ON FARM » Robert & Cindy Rosser
Business Rural
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New bridge boosts farm access Kim Newth Spending $220,000 on a new bridge last year was a big investment for Upper Takaka farmers Robert and Cindy Rosser, but the asset is proving invaluable in terms of time saved. What used to be a six-kilometre trek from milking shed to the run-off block has been slashed to one easy kilometre, thanks to the new bridge spanning the river that runs through Rosser Holding Ltd’s 160-hectare farm. “It is a massive time-saving for us to be able to walk the cows straight across the bridge, rather than having to go all the way down a gravel road and back up,” says Robert Rosser, who is the third generation on the family farm. After leaving school, he spent four years working on dairy farms in the Ashburton area, including time with Mark and Devon Slee (who won the supreme award at the 2014 Ballance Canterbury Farm Environment Awards). He then returned home to Upper Takaka where he has now been farming for 15 years. When he first came back, the farm was running 300 cows. This year, the herd totals 550. “We keep getting more land and that has enabled us to increase herd numbers. Within the last two years, we bought a run-off block and milk off half of it. The main road goes through part of it. We milk on 20 hectares of it, where we built the bridge.” An additional hill block came with the run-off, which has been planted out as pine forestry. In his time on the farm, Robert has also put in irrigation with three pivots now operating. A modern, 50-bail, rotary shed was built seven or eight years ago. “This year we hope to get 400 kilograms of milksolids per cow, compared to 430kg a cow last year. With the new block, we put 150 cows on once-a-day milking at Christmas. That’s a nonirrigated block, so it bought production down a bit.” In the current climate of low dairy pay-outs, Robert and Cindy Rosser are keeping a tight rein on spending. “We’re getting quotes for whatever we buy now. We watch the fertiliser we are putting on. We have good levels already, so we don’t need to put a lot on. “We’re still feeding the cows 100 per cent to support calving and milk production.” Over the Christmas-New Year period, conditions were very dry on the farm, with water restrictions adding to the stress of having had poor spring pasture growth. Good rainfall in January has put the farm back on track. Supporting the work of the farm are two full-
Above: Upper Takaka farmer Robert Rosser, with son Benjamin on the new access bridge. Below: Work under way on the bridge supports.
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Call 03 525 8150 After Hours: 027 681 0040 time staff. Robert’s parents, Roger and Shirley, also lend a hand through spring and other times when needed. “My Dad still makes the hay for me. They come and feed the calves for us through spring which helps us out big time.” Cindy assists with the farm’s administration,
while also caring for the couple’s nine month old baby boy, Benjamin. As well as spending time with his family, Robert is active in the community as a volunteer member of the Upper Takaka Rural Fire Brigade.
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out with the 30 best yearlings so that they no longer calve as three-year-olds, but a year earlier. All stock is finished on farm. The property sits in a north-facing valley with a balance of irrigated flats and gently rolling hills. It is a 12-minute drive from Motueka. The main residence was built around 2000, originally operating as a luxury lodge. It is now the family home of the Whitsons and includes six guest suites, a spa, a gymnasium with sauna, a manager’s apartment, offices and garaging for six large vehicles. The grounds include four lakes, a croquet lawn, a putting green, a nine-hole golf course, a swimming pool, a tennis court, a heli-pad and an area of native bush. Despite all the changes, Dave says there is still room for improvements. “There’s a lot of loyalty to this place for me, and that comes into it very strongly. I would love to stay and see the property reach its full potential. It’s not a finished project by any stretch of the imagination. “The big changes have already happened, now it’s a matter of fine-tuning things. It’s a beautiful property. It’s the sort of place you could take a photo of and turn it into a postcard.”
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Managing Directors: Alan and Regan Williams 59 East Takaka Rd, RD1, Takaka 7183, Golden Bay, New Zealand ph.03 525 9755 cell 027 4320009
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