Initially he was just looking to learn skills from New Zealand dairy farmers that he could take back home. He started working as a farm assistant on a 700-cow unit at Temuka; later he was second-incharge on a 1200-cow farm near Ashburton.

After he met Sarah (a Cantabrian), the pair returned to Ireland for a year to decide which country they wanted to call home.

They came back to New Zealand in 2008 to take on a farm-management position on a 500-cow unit at Temuka. They then worked for Dairy Holdings for four years with a 950-cow herd at Te Pirita, on the northern side of the Rakaia River, where they started lower-order sharemilking. They then moved to Bankside, just a little further north, where they are now based.

The 209ha effective farm carries a herd of 840 crossbred cows that are milked through a 60-bail rotary shed. The property is a secondyear conversion and early in January, the couple

were already 9% ahead of the previous season’s production.

“It’s easy to do well here because it’s a very good farm. We’re on target to produce 500 kilograms of milksolds per cow,” says Cronin.

Pasture management has been a major focus and they are grazing in 12-hour breaks, leaving 1500-1600 residuals on 19-20 day rotations. They top only if they have to.

Staff training has been important, as residuals are judged by eye. They have systems in place to ensure correct grass management.

The Cronins are feeding grain in the shed – 500kg of crushed barley and 500kg of silage per cow each season. Silage is always viewed before buying to ensure it is top quality feed.

They have also identified a few paddocks in need of re-grassing, and will do around 16ha this season. All of farm is irrigated, by three centrepivots and two turbo-rainers.

There are three full-time staff, with Sarah doing the bookwork and rearing calves. The couple have two children: Eoghan, 5 and Olive, 2.

The Cronins say they are happy on the farm and are looking to expand their business through land purchase, probably non-dairy related, or a commercial property.

They hope to eventually take on a second sharemilking position to help them towards their goal of farm ownership. At present they own 400 cows, which they lease out.

“The South Island presents good opportunities for career advancement, the climate here suits us and we’re close to Christchurch,” says Eugene.

The good life: Greater land availability and ease of borrowing convinced Irishman Eugene Cronin to settle in New Zealand – that and a little help from Kiwi wife Sarah.

Eugene Cronin with two-yearold Olive at Bankside.

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RURAL PEOPLE: Alexander Kutsyk

Business Rural / Autumn 2014

Morning mist: Some of the 1200 predominantly crossbred cows make their way to the milking shed at Ten K Dairies, a 385ha farm situated, appropriately enough, 10km from both Mossburn and Lumsden.

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His involvement in developments over the last five years on the aptly named Ten K Dairies, farm manager Alexander Kutsyk is well placed to achieve the targeted annual production growth of 2% to 3%.

Kutsyk works for FarmRight. a specialist business management company, and has been managing Ten K Dairies for the last seven seasons.

The Ukrainian arrived in New Zealand in 2002 after studying agriculture at university, and then completing an 18-month student exchange on a dairy farm in Victoria, Australia.

In New Zealand he has got together with Carla Swale, from Mossburn, and the couple now have two daughters, aged seven and three.

The 385-hectare, Ten K Dairies farm is 10 kilometres from both Mossburn and Lumsden in the Northern Southland region.

When Kutsyk came to the farm, it was running 1000 cows, had no replacement stock, and staff who “coming and going – frankly a nightmare.”

During his first season, a 40ha block was developed and put into turnips; the next season it was regrassed and added to the milking platform.

By 2009 replacement stock numbers were up

A centre pivot emerges from the mist at Ten K Dairies in Southland. to 300 rising one-year-olds, and 1270 cows were being winter and 1220 peak-milked.

The predominantly crossbred cows run in three herds of about 400 – bigger and older cows closest to the dairy shed, younger cows a bit further away, and first-year cows and heifers in the hills.

In 2010 a 169ha run-off next-door block was bought; 40ha of that was added to the dairy farm for a calving area, with the rest used for wintering.

Young stock are grazed on an additional 200ha runoff block at Lumsden.

The farm runs an all-grass system, with 10% regrassing each year into perennial ryegrass seen as the key to annual production gains.

“We want to grow as much grass as possible,” Kutsyk says. “A new effluent pond with lining and two weeping walls was built five years ago, a centre-pivot and water k-lines have been in since 2004, effluent k-lines since 2013, and this season the shareholders have built a new house.”

The staffing situation has improved vastly since Kutsyk’s second season. Staff then began staying on for the next season, and now, some of the five permanent staff have been working on the farm for the last four seasons; some have finished AGITO level four and can confidently run the farm in Kutsyk’s absence.

Kutsyk is supported by a FarmRight consultant and farm investment manager. The trio meets once a though the season as wintering, calving, mating, and drying-off come round. FarmRight office staff handle human resources, health and safety, and environmental compliance issues.

“I just need to make sure we stick to the budget and get the milk in the silo,” he says.

The farm has been running 14% ahead of the budget production of 400,000 kilograms of milksolids. Kutsyk says things have been running smoothly, and he, his family, and his staff are getting a lot of enjoyment out of the farm.

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Alex Kutsyk and his two daughters turn out for the tanker’s daily visit.

RURAL PEOPLE: Mike & Rachel Drabble

Business Rural / Autumn 2014

13

Shift south proves right move Jo Bailey Sharemilkers Mike and Rachel Drabble have worked on several farms since giving up careers as police officers in Tauranga to move to the South Island nine years ago.

However the shift in career wasn’t totally foreign to Mike, who was born and bred on a dairy farm at Maketu, near Te Puke.

Mike says the latest move, to a 191-hectare (effective), 600-cow dairy unit at Dunearn, near Winton, should set them up for the next decade.

“We plan to stick here for a while. Our daughters are aged 14, 13 and 10, and the two oldest have already been to five or six primary schools. It’s good to be more settled.”

He says his North Island-based parents, Tony and Colleen, who have dairy-farmed all their lives, have played a big part in the growth of his and Rachel’s farming business.

“They have given us a lot of help and support and have been instrumental in our progress through the industry. We’ve been lucky.”

Tony and Colleen own the Dunearn farm, which was bought 14 years ago after they sold the family dairy farm at Maketu, in the Bay of Plenty, now predominantly in kiwifruit.

“Land prices were cheap in Southland at the time, so my parents bought the Dunearn farm as an investment more than anything, but also to remain involved in the industry. “At the time I was enjoying policing and wasn’t ready to make the move back to farming, so the family farm got sold. It’s something I still sometimes regret.”

After deciding to return to farming, Mike and Rachel spent time on farms around Te Puke before deciding to move south because they identified better opportunities for sharemilkers.

“At the time in the North Island, especially the Bay of Plenty region, there was very little movement in the industry so finding a good job was difficult,” says Mike.

He knew that moving directly to his parents’ Winton farm was the easiest path, but was

Oamaru, and 50:50 sharemilkers at Brydone before going into equity partnership with Mike’s parents four years ago, buying a 370-cow dairy farm at Woodlands, in Southland, where they were lowerorder sharemilkers.

When this property was sold, Mike and Rachel decided it was time to make the move to his parent’s larger Winton farm.

“It has been really positive. The climate is much warmer and drier here, which has made a difference

It was the first time I had farmed in snowstorms and mud up to my knees. We experienced a lot along the way. but it helped build our character. determined to progress through the industry under his own steam.

There were challenges, with the constant moving making it difficult for the couple to fit into new communities at times.

They also had to come to grips with the different soil types and weather patterns in the south.

“It was the first time I had farmed in snowstorms and mud up to my knees. We experienced a lot along the way, but it helped build our character and eventually led to our current position, as sharemilkers and employers responsible for somebody else’s million-dollar investment.”

The Drabbles previously had stints as farm managers at Tapanui, lower-order sharemilkers at

– although it’s another learning curve learning to farm for the dry.”

Every three months, the couple meet with Mike’s parents, an agri-business consultant, their accountant and bank manager to discuss the direction of the business.

“We get some really sound advice. Next season’s goal is to look at the structure of both the farming and sharemilking businesses, and assess the options to best meet the personal and financial goals of each.”

Just over 600 cows were wintered off the farm last year, with around 585 peak-milked.

“We brought 410 cows with us from Woodlands and bought in an additional 190 cows this season.

We’re still a few cows short and could easily winter

620 or 630 here.”

The Drabbles have bought a 70ha grazing block at Te Anau where two cuts of silage are made each ye. All of their cows will be wintered on grass and silage for eight to 10 weeks.

With good grass growth on the home farm, the couple didn’t use any supplement until late January when they started break-feeding the summer turnips.

“We still had the leftover supplements from when we took over the property last year and grew 10ha of turnips.”

The strong payout has encouraged the Drabbles to start developing the property.

“We’ve put swing-arm cup-removers and a Protrack drafting gate into the 45-a-side herringbone shed, and are doing a bit of maintenance around the place.”

Drabble expects the herd of mostly crossbred cows to easily achieve budgeted production of 235,000 kilograms of milksolids, and is aiming for at least 240,000kg given the good season.

The couple employs two full-time and one part-time staff on the farm, including a husband and wife. All are encouraged to complete Ag ITO courses.

As well as taking care of the girls, Rachel reliefmilks, is in charge of calf-rearing, does the farm administration, and helps out when needed.

“We run a roster of nine days on and three days off to make sure everyone, including us, gets some good time off and is well rested,” says Mike. “Our general philosophy is to keep it simple, look after staff, and achieve optimum production from a low cost, all grass system.”

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14

RURAL PEOPLE: Peter & Tiffany Lamb/Jeff & Jessica Wright

Business Rural / Autumn 2014

Peter Lamb (left) with children. Magdalynn, Michael and Elizabeth and wife Tiffany. The Lambs are contract-milking 624 crossbred cows and believe overuse of CIDRs has been responsible for a decline in cow fertility.

CIDRs seen as low-fertility villain Karen Phelps Peter and Tiffany Lamb believe overuse of CIDRs has seen cow fertility-rates in New Zealand decline.

“I’m a firm believer that in New Zealand we are breeding non-cycling cows through the intervention of CIDRs,” says Peter Lamb. “ Non-cycling cows would traditionally have been culled, but by using CIDRs, I think sometimes we are breeding from low-fertility cows.”

He says anecdotal evidence from the 224-hectare farm where he milks 624 crossbred cows has proven his theory.

The Lambs use no CIDRs and, in just two years, have seen the in-calf rate improve. In their first season, calving was spread over three months.

They culled heavily based on fertility, and in their third season, the calving spread had reduced to

nine weeks. They back up this system by getting cows in good condition for mating so that they have the best chance of cycling naturally.

The Lambs do not herd test, so are culling only cows that are obvious under-performers (everything must be judged by performance and eye). The couple’s average somatic-cell count this season sits at 142, down from 157 last season.

Peter Lamb grew up on dairy farms in the North Island and started working in the industry when he left school.

He and Tiffany took on their present contractmilking position for New Zealand Superannuation, which owns the farm, seeking further career growth and opportunity.

The herd is milked through a 40-a-side herringbone shed with a walk-over weighing system. The farm is overseen by FarmRight.

The Lambs have been exceeding production

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targets, achieving 229,000 kilograms of milksolids last season to top the farm’s record of 210,000kg.

Pasture quality has been a key to their success.

They keep cows to a 1500-1600 residual, and use an electronic metering system to give information to input into their feed wedge. Having flexible and reliable contractors is important, says Peter Lamb.

“Having a good relationship with our contractor means that if we are coming into a surplus, we know they are only a phone call away. We use the mower ourselves when we need to, and we’re not afraid to jump paddocks in or out of the round depending on growth rates.”

He also swears by Pasture Plus: “I’m not totally reliant on it, but I use it as a good tool. It often picks up growth rates before we can see it in the paddock.”

Around 10% of the farm is re-grassed each year.

And he values the FarmRight staff: “Having them

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in the background and using their advisers, support staff and investment manager has been brilliant.This is our first time farming in the South Island, and we had a lot of questions in the first year.”

It’s not the only difference they’ve noticed between the two islands.

The Lambs have started a native-tree planting plan on the farm after missing the lush North Island they bush. The trees will edge waterways, offering protection as well as beauty to the land.

The couple – who have three children (Elizabeth, 8, Michael, 6 and Magdalynn, 3 – employ three fulltime staff; Tiffany rears the calves, relief-milks and does the bookwork. She is also studying towards a Diploma in Business Management with PrimaryITO. The couple are heading for their 260,000kg milksolids target this season. They hope to look at operations-management positions within FarmRight for NZ Superannuation as a next step

Karen Phelps Bringing up four young children while lower-order sharemilking a 1150-cow dairy farm is all in a day’s work for Jeff and Jessica Wright.

The ambitious, and, no doubt, highly organised couple are in their first season of farming a thirdyear conversion, 355-hectare (400ha total) dairy unit at Queen’s Flat, near Oamaru.

Both come from rural backgrounds. Jeff, a butcher by trade, grew up on a deer farm in the region. Jessica’s family had a mixed-cropping farm on the Waitaki Plains.

The couple decided to try their hand at farming in 2001 because they saw more opportunities in the dairy industry. They started as farmhands and quickly progressed to a management position on Jessica’s parents’ farm, which was newly converted to dairy and milking 800 cows.

They then moved to a 500-cow farm nearby, buying the cows and leasing them back to the farm.

They sold this herd to finance themselves into their first equity partnership near Waimate, where they took on a lower-order sharemilking position.

They relinquished this role while retaining their shares to return to a management position on Jessica’s family farm, which had grown to 1200

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RURAL PEOPLE: Jim & Sonia Nalder

Business Rural / Autumn 2014

15

Family farm nears 150th Production has gone up

Karen Phelps It’s a farm that’s been in the Nalder family for nearly 150 years and current owners Jim and Sonia Nalder say it fills them with great pride to have been custodians of this land for so long.

Jim’s great grandfather bought the land in 1869.

At that time it was a plot of swamp covered in trees two kilometres out of Takaka towards Pohara, and probably didn’t look too promising.

In fact it was not until the mid-1880s that the land had been suitably prepared for milking cows, which gives some indication of the hard graft put in to establishing the farm.

The farm has also been the base for a lime works producing burnt lime, with the minerals mined and shipped to the North Island.

At another time, there was a brewery on the property. History around beer-making at the farm and whether it was sold commercially, remains sketchy, but it’s safe to say the brews were definitely consumed for personal pleasure.

A berkshire pig stud was also based there until the local dairy factory decided to accept wholemilk rather than just cream in the mid-1970s, putting an end to the pigs’ diet of skim-milk leftovers from the dairy farm.

Jim Nalder grew up on the farm and started working for his dad straight out of school. He took over the farm in 1986, and he and Sonia now milk 240-250 friesian cows through a 30-a-side herringbone shed.

The farm is managed by Dale and Marion Oakden, who are in their third year there. This has allowed Jim and Sonya Nalder to take a more strategic role on the farm.

The main management objective this season

100kg milksolids per cow in the past 10 years.

The average now is 430440kg per cow.

The farm has come a long way since those days. For example, when the breeding-worth system came in, the herd was in the negative. By using high-BW bulls for breeding, the stud now has a healthy herd average BW of 70.

The stud doesn’t sell commercially and all the cows produced are used for replacements on farm.

Emphasis is placed on breeding for longevity, with one of the most impressive cows produced by the stud milking until the age of 21. The average milking life of a Longsdale Stud cow is 10 years.

“Production has gone up by 100 kilograms of milksolids per cow in the past 10 years,” says Nalder. “The average now is 430-440kg milksolids per cow.”

It’s an all-grass system apart from 130 tonnes of palm kernel bought in each season. Around 72ha of the farm is irrigated with k-line, and effluent is spread on 33ha.

Production last season was 105,000kg milksolids; this season;s target is 112,000kg.

Nalder says his biggest goal is to see the farm reach its 150th year in 2019 and to celebrate the stud’s century in 2018. His oldest son, Mark, 36, is interested and is looking to buy his first farm.

Jim Nalder, who operates Longsdale Stud near Takaka, says his biggest goal is to see the farm first purchased by his great grandfather in 1869, reach its 150th year in 2019. The stud celebrates its century in 2018. is to increase production, and they are working to achieve this through a combination of better grass management and the renewal of pastures.

The target is to have regrassed 10 hectares of

the property by the end of the 2013-14 season.

The farm operates Longsdale Stud, which was started by his grandfather in 1918. Jim claims it is now the oldest friesian stud in the country.

‘increasing challenge’ cows. They sold their shares to progress to their present position with owners Derek and Colleen Rapson and Greg and Jo Nelson.

The herd is milked through a 70-bail rotary dairy shed. Because the farm is on flat to rolling country, the owners favour breeding towards a mid-range cow using kiwicross genetics.

The cows are run as two herds: bigger/older cows that graze the flatter, easier land; and younger/ smaller-frame cows that can tackle the hillier parts.

It’s a low cost system with a focus on grass.

The farm uses only 700-800 kilograms of supplement per cow each year, mainly silage and meal.

The Wrights say they also aim to make improvements to the land, tidying up and generally ensuring the farm looks its best.

The property is irrigated by a combination of centre-pivots and k-line. The Wrights monitor water application and absorption every fortnight, using a hand-held moisture probe.

Because the farm was formerly a cropping unit, the couple are concentrating on increasing soil fertility. Olsen P levels are sitting at 18-19 and they aim to raise this to the mid to late-20s through soil testing and the strategic application of capital fertiliser.

The farm employs six full-time staff, and both

We are a close team who work well together. We aim to be in this equity partnership for the longer term.

Jeff and Jessica take active roles in the business, while raising Lachlan, 6, Tessa, 4, Sasha, 2 and Arland, 20 weeks.

The Wrights’ eventual aim is farm ownership, but they realise it is getting increasingly challenging.

However, this won’t stop them. They plan build entity by leasing Jeff’s parents’ farm, selling the deer, and using the land for breeding young stock to trade.

“The majority of our staff have been with us over five years, which we see as a huge strength in our business,” says Jeff.

“We are a close team who work well together.

We aim to be in this equity partnership at Queen’s Flat for the longer term as it is a well-balanced and well-set-up farm with positive owners.”

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16

RURAL PEOPLE: Jason & Kayleen Bennett/Nicholas Tomsett

Business Rural / Autumn 2014

Sue Russell By using their 79-hectare run-off to grow feed supplements, Southland dairy farmers Jason and Kaylene Bennett are able to run their 150ha (effective) dairy farm self-sufficiently.

The farm has been in the family for three generations and continues to provide a good lifestyle for the couple and their young family – Bailey 8, Kenzie 6, Sierra 3 and Jonty 1.

“Apart from our predominantly jersey herd, milking 420 cows, we have chickens and dogs and there is plenty for the children to do, including showing calves at Winton, Gore, Tuatapere and Invercargill,” Kaylene Bennett says.

This season they are milking 20 more cows than last year and are aiming for 450 in a couple of years. They upgraded their herringbone shed to 36-a-side; it is in its third season.

Kaylene Bennett says the Tuatapere area, 90 kilometres north-west of Invercargill, is increasingly going the dairying way: “It is good land for dairying, pretty flat, and in the last few years the trend has been to convert.”

The farm has consent for effluent discharge for 470 cows and a 79ha run-off acts as a food-bowl, supplying additional feed, including silage and barley. A hundred jersey bull-calves were reared on the run-off and the heifer calves have now been shifted there as well.

The cows are milked as two herds. The first cups are on at 5.30am, and the afternoon milking takes just over two hours.

Left: The Bennett bunch: Jason and Kayleen Bennett with children Kenzie, Jonty, Bailey and Sierra.

Below: The Bennetts and their cows.

Run-off block a boon Every year or so, a substantial development has taken place, says Jason Bennett.

“By 2018 we would like to have another business venture,” he says. “But, looking back on what we have achieved, there has been a lot of development.

