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GOATS » Goatland
NZ Dairy
Costs are high but returns good enoug • From page 19
Three full-time worker and three relief-milkers are needed to milk the Goatland herd.
bought out another supplier’s 400 goats. They currently have 1400 milking goats, plus 400 kids and 50 bucks, on the farm. Kerry Averill says there are good returns to be made in dairy goat farming, but it’s not a cheap game to get into. “We achieve good returns, but we spend a lot too. The goats are housed in five custom-built barns around the clock which were a huge cost to develop, and we spent over $1 million on our hightech, 100-bail iCONVEYORS rotary milking shed five years ago. It’s also a really labour-intensive operation. I used to milk the 50 cows myself, but now employ three other full-timers, plus three reliefmilkers and another three or four part-timers during kidding.” July is the busiest month, with kidding at its peak. “We get very few single kids born, with most of the does having two or three kids each. Last year we had 1000 does kid within seven days, which was pretty hectic.” Around 400 of the kids born each year are kept for replacements, with the balance sold to other farmers or raised for goat meat. When it comes to breeding, there are some interesting differences between goats and cows, says Averill. “Goats have a shorter cycle and are quite a unique animal in that you only have to kid them twice and they could milk for the rest of their lives. This year we’re trialling ways to extend lactations by not mating any does over five years old. We could eventually take that down to the third or fourth kidders, and not mate them again to reduce the number of kids we have on the ground.” The milking season is the same as for dairy
We at RD1 Morrinsville are pleased to be supporting Kerry and the team at Goatland Farm Ltd in their Dairy Goat venture. 07 889 7049
178 THAMES STREET
NZFARMSOURCE.CO.NZ
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WHAT YOU NEED WHEREVER YOU ARE
Morrinsville • (07) 889 5693
021 990 839 • www.gseltd.co.nz • grant@gseltd.co.nz Contractors Ltd
Ph (07) 888 1955 • Milking • All Welding • Lawn Mowers Machines • Ride Ons • Water Filters • Water Pumps • Chainsaws
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8 Allen Street, Morrinsville 3300
07 889 6053 ATTN: Customer
info@mclarensrural.co.nz www.mclarensrural.co.nz
RE: Feature
NZ Ltd
Specialists In Goat Hoof Trimming
“GOAT HOOF TRIMMING” Experienced Technician All equipment supplied, No mileage $3.00 + GST per Goat.
“GOAT DEHORNING” Kids - $2.70 + GST per Goat Goats - $3.00 + GST per Goat Goat Scanning Available
For bookings or quotes phone Jason Dibble (Owner/Operator) 027 874 0095, 07 871 9344 or email goatspec@farmside.co.nz
Purveyors of premium quality Livestock Bedding
• Dairy Sheds Rotary & Herringbone • Feed pads & bunkers • Housing / Alterations • Concrete Work
M: 0274 740 979 P: (07) 889 6476 Email: broomvr@infogen.net.nz PO Box 306, Morrinsville