Dairy Farmer February 2024 by AgriHQ

FEBRUARY 2024 | $14.55

Shaping their future Contract milkers put down roots in Maniototo PLUS:

➜ Southland farmer’s journey to advocacy ➜ Benefits of extended lactation ➜ Preparing for the dry

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CONTENTS NEWS February 2024 | $14.55 Dairy Farmer magazine is published by AgriHQ, publishers of Farmers Weekly, from our head office in Feilding. For more stories, market reports, podcasts and videos, visit farmersweekly.co.nz AgriHQ – leading better farming conversations.

17 NZX analysis What lies ahead for the dairy market for 2024 24 Extended lactation can deliver gains for farmers 25 Waikato farmers gear up for dry summer

ON FARM 8

Contract milkers Luke and Anna Jeffries have become part of a community they love, doing a job they love at Maniototo

FARMING CHAMPIONS 7

Guest column – WeatherWatch’s Phil Duncan

20 Dairy Champion – Pomahaka Watercare Group and Groundswell founder Bryce McKenzie shares his farming journey

FEATURES 34 Autumn calving: Tips and advice to get the most of calving this autumn

REGULAR FEATURES 28 Road to dairying

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COVER STORY Making the most of Maniototo

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GUEST COLUMN

Feeling the pressure Climate drivers like El Ninõ will influence the weather but there are also other factors in play in our tiny island nation.

Philip Duncan Head forecaster at WeatherWatch.

o those who say “So much for El Niño!”, I say “Why do you want it so badly?” New Zealand and Australia have had an unusual El Niño, but having areas of rain doesn’t mean El Niño doesn’t exist. Two things can be true. You can have the aircon on in your car – but the window down too. You can swim with sharks – and not be eaten. You can be in a car crash and not be injured. So too can you be in an El Niño and not have drought, or hot, windy, westerlies. In fact the past few months of weather in NZ have highlighted something I exhaustively say year after year: our location on earth means anything can happen. Two of the previous three La Niña events brought drought to the North Island (believe me, in Geography in high school they teach you the opposite, because usually La Niña makes for more sub-tropical lows, cyclones and rain). So am I surprised not everyone is dry this summer? Not at all. Let me put this another way: We can have a warmer winter when it should be colder. So we can also have a wetter, calmer, El Niño when in the past it has been windier, drier and hotter. Why? Very simple: It’s down to the size of our tiny nation, way out at sea and halfway between the equator (where we measure El Niño and La Niña) and Antarctica. And, of course, it’s the Southern Ocean / Roaring Forties belt of weather that circles Antarctica which dominates NZ’s weather most often. For NZ, the Southern Ocean’s weather is the Goliath to the equator’s David. But

DAIRY FARMER

February 2024

Not your usual El Niño. While the rain map shows stubborn dry areas around NZ and Australia in January, it also shows large but broken-up areas of heavy rain.

– and here’s the important part – for the rest of the planet and international news media it is the other way around. El Niño is the Goliath to them and they couldn’t care less about what’s happening down in the Southern Ocean – to them that’s “David”. “Okay Phil, so if you and all your fancy computers and AI are so good, why aren’t I getting El Niño weather at my farm?” you may ask. This is because El Niño doesn’t care that you even exist. It’s a climate driver measured mostly out towards Ecuador, South America, and the equator – a long way away from NZ. All it takes to break NZ’s entire threemonth summer outlook is simply the placement of one or two high pressure zones during that entire time. That is all it takes. This summer high pressure has been further south than we’d normally (past 100 years only) see during El Niño and that has big consequences to NZ’s entire weather pattern. A small shift with a monumentally big impact. From a global point of view you’d hardly notice it. But from a NZ point of view, it’s the driver of 100% of our complaints about “you guys can’t predict anything”.

We all need to understand variables. There is simply not enough history and data to help join all the dots to forecast for you to say “this is precisely coming, this is what it precisely means”. So we have to use gut instinct, common sense – and apply that to the most accurate (but not perfect) forecasts on earth. This sounds daft, maybe, but if you blur your eyes a little that data is actually extraordinarily accurate. Expectations in our tiny, vulnerable, isolated, island nation are that we should be able to tell you three months from now what will happen on your farm. We cannot. All we can do – with great accuracy I might add – is say climate drivers like El Niño and La Niña are coming and they can influence our weather. But, as my dad’s favourite “chaser”, Shaun Wallace (the “Dark Destroyer”) from TV1’s The Chase, always says: “At the end of the day, it’s just another day at the office.” That’s New Zealand’s weather – regardless of El Niño, La Niña or however our climate is changing due to our remarkable location on Planet Earth, anything can happen here, even if there is a theme in play. n

ON FARM

Good Plains farming On Central Otago’s Maniototo Plain, Luke and Anna Jeffries aren’t re-reinventing the wheel – they’re just improving it.

Luke Jeffries and his wife Anna have farmed in Maniototo for 10 years. Photos: Tony Benny

By Tony Benny

Slow and steady does it as these contract milkers concentrate on getting the basics right and not over-complicating the system.

he Maniototo in Central Otago is among the most remote and least known of New Zealand’s dairy farming regions. But life is so good there that the Jeffries family have just committed to another 10 years on the farm where they contract-milk. Luke Jeffries his wife Anna, a former Canterbury schoolteacher, moved to the sparsely populated Maniototo Plain 10 years ago with their two children. Since then they’ve had three more children and have become part of a community they love, doing a job they love. “This will be where we end up now. It’s just quite lucky that we found it,” Luke says. “A lot of people spend their whole lives traipsing round trying to find it and don’t, so we’ve been lucky to find an area we like and a farm we really like.” Anna agrees: “We were totally new to the Maniototo, where farming is so different. “It was kind of like, ‘This is quite scary but it feels right’, if that makes sense. It’s like a dream job.” The Jeffries are contract

milkers on a 930-cow, 400ha, equity partnership-owned farm at Puketoi, about half an hour south of Ranfurly. Maniototo Plain, usually just called The Maniototo, is an elevated region known for its harsh, dry climate. Temperatures range from more than 30degC in summer down to -15degC in winter. The growing season is short, but thanks to irrigation, pasture growth is vigorous and the plains, once the preserve of dryland sheep farming, are now home to 12,000 cows and 11 sheds. Luke was born in England. His parents parted when he

