20
DAIRY
Business Rural / Autumn 2013
Whiteboard the ‘systems’ hub Neil Grant New Zealanders like to think they can be successful without having to get a university degree. Holyoake and Kirk got to the top in politics, Denny Hulme drove a pretty mean racing car, Katherine Mansfield is revered for her writing, and Hone Heke was a chief, warrior, and champion axeman. All had basic educations. So, when dairy farmer Mark Phillips says he is “a North Island Maori boy” who “didn’t do very well at school” and has been working on dairy farms since he was 14, he fits the mould. He and his wife, Diane, run three dairy farms just north of Oamaru. On two they are lower-order sharemilkers; the third is their own farm on leased land nearby. The sharemilked farms run 760 and 600 cows; their own has 540. The Phillipses farmed in various parts of the country before settling in North Otago where until this season they sharemilked several properties, building up to four at once.
“I reckon we’ve been successful because we’ve now got reasonable systems.,” Mark Phillips says. “We’ve learnt how to retain staff. Finally. I’m not sure how we’ve done it, but we’ve done it somehow. Some guys have been with us for five years.” He thinks that not expecting too much from people may be part of the deal. He has a number of foreign staff, whom he praises for their work ethic. He thinks they work the way Kiwis did 20 years ago, while many young New Zealanders don’t find dairying fits in with their lifestyle. Although each farm has its own dairy shed, in many ways the three are run as one. There is only one tractor, so it’s all over the place. The systems Mark Phillips talks about are dependent on whiteboards. Everything is written up
on them so that everyone knows what they should be doing, where, and when. “Farming is changing. We have to work out how we cope with water use, effluent, and fertiliser. There’s a lot of pressure to irrigate better. This may be a way to make everyone be less intensive and drop cow numbers.” The Phillipses have 11 staff in total. Each farm has key workers, but none has a designated manager. “We’re hands on. We’re responsible. We have intermediate guys who know what we’re trying to achieve, but we call ...oh... 95% of the shots.” The sheds – two rotary and one herringbone – are not automated. “They are quite basic. We feel that if there are people in the shed, they might as well be taking
We’d rather invest in people. Technology is taking away from making people responsible.
cups off. We’d rather invest in people. Technology is taking away from making people responsible. If you want to find sick cows, you do it by looking.” The herds are fed palm kernel at times, but basically these are grass and silage farms “Some people invest in fantastic systems, but we all get paid the same for our milk. We’re about feeding and breeding. If cows are well fed, they produce well.” The Phillipses end-goal is land ownership, probably at the finish of the 10-year lease. They want to have something to pass on to eight-year-old Bella at some stage. In the meantime, their philosophy is that for them, farming is not about capital gains; it is more about strong cashflows and realistic budgets. This interview has dealt with education, progress through the dairy system, land management, animal husbandry, staff relationships, employment, technology, pasture management, the future, and succession planning They’re smart fellows, these North Island Maori boys.
Oamaru Repairs & Maintenance STRUCTURAL, MECHANICAL & GENERAL ENGINEERING
Proud to support
Mark & Dianne Phillips 3 Orwell Street Phone: (03) 434 2269 Mobile: 0274 570 726 Email: orm.pete@xtra.co.nz
The swampy ground of Dunns Farm presents a continuing management challenge.
Smart makes ‘big difference’ • Residential • Industrial & Commercial • Rural & Dairy • Heat pumps • Servicing available 24 hours
Proud to support Mark & Dianne Phillips Laser Electrical - Oamaru & Duntroon 3 Ouse Street, Oamaru Ph: 03 434 7273 Fax: 03 434 7306
WAITAKI CONTRACTING
Fine Chopped Silage, Whole Crop Cutting Head, Mower Conditioning, Square Baling, General Cartage and Suppliers of Grass & Cereal Silage. Contact: Bryce Kane
Mobile: 027 457 8198
A/H: (03) 431 3882 Fax: (03) 431 3892
Proud to be the chosen silage contractor for Mark & Dianne Phillips
MAHENO TRANSPORT LTD
Karen Phelps The installation of a Smart Farm Systems package this season has made a big difference on Dunns Farm, a little seaward of Balclutha, says manager Neill Casey. The effluent monitoring system automatically shuts off if problems are detected. It also has a web-based system that can monitor how much effluent is dispersed on the farm, when and where. The farm has a 114-day effluent storage pond with k-lines. “It enables us to fully capture the nutrient value and apply it at low rates,” says Casey. “It also shows regional councils we have a sound effluent management plan in place.” The fact that Dunns Farm is on historically swampy ground is a challenge for Casey. The 220-hectare (effective), Landcorp-owned property lies on flat to rolling country, varying from sea level to below sea level, and has challenging soil types, including raw peat, peat/silt loam and clay. It not only gets very wet at times but, despite the high water table, the land can also dry out quickly during warmer months. To counter this problem,
there are drains every 60 metres across every paddock. Previously a sheep and beef station that was converted in 2002, Dunns is part of Landcorp’s Waitepeka complex, which includes two dairy units (220ha and 300ha), a dairy 270ha support unit, and a 650ha drystock unit. The support block is used to make grass silage and rear replacement calves and bulls for the dairy units, and to run 100 beef cattle depending on the season. Dunns peak-milks 690 crossbred cows through a 50-bail rotary dairy with automatic cup removers, Milkhub herd management software and an in-shed feeding system. The stand-off and calving pad are both essential in the often wet conditions. It’s a system 3 farm and around 600 kilograms of dry matter is usually fed to each cow every season. The farm typically grows 40-45kg of dry matter per hectare in February, but this year the figure rose to 60kg. Normally this would be a positive, but Casey is trialling barkent summer turnips and says it will now be hard to get an impartial idea of their value. This type of turnip was selected for trial as it has a metabolisable energy (ME) content of 12-13
• To page 21
Specialists in Stock and General Cartage
Email: mahenotransport@xtra.co.nz 60 RD OAMARU Phone: (03) 439 5809 Mobile: 0274 334 250 Fax: (03) 439 5806
PHOTOS Left: These Dunns crossbred cows look contented enough. Opposite page, far right: The control unit for the dispersal of effluent.