“We’ve built a new house, developed the run-off, converted rough land into the effective milking area, and replaced the effluent system because we decided the system we inherited was not working.”

Aspirations for milk production are tuned toward more milk per cow. Last season 147,000 kilograms of milksolids were produced, and it looks as though this season’s goal of 160,000kg is within reach.

“We’re aiming for better genetics in the herd, better feed management to ensure the quality of the feed,” he says. To support this, weekly pasturemeter readings help monitor when a surplus of feed is likely.

Kaylene, originally from Putaruru, moved to Southland in 1995 when her parents shifted to go farming in the district.

The couple belong to a local discussion group and in November, when the last gathering took place, discussions centred around mating, somatic cell counts, options for getting Jason out of the cowshed, and effluent management with Dairy New Zealand farm adviser Anna Kempthorne.

Outside farm life Jason and Kaylene are both busy in their community.

Jason is a member of the local volunteer fire brigade and is on the committee for the Waiau A & Show, while Kaylene putd energy into Plunket, pre-school swimming lessons and coaching netball, and is on several committees and boards.

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Feeding at core of farming Kelly Deeks Southland dairy farmer Nicholas Tomsett says he bases his farming practice on feeding cows properly, and this has resulted in some amazing production figures and new opportunities for him to develop the scale of his business to involvement in three Otautau farms.

Tomsett is a 10% equity partner and lower-order sharemilker on Robert Bruin’s 550-cow farm at Fairfax. When he arrived there six years ago, he achieved more than 17,000 kilograms of milksolids per hectare for the first two years.

Bruin could see his potential and offered him the opportunity to lower-order sharemilk on another of his farms, with 500 cows.

“It was only doing 900kg milksolids per hectare when I arrived, and I lifted it to 1380kg milksolids per hectare in my first year,” says Tomsett. “The cows just weren’t being fed properly.”

That farm has now grown to 880 cows.

Bruin then offered Tomsett another opportunity that helped pave the way towards his farmownership goal – a 50% equity partnership on a 200-cow property.

Tomsett says he can expand his business faster by being involved in more farms.

“When you have the systems and the right staff in place, which is always the big issue in Southland, it’s just endless the amount you can grow your business. I’ve got great managers and great teams on all three farms.”

Tomsett put managers on the farms about two years ago, and the system is working well and allows him to concentrate on his other business interest, selling feed to farmers as the local agent for Oilseed products.

“I didn’t think the feed industry was doing a very good job supporting farms,” he says.

“There is so much growth to be had in Southland with feeding your cows properly, because so many people don’t. They want their cows to give them as much as possible, but they

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RURAL PEOPLE: James & Fleur Worker

Business Rural / Autumn 2014

17

Ben Worker (left), Fleur and James Worker with son Sam, and Marcus White (right).

Equity partnership smooth transition Karen Phelps Entering an equity partnership has provided a smooth transition to the next step in their dairy career for James and Fleur Worker.

The couple are equity partners with Steve and Jenny Bevins, Richard and Mandy Jones, Phil and Karne Stirling, and Matthew and Vanessa Richards in a 370-hectare (effective) unit milking 870 cows at Mokoreta, near Wyndham, in Southland. The farm is

overseen by Richard Jones, who visits fortnightly.

James Wotrker reports to the board monthly with quarterly meetings of all the equity partners.

“It was helpful in the first season that the previous farm owners, the Bevins, who are now equity partners, were involved,” says James Worker.

“It has made it easy to take the next step and we will now pay down debt and look for opportunities to increase our shareholding.”

He was raised in Palmerston North and, after spending his holidays on friends’ farms, knew

practice don’t reciprocate with their feed, and that just doesn’t work. They just need a bit of advice.”

Tomsett says he enjoys the part of his job that has him advising other farmers on what they are feeding, what they could do better, how they could save money, and how they could increase production.

He has supplied more than 1000 tonnes of dried distillers’ grain (DDG) this year as Southland farmers look for a high protein feed option to combat the summer dry. He also sells condensed distillers’ syrup (CDS), another high-protein feed, canola meal extract, and pellets.

He says that as someone who has always aimed to feed his cows properly, he was using a lot of palm kernel and grain before he got into Oilseed products, “Now I do the same production with a lot less feed, that is far higher quality. If farmers want to get better use out of their palm kernel, mix it with DDG and get the higher protein into the cows when the protein comes out of the grass during summer.”

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he wanted to be a farmer. He went to the Taratahi Training College and then completed a Diploma in Agriculture at Massey University.

Fleur is off a Southland dairy farm and has stepped easily into her role with the farm bookwork, calf rearing and filling in as needed. The couple have have a 21-month-old son, Sam and a new baby on the way.

James worked as a farmhand on farms in the Manawatu before moving to Southland. After heading south, he worked on a 650-cow farm in Central Otago then went sharemilking 360 cows in Edendale.

When the Central Otago farm was sold, the couple took on a lower-order sharemilking position on Fleur’s family’s farm for a year before entering the present equity partnership The Mokoreta farm is a second-year conversion.

The friesian-cross herd is milked through a 64-bail rotary shed with automatic cup removers, Protrack and in-shed feeding. The shed was built by equity partner Phil Stirling, who owns a building business.

As the farm had previously been used as a run-

off and around 45ha was still in crop, a smaller herd (770 cows) was milked and wintered on farm in the first season. This land has now been put into grass, allowing herd numbers to increase with cows now wintered off farm. The plan is to milk 900 cows next season.

The farm buys in around 300 tonnes of silage and 200 tonnes of crushed barley each year. This season some re-grassing and drainage work is being undertaken to enhance the system.

James Worker says they are concentrating on ensuring that cow condition is good heading into autumn so that the cows will calve in better condition.They have budgeted 60 tonnes of grain for autumn feed, compared with 20 tonnes last season.

Three full-time staff are currently completing AgITO level-three. Staff also attend local discussion and Pasture Plus groups.

Last season the farm produced 300,000 kilograms of milksolids. This season the target is 363,000kg and the longer-term goal is 400,000kg.

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18

RURAL PEOPLE: Brent & Juliet Nish

Business Rural / Autumn 2014

Sharemilkers look south for next mission Jo Bailey

Brent and Juliet Nish with son Riley.

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Brent and Juliet Nish are ready for their next dairying adventure.

The Canterbury couple are in their sixth season of 50:50 sharemilking at Synlait Group’s Riverland Dairies property at Hororata, and have started the process of buying their own farm.

They own 1200 of the 1600 cows at Riverlands, with the plan to “downscale the herd to 600 cows, reduce debt and go buy some land”, says Brent.

“We are looking at properties between 150 and 200 hectares with the ability to milk 500 to 600 cows. Land is too pricy in Canterbury at the moment, so we’ve decided to head south and have found a couple of good options at Omakau and Gore.”

He says they have learned a lot during their time with Synlait, particularly around business management and finances.

“Synlait has been really supportive and has a good structure in place to bring guys through the system. The ability to increase cow numbers rapidly over the last four years has led us to the position we’re in now.”

Four seasons ago, the Nish’s milked 357 of their own cows; numbers rose sharply to 800 the following season, and 1200 cows the next – a level they have maintained this year.

Despite a tough start to the season, they are heading for their budgeted production of 630,000 to 640,000 kilograms of milksolids.

“The wind in early September affected the

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farm heavily,” says Nish. “We lost power for eight days and couldn’t start milking until 10pm the night following the storm. We probably lost around 9000kg milksolids over that period because of the cows not peaking properly. We also lost 10 cows from trees and pivots falling on them, which was disappointing.”

He says the cows made a “pretty good recovery”.

“We made a concerted effort to get the cows going and keep them going, and it’s pleasing to be back on budget now. We could have done with a season without hiccups, but that doesn’t seem to happen here.

“Last year we had a really hard time with the drought and water restrictions, which saw production slump to 580,000kg milksolids.”

The 540ha (500 effective) milking platform is irrigated by five pivots and four Roto-rainers. It is supported by an additional 60ha dryland block.

Brent Nish says the mainly kiwi-cross herd is bred tough to endure some long walks on the farm, which has five terraces stepping down to the Rakaia River.

The cows are milked through two sheds – a 54-bail rotary with grain feeding, and a 44-a-side herringbone – and are wintered off farm with grazier Harold Oakley, who has provided “fantastic support” over the last six years, says Nish.

“Harold grows around 100ha of kale on his support block and we grow about 15ha of kale ourselves to transition the cows when they come home.”

Nish grew up not far away on his parents’ dairy farm at Winchmore, where his younger brother is now sharemilking.

Juliet Nish, a “multi-skilled aircraft engineer” joined the air force at 16 to learn her trade and later worked for Air New Zealand. She was writing maintenance programmes for the national airline’s A320s before going full-time farming with Brent six years ago.

• To page 19

“The wind in early September affected the farm heavily. We lost power for eight days and couldn’t start milking

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RURAL PEOPLE: Brent and Juliet Nash

Business Rural / Autumn 2014

19

Strategic plan a ‘living document’ Sue Russell All the goals Andrea Ludemann and husband Richard Plunket have set and achieved over the years they have owned Banarach Dairy Farm, just north of Oamaru, is testament to their commitment to be guided by sound strategic thinking.

The 117-hectare (effective) farm on the Waitaki Plains carries 420 cows, which are milked through a 36-bail rotary dairy parlour.

The property has been in the family since 1984, when Richard’s father, Allan, and his brother converted the property, which formerly provided milk for the local town-supply. Banarach Farm is supported by a 345ha property at Boundary Creek where bull beef and sheep are also run, and is where the family lives.

A strategic plan guides the decisions the couple make. It sets out in clear, concise language exactly what is hoped and expected to be achieved along a number of fronts.

More importantly. it is a ‘living document’ carrying the aspirations of a couple who see success as an ongoing journey.

This statement provides an example of the breadth of how wide the visions are: “We will support employees’ career goals and value education and the thirst for knowledge.”

Ludemann says fostering people through the industry has always been on of their goals: “Our dairy farm is a really good starter farm.”

Hamish McCulloch and Kayla Morrow are in their second season as lower-order sharemilkers and have just signed for a third.

“It happens for sharemilkers that their first season on a farm is all about coming to grips with the farm and its systems, and by the second season, they nail it,” says Ludemann.

It was a great experience for us both to meet others working in a whole range of professions, but all interested in upskilling and understanding more about what makes for good governance.

“For us, its very satisfying to see this progression and all the rich learning that goes with it.”

Ludemann, who takes care of the couple’s two sons, 11-year-old Angus and nine-year-old Will, is also on the Board of Trustees at the Papakaio School, and has somehow found time since 2005 to give back something to the farming industry in the form of specialised farming manuals, full of templates for model practices and procedures covering all the essential aspects of managing a farm.

“The manuals are a tool for both dry-stock and dairy farmers to tailor their own farming systems around,” she says. “There’s more than one way to milk a cow and the word document format acts as a template and a guide.”

Both Andrea, through her work as a school trustee, and Richard, a director of the Lower Waitaki Irrigation Company, have chosen to do a course in emerging governance through the Institute of Directors. Monthly course meetings in Dunedin give the couple an opportunity to spend time together and talk about their shared and individual goals.

“It was a great experience for us both to meet others working in a whole range of professions, but all interested in upskilling and understanding more about what makes for good governance.”

The course gave Andrea and Richard the opportunity to develop professionally and look in new ways at their business and possibly directions to go.

When Andrea produced the farming manuals (which can be bought on line at www.banarchfarm. co.nz), sales were initially strong.

“When farmers have additional income because of a strong pay-out, they tend to look at buying these sorts of things, and when pay-out drops,

there’s a drop in sales,” she says. The dairy farming manual is now relatively full, with 105 practices and procedures.

“I had to make sure in developing the models that there was plenty of flexibility.,” she says. “It’s a bit like a lolly counter at the supermarket – you can pick and choose what you want, and that’s the strength of the manuals, I feel.”

Richard’s father, Allan, lives just down the road and ,in keeping with the neighbourly feel, the couple have recently employed 16-year-old James Gibson, the son of a neighbour, who came onto the farm straight from school.On the home block Malcolm Murray has been employed since 2009.

“That has been good because it has allowed time for more than just the essentials to get done and helped manage holiday and office time,” says Andrea.

Andrea is happy to answer any queries about the dairy, beef and sheep farming manuals she has written.

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Cows graze on the Rakaia River terraces at Synlait Group’s Riverland Dairies, which is sharemilked

by Brent and Juliet Nish.

Awards experience ‘enjoyable’ • From page 18

As well as taking care of the farm wages, administration and accounts, Juliet is kept busy looking after the couple’s son, Riley, who was born last year.

The Nishs are assisted on the property by eight staff, a mix of Kiwis and Chileans, all of whom live on farm in the five staff houses.

Last year the Nishs entered the New Zealand Dairy Industry Awards, a process they enjoyed.

“We ended up in the final six and got a couple of merit awards – for farm innovation award for effluent, and the animal husbandry award,” says Nish. “We would have done it again this year but trying to purchase a farm has taken up a lot more time than we anticipated.”

Don’t get left behind Contact us today on 03 983 5514 to advertise in the next issue of Business Rural

20

ON FARM: Howard & Helen Boyd

Business Rural / Autumn 2014

Pond shows way in Southland Karen Phelps

Mossburn farmers Howard and Helen Boyd’s new irrigation scheme showing the Aparima River intake (top) and holding pond (below).

Helen and Howard Boyd are among the first farmers in Southland to invest in an irrigation pond.

Although the practice is common in Canterbury, Southland farmers have had little need for such large storage capacity. The Boyds have had to invest in a pond covering six hectares of their farm simply because the underground water supply couldn’t meet capacity for the new irrigation system they installed last season.

It was a two-year process to get consent to take water from a river bordering their farm. In the summer months the river simply does not have enough capacity to meet their needs, hence the requirement to be able to store water on farm.

Howard was born and bred on the 2000-hectare farm at Mossburn; he and Helen took over in 1986.

The property is sandwiched between the Aparima River and Hamilton Burn; the original 120ha farm was bought by Howard’s father, Colin, in 1944, towards the end of World War 2.

The Boyds initially grew chewings fescue seed on contract, a common practice for farmers in the region in the 1940s and ‘50s. When Americangrown seed flooded the market, they turned their farm primarily to a sheep-breeding and lamb fattening system.

They were running 13,000 sheep and produced 15,000 lambs the season before converting 400ha into a dairy platform in 2007.

The Boyds still run 8000 sheep for breeding and fattening, as well as 300 beef cattle that are sold as weaners.

The size of the farm means the Boyds have plenty of room to grow silage, and run support and replacement stock as well as do all their winter grazing.

The dairy farm is operated by a manager, with the Boyd’s daughter, Rebecca, and her partner, Johnny, having key roles. Johnny is second-incharge and Rebecca does the calf-rearing for the unit.

The Boyds’ son, Keith, and his partner Sarah look after the sheep-and-beef operation, leaving Howard and Helen in an overseer’s role as well as doing the farm bookwork.

The dairy unit milks 1150 kiwicross cows through a 64-bail rotary shed with automatic cup removers, in-shed feeding system and MilkHub technology.

Howard Boyd says the biggest challenge in converting part of the unit to dairy was getting their

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ON FARM: Cheddar Valley Station

Business Rural / Autumn 2014

21

Beef breeding ‘pinging along’ Jo Bailey Cheddar Valley Station is known for its substantial sheep operation, but just as much emphasis is put on its smaller beef-breeding business.

“Every part of the business has to be streamlined and pinging along otherwise the whole operation is dragged down.”says Jason McDonald, who, with wife Tracey, farms the property at Waiau, in North Canterbury.

The McDonalds have worked on improving the growth rate, fertility and longevity of all their stock since buying the 3300-hectare property nearly 10 years ago.

Since then they have downsized the operation by 1000ha to improve efficiency and are now running 5000 ewes, 1500 hoggets and 240 breeding cows on the remaining 2300ha.

The property is part of a family company, Cheddar Valley Station Ltd, and is farmed by Jason McDonald in partnership with his father, John, and brother, Glen; outside shareholders hold minority shares. The company also has properties at Lake Onslow, Banks Peninsula and Roxburgh (where Glen farms 800ha).

The McDonald family’s three sheep stud operations (kelso, snowliner and their own ranger breed) are run between these farms.

“The last of the original family farm at Five Rivers was sold around 18 months ago and we have also let go of our lease block at Miller’s Flat,” says Jason.

Lambs born at Waiau are finished on heavyweight contracts at the Roxburgh farm, and calves are sold directly to Silver Fern Farms – Jason and Tracey McDonald grow them out and are paid on a weight-gain basis.

Jason is happy with the progress of the beef breeding programme, which has resulted in a “big turnaround” in fertility – a major issue when they took over the original herd of 500 hereford and hereford-angus cows.

“This year only three of our 232 breeding cows, including our 43 heifers, were dry. This is a far cry from our worst year, when we scanned 80 dry from 500.”

Ten years ago there was also a high incidence of cancer eye in the herefords, which prompted the McDonalds to get rid of all this stock and any of the remaining cows that didn’t meet their criteria.

They bought in 150 rissington cows and sire bulls from local farmer David Rutherford when he converted to dairying; later, they bought composite stud sires from Alistair Campbell’s stud at Earnscleugh.

“Like Alistair, we were using GeneSTAR molecular value predictor (MVP) tests to ascertain the genetic make-up of our stock for marbling, feed efficiency and meat tenderness, so it was a good alignment for us,” says McDonald.

They also bought a couple of elite simmental bulls from Ross Cockburn’s clearing sale at Te Anau. One of these was Wooneleigh Gladiator, which is “still kicking around, but is a bit long in the tooth these days”, says Jason.

Simmental and composite bulls are crossed with with rissington and hereford-angus cows at Jason McDonald’s Cheddar Valley Station at Waiau, in North Canterbury..

The progeny from the simmental and composite bulls, across the rissington and remaining herefordangus cows is a compact, efficient composite breeding cow, he says.

“We produce more of a dual-purpose rather than straight maternal animal. We use a split herd mating, mimicking what we did with our kelso and snowline sheep. We also pick our replacements from our own stock. This has enabled us to achieve extra growth and fertility straight through hybrid vigour rather than having to go back to the first cross scenario.”

The McDonalds have converted five disused hay sheds on the property into semi-covered feedpads where the calves are wintered.

“They smoke along,” says Jason. “Last winter they put on around 50kg for the winter compared to the steer calves wintered on crop at my brother’s place down south that hardly put on any weight at all.”

A few bulls are sold each season, with the McDonalds keeping the top-end ones and using the rest as yearlings.

Jason McDonald is currently working lifting the weaning weight of both the cattle and sheep through pasture improvement.

“This is especially important on the sheep side of things. Instead of finishing them to 40kg from a weaning weight of around 30kg, we aim to put another 4-5kg on to them at weaning.”

He says the plan is to introduce more annual clovers on the station’s productive hill country, where feed levels and pasture quality could be improved.

Cheddar Valley’s sheep are also performing well.

“We mated just under 5000 ewes and 1000 hogget lambs and tailed 7000 lambs plus this season, which is pretty solid.

“Our stock performance is coming along, so overall we’re pretty happy.”

Production not the prime aim • From page 20

Not all of our country

heads around how much grass dairy cows eat.

They re-grassed two thirds of the farm, but found summer-dry periods with nor’west winds blowing over the Takitimu Mountains made it a struggle to produce enough feed.

This led the Boyds to consider installing an irrigation system.

Around 310ha of the farm is now irrigated by three centre-pivots. Water is stored in the 14-day pond.

The aim of the irrigation system was not to increase production. but rather to future-proof the farm, says Howard Boyd.

“We had to take feed from other parts of the farm and buy in some as well during those drier summer months. Now we won’t have to do this,” he says..

Production during the drought season was 385,000 kilograms of milksolids. In the previous season, which provides a better benchmark, production was 405,000kg milksolids. With a favourable spring as well as the irrigation system, they are on target to produce 480,000kg milksolids this year.