“My mother got very excited that I might become a land agent in the UK, don a tweed hat and never ever leave, but I ended up coming back over here.” Luke Jeffries

HERE, THERE AND EVERYWHERE TO KEEP YOU

GROWING

was quite young and when he was about 16 his father emigrated to New Zealand. Luke decided to go with him, ending up in Balclutha, South Otago. “He was managing a dairy farm down there in 20012002. I went to South Otago High but did very little time at school. Mostly it was spent milking cows and driving tractors,” Luke says. He returned to the United Kingdom and completed a Bachelor of Agricultural and Land Science at Hartpury College, but felt a pull from the other side of the world. “My mother got very excited that I might become a land agent in the UK, don a tweed hat and never ever leave, but I ended up coming back over here.” He worked for Roel Robbin on a 2000-cow property at Oxford in Canterbury and one of his workmates was Anna’s brother. “He invited me back for a family dinner and on the way into Christchurch I asked, ‘Have you got any brothers and sisters?’ He said, ‘Yes, I’ve got six,’ and that’s how I met Anna.” Anna’s family used to farm in Waitaki Valley but sold

FARM FACTS

• Farm owners: Maniototo Dairy Partnership 2012 • Contract milkers: Hoeffries Holdings (Luke & Anna Jeffries) • Location: Puketoi, Maniototo, Central Otago • Farm size: 400ha • Production: 2022-23: 448,296kg MS • Production target: 2023-24: 450,000kg MS

the farm to Meridian Energy, which had plans to build a huge power scheme in the region. The project didn’t go ahead but by then the family had moved to Christchurch. Anna

Continued page 10

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Luke and Anna Jeffries milk 930 KiwiCross cows on the 400ha farm that they contract-milk.

became a schoolteacher and was teaching at Oxford Area School when she met Luke. They worked on two local dairy farms, progressing from herd management to lower order sharemilking before the opportunity in the Maniototo came up through their accountant. He was based in Alexandra where Anna’s family had lived before moving the Waitaki Valley. “We just happened to do a budget that we flicked through to him and he said to us, ‘I know of a job down here if you’re interested.’” The farm had previously been owned by the late Allan Hubbard, of South Canterbury Finance fame, and had been bought by a group of equity partners, mostly local farmers, who were looking for someone to turn the somewhat rundown property around. “There was a great lack of regrassing, it was calving 1200 cows through a 50-bale shed and they were doing 410,000kg MS,” Luke says. Today the herd has been reduced to 930 cows and annual production has risen to 450,000kg MS, which Luke puts down to what he calls a “re-redevelopment and rereconversion”. “It’s not one thing, it’s a

Anna Jeffries taught herself pottery using YouTube and has her own brand, Pebble Pottery.

whole holistic thing. You have to have grass, you have to have genetics, it’s just trying to do the basics right and just not over-complicating the system. It hasn’t happened overnight, it’s taken 10 years. “No regrassing had been done and some pasture had reverted to native so we’ve done a massive re-grass. Then we just worked on genetics and all the basic stuff that I think any true-blue stockman likes doing, picking bulls that we wanted, picking cows that we wanted.”

“I saw all these cool pottery cups but they’re so expensive so I was like, ‘I’m gonna make my own’” Anna Jeffries The irrigation was also upgraded with two new centre pivots replacing the tired roto-rainers.

Rose Martin from England is doing a season milking in the Maniototo for the Jeffries.

DAIRY FARMER

February 2024

On the driest, stoniest ground, lucerne has been planted. It gets watered by K-line a couple of times a year. “Before, you might have got one cut off it a year and then it was just dandelions – and now we’re producing 12 tonnes.” The lucerne is made into silage and baleage and is used as a high-protein supplement. “We have a really short growing year, we go from zero growth rate in winter to boom and it’s out of control and when we’re calving that lucerne keeps them fully fed until the grass comes.” For the most part it’s an allgrass system with supplement in the form of lucerne silage and fodder beet at the end of the season, all made on farm. The supplement is also used feed the 350 cows that are wintered on farm. “We’ve reduced our stocking rate but put it into winter, trying to perfect that growth period. That reduces our winter grazing costs by using that feed we’ve grown in summer and it balances out quite well. “Our cows have gone from about 360kg solids a cow up to 480kg solids a cow.” The herd is KiwiCross,

Continued page 12

The Jeffries use sexed semen over their best cows to lift genetic improvement and reduce the number of bobby calves.

though Luke says there’s not much Jersey in them. “We like those big cows that work on a grass-based system because that’s all we’ve got here, grass and what we grow. I think we could get another 40kg solids out of the cows if we went on to a meal system but it would cost you 30 solids to do it.” They use sexed semen over their best cows to speed genetic improvement and to reduce the number of bobby calves, mating for three and a half weeks. As well as the 320 replacement calves, they breed 200 beef calves and 60 Friesian bulls. The neighbouring farm

“It’s not one thing, it’s a whole holistic thing. You have to have grass, you have to have genetics, it’s just trying to do the basics right.” Luke Jeffries is owned by one of the shareholders, who takes 100 of the beef calves while the other 100 are sold, as are the Friesian bull calves. As well as reducing the

number of bobbies, the extra calves are useful cashflow. All the calf rearing is done by Anna, mostly alone, though they have employed a parttimer sometimes to help out. “Bobbies are one thing in the industry that I’m just so amazed the media hasn’t cottoned on to. There’s gotta be a different way,” she says. “I rear the calves for our business because staff is so hard to find here and that was just a nightmare. I do the calves and I can be at home with the kids.” When their five children had all started at school, Anna tried going back to teaching, an occupation she loves, but

she found combining even a three-day week with farming and family was just too difficult. “You’re out the door at 7.30am and you don’t get home till 6pm and if you want to do it really well you’ve got to do more work after dinner and it’s just not fair on the kids. It doesn’t fit with contract milking in the Maniototo,” she says. But Anna did need a challenge. “I can’t just sit at home and do housework,” she says. She hit on something she describes as “pretty random”. “I quite like shopping but I’m a bit of a Dutchie when I’m shopping and I saw all these cool pottery cups but they’re so expensive so I was like, ‘I’m gonna make my own’ – and now I know why they’re so expensive,” she laughs. It took Anna six months to learn how to throw a pot, using YouTube for tuition, but before she could build her new hobby into something more she would need her own wheel. That gave Luke an idea for a Christmas present, if only he knew where to find one. He found the answer at their children’s school in Ranfurly, when he was talking to one of the shareholders in the farm, about the school’s fund-raising calf-rearing project. He mentioned Anna’s interest in pottery and how