In addition to family, the Boyds employ a tractor driver, a shepherd and five staff on the dairy platform.

They say they will continue to tweak and develop their system and meeting environmental benchmarks is a firm objective. They have fenced waterways and they are busy planting riparian strips.

They are now using computer mapping to monitor their fertiliser application more precisely.

They presently spread effluent over 200ha of the farm through a 90-day pond storage and pod system. They are looking at the possibility of spreading over a larger area through their irrigation system.

Pasture management is based around weekly farm walks and weekly staff meetings attended by everyone on the farm, a farm consultant, and the Boyds.

“This ensures everyone knows what is going on

is suitable for dairy, so there’s still a place for sheep and beef and helps us to keep on track,” says Boyd.

The Boyds say that by combining dairy with sheep and beef, they have diversified their business.

But have no immediate plans to convert more of their farm to dairy.

“Not all of our country is suitable for dairy, so there’s still a place for sheep and beef. We do have more land that could be converted, but we’ll let the next generation decide about that.”

Accountants to Jason McDonald 29 The Mall, Cromwell 9310 PO Box 31, Cromwell 9342 Phone: 03 445 0616 Fax: 03 445 1693 Email: cromwelldesk@meadstark.co.nz www.meadstark.co.nz

Howard & Helen Boyd

22

ON FARM: Mawle Family

Business Rural / Autumn 2014

Converts come halfway round the world extensively and quickly, levelling paddocks, putting in 220 troughs, laneways and fences, getting rid of the “wall-to-wall” thistles, regrassing and sowing kale and fodder beet.

Eight houses were built on the property, and a 60-bail dairy with auto cup removers, teat sprayers and Protrack drafting. Just recently, another similar shed has been brought into operation.

The herd is divided into four mobs of 480 or so.

One mob is brought into each shed and milked over about an hour and a half. Then the next two mobs are brought in. Each operation requires only one person per mob for the whole process.

“We’ve got very good staff,” Mawle says. “They are a good team. We make sure there are breaks in the day for everyone. They usually get an hour for breakfast and two hours for lunch. We are conscious we need to keep people fresh and rested for them to be able to carry out the tasks at hand.”

Lying upstream from the Rakaia Gorge bridge, the property gets 115 to 140 millimetres of rain a year. The silty loam soils hold the moisture well, so irrigation is not part of the system.

“It’s not always when you want it, so you sometimes do a bit of a rain dance in the yard,” says Tom Mawle. “It’s a bit boom and bust. But we make silage when we can, and buy some in as well as a buffer for the dry spells.”

Neil Grant As conversions go, the Mawles’ one is at the extreme end of the spectrum. Not only have they turned what had been a deer farm into a large dairy unit supporting four families, they travelled halfway round the world to do it.

Tom and his twin brother, Rob, manage the 680-odd-hectare farm between the Rakaia River and the foot of Mount Hutt. Their parents and sister make up the rest of the family-owned business.

Before they came to New Zealand in 2004, they had a beef and arable farm in Bedfordshire, in the United Kingdom. Their plan was to buy an unirrigated foothills property and carry on doing what they knew best – grass farming of beef cattle using quad bikes and dogs. The property they bought in 2007 had run 2500 deer and 1100 cattle, and was desperately in need of development.

“We soon knew it was not viable for four families as a sheep and beef unit,” says Tom Mawle, “so we progressively made adjustments to be part of ‘the black and white plague’.

“We continued with the deer for a year, the beef for two years, then dairy support for two years. ” Buying and leasing additional land gave them scope to expand, so they developed the property

As the farm developed, the Mawles wintered most of the herd on farm. Now, with the extra shed, and a herd likely to grow to 2100, the cows will all be wintered off farm.

Winter-feed crops of kale and fodder beet are sown. The fodder beet has been rather a trial. As many know, it blows a bit down the Rakaia Gorge (Windwhistle, just north across the gorge did not come by its name by chance), and the Mawles’ last lot of beet seed was blown out of the ground.

They are in a period of consolidation, but are

unlikely to stay still for long. “Dad has a pioneering spirit,” says Tom Mawle.

“We started with 1200 cows and went up 200 a year. For the next year or two, we will concentrate on production.

“If we were to develop further, we would have to buy more land, so we are looking into A2 milk.

We have nominated only A2 bulls as that could be something for the future. Everything is now DNAtested, so the accuracy of the genetics should be spot on.”

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ON FARM: Niels Modde & Jodie Lee-Templeman 23

Business Rural / Autumn 2014

Niels Modde and partner Jodie Lee-Templeman are leasing a 272ha farm at Balfour milking 600 predominantly Friesian cows.

Loyalty helps pair up dairy ladder Karen Phelps Niels Modde has been working for the same farmowners since he moved to New Zealand from the Netherlands. He credits Arthur and Helen Blom with having helped him and his partner, Jodie LeeTempleman, forge ahead with their dairy careers.

“The Bloms were building their business, so we’ve helped them to do that. They have given us both good opportunities to move forward. It’s been mutually beneficial,” he says.

Both Niels and Jodie come from dairy-farming families. Niels’ family farm in the Netherlands was too small to support his ambitions and it was the suggestion of a friend, who was working on a dairy farm in New Zealand, that led him to these shores in 2004.

Modde immediately started working for the Bloms as a farmhand on a 300-cow farm at Balfour.

A year later he was second-in-charge before taking on the manager position. Nineteen-per-cent, lowerorder sharemilking for two years followed, then 24% for a year.

Meanwhile Jodie, from the Marlborough Sounds, had been establishing her own dairy career on another farm in Southland, working her way up to

second-in-charge. The couple took up their present position two years ago on the farm Niels had been working on at Balfour; this is their first season leasing the 272-hectare (total) property.

“It can be hard to get a 50:50 position as people tend to stick at their job,” says Modde.

But leasing has provided them with a way to continue to progress.

They milk 600 predominantly friesian cows and are new members of the New Zealand Holstein Friesian Association as they aim to build a pedigree herd. The herd is milked through a 40-a-side herringbone shed.

The couple also have their own 58ha run-off at Springhills, near Winton, which they use for grazing young stock They say they are aiming to move from a high to a medium-input system as they strive to raise their profitabilily at Balfour.

For instance, they have decided not to continue with winter milking, largely because in two years’ time when their present contract ends, they will no longer get a premium on their winter milk from Fonterra.

As sharemilkers on the property, they used a mixing wagon to feed out year round and produced around 600 kilograms of milksolids per cow. This

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season, they are using a silage wagon and aiming for a simpler regime targeting 500-550kg milksolids per cow while still feeding the stock well. They used to feed cows around 6kg of supplement a day, but they intend to halve this figure.

“A high-input system is a lot of work and the cows leave more grass behind because they are getting fed so well,” says Modde.

“We will now focus more on pasture management making sure cows clean up the paddocks better.”

The Bloms, who are presently taking a 12-month overseas trip, have two meetings each year with the couple by phone and a farm consultant to ensure everything continues to stay on track. The couple employ three full-time staff.

Lee-Templeman mainly attends to the run-off and young stock; she travels to Winton every two days to shift stock.

The couple have a five-year lease contract with right of renewal for a further three years. They are ll using the opportunity to save to buy their own farm.

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24

RURAL PEOPLE: Deloraine Holsteins

Business Rural / Autumn 2014

S Canterbury cows at the forefront of NZ earners Karen Phelps The latest Semex New Zealand Holstein Friesian New Zealand on-farm competition attracted a record number of entries with 772 cows from 118 herds across the country. This made Deloraine Holsteins’ successes – three awards, in the three-year-old, five-year-old and veteran classes – all the more sweet.

Deloraine also won the Nutritech performance national award for the highest per-cow-dollarearning herd based on Fonterra’s A+B-C formula three times out of the last four years.

The highest herd average for the stud is 9209 litres of milk with a 3.95 butterfat test with 364 kilograms of butterfat and a 3.41 protein test with 314kg of protein – giving a total of 678kg of milksolids per cow in 299 days.

The herd has a current herd type classification from the Holstein Friesian Association of 57 excellent cows and 220 VG cows.

Impressive results but hardly surprising as the Temuka-based breeders Alister and Bridget Sherriff are the third generation to operate the pedigree stud, which was started by Alister’s father, Norman Sherriff, in 1934. Alsiter and Bridget took over the family farm in 1993.

They farm 340 hectares, with a milking platform of 130ha; they milk 420 and winter-milk 200 cows.

The Sheriffs rear all the calves produced. Sixty to 70 a year that are not used for herd replacements

There’s always room for Improvement. We will continue to improve the type and conformation and breed cows with good udders and feet that can give good production. are raised and sold as in-calf heifers. The stud 6080 bulls a year.

The Sherriffs run a self-contained system, growing 12ha of lucerne, 35ha of barley and 10ha of maize. Cows are fed 4kg of barley a day on the milking platform, reducing to 3kg in the latter part of lactation. Around 275ha of the farm is irrigated by five centre-pivots, plus travelling irrigators and k-line.

The Sherriffs have not been shy about investing in new technology. Their 32-bail rotary shed has automatic cup removers and a cup-flushing system, which, they say, has reduced mastitis

Temuka’s Deloraine Holsteins won awards in three classes – three-year-old, five-year-old and veteran – in the Semex New Zealand Holstein Friesian on-farm competition, The competition attracted a record number of entries of 722 cows from 118 herds across the country. issues significantly, lowering their somatic cell count by 100,000. And, they add, the installation of computerised calf-feeders last season has cut down on labour and resulted in healthier calves.

The Sherriffs’ son James, 26, is already taking over the day-to-day running of the farm, leaving 70-year-old Alister free to take a back-seat role.

Bridget still helps with calves in spring and does the bookwork.

Alister Sherriff favours imported Canadian semen and concentrates on breeding for high milk production, good protein, and cows that will milk throughout the year.

James is keen to continue the legacy of the stud, importing embryos from Canada to bring new bloodlines into the herd to extend the stud’s breeding platform. He was successful at the New Zealand Dairy Event in Feilding at the end of January, with a second place in the four-year-old class and a third in the five and six-year-old class.

“There’s always room for improvement,” says Alister Sherriff. “We will continue to improve the type and conformation and breed cows with good udders and feet that can give good production.

Breeding holstein friesians has gone down four generations now – it must be in the blood.”

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BULL SALES: Seadowns Herefords

Business Rural / Autumn 2014

25

Colin and Lynne Gibson’s Seadowns Herefords stud, near Oamaru, uses genetices sourced mainly from Australia. The stud runs 130 cows.

Succession plan draws new blood We try to breed bulls with

Karen Phelps Two new directors have joined the ranks of Seadowns Herefords, with Colin and Lynne Gibson’s son, Scott, and his wife, Nicky, buying into 50% of the stock on the farm.

Part of the family farm-succession plan, the move means the farm no longer needs to employ staff. Scott and Nicky will take a role in the day-to-day running of the 300-hectare unit at Rosebery, eight kilometres inland from Oamaru.

Colin Gibson was brought up in nearby Ardgowan and, after shearing for a number of years, searched the country looking to buy his first farm – only to end up a matter of kilometres away from where he grew up.

That was in 1979 and, at the time, the farm was 222ha. It has grown slightly through the purchase of neighbouring land. The family is now looking to buy a tussock hill-country block to run cows on.

The Gibsons also have a dorset down stud with 80 ewes. They run 1000 ewes in total, plus 250 hoggets. Lambs are fattened, with 10001200 sold each year. Genetics are sourced

a bit of meat on them and a quiet temperament...We don’t mollycoddle them

mainly from New Zealand, and a good meatytype ram with a good constitution has just been bought to help breed better muscling into the flock. Fifteen to 20 rams a year are sold privately.

The Seadowns Herefords stud has 130 cows.

Surplus young stock – 20-30 heifers and around 60 bulls – are sold for breeding each year at an on-farm sale (May 26 this year).

“We try to breed bulls with a bit of meat on them and a quiet temperament,” says Colin Gibson. “They transfer well to tussock country because we don’t mollycoddle them.”

The hereford stud, started in 1994, uses genetics sourced mainly from Australia. It took a while to build up a clientele, but as the

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stud’s reputation has grown, so has the number of repeat clients. The stud favours horned herefords, and has only a few polled varieties, which is unusual for New Zealand.

“A lot of high-country farmers like horned cattle because they believe they are hardier,” says Gibson.

The remnants of a gravity-fed, water-race system run along the property boundary. This system used to supply Oamaru from the Waitaki Valley. A cave on the property contains evidence (Chinese writing scratched into the rock surface) it was used as accommodation by the men who built that race.

“The kids stumbled on that cave one day. It was used miore than 100 years ago,” says Gibson.

He says it is good to see the next generation (Scott and Nicky), starting to take over the farm he and Lynne have put so much effort into building up.

“I used to go into shearing competitions when I was younger to make the job more interesting.

Stud breeding is the same – it makes farming more interesting as you are always trying to do better. It adds an extra layer to things as, unlike an ordinary herd, all of our cows have names and numbers.”

Don’t get left behind Contact us today on 03 983 5514 to advertise in the next issue of Business Rural

26

BULL SALES: Locharburn Herefords

Business Rural / Autumn 2014

Lochaburn Hereford cows and calves graze at Lochaburn Station. Owners Geof and Joyce Brown have spent narly four decades breeding Herefords on 2000ha at Locharburn Station at the head of Lake Dunstan in Central Otago.

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Although dairy grazing is taking over more of the “good to average country”, Hereford breeder Geoff Brown thinks there is still “tremendous potential” for the beef industry.

“A lot of the good finishing land is disappearing, but that is forcing beef breeders and fatteners to operate smarter. I believe there is a huge market for selling yearling bulls into the New Zealand dairy industry. We should be encouraging them to buy registered bull calves but as long as the commercial guys are selling bull calves sired by registered bulls I don’t have too much problem with that.”

Geoff says the hereford’s toughness and hardiness makes the breed an attractive proposition in the changing market.

“As beef breeds are forced to the poorer country, good survivability is essential.”

The fact China has “suddenly woken up to beef”, is another good-news story for the New Zealand industry, he says.

“There have been some big snows and droughts in the United States and Australia. The potential for New Zealand beef is really good. I’m optimistic.”

Geof and his wife, Joyce, have spent almost four decades breeding herefords at Locharburn Station at the head of Lake Dunstan in Central Otago, where he established the stud in 1972.

The couple are preparing for their 30th annual

bull sale, to be held on farm at 11am on May 30.

“The bulls are looking good. We started with 100 calves and have whittled them down to 42.

We’ll probably end up with 30 or 35 for sale.”

He hopes to see a repeat of last year’s sale which saw the woolshed full of potential buyers, most from the South Island.

The Browns will present quite a few bulls by an Australian bull, Fauklands Legion 04251. They also have some “good sale bulls” in the catalogue

by Earnscleugh Church 074243 and a sprinkling of other sires.

“One of our best performing cows, born in 2002, has produced five high-priced bulls in her life, including last year’s record priced bull that went for $20,000. She’s got another really good bull-calf this year; it will be interesting to see how it sells.”

Last year’s top bull was sold to Rob Stokes, from Lees Valley, in partnership with Colin Gibson, of Seadown, at Oamaru.

“They have already sold semen out of him into Australia and we hear there are some Englishmen sniffing around looking for some semen to import.

It’s encouraging for the hereford industry.”

Locharburn has a reputation for producing hardy de-horned hereford cattle with a good temperament that are bred with commercial farmers in mind.

“Our clients comment that our bulls shift and survive well.”

• To page 27

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Business Rural / Autumn 2014

BULL SALES: Waimara Angus

27

Sire selection – use your head Jo Bailey Tom Law, of Waimara Angus Stud, says the best computer available when selecting sires is “still the one sitting on your shoulders”.

“Our selection criteria are to first retain functional, fertile cows, before using technology like scanning and EBVs. These figures account for only around 20% of our selection process.

“We trust our experience to breed cattle based on pedigree and family lines for soundness, and performance both in the paddock and on the table.”

In the early 1990s, Tom and wife Sally followed the trend of using American bulls, but have reverted to New Zealand bloodlines, using overseas genetics in pedigrees only if the sires are proven here.

“At one time our herd was around 80% American genetics and I was a real figures man, but we’ve gone away from both now. We don’t use any sires we have not personally inspected, and have resisted boosting our EBVs by avoiding the use of highly figured bulls that don’t pass our selection criteria.”

The Angus Pure brand has been fantastic for raising the profile of New Zealand-bred cattle: “The people who have developed it have done a tremendous job.”

The Laws founded Waimara Angus in 1988 on a

• To page 28

At one time our herd was around 80% American genetics and I was a real figures man. But we’ve gone away from that now.

We don’t use any sires we have not personally inspected.

Stud’s reputation spreads abroad • From page 26 The ability to produce beef that meets the standards required for the premium end of the consumer beef market, such as the Silver Fern Farms export programme and Hereford Prime programme is particularly important.

Brown is trying to increase eye muscle and intramuscular fat in the cattle and continue to improve bone structure.

“We’ve imported semen from a bull out of Montana in the United States called Genetic 137 Y Lad 0827. We have artificially inseminated 70 cows to him and look forward to seeing the first calves on the ground next year.”

The Browns run 250 registered cows, 100 steers and winter around 200 registered bull and heifer calves on the 2000-hectare station which ranges from irrigated flats to some good hill country and rougher hill country.

“The rougher country makes the cows work for their living and gives them a bit of constitution.”

This winter the Browns will also carry 1600 merino ewes and 600 hoggets: “We’ve cut sheep numbers back a bit, but probably won’t go lower than that The herefords and merinos complement each other well, with cows cleaning around the bottom of the hill country and the sheep around the top.”

Geoff spent 10 years on the New Zealand Hereford Association council, and was president for two years. He is not involved now, but says it was worthwhile – he “learned a lot and worked with a great bunch of people”.

The couple don’t employ staff, apart from their unofficial farm worker, Keith Lake.

“Keith is 85 and as tough as nails. He’s bored to tears in Cromwell, so comes out most days to give us a hand.”

Tom Law, of Waimara Angus, says the Angus Pure beef brand has been fantastic for raising the profile of New Zealand-bred cattle. “The people who have developed it have done a tremendous job,” he says. The Laws will be putting around 15 angus bulls up for their third annual sale on May 23. They run the sale in conjunction with hereford breeder Andy Denham on his Stoneburn prperty in East Otago.

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28

BULL SALES: Waimara Angus

Business Rural / Autumn 2014

Stud success doesn’t come in one generation • From page 27

The right stuff: All Waimara bulls come with strong guarantees, particularly around structural soundness, temperament and fertility.

small property in Te Anau with four cows from the Matanaka farm of Sally’s father, Monty Ericson, and four from Cottesbrook.

“Monty was a long-time angus breeder and was president of the Angus Assocation in his time.

Unfortunately his stud dispersed before we decided to go into cattle, so we were only able to get the four cows that were left at the finish.”

Back then, the Laws’ romney and poll dorset sheep studs were by far the biggest part of the business. They used to sell rams to 10 or their 12 closest neighbours.

“The romneys used to be the breadwinner, but the roles have reversed. We still farm romney sheep and replacement hoggets, but the angus operation is now the main focus.”

Around seven years ago, the Laws moved to Palmerston where they bought a 51-hectare property. They also took over the lease of Tumai Station, a 560ha property at Waikouaiti on the East Otago coast.

Their daughter, Kate, and her husband, Chris Pont, now live there and manage the day-to-day operation.

“We’ve had three pretty good seasons. But we’re prone to very dry summers at Tumai, so we’re always ready to de-stock. We’re mating 150 cows, including heifers, this year and we’re going to share-farm on our neighbour and nephew’s property and also the 51ha home block to take a wee bit of the pressure off.”