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“It’s got to be a great package that suits them well for them to live here. It’s money but it’s being nice as well, doing all the extra little things.” Anna Jeffries he’d like to find her a wheel. They knew someone who had a whole pottery studio, who gave Anna everything. “So, I kind of believe everything just falls into place eventually. When I went back teaching, nothing lined up, nothing balanced, it was so hard and I made the decision to not carry on and thank God I did. “I thought I’d nailed [pottery] but then I tried glazing and that’s really hard so then I taught myself how to glaze as well,” Anna says. At the end of last year she set up a stall in a market in Ranfurly to test demand. “I nearly sold out, even at $55 a mug, and I thought, ‘This could be a thing.’” Her Pebble Pottery is now on sale through Instagram

The Jeffries, back, Harry, Luke and Anna Jeffries, and in front, Oscar, Jimmy, Jack and Isla.

and Shopify and Anna’s had several commissions, including 100 branded travel mugs for a local ram breeder who is also a shareholder in the dairy farm, to give to clients at his annual sale. She’s also just filled an order for 100 little vases to be included in the gift boxes that a Geraldine businesswoman is selling online. “I said to her, ‘Why did you pick me?’ and she said, ‘Because you’re a farming

mum at home trying to do art.’ I think people like that story. “I decided to stay home and try to make some pocket money off that. It’s all about appreciating the little things in life now, you don’t actually have to be in the rat race.” That doesn’t mean Anna has given up on the classroom. “I love teaching and I probably will go back one day,” she says. Finding good staff to come

Herd manager Arnold Suplente cleans down the farm’s purpose-built large calf-feeding trailer.

DAIRY FARMER

February 2024

to an area as isolated as the Maniototo is a challenge the Jeffries have had to rise to – complicated by the fact that when they arrived they were considerably younger than their employees. But their two permanent Filipino staff are clearly happy here, given herd manager Arnold Suplente has been on the farm for eight years and now his wife and son have moved here too, and Michael Viduya has been on the farm for seven years. They also have one temporary staff member, Rose Martin, from England. “It’s got to be a great package that suits them well for them to live here. It’s money but it’s being nice as well, doing all the extra little things — if they need something done in the house, you do it, you give them some meat and make sure they’re home by five o’clock,” Anna says. “Anna and I do all the gardens and built them a vege patch in the winter,” Luke says. “You’ve just got to look after them, give them good facilities and give them the tools, reasonable gear, not

Continued page 14

“We’ve reduced our stocking rate but put it into winter, trying to perfect that growth period ... Our cows have gone from about 360kg solids a cow up to 480kg solids a cow.” Luke Jeffries

The Jeffries children in a paddock irrigated by sub surface drip irrigation, which has been successful in growing vast amounts of grass.

riding round on buggered bikes that don’t go. “The days of someone getting cows in on a twowheeler in the rain are gone. Just have one nice fourwheeler so they can go and get the cows in and they can sit there and have a coffee on the handlebars as they’ve coming in and enjoy the sunrise.” One of the ways Luke is making the work easier for staff is fitting Allflex collars to the herd to monitor rumination and health and for heat detection. “The heat detection is the big one, it’s just cut their workload down. Everyone’s done calving and they’re bloody tired and you expect them to stand up there for five weeks to draft and it doesn’t always happen as it should,” he says. “With automatic drafting you can’t make a mistake,” Anna adds. Luke reckons farmers who don’t invest in labour-saving technology on farm will soon have trouble attracting good staff. “One of the questions we’ll be faced with is what technology have you got on

the farm to assist me in my work. They’re not going to go to farms that have four hours of K-line to shift, they’re not going to go to farms without automatic pumps and pivots, they’re not going to go to farms without collars,” he says. Keen to embrace the latest technology, Luke has recently had sub-surface drip irrigation (SDI) put in on a paddock that’s out of reach of the centre pivots. The system automatically delivers water at root level, which avoids losses to evaporation.

It’s more expensive to set up than pivots but Luke thinks it will pay for itself by using less water and growing more grass. “We found last year we were using anything from 15%-30% less water compared to the pivot site, most of the time 30%. “We had an open day in January last year and we put 20mm on the sub-surface paddock and 66mm under the pivot and the difference was mind-blowing — green, much greener on the SDI.”

SDI has yet to catch on in a big way in New Zealand but is quite popular in the United States, where the technology comes from. “It’s a hell of a system we’ve put in, with pressure monitoring, filtration, moisture sensors, and the design of it, the hydrology, is huge. “It doesn’t blow over, it doesn’t blow away and it uses a lot less water so it’s a pretty cool product.” Irrigation water is supplied by the Maniototo Irrigation Scheme, drawing from a large storage lake high in the hills to the south of the plains. Construction, led by the then Ministry of Works, started in the 1980s, but the National Government in power at the time controversially abandoned the

There are 12,000 dairy cows in the Maniototo district, milked through 11 sheds.

DAIRY FARMER

February 2024

On the driest, stoniest corners of the farm Luke has sown lucerne, which despite getting minimal irrigation produces around 12 tonnes/ha of dry matter every year.

project because of a budget blowout. Local farmers finished a

less Rolls-Royce version of the scheme themselves and today three farmer-owned

companies deliver irrigation water to different parts of the Maniototo.

SOMETIMES

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“It’s a really good consistent water supply – it just never runs out,” Luke says. The Jeffries are very happy in their role as contract milkers and aren’t stressing about climbing the ladder towards farm ownership. But they are making investments in their future, including a house in Naseby that they operate as an Airbnb. They’ve also recently taken on the lease of a 210ha dryland block 20 minutes up the road at Wedderburn, where they intend to build up a herd of 200 to 250 beef cows. Ten years after grabbing the opportunity to move to the Maniototo, the Jeffries – Anna, Luke and their five children – feel completely at home here. “Even if something did happen with this job we would stay in the area because it’s such a lovely community,” Anna says. n

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ANALYSIS

What’s in store for early 2024 Cristina Alvarado

Cristina Alvarado leads the dairy data and insights team at NZX

s the curtain fell on 2023, New Zealand’s dairy industry found itself navigating a landscape of cautious optimism in the last months. The final quarter of the year was marked by a series of shifts in supply and demand factors, presenting both challenges and opportunities for the market. In December, Global Dairy Trade (GDT) events showcased a promising rebound in prices, together with September and October results, after the sharp drop-off seen between May and August. This upward trend continued into the first GDT event of 2024 on January 2, with an overall average index price rise of 1.2% to US$3363/t. While fluctuations were observed across product categories, whole milk powder (WMP) and fats saw notable price increases, signalling a potentially bullish outlook for these commodities. On the production front, New Zealand demonstrated resilience amid fluctuating conditions. Despite a 0.5% decline in average milk production tonnage in November, the country recorded a 0.8% year-on-year increase on a milk solids basis, following on a similar trend from October’s production. This can be attributed to favourable pasture growth conditions due to the delayed onset of El Niño. However, as we move further into 2024, and as noted by NIWA, with December’s dry weather and the expectation of further drought, the impact of El Niño could pose significant challenges to production levels. Internationally, the picture was more varied. The United States and Europe reported declines in milk production, with a 0.5% YoY decrease in November for the US and a 1.7% drop in October for Europe. The later had a bigger drop in comparison to the 1.03% decrease in September, due to Ireland’s 13%

DAIRY FARMER

February 2024

The New Zealand dairy industry stands on relatively solid ground at the start of 2024, buoyed by promising GDT results, resilient production levels and robust export performance. decrease and the fact that France fell 4.5%, Netherlands 2.4%, Italy 1.4%, and Denmark 0.4%. On the downward trend, Argentina and Chile also saw a decrease of 4% and 0.8% YoY respectively for November. Uruguay, China, and Australia, on the other hand, registered a milk production increase for November with 2.7%, 1.6% and 6.3% respectively. There is a bearish sentiment for 2024 in regions such as the US and Europe, after regulations, weather and culling had direct influence on 2023’s production. NZ’s export performance painted a positive picture, with global dairy exports rising 6% year to date. November alone saw a 22% YoY increase, indicating robust demand from key markets. Interestingly, this growth was not driven solely by traditional trade partners like China, the US, Japan and Saudi Arabia. Countries such as Bangladesh, Thailand, Singapore and Indonesia emerged as significant buyers of products like WMP, SMP, and AMF, reflecting a diversification in NZ’s dairy export markets. All key dairy products, except for Infant Formula, saw an increase YoY for November. However, the global landscape presented its share of hurdles. Logistical challenges, including congestion fears due to drought in the Panama Canal and tensions around the Suez Canal and Red Sea areas, posed significant obstacles. This has led to some carriers take the decision of navigate longer

routes, increasing cost and delivery time, to be able to assure the safe transport of their shipments. Despite these inconveniences, NZ’s strategic geographic location, with dual access to the Indian and Pacific Oceans, provides a competitive advantage, facilitating smoother delivery to key trade regions. The ongoing impact of geopolitical and economic factors, coupled with supply and demand dynamics, will continue to shape the trajectory of dairy prices. The coming months will reveal the extent to which policy changes, trade initiatives, weather and global supply chain disruptions influence the dairy landscape in New Zealand and the rest of the world. As we navigate the early stages of 2024, the New Zealand dairy industry stands on relatively solid ground, buoyed by promising GDT results, resilient production levels, and robust export performance. However, the path ahead is not without its obstacles. The industry’s ability to adapt to changing market conditions, weather patterns and global economic trends will be crucial in shaping its trajectory for the rest of the year. n

To know more about the NZX Dairy Team subscriptions and publications, go to their website https://www.nzx.com/products/ dairy-insight

NEWS

Keep the light on By Ross Nolly

A bad year can sap farmers of the will to continue, but it’s important to keep fire in the belly, says an agricultural economist.

on’t “turn off the light” just because you are having a low profit year. In doing so, farmers can end up losing interest in the farm business – and limiting losses is critical in a down cycle, agricultural economist Pita Alexander says. “The bottom 25% group in agriculture turn the light off when they’re experiencing a low patch. They lose interest in the whole exercise,” he says. Alexander shared his impressions of the financial aspects affecting farms and the actions farmers should take to ensure they weather the challenges of a low-payout, high-cost environment at a Smaller Milk and Supply Herds (SMASH) seminar in Inglewood in November. He is a director of Christchurch company Alexanders, which has specialised in business and accounting advice for agribusiness for 50 years. The practice has supported dairy farmers through many industry “boom and bust” cycles. It was one of a number of seminars held across the country organised by SMASH. The seminars featured Alexander and a local farm industry professional for each venue. Alexander says he has often seen many farmers go into a “cave” during difficult times. They feel as though they’re letting their family, the bank and themselves down. It’s very important for good advisers and family to “get into the cave” to help.

It’s very important for good advisers and family to ‘get into the cave’ to help if farmers retreat to a ‘cave’ during difficult times, agricultural accountant Pita Alexander (standing) says.