The Laws are putting around 15 bulls up for their third annual sale on May 23. They run the sale in conjunction with hereford breeder Andy Denham on his property, Stoneburn.

“We both had a handful of very strong private

clients, but joining forces has allowed us to create an auction day that gives us both the opportunity to grow. Our first two sales have really exceeded expectations,” says Tom Law. He is happy with the bulls he is selecting for the sale with the help of Roger Keach, from PGG Wrightson, who has been “a valuable sounding board for me for 20-odd years”.

Law says Waimara bulls are bred to suit the East Otago hill country and have a strong local following: “Our bulls come with strong guarantees, particularly around structural soundness, temperament and fertility. They are good allround animals that do well on farm and into the food chain.”

However, he believes that making a success of a stud-breeding operation is not something that can be achieved in one generation: “Sally and I have put a lot of work into our stud operations and it’s great to see the next generation keen to carry on.”

Their eldest son, Andrew (a stock manager at North Range, near Lumsden) and his partner, Jane, are keen to play a part in the stud’s future, alongside daugther Kate (who handles farm administration and performance recording) and Chris Pont, and their eldest daughter, Becky (who looks after the stud’s catalogue, marketing and website) and her husband, Gene Runga.

“It is very much a family business,” says Tom Law. “Monty, who lives in Palmerston, is still quite involved, and we’re all looking forward to sale day.”

Our first two sales have really exceeded expectations.

BULL SALES: Taiaroa/Cotswold Charolais

Business Rural / Autumn 2014

29

PHOTOS Right: A Taiaroa Stud charolais bull, Taiaroa E32.

Below: Drew Dundass (left)), Don Organ and Carolyn Dundass.

Photos: Diane Bishop, Southland Times.

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block, near Ranfurly and run by the Sangsters.

On Glen Ayr the Dundasses run 2650 texelcross, mixed-age ewes and 620 ewe hoggets. They also run 82 mixed-age Taiaroa polled charolais, 48 R2 bulls, 21 R3 heifers, 50 R2 heifers, a Kia Toa herd sire bought three years ago from Paul Grainger at Te Kuiti, and three Cotswold herd sires.

In the share-farming agreement, they now run 61 Cotswold Charolais mixed-age cows and 12 R2 bulls.

The Dundasses concentrate on calving ease, conformation and growth traits,and say differences between the Taiaroa and Cotswold cattle are already apparent: “Don’s bulls are slightly different in body type – fuller in the body and very sound with good temperament,” says Drew Dundass. “We think that, mixed with our genetics, it will produce a well balanced animal with even better longevity.”

The Dundasses hope this will be a good mix with their hardy cattle, which are bred to survive harsher conditions – the topography of the Glen Ayr fproperty fluctuates between 540 and 920 metres

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A unique share-farming agreement between two New Zealand charolais stud farmers will result in a better product for customers, say Carolyn and Drew Dundass.

The couple, who run Taiaroa Stud, were approached last year by Don Organ from the Napierbased Cotswold Stud. Organ had his farm on the market, but dry conditions last summer meant he had to quickly find a home for his elite stud animals.

The Dundasses were immediately interested in buying the stock to add to their own stud, but high prices proved prohibitive. In the new arrangement, Organ still owns the cattle, which are now run on the Dundass farm.

The Dundasses have an agreement to buy half of the resulting progeny each season, and say they are excited by the prospect of bringing these new bloodlines into their stud.

“It’s a way for Don to keep his stud cattle and have input into them. We can call and get his advice. Don’s been farming for 50 years and we hold his knowledge and stock in very high regard,” says Carolyn.

“For us it was an opportunity to get new bloodlines from one of the premier charolais studs in the country. It’s very exciting for us.”

In fact, the Dundasses and Organ have previously bought stock from each other to improve their individual studs.

Carolyn’s father, Tom, started Taiaroa Stud in 1968, and the farm has been in her family for 90 years. Carolyn and Drew have been on the farm for 13 years which they own in partnership with Dawn and David Sangster – Carolyn’s sister and brother-in-law. It operates as Glen Ayr Ltd, and has two properties: Glen Ayr, a 1577-hectare farm in the Paerau Valley 55 kilometres south of Ranfurly; Glenfield Farm, a 600ha property with a 343ha hill

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BULL SALES: Kakahu Angus

Business Rural / Autumn 2014

Genetics, science way Jo Bailey

Kakahu bulls ready for sale (top) and Hargreaves family members (above) at a bull sale.

Angus breeder Gerald Hargreaves says his views aren’t always popular, but he is determined to try to make positive difference to the industry.

“Because New Zealand beef is so small in the global scheme, we need to find the right genetics to be able to put high-marbling, grass-fed beef into restaurants around the world and produce a top eating experience recognised internationally,” he says.

New Zealand kills around 240,000 prime steers and heifers each year in New Zealand. Hargreaves argues that if the industry could organise itself better, there’s no reason why all these cattle could not be going into the highest-paying global markets as superior, high-value, high-eating beef.

“We could pick our plots, but it will be difficult to make this happen if everyone has an individual view on how we should get there. I believe we need to use science.”

The Hargreaves – Gerald, his wife, Sue, and their son and daughter-in-law, Tom and Anna – farm the 1200-hectare Kakahu Farm near Geraldine.

Gerald Hargreaves says the breeders who believe in the pure New Zealand Angus standards are focusing on a very small gene pool, which automatically slows down progress.

The benefits of genetic gains have already been proven in the dairy, pork and poultry industries, but the beef industry needs to catch up, he says.

“Progeny testing in the angus benchmarking programme in Australia backs this up emphatically.”

He believes greater cohesion among angus breeders is needed to ensure New Zealand highgrade beef competes on the world stage, where premium grading, particularly around marbling and tenderness, is becoming much tougher.

“Although the angus breed consistently produces

better marbling than other breeds, the industry shouldn’t be complacent. I also run charolais cattle, which produce marbling as good as many Pure New Zealand angus cattle in raw data. If we rest on our laurels, angus could be surpassed.”

He is worried that if breeders don’t “get our act together”, a fast-approaching opportunity will be lost.

“If the pendulum swings and processing plants start paying $150-200 premiums that are being suggested for high-quality steers, with carcass weight and retail beef yield, many won’t be able to take advantage because they are so far behind.”

He challenges those in the beef industry who don’t believe in estimated breeding values (EBVs).

“This is the science. It may not be 100% foolproof, but it is the best we have to go on until

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Business Rural / Autumn 2014

BULL SALES: Kakahu Angus 31

forward – breeder DNA becomes accurate and cost-effective.”

He says EBVs are vital to determine the expectations of a calf from the view of the person seeking to make a profit from it.

“The measurements encompass all the new standards required by Silver Fern Farms, AngusPure and Five Star Meats when it comes to high marbling, eatability carcass and growth rates.

Measuring these traits is economically important and can take breeders to a different level of performance. If breeders don’t measure, how can they know whether they are going backwards or forwards?”

For the last 18 years he has been part of a group of six breeders who travel to the United States and Australia annually to see what’s happening in terms of breeding and the meat industry.

“Because American Angus has an annual registration of 300,000-400,000, 10 times the number in Australasia, it makes it possible for us to find bulls in the top 1% for the breed that tick the boxes for structure, temperament and type.” These are the animals “to take the industry forward”.

“We also travel widely to study bulls’ offspring to further assess their soundness and suitability for New Zealand conditions.”

Hargreaves is frustrated when he hears American cows labelled “soft” for being grain-fed.

“I have never seen a cow fed over there except under heavy snow conditions, when we would feed in New Zealand as well. Where we search for our bulls, cows are run at one to 10 hectares, living outside year round. The exception to this is if it is -40C outside at calving. In that case, calves born outdoors would freeze to the ground at birth.”

He says the angus cow has proved it can adapt well to a range of climates...the heat in Australia, -40° temperatures in Dakota, or New Zealand’s temperate climate.

Kakahu runs 550 cows in its angus stud herd, with 100 of these based at Clayton Station. Kakahu also runs 100 charolais stud cows, sheep, and friesian bulls for the dairy industry.

The aim is medium-sized cows that calve with ease and bounce back quickly. Hargreaves reports “incredible” performance out of calving heifers mated as yearlings.

“I believe this is one of the most profitable things beef farmers can do. Thirty per cent of bulls in our annual sale are out of first-calving heifers.”

Traditionally you couldn’t have growth without high birthweights. but the Kakahu results have revered that, he says.

“We have bulls with moderate to low birthweights, plus in-calving ease EBVs, that have good growth. The crucial ingredient to success is the moderate mature-cow-weight EBV, which must be below 600-day weight.”

High-country breeders who say they don’t want that sort of growth must be careful, because their competition is dairy grazing, he says.

“If they don’t produce animals that fatten and are in the premiums by 18 months, they will not have buyers for their calves. We have clients already achieving these results making 28c per kilogram of dry matter.”

Kakahu clients are using EBVs for bull selection “more and more”, he says. “I place huge importance on carcase data as these are the most relevant measurements for the steer-producer to provide the correct meat to works.”

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Mid-left: Tom Hargreaves (Gerald’s son), who is involved in the running of the family’s Kakahu Farm in South Canterbury.

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He says breeders should follow the national index created by ABRI and be wary of independent indexes.

“Anyone can create an independent index out of EBVs that could be weighted to suit their own breeding programme. You need to find out the weightings behind any private index. Our index, designed by ABRI, is being successfully progenytested in every type of topography.”

Kakahu’s in-calf heifer sale, run in conjunction with Bluecliffs Station and Burnett Valley Station, is on May 10. On offer will be around 200 Kakahubred, in-calf, commercial heifers mated to yearling bulls in the top 5% for calving ease. These heifers are scanned for IMF. “It is exciting to see that they measure at the top end for raw data nationally,” says Hargreaves.

Around 125 bulls, which he says are all in the top 25% for Angus Pure Index, will be presented at the stud’s annual bull sale in June. Thirty yearlings will be in the final cattle sale in October.

If the beef industry is to provide greater continuity of supply to meat processors, it needs to start working together and harness the tools available, he says.

“There is high-end product in New Zealand, no question, but there isn’t enough of it to provide continuity.

“If we want the premiums, we have to be able to supply the product. The only way to do that is by measuring genetics to make the individual animal more profitable, not by rhetoric. Unfortunately, progress is too bloody slow.”

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32

BULL SALES:

Business Rural / Autumn 2014

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New Sire Beechwood Turk JANUARY 2014 HEREFORD GROUP BREEDPLAN EBVs 200 (kg)

400 (kg)

600 (kg)

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78%

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+65

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+0.4

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68%

62%

63%

67%

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BULL SALES: Beresford Simmental

Business Rural / Autumn 2014

33

Bulls bred ‘big and rugged’ in the Catlins Jo Bailey

Our bulls are large,

Warren and Steph Burgess are hoping for a fine day for their upcoming Beresford Simmental Stud’s second on-farm bull sale.

The stud is in one of the most picturesque parts of the Catlins, but last year’s buyers didn’t get a chance to take in the views as bad weather struck on sale day.

“The houses are around 600 feet with a huge hill opening up about a kilometre away. Unfortunately no one saw a thing last year,” says Warren Burgess.

“We’re hoping it will be better this year so that buyers can have a look at the sort of country and topography the bulls are raised in.”

Beresford is 1180 hectares of rolling to steep Catlins bush country. Around 200ha is still in bush and scrub, with the balance in pasture or bush burn.

The views are definitely spectacular, but it is the stud’s latest crop of bulls the buyers will be most interested in come sale day from 3pm on Wednesday, May 21.

Warren Burgess is finalising the catalogue and expects to present 16 to 20 bulls.

“I’m happy with the line-up, which is very even from one end of the catalogue to the other, with two or three good stud prospects.”

He says Beresford’s catalogue is one of the heaviest in the country for simmental bulls. The stud breeds “big, rugged, heavy muscled sires”.

“Our bulls are large, sound cattle that aren’t

sound cattle that aren’t pampered, and grown out to their potential in order to put weight and size into our buyers’ progeny. pampered and grown out to their potential in order to put weight and size into our buyers’ progeny.

The progeny from these simmental sires can be killed at any age from 14 months through to big heavyweight bullocks and heifers that will still grade very well.”

The herd is brucellosis accredited, TBC10 and sale-tested clear, with the Beresford Simmental sires BVD and EBL tested negative, vaccinated twice and eye-muscle scanned.

The sale bulls were wintered on swedes, then put onto greenfeed oats.

Beresford’s “second string” bulls are sold in early November as yearlings to dairy farmers.

“The simmental’s hybrid vigour crossed with the dairy cows provides these clients with a very good, profitable bobby calf,” says Burgess.

He grew up at Beresford and recalls the

Beresford bulls are raised on 1180 hectare of rolling to steep Catlins bush country. establishment of the simmental stud by the family in 1981.

“We trialled several European breeds before settling on the simmental, as it crossed very well with the hereford beef herd we were running on the property at the time. “The simmentals are tough cattle that suit the southern climate.”

With around 60 inches of annual rainfall and several snowfalls each year, the stock have to be tough.

All stud cows are run easy care, calving in rough bush blocks up to 1500 feet.

“We don’t weigh the calves at birth as breeding survivability is more important to us. The calving date is recorded, with the calves tagged and dehorned at a month old.”

This year the Beresford stud will calve around 150 stud simmental cows and heifers, along with

• To page 34

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34

BULL SALES: Meadowslea/Beresford Simmentals

Business Rural / Autumn 2014

Gene trigger breeds hardy Karen Phelps

PHOTOS Above: Meadowslea angus cows and calves on the high tussock.

Left: Angus sale bulls cope with the snowstorm that forced the postponement of Meadowslea’s 2013 sale.

Epigenetics may not be a common term for many breeders of sheep and cattle, but Meadowslea’s David Giddings says he has been following the principles for years. And he believes it has helped him produce hardier sheep and cattle on his hill country property.

As an animal grows and develops, it can activate and deactivate parts of its DNA in response to the environment. Certain genes can be turned on or off to make the animal better suited to the challenges it faces.

Epigenetics is the study of these chemical reactions and the factors that influence them.

Giddings believes that by breeding and running his cattle on marginal land, epigenetics are at work helping him produce a hardier animal that shifts well for clients.

“Epigenetics is something that is only beginning to be understood,” he says.

“If these animals are challenged in the environment it sets off a trigger in their genetic make-up that gives them more ability to survive and thrive.

“If they weren’t challenged in these conditions, that trigger would never be set off.

“Scientists are now discovering that, in some cases, these changes can then be passed on to the next generation.

“We’ve taken the challenges that nature has thrown at us and bred from the best that have survived and thrived in that environment. It’s a proving ground to make sure the genetics will work.

“That’s the whole thrust of our operation – breeding sheep and cattle sustainably on South Island hill country.”

All of Giddings’ sheep are unshepherded on the hill. Fertility, he says, has risen 2% a year over the

Simmentals thrive in the tough southern climate

Bulls galore: a lineup of Beresford Simmental bulls, tough cattle that cope well with high rainfall and snowfalls.

• From page 33 80 murray greys and 50 simmental-hereford-cross cows.

Around 50 bull calves, 60 heifer calves and 10 sires are also run at Beresford, plus 4200 Turanganui ewes and 1100 hoggets that are farmed

under the same easy-care policy.

“We don’t do a lambing beat,” says Burgess.

“The sheep are left to their own devices. We still wean between 148 to 150% lambs each year, so it works well.”

Warren and Steph Burgess held their first onfarm sale last year after selling at the Combined

Owaka bull sale for more than 20 years.

“A couple of other studs had stopped selling bulls at auction and we were confident we had the catalogue to fill the gap,” says Warren.

They were “very happy” with the 2013 sale, – 18 bulls averaged $5900 to buyers from Tuatapere in the south to Pio Pio in the north.

Around 100 turned up to support the stud and enjoy the barbecue and “light refreshments” following the sale.

“The bad weather didn’t put people off.,” says Burgess, “ In some ways it is ideal for a bull sale as there’s no excuse to stay at home.”

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Business Rural / Autumn 2014

BULL SALES: Meadowslea

35

survivors We’ve taken the challenges that nature has thrown at us and bred from the best that have thrived and survived in that environment. It’s a proving ground to make sure the genetics will work last 20 years since the sheep have been put into this environment.

His angus stud cows are wintered on native tussock blocks and fed no supplements.

“These cows need to carry good fat levels going into winter to survive the harsh conditions and allow them to get back in calf again quickly for the next season.

“Basically. it’s like they are carrying two big rounds of balage on their backs. That’s how much energy they have stored in their fat to feed on so that they can survive no matter what nature throws at them.”

David Giddings believes that by using only proven New Zealand-based angus genetics instead of imported semen, he is encouraging the development of genetics in his herd that will survive and produce sustainably in his conditions.

“How can you take genetics from animals bred in a completely different environment and an easy feeding regimen, and expect their progeny to survive and thrive in our tough hill country?”

Giddings farms two properties – Meadowslea, 130 hectares just west of Fairlie, which is used for finishing rams and bulls before sale, and nearby Berridale, a 400ha tussock property where he runs 2000 stud ewes and 300 stud angus cows.

The romney stud was established in 1926 by his father, Gilbert, who changed the farm from dairy to sheep because he saw a bigger future in wool and meat. The angus stud was established by David in 1985 to complement the operation and improve the farm’s sheep-to-cattle ratio.

Twenty years ago Meadowslea was breeding a longer, leaner romney sheep that required more feeding and was suited to flat land.

“We could see all the good land was going to dairying, so we decided to develop a completely different type of sheep,” says David Giddings.

“We needed a tougher, stronger, smaller, more compact animal with deeper body to carry more fat to survive in tougher country. So we took the romneys from the flat and put them on the hill country, and added new breeds.”

Meadowslea now breeds four different crosses with his straight romney stud: perendale/romney; texel/romney; perendale/texel/romney; kelso/ romney. The kelso maternal and kelso terminal are also bred unshepherded on the hill country.

Two of his romney sires are now ranked in the top 10 in New Zealand for survival on SIL. ACE. Meadowslea has two on-farm ram sales and two bull sales a year.. The next bull sale is on June 20 and the next ram sale on November 27.

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Middle – Turihaua Crump, bought for $2000, has strong New Zealand bloodlines and his progeny are proving outstanding in the hill country. His first two-year-old sons are for sale in June.

Above – From left, George, Celia and David Giddings.

Upper left: Two-and-a-half-year-old heifers and their calves on tussock country.

Left: Glanworth 16 is a thick, deep-bodied New Zealand-bred angus bull whose progeny thrive in the harder, hill-country environments.

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36

BULL SALES: Glencairn Limousin

Business Rural / Autumn 2014

Demand drives move towards polled cattle Karen Phelps Glencairn Limousin is moving towards breeding more polled limousin because of increasing demand for easy-care, says stud owner Rob Johnstone.

He has been using polled genetics in his stud for some time and, while he plans to retain his base of full French cattle, he estimates that soon, around 80% of the limousin he produces will be polled.

“It’s the ease and the fact they obviously don’t need to be de-horned. I think demand will continue to increase.”

Johnstone has used polled genetics primarily from Australia and North America for 20 years, but has put emphasis on this trait only in the last five years.

The gap that used to exist in muscling between polled and non-polled varieties is now closing through targeted breeding, he says.

“Traditionally European cattle tended to be more muscular as polled cattle came from an angus base giving different muscling patterns, most notably meaning the polled cattle were not as muscular in the rump.

“Now, the eye muscle of the polled cattle tends to be as good as the French cattle.”

Johnstone’s claims seem to be backed up by his continued success at the Otago Southland beef carcass competition.

Glencairn produced the champion and reserve champion carcass last year, and was placed in the lightweight and middleweight sections. In 2012,

Glencairn was awarded the Alan Dodd Trophy from 32 entries, and swept the intermediate export sections, with its limousin heifer entries first, second and third in both the hoof and hook judging.