“They were making low profits or losses and finding it very frustrating. But they had fire in the belly and it carried them through the low patches.” Pita Alexander He also advised farmers not to back off key inputs such as fertiliser, feed, wages, diesel, seeds and animal health. Aim to maintain production, almost at any cost, because backing off those costs will guarantee a major loss in the next year. “In my troubleshooting years, 30% of the farming operations didn’t survive. They were too far gone by the time someone like me walked down their driveway,” Alexander says. “Why did the remaining

70% survive? Because they still had fire in their bellies. They were making low profits or losses and finding it very frustrating. But they had fire in the belly and it carried them through the low patches.” He noted that around 20% of farming men have what he calls “iron disease” – the urge to buy machinery – which raised a wry chuckle from the audience of 70 people. He recommends that during a downcycle, one partner should vet each capital plant purchase if the other suffers from “iron disease”. In the short term he recommends farmers hire equipment from a neighbour or employ a contractor to avoid costly capital plant purchases. “Lack of cash is often not the core problem, but that’s where it shows up. What causes that lack of cash is the core problem. Working harder helps, but working smarter is the key issue,” Alexander says. “Banks hate surprises, so

always communicate bad news to the bank and your partner early. Don’t mull it over, thinking you’re going to address it, because you won’t.” Taranaki-based consultant Alicia Riley says it has been a hard season in the region. “Currently, central and northern Taranaki production is around 4% down for the season, off the back of a far from amazing previous season. “Many farmers are thinking about the supplements they’re using, and considering using less, or thinking differently about how they’re used.” She notes that many farmers haven’t peaked this year. “For the most part, we’ve been waiting for the peak and it hasn’t come. Most farmers’ calving patterns have been slower than normal. The cows are peaking, but at different times. We didn’t see the typical big, lovely October peak.” She notes that in-shed feed has become a tap that can be turned on and off as a never-ending supply of feed. Ten years ago, that supplemental feed was sitting in a silage bunker and used very differently. “At the start of the season I encouraged my clients to consider the feed they have on contract or intend to use over the summer/autumn/ winter period. In the past, we wouldn’t have fed silage as we were making silage. “But now we’re only too happy to feed two or three kilos of in-shed feed and make silage.” n

DAIRY FARMER

February 2024

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Bryce McKenzie and his son Jared, who now operates the farm. Bryce’s eldest son, Warack, is milking on another property. Photos: Gerhard Uys

A river runs through it By Gerhard Uys

What stokes the fire in Groundswell NZ leader Bryce McKenzie’s belly? A Southland river that is cleaner and healthier thanks to his guardianship.

‘I

think I just saw a trout rise,” says Bryce McKenzie, looking down the bank of the Pomahaka River that runs about 3km of its course through his Southland dairy farm. He grew up on this river, swam in it as a kid, and has for decades fished it with a fly rod. As a founding member of the Pomahaka Watercare Group, he is also one of its guardians. If you ask people who have spent a lot of time with Bryce, they’ll tell you the watercare group is one of his biggest passions.

The group was formed in 2018 after a meeting at which only three farmers showed up. The farmers were

“If you’re thinking consciously all the time, about what impact you are going to be making – if you get everybody doing that, then change happens.” Bryce McKenzie

outnumbered by industry organisation speakers, who said the Pomahaka was in bad shape. “It was daunting to realise how bad the waterway was. The phosphorus levels were very high,” Bryce says. A few weeks later a group of farmers met in a pub and the watercare group was officially formed. Bryce is standing kneedeep in coxfoot and ryegrass, in a fenced-off section on the riverbank. “It’s a wonderful filter,” he says. “I’ve caught a lot of fish under there,” he says and points to a willow tree with a

slow section of water under it. “Only brown trout here, but we get big salmon. Biggest one I’ve taken out of here was 32 pounds [14.5kg]. “I was fortunate that I got taught by a next-door neighbour, Gordon Hellier, who was very good fly fisherman. I just got hooked on that. My sons are really good too.” The watercare group began by testing water from the river. Tests showed spikes of different kinds during different times of the year. After heavy rainfall, E coli was a problem, mostly from sheep dung, he says.

DAIRY FARMER

February 2024

“Sheep dung is wrapped in oil. It’s protected. It takes quite a bit of rain and then suddenly it releases,” Bryce says. “We noticed that it’s very difficult to do anything about phosphorus because it clings to sediment. There’s no easy answers. “When you’re doing something on the farm, it’s being conscious of the effect you’re having on the environment. If you’re thinking consciously all the time, about what impact you are going to be making – if you get everybody doing that, then change happens,” Bryce says. In his case “the farm” is in Waikoikoi, Southland. A lot has changed on the farm over the years. Bryce’s father, Warack, was a sheep and beef farmer in Scotland. He came to New Zealand and did the same. His mother, Evylyn, came from England as a baby. The McKenzie farm was a sheep and beef operation until 15 years ago, when both Bryce’s sons, Jared and Warack, decided they wanted to farm, and they converted to dairy as sheep and beef would not cut it financially. Bryce’s son-in-law, Paul Butson, taught Bryce, Jared and Warack the dairying ropes. Then Paul left to help his father, and Warack left to contract-milk on a farm nearby.

Jared now runs the McKenzie operation. Bryce helped out a lot just after the conversion to dairy but says the conversion was the right time to let the boys take over. The farm is 338 hectares with 700 cows at peak milk, sitting at 3.5-4 on the farm intensity scale. “We do put some input in, but not all year round.” Climate is likely the biggest challenge on the farm, he says. “Too much rain can be worse than too little. We can get a lot of [pugging] damage to our pastures.” The year is going well, with so much grass growth they are already making baleage.

Bryce says as they became more aware of how farming impacted land and water production on the farm changed. “I remember I had beef cows here. They used to cross into the neighbour. There were no fences. On a hot day they spent half the time in the river. That was just natural, I’d been brought up watching that happen. “We’re not trying to utilise every last piece of the land [anymore]. We’ve recognised some parts of it are better in wetlands and natural habitat than what they are in pasture. The biggest mind shift is not capitalising on every square inch of your land.”

If it wasn’t for his involvement in the watercare group Bryce reckons he would never have stepped into politics. “If I hadn’t been part of the water care group I don’t think I would have gotten involved enough to form Groundswell. I had enough experience to realise that you can’t regulate, you’ve got to get people to understand and buy in.” When he saw how the National Policy Statement for Freshwater wanted to, for example, regulate pugging levels and sowing dates, he threw his hands in the air. He knew it wouldn’t work.