The trick now is to ensure the stud maintains its excellent muscling while introducing more polled genetics. Johnstone undertakes a big AI programme, artificially inseminating round 30 cattle each year to introduce new overseas genetics.

Other key attributes of the limousin breed include easy calving and high yields.

“Limousin is incredibly efficient at converting feed to meat, so they mature at a young age,” he says. “At less than two years, they are in prime condition to kill compared with some other breeds that can reach their peak maturity up to a year later.”

A Glencairn polled black Mandayen Vision bull.

Temperament one of key selection criteria Temperament is one of Rob Johnstone’s crucial selection criteria at the Glencairn Limousin Stud he and his wife, Jean, run from their 700-hectare farm near Outram.

The first limousin lines in New Zealand in the early 1970s were not renowned for their good temperament, and he believes this has scarred the breed’s in this country.

“But when you look at the EBV scores in Australia, the limousin are scoring higher than the angus for temperament. Most limousin breeders in New Zealand concentrate on good temperament, so

the cattle here are very good now too.”

But although limousin are proving to have a number of positive traits, Johnstone says farmers are still slow to give the breed a try.

“It’s an ideal terminal-sire breed for crossing with traditional breeds or dairy cows to get a better beef animal. Farmers who mate some cows to a terminal-sire breed get the benefit of hybrid vigour and better beef characteristics in the progeny.”

Glencairn Limousin has 89 registered limousin cows and 30 non-registered limousin and hereford’friesian cows. The animals are grass-fed.

Eight to 13 bulls are sold privately each year.

The next Glencairn bulls will be for sale at the South Island Bull Trial on May 19.

Although the limousin stud is Johnstone’s passion, sheep are the centre of his farming operation. He runs 3400 Wairere Romney ewes and 1000 ewe hoggets.

He aims to produce a good prime lamb for export. Suffolk texels have been used as a terminal sire over half of the sheep to produce a better carcass and for hybrid vigour. His lambs averaged 18-20 kilograms this season.

PHOTOS Left: A Glencairn Limousin Stud cow and calf.

Right: Cows and calves on the Glencairn Limousin Stud property at Outram.

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ON FARM: Sherraine Holsteins

Business Rural / Autumn 2014

37

Good breeding runs in family Karen Phelps It’s rare to get even one of your stud heifers classified as VG87 by the Holstein Friesian Association, but seven of Sherraine Holsteins’ heifers have achieved that this season.

“We knew we had a pretty good line-up of two-year-olds,” says stud owner Peter Sherriff. “Out of 34 two-year-olds that came into the herd this year, a further 10 achieved VG86 and another four achieved VG85 status.”

Breeding good animals runs in the Sherrriff family – brother Alister owns Deloraine Holsteins, in South Canterbury. In fact, the genetics of both herds can be traced back to Melrose Queen Sylvia Hero and Melrose Count Daphne, the two animals that formed the basis of the stud started by their father, Norman, in the 1930s.

Peter Sherriff grew up on the Deloraine Holsteins farm and farmed in partnership with his brother and parents, Norman and Vera, until 1992 when he, wife Rhonda and their family moved to the Ohoka property where they are now based. Sherraine Holsteins was born from his share of the Deloraine Holsteins stud.

They farm 160 hectares and the entire herd is pedigree registered holstein friesian. Sherriff milks 180 cows through a 16-a-side herringbone shed and has a winter-milk contract with Fonterra to supply 240 kilograms of milksolids a day.

Peter Sherriff plans to raise cow numbers to 250 and target 650-700kg milksolids per cow (it is now 620-630kg). He will also expand the area of maize grown from the present 8ha.

Because the farm is in an area of highly built-up lifestyle blocks, environmental compliance has taken a lot of the Sherriffs’ attention in recent years.

The farm now has a 90-day effluent storage system

The Sherraine Holsteins herd enjoys the grass at Ohoka. and recently put in a 240-cow feedlot to contain effluent, which is then moved to the storage system or into concrete bunkers.

Like his brother, Peter favours North American genetics. He is aims to produce a big cow capable of high production. The average herd bodyweight is close to 650kg and the cows produce around 1kg milksolids per kilogram of bodyweight.

He considers showing his cows as a way of benchmarking himself against other breeders, and takes it very seriously. For 35 years his expertise has seen him chosen as a judge by the Holstein Friesian Association.

He puts this ability to pick a good animal down to his success as a breeder.

“It’s all very well to know in theory what a good animal should be like, but to be able to pick a good animal is the key.”

Sherraine Holsteins had outstanding success at the 2013 Rangiora A & P Show in October, winning the champion, intermediate champion and junior champion titles. At the Canterbury A & P Show in November, the stud won four in-milk classes.

The Sherriffs’ daughter, Olivia, and son, Reagan, are following in their father’s footsteps – in fact they were the ones who entered the cows in the Rangiora competition.

Reagan is studying towards a Bachelor of Agriculture at Lincoln University and Olivia has returned to the farm to share a farm-assistant role with her husband, Jared.

We knew we had a pretty good line-up of two-year-olds.

Out of 34 two-yearolds that came into the herd this year, a further 10 achieved VG86 and another four achieved VG 85 status.

PHOTO, LEFT: The Sherriffs work together (they form the total workforce at Sherraine Holsteins) and they all go to weddings together, especially when it’s one of the family. Here they are at daughter Olivia’s wedding (from left, Reagan, Toni, Jared, Olivia, Peter and Rhonda.

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38

ON FARM: Fairview Holstein Stud

Business Rural / Autumn 2014

Seadown superstar: The Trounce family, from Seadown, had two reasons to celebrate after their five-year-old cow Fairview Dolman Jazz-ET (above left) , was named ‘best in show’ at the New Zealand Dairy Event at Feilding in January after being crowned supreme champion at the Canterbury A & P Show in November. Meanwhile, the Trounces have invested heavily in a 450-stall winter barn (above right) on their property – it is one of the first in New Zealand to be sourced through GEA Farm Technology.

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First Phar Lap, now a new star from Seadown Jo Bailey The long trip to the New Zealand Dairy Event at Fielding in January was well worth it for the Trounce family of Fairview Holstein stud, near Timaru.

Daughter Philippa’s five-year-old cow, Fairview Dolman Jazz-ET, was named ‘best in show’.

Dolman Jazz-ET was the supreme champion at the Canterbury A & P Show in November.

The cow was handled in the ring by brother Andrew Trounce, with parents Lyndsay and Alison looking on.

Lyndsay Trounce says the family bought Dolman Jazz’s mother for Philippa at a Holstein Friesian Association Canterbury branch sale in 2006.

“She was a Riverbrae cow from Springston.

Philippa has had a lot success with the line since.”

The Trounces have been to the NZ Dairy Event every year since it started six years ago.

“It’s a 15-hour trip up the road and across Cook Strait,” says Lyndsay. “But it’s well worth it when you get these results.”

Philippa lives off the property and works on a dairy farm at Rakaia, but her cows remain at the Trounce’s Seadown farm.

Lyndsay says he and Alison have steadily increased cow numbers following the acquisition of several pieces of neighbouring land in recent years.

“We just added another 35 hectares in January, taking the total to 335ha with a milking platform of around 140ha.”

The Trounces milked around 450 cows in the spring and will carry 380 into winter milking. This year, they will be housed through the winter in a new 450-stall barn being built to preserve pastures and to improve feed use and animal health.

“We have quite heavy soil here and it got to the stage we couldn’t keep doing what we were doing,” says Andrew Trounce, who works as a dairy nutritionist for the Dairy Business Centre, but is living on the farm. “We looked at this system and the figures stacked up.”

The barn is one of the first in New Zealand to be sourced through GEA Farm Technology, he says..

“It is more an of an American-style construction, with larger individual stalls that suit the size of our cows. The barn has soft mattresses in the stalls for sleeping, and gives us the ability to provide a total mixed ration for the cows, with fresh feed always available through the feed robot.”

The cows will leave the barn only for milking and will be fully enclosed for four months, with a month either side as they transition to and from the grass.

With Andrew’s help, the Trounces have looked closely at their cows’ diet, and say the changes made have resulted in excellent production gains.

“When we started changing the feed regime a couple of years ago, production was sitting at 520 kilograms of milksolids /cow and not really going anywhere,” says Andrew.

“But by focusing on a more complete balanced ration, supplementing protein when grass is short, and making sure the carbohydrates, starch and fibre are at the right levels for the requirements of the cow, we have managed to get up to over 600kg.

We’d like to get to 620kg per cow this year, but may be a bit short of that.”

The Trounces are bringing in embryos from internationally recognised cow families from Canada and the United States to improve their herd’s genetic potential, and to include some of the international genetics at an elite pedigree sale they are planning for the first half of 2015.

Improving the conformation of the herd with overseas genetics has long been a Fairview focus, says Lyndsay.

“The cows are bred for longevity; most do not reach their production prime until they are six or seven, and they last until at least 10. Good udders and high production rates are our other key breeding priorities.”

He says the family has started feeding the cows up in preparation for winter, to make sure they use the barn to its full potential.

“Free-stall barns seem to be a growing trend in Canterbury, with some even going to a 365-day system. Whether we go down that track I’m not sure yet. We’ll get through our first winter and see what we think.”

ON FARM: Glenn & Julie Prattley

Business Rural / Autumn 2014

39

Classic example of Kiwi ‘DIY’ Jo Bailey Six years ago, Glenn Prattley endured a few sleepless nights before deciding to convert the family sheep-and-beef farm at Swannanoa in North Canterbury. Most importantly, he had to determine whether the conversion made good economic sense for him and his wife, Julie.

“We spoke to a couple of farm advisers. The first said it was marginal at best, but a few months later, the second guy said the figures stacked up if we milked 500 cows through my uncle’s neighbouring shed while our own conversion was under way.”

By then it was late April, so the Prattleys had only a couple of weeks to decide if there was enough time to sell their sheep, find cows and get enough winter feed in to start the next season.

An uncle of Glenn’s uncles and some cousins had converted nearby farms, so could offer plenty of support.

“Uncle Peter gave us a list of contacts from his conversion and said, ‘Here are the people you need to make it happen’.”

With no staff housing to enable the Prattleys to employ staff in their first season, other family members stepped up to help..Glenn’s brother, Andrew, his father, Ambrose, and a cousin and longstanding employee, Peter, provided much needed labour.

“It was a challenging year as we had very little infrastructure,” says Glenn. “We had to calve the herd in some old cattle yards with Dad out there holding the torch.”

Cousins, Michael and Julie, and her husband, Brian, also provided support during the first season when the herd was milked through Uncle Peter’s shed, 150 metres from the farm boundary.

Inside the 54-bail rotary platform at Glenn and Julie Prattley’s Swannanoa property.

“We used to milk in the shed right after Julie and Brian so they and Michael were always on hand for advice,” Glenn recalls.

The Prattleys’ first 500 cows arrived at the property from grazing on the same day the grader turned up to form the cow lanes.

“It was a steep learning curve to start with,” says Glenn.

“We didn’t have a lot of infrastructure on the farm and I didn’t know anything about milking cows apart from four weeks training at Flock House in the late 1970s.”

In the second season, the Prattleys started milking in their own eight-sided, concrete-base

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shed with a 54-bail rotary platform, which was built

by Alan Simms.

“We used components from a few firms in the shed – a Rakaia Engineering platform, Reid plant, Waikato cup removers, and Westfalia cups,” says Glenn Prattley. “It runs well, we’re very happy with it.”

A four-hectare irrigation reservoir was constructed in the second season, alongside the ongoing general development of the 266ha (240ha effective) farm.

“By the third season things were becoming semi-organised,” Glenn says.

Cow numbers have grown rapidly since the first year, and 900 kiwicross cows have been wintered in the last two seasons.

The farm has made good production gains, from 360 kilograms of milksoilds per cow in the first season to 435kg/cow last year.

Overall production droped to 370,000kg milksolids in the drought last season – 10,000kg below budget. However, Glenn expects to reach between 380,000kg and 390,000kg this year.

“We’ve invested in better cows and learned how to maintain better-quality grass. We’re happy with where we’re heading.”

Last year he put 200 heifers and thinner cows onto once-a-day milking, and, this season, started the same regime with a similar number of cows in late January.

“It keeps the condition on the cows and helps the grass through the autumn. It’s also easier on the staff, who finish milking around 4.15pm rather than 5.30pm.”

Glenn Prattley’s first foray into farming was as a 19-year-old, when he and his brother, Andrew, leased “vast areas” off Eyrewell Forestry and ran 2000 sheep.

“When everything crashed in the 1980s it wasn’t worth carrying on, so I spent the next 10 years working for a building company in Christchurch before coming back to farming.”

He leased, bought and developed a couple of local properties with brother Andrew and father Ambrose, then bought the family farm around 15 years ago from his parents, Ambrose and Esme, who had developed it out of kanuka in the early 1960s.

Julie Prattley does the books for the farming business, and rears the calves with assistance from a neighbour and the Prattley’s two daughters, Kirsty 20, and Danielle 15, who help on the farm during university and school holidays, and after school.

With the property now well established, Glenn has employed a manager in addition to the three staff.

“I was determined to milk myself for the first few seasons to learn how everything works, but now things are running well, it’s time to step back a bit and give someone else a go.”

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40

ON FARM: Brett & Jaclyn O’Sullivan

Business Rural / Autumn 2014

Farming at The Glens (above), just north of Omarama in the Mackenzie country, would be impossible without irrigation. The farm benefits from the Benmore Irrigation Scheme, which irrigates 4000 hectares of land between the Ohau and Ahuriri rivers.

Benmore scheme the lifeblood Karen Phelps Farming at The Glens, a 394-hectare (effective) dairy unit 10 kilometres north of Omarama, would not be possible without irrigation, says sharemilker Brett O’Sullivan.

The farm has benefited from the Benmore Irrigation Scheme. Located in the Upper Waitaki Valley, the scheme has been providing water from the Ohau River to irrigate around 4000 hectares of land between the Ohau River and the Ahuriri River since 2005.

O’Sullivan and his American born wife, Jaclyn,

are in their third season of sharemilking the property. She first came to New Zealand on a working holiday. Brett grew up on a mixed cropping farm near Fairlie.

The family did a conversion on the farm in 2008, and he and his brother, Ryan, worked three seasons there milking a herd that grew to 1200 cows.

Brett moved to The Glens as a stepping stone to farm ownership.

The O’Sullivans milk 1500 friesian and friesiancross cows through an 80-bail rotary dairy shed with automatic cup removers, Protrack, automatic

• To page 41

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Business Rural / Autumn 2014

ON FARM: Lloyd & Kathy, Mark & Phillip McCallum

41

Winton dairy farmer Lloyd McCallum (centre), with sons Mark and Phillip.

Lloyd McCallum is stepping down as a shareholder councillor with Fonterra to take on a new role with Environment Southland.

Ray McCallum Contracting

Environment standpoint part of decision-making Kelly Deeks Winton dairy farmer Lloyd McCallum is set to start a new journey as he steps down as the longestserving, inaugural shareholder councillor with Fonterra, and takes on a new councillorship, this time with Environment Southland.

He says his new position will see him picking up on a lot of the work he has done with Fonterra, particularly around land and water use, and environmental sustainability.

“These are words we use all the time,” he says.

“Pressure on the dairy industry is coming from all angles, and we need to make sure we answer it as best we can, for the total environment, for all of New Zealand.

“Urban and rural environments are connected; we need to make sure we understand what one another is trying to do, so that everyone can enjoy the resources we have.”

McCallum’s environmental standpoint has become part of his decision-making process in his farming operation.

He says that as well as putting in more effluent storage, fencing off waterways, and sticking to his fertiliser budget by targeting the areas that need it, he avoids farming practices that he believes aren’t the right thing to do.

“Even if it costs me. We make money on one side and have costs on the other, and, while making sure those balance, we’ve always tried to do what we think is the right thing.”

Lloyd and his wife, Kathy, and sons Philip and Mark (they returned home to work on the family farm six years ago) are succession-planning as they share the workload and decision-making with

Urban and rural environments are connected; we need to make sure we understand what one another is trying to do, so that everyone can enjoy the resources we have. an eye on where they want the business to be in 10 years.

“It’s not just Kathy and me making decisions now, we’re talking to Philip and Mark on a regular basis about how we’re going to do things,” Lloyd says.

“We’ve got more of a team approach; the boys understand the business and, in a broad sense, have the same goals as we do. Sometimes they come to us with stuff I wouldn’t normally do, but I say ‘if you’re keen, let’s give it a go’.”

The family owns 1600 cows, three dairy farms, and two support blocks. The dairy farms are run by contract milkers, while the sons look after a support block each, and oversee the dairy farms.

Philip and his wife, Katherine, are breeding angus cattle, dairy-support grazing with 1000 ewes, while Mark is running young stock and making hay, silage, and balage to support the dairy farms.

With their own young families, the boys are keen to continue to develop the business.

While is now doing more and more office work and less day-to-day stuff, he retains an element of labouring in his work.

“I seem to be at both ends of the business. I’m doing the governance, organisation, and planning side, and some labouring too. I quite enjoy it, and I get to see a lot about my business as I work in it.”

drafting and in-shed grain feeding system. The farm is irrigated by three centre-pivots and k-line. It has a lined, two-pond effluent system, with effluent spread over 200ha of the property by two centrepivots.

The milking season is shorter than Brett was used to, but with more intense summer growth.

They calve around August 20 and dry off in late May. “Autumn feeding is always a challenge because you’re limited by the climate as to how long you can milk,” he says.. “ It’s a challenge to get to the end of May. We’ve talked about putting in crops to graze in the autumn, but then we’d have to reduce the stocking

rate because we’d have to take pasture out of the system.”

A major focus for the O’Sullivans this season is improving the six-week, in-calf rate. Last year they achieved a 69%, but this season they have concentrated on cow condition from wintering until mid-January.

They condition-scored the herd individually at dry-off and made up a separate herd of lighter cows with a condition score of less than 4.5. This herd of 300 cows was favoured – given the better paddocks, extra silage etc. Come calving this season the whole herd was more even in terms of condition, says O’Sullivan.

Like every other dairy farmer the O’Sullivans are looking to lift production. They are doing more topping in front of cows this year and have mowed

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Climate makes autumn feeding a challenge • From page 40

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42

RURAL PEOPLE: Mike & Maree Horgan/Stephen Todd

Business Rural / Autumn 2014

Dairying: let’s hear the good news Neil Grant It’s a conundrum. New Zealand’s dairy exports are valued at around $12 billion per annum, and account for 25% of total goods exported. You would think, therefore, that Kiwis would hold the producers of milk products in high regard, as earners of wealth, employers of thousands, and supporters of innumerable small and large businesses.

But that is not how Mike Horgan sees it, and it bothers him.

Horgan, his wife Maree and their children moved from their Taranaki dairy farm to Southland in 1994.

It was an opportunity to get more land, to produce more milk and a better income than they had managed until then.

“When we started the ball rolling, we had no expectation of achieving the success we have done.

Our ideal was a reasonable mortgage and a wellorganised, easy-to-manage farm. We felt 400 cows would be enough.

“It proved to be far easier than we expected, and we had to look for other challenges. We have never been motivated by money. The challenge in farming is to leave the place better than you found it. And we like taking people along with us to enjoy success.”

They took opportunities that arose, and now have 4000 cows on seven dairy farms in Southland, along with sufficient support land to graze all support stock, calves and heifers.

Naturally, they feel pride in the industry they are part of, and what it has enabled them to do. So, when Horgan says he often feels humiliated for being in an industry that bankrolls the country, it seems a bit paradoxical.

The Fonterra botulism scare has not helped public and international perceptions. Parliamentary commissioner for the environment Jan Wright’s

Horgan Farms flying the New Zealand, South African and Philippines flags, reflecting the nationalities of the 25 staff working on the various farms. trenchant criticism of water quality certainly created a stir.

“Many of our most ardent critics have never set foot on a dairy farm, yet they seem so sublimely clear on how we as dairy farmers should and could be operating,” says Hoergan. “They seem unconvinced that the vast majority in the industry go to great lengths to ensure their grandchildren will be proud of the legacy they leave.”

Horgan does not try to defend the indefensible, but he gets pretty worked up about what he sees

as an imbalance. Sure, water quality needs to be sorted, in the towns and cities as well as in rural areas. Certainly, Fonterra dropped the ball and made a mess of dealing with the botulism issue.

But he wants to know why kids in schools hear only the “dirty dairying” stories, and not that 20% of Kiwis are employed one way or another in the industry. He reckons school-leavers are actively discouraged from going into dairying by being told they will be poorly paid and work horrendous hours.

He is not sure how, but he would love to see

schools telling their kids about the opportunities that dairying offers; the opportunities that allowed him, when aged 42 ,to start on a programme of expansion he had never previously dreamed of.

He feels that many outside the industry are unaware of the vast number of of career options and generous salaries involved in dairying, from the grass roots through to animal health, and technical support through the many electronic innovations used in the industry.

He notes the very good starting salaries, free housing on site, and the generous time-off workers can get, and worries that some are turned off by their peers suggesting it is an environmentally irresponsible industry.

He reckons the Fonterra model has a lot to offer all farmers, if they adapted it for themselves.

“As a dairy farmer, I am more than happy to learn about and help my colleagues in our other agricultural entities. New Zealand will not survive without its agricultural ‘backbone’. All of our agricultural interests need one another. Our diversity must remain.”

It astounds him that New Zealand produces only about 5% of the world’s milk, but exports into 40% of the world’s market.

Mike and Maree Horgan are proud to be involved with their “wonderful” staff, and appreciate the great service they get from white-collar support through to the loyal and dedicated truckies.

So, there’s the conundrum. Dairying: so important to the country’s economy; so successful in its international marketing; so flexible anyone prepared to “put their head down and bum up,” as Horgan says, can have a good and successful life.

Yet, it isn’t well regarded by many citizens.

What to do?

Spin is not the answer. Most Kiwis can see that coming before it even crosses the International Dateline. If anyone has that answer, and wants to share it, Mike Horgan’s your man.

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Kelly Deeks Tutaki Valley (Murchison) dairy farmer Stephen Todd has expanded his business this season and set himself up for a challenge with the purchase of a third dairy unit to complement the two he already runs in partnership with his parents.

Todd says the new, 600-hectare (effective) block, which is also in the Murchison area, is never going to be as productive as a Canterbury farm.

“The grass grows all right, but the land is very hard to maintain and work,” he says.

“It’s rocky and hilly with a lot of sloping terraces. It’s hard to do any ground work and it’s hard on the gear. There are some good river flats, but a lot of the best of that is on neighbouring property. You’ve got to put in inputs in this area.”

He reckons about 500ha of the new farm is really usable land, and the other 100ha is never really going to produce.

“We’ll always have a bit of run-off for silage,

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Business Rural / Autumn 2014

RURAL PEOPLE: Graham & Glenda Haynes

43

Sharemilkers rationalise their business Kelly Deeks

Top: Southland dairy farmer Graham Haynes (left) discusses pasture growth with staff Harry Worker and Mathew van Hout. Bottom: Sharemilkers Graham and Glenda Haynes in front of the new 60-day holding pond, part of the new upgrade to the effluent system on Dave and Pam Yardley’s Maple Bush farm.

rocky, hilly’ challenge The grass grows all right, but the land is very hard to maintain and work. It’s rocky and hilly with a lot of sloping terraces. It’s hard to do any ground work and it’s hard on the gear. winter grazing and winter crop. We’ll put in about 50ha to 60ha of crop, with kale, swedes, and probably some turnips too.”

Todd, who is milking 950 cows on the property this season, says he has bought the farm for the opportunity it offers him to expand his business. He and his parents, John and Debbie Todd, own two neighbouring dairy farms.

They will continue to work on the home farms, with the original block first bought by Todd’s great-grandparents, while Todd manages all three blocks.

“If anyone can farm, it we should be able to,” he says. “We’ve been here all our lives.”

The two family farms – one with 350 and

one with 450 cows – have herd managers, while Todd has opted for a farm manager on the new, bigger unit.

Wintering was a bit of a worry for him this year, as he had winter crop but no supplement on hand when he took over the new farm.

“We had to go to the market and buy balage and straw for supplement, and at inflated prices. It was not a favourable season to be buying in supplement.”

He is targeting first-year production on his new farm at 320,000 kilograms of milksolids.

He says he will increase the cow numbers to around 1050 next season, and thinks that, realistically. the farm will eventually milk 1200 cows.

SOLLY CONTRACTORS ARE PROUD TO SUPPORT STEPHEN TODD

Southland dairy farmers Graham and Glenda Haynes are enjoying their lower-order sharemilking position on Dave and Pam Yardley’s Maple Bush farm, saying the owners are very progressive and their second season in the position is going well.

The Yardleys have completed an upgrade to the effluent system and have been installing an in-shed feeding system.

With the extra feed available in the dairy shed, cow numbers will increase from 800 to about 850 on the 263-hectare farm.

Graham Haynes says the farm has now reached the point where it is consistently producing 440kilograms of milksolids per cow on grass only.

The intention of the grain-feeding system is to tweak production and get the cows up to 480kg to 500kg milksolids each.

He has been involved with in-shed feeding systems in previous sharemilking positions, and says he is comfortable with the change on the Yardley farm.

“The big decision is when to feed and when not to, and to be strong enough to say ‘I’m not going to feed extras at a non-sustainable cost,’ as pasture is still paramount,” he says.

“It’s all about getting the farm to reach its maximum potential. We’re not prepared to sit down and be average.”

The effluent system upgrade has seen construction begin on a new, lined, 60-day holding pond with a weeping-wall system. Effluent will be applied using pod sprinklers to an area double or possibly triple the size of where it is currently being applied.

“It’s going to be so nice to have full control of the effluent going on at a low application rate,” Haynes says. “We will be able to cut down our potash and nitrogen applications.”

Construction is in the hands of Cameron Contracting, and the pumps were engineered by John Scandrick.

This season the Haynes have started monitoring

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The big decision is when to feed and when not to, and to be strong enough to say ‘I’m not going to feed extras at a non-sustainable cost’ as pasture is paramount. the entry and exit points of the two drains running through the farm.

“It’s great information to have,” Graham Haynes says. “It helps us to keep compliant with the environmental side of things, and also helps with our nutrient budget now that we’re monitoring what is leaching out.

“We want the farm to be environmentally sustainable, and we don’t want to get to the point where we have an issue.”

This season’s production budget is 1425kg milksolids per hectare, and Haynes says things are ticking along nicely towards achieving that.

When they started on the Yardley farm, the couple restructured their business.

They had been running multiple farms in Southland. They had a third-share in a 500-cow farm at Brydone, and were lower-order sharemilking two 600-cow farms.

They quit the sharemilking jobs to move to the Yardley farm, and Haynes also picked up an overseeing position for the 900-cow neighbouring farm. They also sold their share in the Brydone farm and bought a cut-and-carry block as they wanted the opportunity to own their own land without any shareholders.

The future holds options for development of the cut-and-carry block, and Haynes says he is keen to do more overseeing work.

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A PV system can be easily retrofitted to an existing roof on a house, garage, cowshed, etc. The panels are unobtrusive, need minimal intervention and with no moving parts offer reliable, long-term energy production. There are PV panels delivering power today that were installed more than 30 years ago, so with output warranty of 25 years, homeowners can have confidence that their panels will be producing at least 80% of their rated power after 25 years.

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Potential savings can be measured in a variety of ways but they are immediate. Right House currently sees most customers enjoy a Return on Investment in the range of 6% to 10% per year. In the Chisholm’s case (outlined below), their estimated Return on Investment is an attractive 12.8% but everyone’s power usage is different. The team at Right House determine what size system would be appropriate for your home or farm and help estimate your potential savings. Another benefit of Solar Power is that the power you generate but don’t consume; can be exported back to the grid and you can receive a credit from your retailer for that excess electricity. As well as increasing the capital value of their property; people just love seeing a smaller power bill every month and knowing they are protecting themselves against rising electricity prices.

THE BENEFITS OF SOLAR PV • There are many benefits; firstly the ability to take control of your own electricity and knowing that you locking yourself in for cheaper power for the next 25 years always makes people feel good.

• Savings are immediate. After the initial cost of the system you continue to enjoy cheaper power for years to come. Right House are seeing customers saving 40% upwards on their power bills, so this technology is proving it’s worth across the country, but it varies depending on the size of the system and the customer’s electricity usage pattern.

• The Return on Investment (ROI) on a Solar PV system is more attractive now that the price of solar panels has dropped in New Zealand. Right House estimates a 6 – 10% ROI but is seeing 10 – 12% presently, especially in rural installations.

• A Solar PV Power system increases the capital value of your property. Another benefit of Solar Power is that the power you generate but don’t consume; can be exported back to the electricity grid and you can receive a credit from your retailer for that excess electricity.

HOW DO YOU KNOW WHAT SIZE SYSTEM YOU NEED?

The first thing the Right House team do is analyse the power usage. To size a PV system it is necessary to understand the current daily load profile and determine the daily breakdown in energy use. From there, an average solar yield and economic optimisation is provided. To maximise the economics of a solar system, exported power should be kept to a minimum, (so the more you can use yourself the better) but it’s important to match the right sized system to the projected power usage so the return on investment is better. After scoping work is completed; Right House will present an analysis, detailed plan of the proposed layout for the panels and a position to install the Inverter(s).

It’s important to talk with a company experienced in renewable energy products and that you have confidence in their ability to deliver. Right House are experts in all energy efficiency matters; they are the largest independent insulation company in New Zealand, specify and install heat pumps, a variety of heating and cooling systems; and are one of the main players driving solar power technology forward in this country. Right House are owned by Mark Group, an international company specialising in energy efficiency solutions and renewable energy products, giving them access to the best equipment in the world.

Right House has a unique structure which allows them to deliver an end to end service to customers. They are in control of the scoping, supply, and installation of the whole system. With experience across residential, commercial, and rural applications throughout New Zealand, Right House makes the process easy.

Right House is committed to the rural sector and has an experienced team who understand their business and focus on sustainability. Sales Director Francis File from Right House said “We have seen the interest from the rural sector significantly increase in the past 18 months. The price of solar panels in New Zealand has become more affordable, but farmers are also historically early adopters of technology and tend to think long term. Farms are large electricity users so investing in a Solar Power System makes economic sense”.

A WAIKATO FARM KEEN TO CONTROL THEIR ELECTRICITY

A 28kW Solar Power Photovoltaic (PV) system recently installed on a large Putaruru dairy farm promises substantial savings for the owners. Owners’ Hugh and Sue Chisolm were tired of ever increasing power costs; and ready to take control of their electricity. Milking 1100 cows, the Chisolm’s power bill is substantial so they wanted to future proof themselves against this essential farming overhead.

Right House installed 112 Canadian Solar panels onto the Chisolm’s cowshed roof and two Fronius IG 150 V3 Inverters. Their newly installed 28kW Solar Power PV System will have a simple Return on Investment of 12.8%*.

The Chisholm’s see the capital cost of the system as a smart investment, and part of the improvement plan for their farm, but also are excited about being able to generate clean electricity.

“Solar energy is free so it makes sense to utilise it” says Hugh. But one of the drivers behind our decision; is also our aim to leave our farm in a better state when we leave it one day.” * Calculations based on a power cost of 21.6c per kW and an export price of 0.6c a kW.

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RURAL PEOPLE: Stuart & Jocelyn Dixon/Festive Fields

46

Business Rural / Autumn 2014

Grass quality top of the

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For Stuart and Jocelyn Dixon, managing the quality of grass growing on the 230-hectare (effective) farm they variable-order sharemilk, has become a significant priority.

The farm near Greenvale, north of Gore, was converted to dairy four seasons ago and Stuart Dixon, who came to the farm in June 2013, is observing just how tenacious the old and lesssuited-to-dairying grasses have become.

“The paddocks are reverting to sheep grasses.

To manage this, aeration and fertility will be the key.

“We are replacing pasture just as quickly as we can. We are establishing a mixture of annual and perennial grasses .Grass quality is something I have to constantly keep on top of.”

Getting advice from farm consultants and reps on the road has been key in empowering Stuart to deal with the problem.

Another goal for the couple is to consolidate

the herd of 650 crossbred cows through selective mating, and. ultimately, increase cow quality and productivity.

“We’ve budgeted to achieve production of 230,000 kilograms of milksolids this season, and we’ll get there even though after a good start, production flattened out,” says Stuart Dixon.

“The first two months went really well but then the grass lost quality, which affected milk productiont.”

Part of the farm did not have water from the cowshed, so increasing the reticulation infrastructure has also been a priority.

Alongside Jocelyn, is busy with calf-rearing and

relief-milking, the couple employ a herd manager and a farm assistant. Stuart says he likes to be hands-on and the current staffing structure is working well.

“I don’t envisage the need for a 2IC position because it is important for me to be hands-on as we’re tackling important challenges in these early days on the farm.”

He thinks it’s a good thing to provide staff with regular time off. so that they run a five-days-on, two-days-off roster.

The farm has an automated, 60-bail rotary dairy shed, and full herd can be milked two to three hours.

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Riversdale (Southland) dairy farm Festive Fields has restructured its board of directors and is on a structured path, thanks to some new input from independent sources.

Shareholders with different visions had created dysfunction within the board of directors, and the answer was to bring in an independent chairman, Mike Fleming, from Vision Ag. Festive Fields general manager and shareholder Allan Leahy says Fleming’s involvement brought unity, structure, and direction to the board and he worked through an exit process with some shareholders.

The remaining shareholders, with Fleming eliciting good discussion and direction on the board, now have the opportunity to govern the business from a structured standpoint and continue to develop the farm.

Festive Fields is milking 1500 cows in two herds on 535 hectares (effective), with a leased run-off block of 265ha. The area has two rotary sheds, 50 -bail and 54-bail, each run by a platform manager and three staff, overseen by Leahy.

One of the board’s first steps towards gaining

some structure to the operation was to set clear goals and key performance indicators for the managers, and clear delegations on the lines of reporting.

“We recruited the services of human resource manager Melissa Vining, from Progressive Consulting, based in Invercargill,” Leahy says. “It was an excellent move. The two key priorities to get our business moving with more clarity and direction were independent advice at board level, and also around human resources.”

Leahy and his wife, Melinda, implement the advice given by their human resources manager.

Through procedures such as clear contracts for staff and advising them of KPIs, everyone has the opportunity to know their job description and see how they individually contribute to the farm goals.

Next on HR agenda is a look at the professional development of Festive Fields staff.

“How do we make sure these guys have a career path? What is deficient in their training?” say Leahy. “A good staff training plan is essential for staff at all levels of the business.

“If staff members leave and progress up the ladder to further their career, then that’s a far better

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• To page 47

RURAL PEOPLE: Waimunu

Business Rural / Autumn 2014

47

hit list Stuart Dixon says it has been a learning curve coming from a totally manual shed to one full of bells and whistles. Though the plant has automatic cup removers, he chose to remove the cups manually during the early part of the season.

“Right through mating I had someone on the other side of the shed so that the herd could be identified and drafted.”

Weigh scales for the cows to cross over after milking were introduced at the start of the season.

Because the farm is on rolling land, he was keen to see how each cow was doing. This information allowed the poorest performing 3% of the herd to be drafted daily into a separate herd to be given priority care.

All the cows, apart from 60 rising two-year-olds, will go off the farm by the end of May for winter grazing half an hour away. Come August 1 they will all be back on the farm for the next milking season.

Stuart Dixon has had two breaks from dairy farming, including time running a transport company. But the pull of the land and the challenges of developing a farm to reach its potential ahave drawn the couple back to firmly establishing themselves in dairy farming for the forseeable future.

PHOTOS Above: Stuart Dixon says it took bit of adjustment when he moved froma totally manually dairy shed to this 60-bail rotary shed on the Greenvale where he and wife Jocelyn now sharemilk.

Upper right: His 650 crossbred cows enjoy a tuck-in and a touch of Southland mist.

Coldstream farm ups ante Karen Phelps Warren and Suzanne Harris are converting 70 hectares next to their dairy unit at Coldstream, seawards from Hinds. The couple plan to put on a second herd next season and milk 400 predominantly friesian cows.

It will a significant step up – they are milking 570 on their present 61ha this season. It’s not the only change – the couple’s son, Andrew, 23, and his wife, Nicole, are coming to work on the farm.

They will join three full-time staff – Irish woman Tracy Thompson; Hui Hui Chong, from Malaysia; New Zealander Kim Wright. Warren Harris says the multi-cultural team brings unique perspectives.

Despite the huge changes, the aim is to keep things simple. Each herd will have its own dedicated area of 104ha, and each will have its own manager.

Both herds will be milked through the 54-bail rotary shed.

Harris thinks the smaller herd size will reduce competition for younger cows, and sees the system encouraging staff to strive to do better The new area has been fenced and has a new water system. Young stock are being run there this season, silage will be harvested and a crop of barley grown.

Harris admits he is somewhat fortunate in terms of feed availability – his brother, Graeme, runs a cropping operation right next door, and a quick phone call sees feed delivered as required.

Structure seeds growth • From page 46 way for them to leave. And our business benefits along the way from both the on-the-job and external training we provide them.”

This season has been huge for the Festive Fields shareholders and staff – they will come close to meeting the farm’s record production and meeting most of KPI targets.

On farm, they have been working on lowering somatic cell counts in each shed, having split the herd into two just two years ago.

“That was one of our big targets – to get that under control,” Leahy says. “It’s one of our biggest achievements over the past two years.”

When the herd was split, the older cows moved to one shed and the younger ones to the other.

“That first year we had all the heifers in one shed,” says Leahy. “All the high-somatic-cellcount cows got put into the younger shed, and the somatic cell count was about 330. We’ve got that down to 260 this season, and the other shed is running at 120,” Leahy says.

The somatic cell count will continue to feature in next year’s KPI targets.

The dairy farm is largely self contained. The Harrises have typically bought in around 250 tonnes of barley and 600 bales of straw a year. By growing barley on farm, Harris Warren estimates he will need to buy only 150 tonnes.

Both Warren and Suzanne are extremely hands on. They milk a number of times each week and Suzanne does the calf rearing and bookwork.

They see the biggest challenge to the expansion as the proposed Environment Canterbury land and water regulations. They are farming under the suggested limits, but are aware of the need for extra scrutiny when stock numbers rise.

Last season the farm produced 466 kilograms of milksolids per cow. The farm is heading for similar result this season.

Andrew will be the fourth-generation Harris to farm the land that was originally bought 96 years ago when Arthur and Lilian Harris arrived from the United Kingdom.

The farm was passed to Warren’s parents, Peter and Jill, and then to Warren and Graeme. After farming in partnership with his brother, Warren took over the farm in 2007, and named it Waimanu (“water bird” – there is a lot of birdlife there)t.

He admits it will be hard letting go of the farm and delegating responsibility to his son. Their other son Robert, 21, works on a cropping farm.

“The farm has grown bigger with each generation,” says Warren. “ I think I’ve developed it as much as I want to, but the next generation might continue that growth.”

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48

RURAL PEOPLE: Peters Farms

Business Rural / Autumn 2014

Dynasty began Private 9671 went

Neil Grant

Private Stanley Albert Peters, who started the Peters farming dynasty with half a crown.