Continued page 22

Bryce McKenzie looks down on the Pomahaka River. If you ask people who know him well, they’ll say keeping the water of the Pomahaka clean is one of his biggest passions.

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Bryce McKenzie grew up on the Pomahaka River and was taught how to flyfish in it. His two sons are also expert fly fisherman.

“Everything had to be sown by the first of October; on this end of New Zealand that’s a pipe dream. We’d all love to be able to do that but that time of year it’s too wet. You can’t get onto paddocks.” “If you regulate people all you’re doing is giving them an opportunity to try and beat the system. It was making us all criminals before we started.” But he admits, “it’s a fine line. In some instances you need control, there’s always

“We’re not trying to utilise every last piece of the land [anymore]. We’ve recognised some parts of it are better in wetlands and natural habitat than what they are in pasture.” Bryce McKenzie 22

regulations, because there’s always laggards that won’t do anything.” Bryce walks up a hill to look down on native plantings. His knees bother when he tackles such hills. He felt it the other day when he walked almost 8km in a river to fly fish, he says. He played representative

rugby for Otago. The broken ribs and collarbones don’t come back to haunt you, but the knees do. He also played club rugby, mostly in the backs, had a good career. He was mostly “on the wing”, and, yes, he was fast those days. After a trip to South Africa he had a hand in bringing

South Africans over to play for local clubs. “I had a good rugby career,” he says. After about half the people in the catchment got on board, the water quality began to improve. Bryce says in 2018 farmers still had an interest in changing things.

Around three kilometres of the Pomahaka River runs through Bryce McKenzie’s dairy farm.

DAIRY FARMER

February 2024

“Farmers went from an era of being incentivized by governments to increase production, and then all of a sudden we woke up and somebody said this is wrong. It was a complete flip, for farmers that was totally alien, because we’ve been told that you graze right to the edge of the river.” Bryce admits as a fly fisherman he has some vested interest in clean rivers but wishes he had become involved sooner. And he sees the irony in the fact that Groundswell fought the previous government on environmental regulations, but he is part of a group that got funding from that same government to plant natives and improve the river he loves. “Unfortunately we didn’t start measuring macroinvertebrates until about a year ago. “Everybody looks at the health of a waterway and looks for trace elements in the water. A good gauge of healthy water is to look at what life it supports. We did measurements and it classed very high [for macroinvertebrate health].” These days when Bryce sees the river is discoloured he doesn’t just think it could lead to a bad day of fishing – he wants to know why it is discoloured and drives upriver to other properties to see what caused the change. The Pomahaka group started a best-practice

response team with a hotline that anyone can call if they see water quality issues. People who ring usually report farmers who manage stock in a way that would be detrimental to the environment, he says. If there is a complaint, Bryce and another member go and speak to the farmer. “In most instances whoever it was, was having one hang of a bad day. Sometimes it’s a personal thing. You end up talking through it with them. In most instances they are apologetic and happy it was not council knocking.” Through involvement with the watercare group he saw

“I had enough experience to realise that you can’t regulate, you’ve got to get people to understand and buy in.” Bryce McKenzie that you get fluctuations of, for example, E coli or phosphorus levels, and that you often don’t know why there is a fluctuation because you can’t pinpoint where or how something worked through the soil profile.

“The minute you start regulating for that sort of thing and you get an aberration, somebody’s livelihood could be completely affected by something that nobody actually knows what’s causing it.” He remembers when the river bank was eroded, but plantings have improved it. “I’d like to shake people and say, look, if you don’t want regulation then be responsible. Take an interest, don’t just fight it because you don’t like it. You’ve got to actually understand why and what you’re standing for. Because if you don’t, then you just look like you’re a denier.” n

Bryce McKenzie walking in a massive experimental sediment trap that the watercare group set up with the help of organisations like NIWA.

NEWS

Extended lactation brings gains By Richard Rennie

Scientists say an extended lactation system could bring about a more worker-friendly environment without affecting profits.

airyNZ researchers have taken a look at how an extended lactation system could deliver farmers a more flexible, worker-friendly farm environment, without sacrificing profitability in the process. DairyNZ scientist Lydia Farrell presented a paper at the 2023 Grasslands conference, co- authored by colleagues Kirsty Verhoek and Dr Paul Edwards. They modelled the impact of an 18-month and 24-month extended lactation programme across four dairy areas – Northland, Waikato, Canterbury and Southland. The motivation for the study came from DairyNZ’s work with a farmer co-design group, working to identify what farmers’ key concerns are in their dairy farm business operations. One of these is the availability of labour, the demands placed upon labour, and the flexibility that can be built into dairying jobs to make them more appealing to staff. “In terms of industry statistics, our labour productivity has also plateaued at about 150 cows per labour unit. “A system that could flatten the peaks both across and within a season may unlock a step change in efficiency,” Edwards says. Globally, extended lactation is nothing new. But it proves to offer challenges when it is incorporated into New Zealand’s predominately pasture-based dairy system, with the inherent seasonal

peaks and troughs in feed supply. The modelling predicted the “EL24” (24-month extended lactation, with half the herd calving each year to flatten the seasonal peak in workload) system likely would deliver the best outcome for farmers in Northland. It was shown to improve net income against spring calving with typical 12-month intervals by $439 a hectare, an amount the researchers said exceeded their initial expectations. The other three regions experienced negligible or negative net gains of -$31/ ha in Waikato, -$151/ha in Canterbury and -$131/ha in Southland, compared to the base system. Overall, the EL24 system proved to deliver lower losses or, in the case of Northland, higher gains than the 18-month (EL18, also with offset herds) alternative. “With the 18-month system, your ‘dry’ period will move around. Every year will be different, demanding a different approach to how you manage it, and the modelling suggests supplement use will be greater,” Edwards says. Northland’s positive outcome with EL24 was driven by lower supplement costs, thanks to a smaller variation between peak and trough pasture growth. As expected, the zero- to low-pasture growth days over winter in the South Island resulted in greater supplement input and associated costs, lowering net returns. Edwards has emphasised the study was based only on modelled systems, but

Dr Paul Edwards and colleagues have modelled that an extended lactation could deliver positive net income gains for farmers in Northland, in particular where the gap between peak and low grass growth rates is minimal.

it has highlighted not only the potential to run such a system profitably, but also the many “unders and overs” investigating such a system uncovers. “We did not look at in calf rates as an outcome of the systems. But logically that may be another advantage –from an animal health perspective you are reducing that pressure you get every season by mating them at day 400-450, rather than at peak lactation.” There is also an impact on herd demographics and replacement rates that needs to be better understood. “Because of the 24-month calving interval, the average age is older, and there is an opportunity to reduce replacement rates,” Edwards says. Should farmlet-scale testing support the modelling, he’d also be interested in better understanding the genetics most suitable for herds that calve under an EL system.