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Half a crown. Two shillings and sixpence, or 25 cents in today’s currency. Allowing for inflation, that would be about $23 Trevor Peters’s father, Stanley, grew up in an orphanage in Dunedin from age two. In the early 1920s, at 12, he was taken in by the Pinckney family, from Glenaray Station, at Waikaia in northern Southland.

He was given that half-crown, and became a station gardener. When he was old enough, he graduated to become a fencer on the hill country, until the Great Depression, when he set out to walk the length of the South Island looking for work. At Woodbank Station, near Kaikoura, the Murrays gave him work until World War 2 led him to enlist.

“Private 9671 went overseas with the First Echelon,” says Trevor Peters. “He served his country for five years and 348 days. When he came back, he qualified for a ballot farm, and he and his brother took up 750 acres (300 hectares by today’s reckoning) at Hedgehope. They later split it into two, and in 1961, Dad sold his and bought a 1000-acre (400ha), 2000-stock-unit farm at Waikaka.”

In 1973, at the age of 57, Peters senior had a stroke, and never worked again.

Trevor Peters had been away from home for nine years working around the country. He had left school at 15, worked for contractors, at the Mataura freezing works, and for a local transport company among others.

He had always wanted to be a shepherd, so got a team of dogs and did a stint at Argyle Station, near Glenaray. Thinking he would be called up for National Service military training, he got other temporary jobs shearing at Farewell Spit and fencing at Gisborne.

But he lost the National Service raffle, and went back to Argyle. He met and married Karen, and then his dad had a stroke.

Peters junior was called back to Waikaka to prepare the farm for sale. It went to market, but failed to sell. A friend of his dad’s encouraged a family meeting at which it was agreed the stock and plant would be divided four ways.

Each child was to receive a legacy of $7000.

The other three children would lend Trevor Peters $40,000 for five years at 4.5% if he could raise the rest. The banks would not help, but AMP, and, eventually, State Advances stumped up the rest of the selling price.

“We were on our amazing journey,” says Trevor..

The story so far, and what comes next, are

overseas with the First Echelon. He served his country for five years and 348 days. When he came back, he qualified for a ballot farm, and he and his brother took up 750 acres at Hedgehope.

They later split it into two, and in 1961, Dad sold his and bought a 1000 acre, 2000 stock unit farm at Waikaka.

the basis of the presentation Trevor and Karen Peters presented to the judging panel at the Lincoln University Foundation Farmer of the Year awards in 2013. It is a story not only of successful farming, but of determination to provide for their family’s futures.

Despite Roger Douglas putting “a stumbling block in most people’s bank accounts”, the Peters’ use of low-input and high-output practices and all-grass wintering techniques enabled them to sell the home farm in 1988 and buy Clutha Downs, a 1616-hectare farm on the north side of the Clutha River at Beaumont.

They developed this farm out of income, then along came Contact Energy.

Contact planned to build a dam at Beaumont. and, initially, wanted only 186ha, which would have left a viable farm. But Contact Energy decided to buy the lot. The Peters leased the whole farm back for three periods of five years, plus one year, and used the cash to buy a farm at Edievale.

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Business Rural / Autumn 2014

RURAL PEOPLE: Peters Farms

49

with a bloke called Stanley

Left: The Peters clan: Trevor and Karen Peters with family members.

Below: Clutha Downs, a 1616-hectare farm on the north side of the Clutha River at Beaumont.

It was at this time that they developed their succession plan for their two sons and one daughter. Over the next 15 years or so, they built up their land bank placing a farm in trust for each child. Clutha Downs had became the equity base for Teviot Valley, near Millers Flat; Bullock Range, at Moa Flat; Spylaw, north of Heriot; Attadale, near Middlemarch; Mt Margaret, near Waikaka; and the farm their daughter has near Gisborne.

In 2013, Contact decided to forget their dam, and the Peters family bought Clutha Downs back.

The farms are built on the success of their romney stud (Peters Genetics), a recently

developed angus stud (Peters Angus), and, of course, commercial sheep and cattle.

The land acquisitions have not just been an accumulation designed to increase wealth and prosperity, but a plan to provide security for the family.

Their story did not win them the award; they were beaten by a winery and a tourist operation. But that half crown, or $23, and the $7000, or $75,000 in today’s money, formed the financial bases of a conglomeration of six farms totalling 9000 hectares carrying 60,000 stock units.

It’s quite a legacy.

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

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50

RURAL PEOPLE: Denis & Judy Aitken

Business Rural / Autumn 2014

Denis and Judy Aitken. The Outram dairy farmer has been named on the world working group panel for Holstein Friesian Classification, the first classifier from New Zealand to do do.

World panel job `huge honour’ Jo Bailey Outram dairy farmer Denis Aitken says he is hardly at home these days because of his off-farm commitments to the holstein friesian breed.

And life will get even busier now that he has been named on the world working group panel for Holstein Friesian Classification, the first classifier from New Zealand to do so.

“This appointment is a huge honour and something to really live up to,” he says.

Aitken’s spent three years as the national president of the New zealand Holstein Friesian Association from 2003 to 2006, and nine years on the association’s council.

He is a senior judge and a senior classifier who has represented New Zealand at the breed’s world classification biannual workshops since 2005. He is the current chairman of the Traits Other than Production (TOP) advisory committee for animal evaluation.

He has trained most of New Zealand’s other classifiers and is a sought-after speaker at farm days and presentations.

He is also known for his ‘Perfect Cow’

South Otago Grain Co.

demonstrations. These grew from a popular talk he gave to a South Island Dairy Event four years ago about minimising replacement costs by getting more lactations from a cow, largely through having the correct make-up to last longer, genetics, good stockmanship and attention to detail.

Interest in his talk “snowballed” and he is still busy delivering the presentation to a wide range of industry groups.

The world panel for Holstein Friesian Classification meets every two years, and involves bringing together 45 classifiers from around 30 countries.

“It is the panel’s job to set the three-day workshop and to run it,” says Denis Aitken, “The next one is in Denmark in May. “It’s great to be involved, and to work alongside and learn from some of the greatest classifiers in the world.”

The new role will mean more overseas involvement and, as he is representing Oceania, he

will have closer liaison with Australia.

His wife, Judy, who was “chief calf rearer” for over 30 years, travels to the workshops, which are mainly in the northern hemisphere, with him.

He is also keen to promote the New Zealand dairy industry overseas: “New Zealand farmers are the best pasture producers and achieve the best fertility rates in the world, but don’t always receive the recognition they deserve.”

Right: Denis Aitken in full flight with his ‘Perfect Cow’ demonstration. It started as a South Island Dairy Event presentation four years ago, and has ‘snowballed’ into deliveries to a wide range of industry groups

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RURAL SERVICES: Bryant Logging

Business Rural / Autumn 2014

51

Money in trees on marginal land Karen Phelps Growing forests can be a lucrative way for farmers to make the most of marginal land. According to Kim Bryant, from Bryant Logging, farmers who had the foresight to plant forests around 20 years ago are now reaping the benefits as international timber prices soar.

Bryant is the fourth generation to work in the family-owned company, which was started by his grandfather. Based in the Waiti Valley near Wakefield, Nelson, the company operates seven crews and employs around 60 staff. The company has held a contract with Nelson Forest for around 15 years.

Business has been good in recent times. The firm gets a phone call each day from a farmer wanting to harvest because of the spike in world prices, largely driven by demand from China.

Bryant Logging works in conjunction with two Nelson-based forestry companies. These two companies are the first point of contact for farmers who want to plant or harvest trees. The forestry companies can help farmers with ongoing management of their forest as well as harvesting.

“These companies can do the groundwork with farmers, giving appraisals of their land or forest, estimating costs of harvesting and telling them how much their forest is worth,” says Bryant.

“We then come in and give input on where roads and skid sites should go.”

He says Bryant Logging has a huge range of plant, and can mix and match the correct equipment

Bryant Logging has a huge range of plant and can mix and match the correct equipment to each job.

to each job, saving clients both time and money.

“Every forest is different – size of forest, size and type of trees, lie of the land etc. If it’s a large-volume job we can put in a machine to automatically prepare the wood and cut it to length on site.

Bryant Logging has gone into partnership with some farmers on projects: ‘They supply the land and we do the rest – preparation, planting, harvesting.’

“We can do both public and private sector work.”

Afterwards the company can rehabilitate the land as the farmer requires, including preparing it for re-planting.

Kim Bryant says safety commands major attention, and the company has an impressive record in this area – no long-term injuries or deaths in many decades of operation.

“We have good systems in place and all our staff are highly qualified,” he says.

“We are audited regularly by Nelson Forest and we also do our own private audits to identify any behavioural or machine issues that might need

addressing or require further training for our staff.”

Bryant Logging has also gone into partnership with some farmers on projects, and he says the firm is always happy to talk with farmers interested in the opportunities forestry might present on their marginal land.

“They supply the land and we do the rest – land preparation, planting, then harvesting. It’s a handsoff approach that can work well for busy farmers.”

There are other advantages for farmers too, he adds. Trees beautify the land, provide shelter belts and provide erosion control. And it’s not just farmers that can benefit. Forests can be planted for their children and future generations to harvest.

Services Bryant Logging completes both private and public sector logging projects.

For private contracts Bryant Logging typically works in conjunction with Nelson and Marlborough based forestry companies who are the first point of contact for clients who want to either plant or harvest trees. These forestry companies can also assist clients with on-going management of their forest as well as harvesting when the time is ripe.

Appraisals Because every forest is different the first step of the process is a site visit to assess your particular forest. The forest will be appraised and feedback given as to how best to proceed with the harvest. And if you are looking at planting a forest we can also organise land assessments.

Cost Estimation We will provide you with a comprehensive estimate of the costs of harvesting your forest as well as an idea as to how much the wood might be worth at that point in the market.

Harvest We give input into where roads and skid sites should go to ensure the harvesting process runs smoothly. We dedicate a team of our experienced staff along with the right equipment necessary to complete the job. Wood is delivered to the desired location ready for processing and sale.

Post-Harvest You may want to re-plant or use the land for something else. We can help you to rehabilitate the land as you want it including preparing for re-planting

Waiti Valley, Wakefield, Nelson Tel. 03 542 3939 Cell. 021 511390

52

RURAL SERVICES: Industry news/Dave McCrea Building

Business Rural / Autumn 2014

Conversions now need new consent Peter Owens New dairy farmers in Southland now have to apply for a resource consent before they can start farming. This follows Environment Southland’s early-March adoption of a plan change.

Environment Southland chairman Ali Timms says that while new dairy farming is a significant contributor to the region’s economy, it can result in significant risks to water quality, which have to be managed “The rule will provide the council with a tool to meet the community’s concerns for water quality

Southland the first to impose such a condition, but others councils planning a move in the same direction. while also meeting our national obligations,” she says.

“It will help to ensure that Southland’s water quality doesn’t decline any further while we work with the community to move towards establishing catchment limits as required by the Government’s National Policy Statement for Freshwater.”

Nicol Horrell, Environment Southland’s environmental management committee chairman,

says he understands Southland is the first regional council to impose such a condition.

However, other councils around New Zealand are also planning to move in the same direction, he says.

The March plan change 13 ensures that applicants undertake a soil-based risk assessment of their property before a conversion, and then develop a conversion environmental plan (formerly

known as a farm management plan).

It includes appropriate mitigation measures to minimise the environmental effects of the activity – particularly on water quality. The conversion environmental plan also incorporates a nutrientmanagement plan and a winter-grazing plan on the land that is converted.

The farming community, the public, iwi, stakeholders and other local authorities have been involved in the change, says Timms. A hearing panel heard submissions and made recommendations to the council.

She says the focus is on risk management rather than ongoing management of the conversion.

Northerners top the Glammies Peter Owens

Prime minister John Key (left) and Olympic BMX silver medallist Sarah Walker compare notes in the role as Glammies judges.

A coopworth produced by Fraser and Sara Briant, from Gisborne, scored the 2014 Glammies grand champion title, the trophy and $2500 in prize money.

The grand champion retailer award went to Progressive Enterprises (Countdown), North Island with its dorset/romdale, which was was processed at Silver Fern Farms’ Takapau plant in Southern Hawke’s Bay The “Glammies” – more formally known as the Beef+Lamb Golden Lamb Awards – have been held at the Upper Clutha A & P Show, in Wanaka, since the competition began eight years ago.

The top 20 lambs were selected from the 158 entries from across New Zealand, and were put through scientific measurements of tenderness, succulence and colour by Carne Technologies.

The top 20 were also judged by a panel. headed

by Graham Hawkes, who has experience as a chef in New Zealand and overseas and has been on the judging panel for every Glammies event.

The judging panel also included the prime minister, John Key, Beef+Lamb New Zealand “iron maidens” – Olympians Lisa Carrington, Sophie Pascoe and Sarah Walker – and ambassador chefs Ben Batterbury and Darren Wright.

The 15,000 on the first day of the show was a record, and event manager Jane Stalker estimates there were 32,000 visitors, competitors and trade exhibitors over the two days (March 7-8). The Upper Clutha Show began in 1895 in Cromwell, but in 1933 was transferred to the Wanaka showgrounds overlooking the lake.

One of the more unusual show activities was the tractor dancing performed by members of the West Otago Vintage Machinery Club – the first time they had performed at the Upper Clutha Show The group was established in August 2011 to practise a square-dance routine for the club’s International Harvester Day. It has become popular and has performed at most A & P shows in the south.

Also popular was the jack russell (and variations of the breed) race. Stella, a russell/chihuahua cross owned by Daniel Bogue, provided a local win.

‘Pretty positive’ rural-sector news good for builder McCrea

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Jo Bailey Life continues to be hectic for Ashburton builder Dave McCrea, who specialises in dairy-shed construction.

“We’re flat out, with two dairy sheds on the go and another four to build before the start of next season.”

He started Dave McCrea Building in 2005 on the back of a contract to build one cowshed and has now completed well over 50. The company also works on rural and urban house projects, and has a couple of smaller houses nearing completion – one at Lake Hood and the other in Ashburton.

McCrea says the mixture of housing and dairyshed projects is good for his staff of 12 builders and two school-leavers.

“The variety is good for everyone, including the young guys coming through, although they probably won’t see a house for their first year on the job. The rest enjoy the mix of work we do.”

The company builds sheds for both rotary and herringbone dairy platforms through the South Island, and have had recent projects in Southland and North Canterbury.

We specialise in Hiab and Moffet forklift hire as well as Bulk and Flat deck cartage.

27 Trevors Rd, PO Box 237, Ashburton 7740 Ph (03) 308 3936 Fax (03) 308 3941 Cell 027 430 1114

Time is the biggest challenge in the cowshed market.

The sheds have to be ready for the milking season, so weather and general hold-ups cann add a lof of pressure.

These builds can’t be left to drag on.

“The distance between jobs can take a bit of juggling. We end up covering a few miles.”

Three of the company’s four upcoming dairyshed projects are in Eyrewell, North Canterbury, where Ngai Tahu is undertaking a sizeable dairy development.

“We’ve developed a good relationship with Ngai Tahu and look forward to working with them on this project,” says McCrea. “The opportunity to build three sheds in one location creates a lot of efficiencies for us and the client.”

Time is the biggest challenge in the cowshed market, he says.

“The sheds have to be ready in time for the milking season, so weather or general hold-ups can add a lot of pressure. These builds can’t be left to drag on.”

The company has been engaged by several farmers to build houses or worker accommodation on their properties at the same time as a new cowshed.

The company also does some general building work, such as house alterations, and construction of farm sheds and feedpads for farmers.

Dave McCrea has been a builder for 28 years after leaving school and becoming qualified.

“I worked for several other builders before the opportunity came up to build a cowshed for a local farmer on my own account. I’d been thinking about it for a while and decided to go into business with a silent partner, Rodney Williams, who handles a lot of the council stuff.”

In its first year, Dave McCrea Building employed three staff and built two cowsheds and two houses.

The following year the dairy boom hit in earnest and the company found itself with seven cowsheds on his books.

“I had to increase staff numbers to eight straight away. Since then we’ve grown more steadily to our current size.”

The company has several long-standing staff, including its first employee, Matt Williams, who asked Dave for a job when he heard he was going out on his own.

“I’m lucky to have good people around me and don’t have any plans to get too much bigger,” says McCrea. “At the moment I could probably do with 16 or 17 guys, but the more staff you have, the harder it is to juggle the rest-times that can crop up between jobs.”

Most of his working day involves project management, overseeing staff and keeping an eye on quality. However he still likes getting on the tools as much as possible.

“I still love being in the middle of it all with the guys.”

He doesn’t expect the pace of work to let up anytime soon.

“The news is still pretty positive for the rural sector and most of our business comes from word of mouth.

“It’s a great industry to be involved with and we value the good relationships we built with the local community over the years.”

RURAL SERVICES: DS Building

Business Rural / Autumn 2014

53

Variety the spice of business for building firm Karen Phelps DS Building is celebrating 10 years in business.

Company owner Dallas Shaw says the company’s success lies in offering its largely rural-based clientele a wide variety of services.

Shaw, 36, started in the building industry in 1995 after leaving school and was a qualified carpenter by the age of 21. He and his wife, Sandra, started the business in 2004.

Dallas is a fully trade-qualified builder and licensed building practitioner. Sandra, a chartered accountant, handles the company administration and bookwork.

The business does residential and light commercial builds as well as providing a variety of specialist rural services – sheds, fencing, covered yards, wintering sheds, wool sheds, cattle yards, kitset farm houses, concrete work, bridge construction, general repairs and maintenance.

DS Building is regularly contracted to build Herd Homes© and currently has four of these builds under way.

DS Building operates a small crew of three, and this is exactly the way Shaw likes it. This allows him to offer a highly personalised service to each client.

“We focus on developing a long-term relationship with each client. This means we have often gone back to complete other jobs for the same customers at a later date. We like doing a variety of different jobs, so basically any work that comes our way we can do it.

“I was fortunate because the company I initially trained at worked across the spectrum of the building industry, from jobbing work, repairs and maintenance up to new residential, commercial industrial and rural builds.”

Projects completed by DS Building include million-dollar-plus, architecturally designed houses, repairing wool and hay sheds after a bad storm last year, and the Deep Creek water intake renewal project for the Dunedin City Council in conjunction with Ferguson Engineering.

Shaw says offering clients detailed pricing and contracts is important:

Clients make monthly progress payments, so people don’t pay in advance for work . We keep clients up to date with regular visits and phone calls. All our houses come with a Certified Builders Homefirst 10-year guarantee.

“We offer Certified Builders professional contracts so that both parties are clear as to their responsibilities, and Certified Builders variation orders to document and agree on any variations and their cost before they are made.

“Clients make monthly progress payments, so people don’t pay in advance for work not yet completed. We keep clients up to date with regular visits and phone calls. All our houses come with a Certified Builders Homefirst 10-year guarantee.”

Rural clients can use their CRT card to buy services from DS Building, which gives clients a rebate.

Shaw has been a platinum member of Certified Builders since 2005 and currently sits on the Certified Builders board of directors, representing the southern half of the South Island.

“I’m passionate about the building industry and I believe you get out what you put back in. I would rather keep the business the size it is so that we can continue to offer our clients the personal touch.

“Our clients know they talk to me and that I am regularly on their job. I started building because I enjoy it and I don’t want to ever sit in an office all day.”

DS Building rural services include wintering sheds (above), as well as residential (below) and light commercial. The company also undertakes bridge construction, concrete work and general repairs and maintenance.

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54

RURAL SERVICES: High Country Fencing/Bosch Irrigation

Business Rural / Autumn 2014

Love of Jo Bailey Geoff Rogers has turned his love of the high country into a business.

His Kirwee-based company, High Country Fencing, works on the sort of steep and challenging hill country other fencing contractors might shy away from, he says.

“I saw an opportunity to get into this kind of work when I set up the business 15 years ago.

There aren’t a lot of other guys who want to take on these harder jobs.”