“There is probably a lot of variation in cows suitable to it, so there it is also logical you will be able to select for that.” For an area like Northland, which has experienced considerable moves out of dairy into beef in recent years, the trials results may also provide grounds for considering sticking to dairy. “Looking at it as being similar to once-a-day options, it is going to tick boxes for reducing that amount of seasonal work. But if your reason for considering it is due to ageing infrastructure, it’s unlikely to help.” The paper has given the researchers confidence to investigate further, setting up a trial on Scott Farm at DairyNZ with base herd of 42 cows calving every 12 months compared to an 84-head herd on EL24. Having started on June 1 last year, it should run for at least two years. The results can be followed in the Frontier Farms section of DairyNZ’s website. n

DAIRY FARMER

February 2024

NEWS

WaiBOP ready for dry times By Gerald Piddock

aikato and Bay of Plenty dairy farmers are as ready as they will ever be if the summer does turn to drought, with feed reserves well stocked and management plans in place. The two regions had a good run of weather heading into late December with rain at the beginning of the month coming at the right time to boost along pasture and supplementary feed crops. Before Christmas, DairyNZ held a series of field days through November throughout Waikato and Bay of Plenty to help farmers get ready for the summer in case it turns dry. One of these, at Phil, Jenny, Colin and Dale Taylor’s farm north of Morrinsville, attracted about 30 farmers. A straw poll of the farmers at the day, taken by DairyNZ extension partners Kent Weston-Arnold and Willie McKnight, showed most were ahead of production compared to the same time 12 months ago. All had summer plans in place in case it does turn dry.

All were feeling positive after the spell of heavy rain in early November, which complemented the early summer growth. Weston-Arnold said it was

“It’s about doing what you do well, making sure you have got a plan and making sure you stick to it.” Kent Weston-Arnold

the second such field day he had facilitated and the results at both had been similar. That positive outlook – indicated by a smiley face on the whiteboard – was indicative of how the early spring had turned around, he said. “Let’s face it, in September the surplus was looking a bit further away to be fair and it’s also nice to see that production is mostly up.” Almost every farmer had a plan and farmers were in a much better mental frame of mind. The lift in forecast

DairyNZ extension partners Kent Weston-Arnold and Morrinsville dairy farmer Phil Taylor take questions from farmers about managing summer drought at a field day held on Taylor’s farm.

payout and good growing conditions over early summer had turned things around, he said. Weston-Arnold outlined several tactics farmers can use to help manage the summer dry. These include having a summer management plan, acting early to reduce feed demand, managing pasture growth and using nitrogen strategically to increase feed and being mindful of farmer wellbeing. Weston-Arnold said planning for the dry is not rocket science and there are no silver bullets. “It’s about doing what you do well, making sure you have got a plan and making sure you stick to it.” If the weather holds, or if it turns into an autumn drought, the principles remain, with the added matter of whether to dry off early, he said. “People will be more willing to dry off. They have already got milk in the vat. The principles still apply around protecting next season’s production and reproduction performance because it’s really important to have those dry-off rules.” n

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NEWS

Start early to ease the transition By Sam Jaquiery

Succession planning is one of the most valuable processes you can engage in for your loved ones and your farm business.

acing the loss of a key individual can present a set of challenges for families who may not be fully prepared. Regrettably, some farming families may underestimate the significance of planning for the future, assuming that things will naturally align. However, taking a proactive approach to future planning is essential for ensuring the sustainability of a farming business. According to the team at CMK Chartered Accountants, beginning succession planning is one of the most valuable processes you can do for your loved ones and your farm business. They have been raising awareness and sharing their message at events with the Dairy Women’s Network to help farmers start considering their options. “There are many misconceptions about time, many believe it’s too difficult to manage and that they can simply wait until they pass away,” CMK Chartered Accountants managing director Andrew Darke explains. “However, this outcome isn’t ideal for anyone and creates unnecessary stress. “The best time to start succession planning is now, it’s an important part of a farming business and if it’s started early enough, the process is easier.” The team at CMK work with all types of farming businesses across New Zealand with succession advisory at the core. They know there is no one-size-fits-all approach and they want people to know

there are a lot of options. “There is no one scenario, for some businesses it could be diversifying and bringing nonfarming family members into the business in different roles. “It’s about determining what is a sustainable ongoing model for the farming operation, it has to work and meet compliance and regulation as well as provide that work-life balance. “So when families start they need to be clear about what they want to achieve, then we can move forward with a plan.” Darke is a huge advocate for engaging independent support to guide everyone through the process. And to meet in independent locations, away from the family home. “You can’t have those conversations around the same family kitchen table where everyone falls back into the seat they sat at as a child. “It needs to be somewhere independent so that if there are any uncomfortable conversations, you can still enjoy Christmas dinner at that table together.” He wants people to know there are many options, especially if the children or grandchildren are not keen to run the farm. “We encourage people to think outside the box, it’s not limited to family members, there are a lot of opportunities for others to become involved. “One success story we’ve had was a farm manager who wasn’t related to the family and progressed through sharemilking and into equity ownership.

“They had aligned values with the family and it was a great opportunity to maintain the business within the family but allow someone with the passion to be running it day to day.” They also encounter many people who think the goal of farm ownership is unachievable due to the value of the asset, but there are a lot of ways it can be navigated, with family loans or how the business is structured. Communication is vital. There are no hard and fast rules about how it can play out but there needs to be clear communication throughout, and relationships are key. “We use that old saying, blood is thicker than water but not as thick as money. The whole plan needs to be well thought out and well communicated to keep everyone on the same page.”