Rogers, who grew up on a farm at Motukarara, says he has always loved the outdoors.

“I’ve been involved in agricultural jobs since leaving school, including a few years as a musterer on high-country stations both here and in Australia.

Later I worked for a few fencing contractors in Wanaka and the United States before setting up the company.”

He says around 90% of the firm’s work is rural fencing – both high and down-country projects, with the balance residential jobs and a small amount of commercial, security and temporary fencing.

“We offer a full design-and-build service, including the ordering and collection of materials.

We can also help with bulldozing fence lines and disposing of old materials.”

High-country projects account for about half the business, mainly for private farmers, high-country stations, organisations including Fish and Game, the Department of Conservation and Environment Canterbury, and land tender review work for the Government.

These projects largely involve using the firm’s Komatsu bulldozer with a side-mounted post-driver that can fence steep hills where a tractor cannot go safely, says Rogers.

“The bulldozer has a far greater ability to anchor itself on steep, slippery country, with the side-

PHOTOS Above: High-country projects are largely completed using this Komatsu bulldozer, with a side-mounted post-driver, that can fence steep hills where a tractor cannot go safely.

Right: Geoff Rogers says High Country Fencing had to go through a “significant process” to be accepted onto the panel of accredited fencing contractors with CERA. The company has been working on a new bollard fence in central Christchurch.

Valetta experience launches Jo Bailey

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Innovative methods and technologies used by Ashburton sister companies, Bosch Irrigation and Aquaduct, on the Valetta Irrigation Scheme conversion have increased the irrigation area by 37.5% without drawing any extra water allocation, says Bosch managing director Gerard van den Bosch.

“The new 84-kilometre closed polyethylene pipe system, designed and custom-made by our companies, has saved the water previously lost through evaporation and seepage in the old open channel system, bringing an extra 3000 hectares of land to full production potential,” he says.

The fast-track project was commissioned in September/October 2013, and is “running smoothly”, delivering water to 44 Mid-Canterbury farms.

It was completed just over three years ago, following the initial approach to the company by Alistair Morrison, chairman of the Valetta board.

Design work began in earnest soon after, and by 2011 Bosch and Aquaduct (the polyethylene pipe extrusion factory set up in response to the project) were signed up to design and install the entire

conversion, apart from the settling ponds.

“The Valetta scheme was quite a leap for us, being more than twice the size of our previous biggest project, and the first for Aquaduct’s new purpose-built, relocatable pipe manufacturing facility,” says van den Bosch.

He had set up a pipe-extrusion factory in Australia in the late 1980s, but the Valetta project was the first scheme in New Zealand big enough to warrant him making investment here.

Once the contract was signed, it was “full speed ahead” with the importation of pipe-extrusion equipment, setting up the 2000 square metre factory, and final negotiations with raw-material suppliers for the 5500 tonnes of raw material required for the project.

He says the establishment of a large-capacity, relocatable pipe factory in the heart of an irrigation scheme in such a short timeframe had never been done before, but the results are well worth it.

“The relocatable factory provides major advantages and production benefits compared with fixed-site production, including the ability to produce pipe lengths up to 250 metres. This minimises transport costs and dramatically reduces the number of welds, saving about one week’s welding time per kilometre of pipe installed.”

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Business Rural / Autumn 2014

RURAL SERVICES: High Country Fencing/Bosch Irrigation

high country base for business mounted post-driver allowing us to drive posts efficiently in a straight line down hillsides without having to back up to install posts.”

The firm’s other specialist equipment for this sort of work includes a rock drill for installing waratahs in extreme, rocky areas and for blasting post-holes into rock, and a pneumatic, picket post-driver which vibrates waratahs or Y-posts easily into hard ground.

“We are also Extraction Industry-qualified, so we can use explosives to move rock for fence lines if need be, he adds.”

High Country Fencing had a crew based at Motatapu Station, between Wanaka and Arrowtown, for a year carrying out this sort of work. The firm’s most recent high-country job was building a 20km fenceline at Mt Mason, in North Canterbury. It is about to start a steep-hill-country job at Waiau.

“We have a good high-country crew who stay away most weeks,” says Rogers. “They are the sort of guys who like to hunt in the hills, shoot and fish, so enjoy being in the outdoors.”

The down-country crews operate three modern tractors with specialist hydraulic post-drivers manufactured by Taege Engineering, in Sheffield. These machines work “great on the flat country and are known for their heavy punching power”, Rogers says.

“We have developed great relationships with our suppliers such as Taege, which is located close by for parts and service, and Canterbury Timber and Hardware, which always delivers us good, straight posts.”

Recent projects include work at Ngai Tahu’s sizeable dairy development at Eyrewell Forest, where five centrepivots are being installed for its new dairy farms.

“Dairy conversions are a big part of our business. Other agricultural work includes stock yards. fencing for sheep, cattle, horse and deer, post and rail, electric fencing, and vineyards.”

With high-country work “pretty much shutting down” during the winter months because of snow and the hillsides being too slippery, Rogers has branched into commercial work to keep his staff busy.

He says the company has gone through a “significant process” to be accepted onto the panel of accredited fencing

contractors with CERA, for which it has been working on a new bollard fence in central Christchurch.

With new health-and-safety requirements on building sites, there is also a growing market for temporary fencing on building sites.

“We put up a lot of temporary fencing for the construction of Fonterra’s new milk-powder factory at Darfield, and expect to see more of these sorts of jobs filter through.”

Safety is also a big issue within the business, he says.

“My partner, Debbie, has put a lot of work into getting us up to play with OSH rules and regulations, and developing site-specific plans. Given the sort of terrain we work on, we are committed to protecting the safety of our staff.”

Other milestones for the company in the last couple of years include setting up a website, www.highcountryfencing. co.nz, and becoming an accredited fencing contractor with the New Zealand Fencing Association, one of only a handful in Canterbury to achieve this, Rogers says.

“We’re proud of this accreditation, which provides clients with the assurance they are dealing with a company with proven knowledge in design, material selection and workmanship, backed by the appropriate qualifications.”

After 15 years he says he still enjoys the fencing lifestyle.

“I like the outdoors, dealing with clients and producing a top job they are happy with. Quality is 100% of the business.”

Above: A dairy underpass – dairy fencing and conversions are a big part of the High Country Fencing business.

Right: Man and machine combine to build fences.

innovation, technology Aquaduct’s work on the scheme was rewarded by a New Zealand Plastics Industry Design supreme award.

Other firsts on this project included: trenching with custom-made backfill screening; the use of vibrating backfill methods; and the “icing on the cake” – the use of simple, solar-powered butterfly valves to control both pressure and flow to the farms on the scheme. van den Bosch says the development of the purpose-built attachment for the 65-tonne trenching machine was a challenge as it required several modifications before it operated as planned.

Competing with the Christchurch earthquake recovery to employ staff, and ensuring the least possible disruption to farmers’ operations as the “trenching team marched through their properties” were other hurdles, he says.

Aquaduct’s work on the scheme was rewarded by a supreme award at the 2012 New Zealand Plastics Industry Design Awards.. van den Bosch says the fledgling company was “surprised and encouraged” to achieve this recognition in its first year of operation.

“The significance was not lost on our factory

manager, Ross Hunt, who has many years of experience in the plastics industry and is well known. Ross and his team were particularly delighted to receive the award.”

Bosch Irrigation continues to supply, install and maintain smaller schemes and pivots.

It has just started installing the Haka Valley Irrigation Scheme after designing a 16-kilometre piping system with pumping stations totaling 2 megawatts. The scheme will provide water to the Hakatarmea Valley from the Waitaki River. van den Bosch says that with the Valetta project providing a launch-pad for the companies’ “innovative ideas”, Bosch Irrigation and Aquaduct are poised to continue their involvement in larger projects.

“Our staff have derived a great deal of satisfaction from the Valetta scheme conversion, particularly from the warm reception we’ve received from the farmers for greening their part of the Canterbury Plains,” he says. “We look forward to being involved in more projects of this scale.”

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55

56

RURAL SERVICES: Great Southern Group

Business Rural / Autumn 2014

Amalgamation allows firm to cover bases Our posts are what we

Kelly Deeks Agricultural products supplier Great Southern Group has brought together five long-standing companies combining a range of skills with local knowledge to ensure individual specifications and requirements are met.

The amalgamation of Waiareka Industries, Odlins, Mac’s Timber, Pooles Timber, and Hallidays Timber into Great Southern Group has created a company with more than 40 years of experience in providing top quality and service in farm fencing, timber solutions, farm buildings, and concrete products.

The company operates through most of the South Island, with branches conveniently located in Ashburton, Temuka, Waimate, Oamaru, Ranfurly, Milton, Gore, Invercargill, and Lumsden.

Great Southern Group business manager Roy Duffell says the company’s range of timber would be one of the most comprehensive available. ‘Due to our manufacturing base we are able to produce a product that is exceptional value, and we believe superior in quality to any other timber in the market,” he says.

Great Southern Group has manufactured treated wooden fence posts and timber since the introduction of treatment chemicals in the early 1960s. “We have a very rigid quality control programme in place, which ensures a high standard of graded dimensions, straightness, and a smooth finish across all our products.”

Today the company treats timber with pure oxide chemicals, which leave much less residue on the wood surface and make the product cleaner and safe to handle, and less corrosive on wire and staples.

“We’re finding in this range people are coming to us because of our grading,” Duffell says. “Our posts are what we say they are or more. That’s

say they are and more.

That’s really important for a fencing contractor, they want to be using something they know can be put in the ground and the job is done. They like using good quality products. really important for a fencing contractor, they want to be using something they know can be put in the ground and the job is done. They like using good quality products.”

A complete range of wooden posts, poles, and piles is available, treated with a chromated copper arsenate (CCA) preservative, and backed up by a no questions asked 50 year guarantee against rot, fungal decay, and insect attack. Great Southern Group is a member of the New Zealand WOODmark Quality Assurance Programme, and all its treated timber meets New Zealand treatment standards and conforms to the high standards and vigorous tests imposed by WOODmark.

The company is quickly becoming known as the one stop fencing shop, stocking everything needed

One-stop shop: Great Southern Group has everything for down on the farm from fence posts to concrete products and dog motels.

• To page 57

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Business Rural / Autumn 2014

RURAL SERVICES: Calder Developments

57

Woolshed looks to the future Neil Grant Discussions about a new woolshed and covered yards at Craiglynn Station. near Middlemarch, beg an in March last year.

Craiglynn carries around 18,000 stock units, and is looking to increase numbers to 25,000.

But it had a problem – its 80-year-old, fourstand woolshed with no covered yards in which shear sheep.

The answer was felt to be a new eight-stand shed, with covered yards, big enough to keep pace with the current and increasing stock numbers.

Craiglynn’s Stuart Stevenson had engaged Wanaka company, Calder Developments, to build two other woolsheds and covered yards on his previous farms, and Calder Developments operations manager Nick Calder believes his firm benefited from this long-term relationship.

“When building woolsheds, especially of this size, getting quick flow of sheep into the woolshed holding-pens is paramount,” he says.

“Therefore, the layout of the outside yards was the first thing to establish, so that steel-leg locations to support the 40-metre-wide by 50-metre-long covered yard structure could be determined.

“We worked with the client to get the yard layout first, then designed the covered yard’s legs and structure to suit.”

The 2000 square metres covered yards and the 1100sq m eight-stand, flat-board woolshed are clad in Colorsteel sheeting, with weatherboard around the front of the woolshed. Calder says the all the cladding colours complement the high-country backdrop. Underneath the woolshed is a large killing house and workshop.

“The final product’s success is testament to the client’s vision and the overall design of the structure,”says Calder.

He says Calder Developments has been in busioness for more than 30 years, and has been involved in farm buildings on farms from Taranaki south – from dairy wintering sheds to woolsheds and covered yards, to implement sheds and aircraft hangars.

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• From page 56

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to build any sized permanent or electric fence, including netting, wire, steel standards, electric fence reels, and fence units.

Great Southern Group’s concrete division is well known for producing one of the most complete ranges of concrete products available. All of these products are made from high strength 35-40 MPA concrete, which is reinforced with fibre, steel or both.

“Included in our full range of troughs is one of the best designed, very popular 1500 litre round cattle troughs, with a separate trough chamber,” Duffell says. “Other concrete products are single and double sided cattle feed troughs, fuel bunds, septic tanks, pavers and ornaments.”

Great Southern Group also provides a number of farm buildings options, and has forged a reputation for going the extra mile in building to individual specifications, he says.

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58

RURAL SERVICES: Walling Contracting Southland

Business Rural / Autumn 2014

Farmers upbeat over ‘fantastic feed for milkers’ We were looking for the

Jo Bailey

Walling Contracting’s beet harvester (top) and Cross-Beet washer (above). The harvester is the only three-axle, six-wheel-drive harvesting machine of its type working in New Zealand; the washer is the only machine of its type in New Zealand and is capable of washing 60-80 tonnes of beet an hour.

Ag Chemical Specialist • Croplands Spray Equipment • Hardi Spray Equipment • C-DAX Spray Equipment • Pump Repairs

When Southland dairy farmer Jim Cooper went looking for an alternative bulk feed for his milking cows, he consulted with several international nutritionists, who all gave him the same message – feed beet.

“They couldn’t believe New Zealand farmers were feeding beet to dry cows when, once lifted, it is an ideal feed for milking cows,”: he says.

“I did a bit more homework and decided to give it a try myself.”

Beet is a high-energy feed crop for both dairy and beef cattle, especially when fed in combination with silage.

Although grown in New Zealand for many years, it has only recently become more popular as a dairy-cow, winter-supplement feed.

Now in his third season growing beet for lifting, Cooper couldn’t be happier with the results.

“It is a cheap, high-energy feed that the cows absolutely love and milk really well on. I can’t recommend it highly enough to other dairy farmers.

The return on our investment has been massive.”

John van Hout, from Winton, is also sold on feed beet.

This season he is growing 29 hectares of beet as supplement for his 960 cows, 660 of which are housed in a wintering barn through the colder months.

“We were looking for the cheapest feed with the highest ME, and beet was the answer,” he says.

“We chip it up and feed it from a mixer wagon so that the cows can’t gorge or choke on it, and it doesn’t get caught in the shed’s effluent system.

We don’t feed it to the dry cows any more because they get too fat on it over winter, but it’s fantastic for our milkers. We get a great return from it.”

Ben Walling and Sarah Flintoft, of Walling Contracting Southland, have also seen the benefits of beet after planting and harvesting it for several local farmers.

“The results have been outstanding,” says Walling.

He says the crop’s versatility is one of its strengths, as it can be fed whole out in the paddock, or harvested for storage and fed out on feedpads or in wintering barns.

“It is important to grow the right variety of beet depending on how long you want to store it and feed it. A lower-dry-matter beet works well for feeding out in the paddock. but high-dry-matter beets are best suited for longer storage.”

The high-dry-matter beets are also tougher, so it is beneficial to chip them up for feeding, he says.

“On the plus side, if they are stored properly, high-dry-matter beets can last for six months or longer without spoiling.”

cheapest feed with the highest ME and beet was the answer.

Walling says he enjoys the challenge of sourcing new ideas and ways of doing things that will be beneficial to clients.

In 2012, after discussions with Cooper and van Hout, Walling Contracting imported an Agrifac Big Six beet harvester, the only three-axle, six-wheeldrive harvesting machine of its type working in New Zealand.

“I looked at trailing machines for a start, but some beet-harvesting contractors overseas told me I’d be wasting my time and to go for the selfpropelled. It’s a great addition to our established silage, balage and ground-cultivation business, which already has a strong client base.”

Walling is frustrated by some of the naysayers who say the machine is too big to do the job properly because he couldn’t be happier with its performance over three seasons; it is purpose-built to operate in wet conditions.

“The harvester is light on its feet and leaves no marks in the paddock. It has large on-board capacity, so there’s no need for tractors/trailers or trucks to enter the paddocks – it’s these that have the potential to get stuck and make a mess.”

The harvester lifts 100 to 120 tonnes per hour – “It’s really efficient. We’re in and out and gone.

He says it’s also “well worth” farmers washing the beet after harvesting to aid storage and the cow’s digestion and production.

“Our Cross Beet washer is the only machine of its type in New Zealand; it can wash 60-80 tonnes of beet an hour.”

Both Cooper and van Hout are delighted with the performance of the harvester.

“I knew it would work well because I’d watched a lot of YouTube clips of it handling extreme conditions overseas,” says Cooper. “This machine is well advanced on other New Zealand harvesters.” van Hout says the paddocks require very little preparation for the next crop following the beet harvest.

“Last year we direct-drilled wheat straight after the beet, with only a light harrow and no spray and got a really good crop.”

Walling believes the awareness of beet as a cheap, high performing feed will grow.

“If it’s done properly, beet is no harder to grow and harvest than making silage or balage. If you get the planting and storing right by following good advice from those experienced with beet, it is a crop with huge benefits.”

Proud to support Walling Contractors Phone (03) 203-9100 | 14 Tamworth Lane, Gore

info@wallingcontracting.co.nz www.wallingcontracting.co.nz

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Business Rural / Autumn 2014

RURAL SERVICES: Southern Trenching & Excavating

59

Ben and Melissa Brunell have diversified and developed the trenching and excavating business they established in 2010. Ben Brunell spends time with and son Harry (below).

Water seen as catalyst Sue Russell Ben and Melissa Brunell have enjoyed a busy few years as they have developed grown and diversified the trenching and excavating business they established in 2010.

The company, based near Winton in Southland, has grown as opportunities have been seized to expand its services.

The decision to buy SAS Contractors has seen staff numbers increase to 12 and life to busier than ever. “There have been challenges jumping from four staff to 12,� says Ben Brunell. “It has really helped that the staff from SAS came with me, so really very little changed for them. They carry a wealth of experience.�

When Southern Trenching and Excavating was formed, there was a period when things were tight because of a drop in the dairy pay-out from $8 to $5 that year.

Work was booked for two or three weeks in advance. Now the firm has projects booked for several months.

While traditionally the company’s core rural work involved putting in stock water and effluent systems, of late it has done some significant irrigation projects over the summer. “The irrigation work has been great to get into,�

says Burnell. “We put in irrigation at Southland Federated Farmers president Russell McPherson’s farm at Hillend. Another job, installing a big k-Line system at Clydevale, took us five weeks to do.�

Brunell can sense that water is going to become more and more important, not only when farms convert to dairy but also for the traditional beefand-sheep farms.

Given this, he’s starting to weigh up whether it’s the right time to extend his fleet of diggers. At a cost of $150,000, it is a big financial commitment.

For the first time Southern Trenching and Excavating exhibited at the South Island Field Days, based in early February. SAS Contractors had a history of exhibiting and he decided it was prudent to continue.

It’s a decision he didn’t regret. “We got 35 good enquiries and, if half of them end up being jobs, that will be great.�

Employing casual and on-call staff has also gone really well. Brunell used Recruitment Enterprises to handled the process, take care of ACC and employer obligations, and vet potential workers for him to interview. “I certainly think that’s the way to get skilled staff to use when we’re very busy. It’s the nature of our business that skilled labour units are needed at short notice.�

Melissa and Ben married two years ago, but have been together for 11 years. Their son, Harry,

is a year old in late March and Brunell is careful to make sure he puts aside space for family time. “Since the end of last summer, I haven’t really been on the machinery. I’ve become a bit of a floater and I always go on to the site when a job begins. It means I’m travelling 1500–2000 kilometres a week getting around all the sites.�

He is keen to extend the company’s services to include all the processes involved with installing centre-pivot systems.

He also has a GPS systems development company, Trimble, assessing the idea of mounting GPS units that will give him and clients precise and detailed information as to where the buried joiners are located. “It’s a hand-held machine, and using it will make a huge difference for us, especially when it comes to returning to a farm to extend the irrigation system,� he says

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