“Having someone who can support and guide everyone, without any bias, is key to success.” He has been through the succession process himself, being the third generation on a family farm, and CMK Associate, Sally Coombe is one of a fourth generation. She has been through succession planning with her parents and siblings so she has a great appreciation for the intricacies. “Having first-hand

A succession plan has to be sustainable for the farm and for the people leaving, says Andrew Darke of CMK Chartered Accountants.

experience I know what it is like and the biggest thing I can advocate for is that independent support,” Coombe says. “Having someone who can support and guide everyone, without any bias, is key to success.” When they work with families CMK starts by working out what they have initially to pass on and how financially viable is it. Then they work through their goals and play out scenarios before determining the action plan and putting steps in place. “As well as being sustainable for the farm, it has to be sustainable for the people leaving, and the reality is if they don’t like each other they should stay out of the same paddock,” Darke says. “And sometimes, despite the best intentions, it doesn’t go smoothly but having support is a risk mitigator. “We encourage our clients, and any farmers, to start the conversation early, understand their current position and seek professional advice.” n

DAIRY FARMER

February 2024

ROAD TO DAIRYING

From spare wheel to driver’s seat By Sam Jaquiery

It took a stint in an office to show Montie Hare that farming was what he really wanted to do.

ontie Hare initially felt out of place when he arrived back on his family’s newly converted dairy farm sporting an August tan, fresh from an OE. He had grown up around drystock and when he left the farm in Cheltenham, Manawatū, to work in Auckland before heading overseas, his parents were running bull beef, making it a very different world to come home to. “I really had no clue what I was doing, I remember doing some fencing around then, but who has time for fencing in August? I was basically a spare wheel,” Montie says. The farm had been in the family for three generations as it was developed from bush to productive land and Montie’s parents, Bill and Trish, had run sheep for several years.

Montie and Tess Hare, with sons Jack and Rory, own the cows and lease the family farm as they work towards purchasing it off Montie’s parents.

The conversion happened in 2011 but the idea had been brewing for a while. They knew the farm was well suited for dairy with its free-draining soils, and it is in a handy location. In 2004, they had expanded and purchased

Montie and Tess Hare’s farming goal is refine their low-cost, grass-based system to maximise their profit as much as they can.

some neighbouring land. This meant there was some financial pressure and the bank suggested dairy for more income. The original plan included a sharemilker and they had one lined up but the cow shed construction was behind schedule and the plan fell apart pretty quickly. This left Bill and Trish scraping around to put together a 600-cow herd in June-July while Montie was still on his OE. Fortunately, Dave Scott, one of the people who had been working on the conversion – and was also the local publican – ended up coming on as a contract milker for the first few seasons, which took the pressure off. “The herd was a mash-up of any carryovers and low-value cows they could find. It was

“The herd was a mash-up of any carryovers and low-value cows they could find. It was slim pickings at that time of the year.” Montie Hare slim pickings at that time of the year, and Dave really saved their backsides,” Montie says. A discussion around succession started about 12 months after Montie had left for his OE. He was back in New Zealand for his sister’s wedding, so their parents got them all together and asked if anyone wanted to farm. Until that point, he had never considered it.

DAIRY FARMER

February 2024

Tess Hare with youngest son Rory. Tess works part-time as a project manager at FMG as well as helping out on the farm.

Their parents had always encouraged their children when they were young to do something off farm. “Mum and Dad had always encouraged us to do other things. It was never said that coming back to the farm was an option. “But it suited me, I was sick of the office environment, I felt like there was a lot of talking and not enough doing and just wanted to put my head down and work although I had no clue about dairy.” He had a science degree and had studied finance and economics. Before his OE he worked in the finance team for Lion Nathan Brewery in Auckland looking after commercial finance, pricing and sales margins. He did similar work when he was in London and also did a stint driving tractors, working ridiculous hours for low pay – but he enjoyed the experience. He dragged his now-wife Tess with him, and she took a bit of convincing that farming was the way to

go when he got back after the wedding trip. “Tess was a town kid from Napier, so when I went back to London after that family discussion I had to get her on board. “I made sure to propose not long after we got home too, just to be sure I had her locked in,” he laughs. After getting back it was only a short time until he was completely thrown into the

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DAIRY FARMER

February 2024

deep end when the contract milker resigned, leaving at the start of December. He and his dad toyed with getting a manager but decided to give it a go themselves with Montie stepping into managing. “Dad was a good grass farmer and he knew how to run a business, and I can learn quickly. “Taking over after calving and AI was finished was the best time too, so we just winged it really.” He absorbed as much information as he could from the support around him, leaning on the local DairyNZ consulting officer at the time, his fertiliser rep and the LIC agri-manager. He also read nearly everything he could on the DairyNZ website. “I guess I had the right attitude and I was curious and it probably helped that Dad didn’t know anything as he didn’t influence me, unless I was missing anything obvious, like applying fert at key times.” Looking back, he knows it

Four-yearold Jack already thinks he will become a farmer one day.

was a steep learning curve but taking the time to learn as much as he could and getting involved with local discussion groups really helped. He has also utilised farm advisor John Simmonds and says he has been a good sounding board. “Rural professionals are so open and good at sharing info, there are so many people you can learn from.”

“Rural professionals are so open and good at sharing info, there are so many people you can learn from.” Montie Hare Montie and Tess now own the cows and lease the farm. Bill and Trish still rear the calves and every season Montie tries to make it easier for them. “I don’t think they’d know what to do [with themselves] if they weren’t involved. They love it.” Tess is also working parttime as a project manager at FMG and they are working towards buying the farm one day. They have two boys, fouryear-old Jack and two-year-old Rory. Jack already thinks he will be a farmer one day. “The boys love it and that is exactly why I wanted to come back to the farm, for the family lifestyle. “And the goal for now is to refine our low-cost, grassbased system to maximise as much as we can.” n

To find out what works for you and ‘lock it in’, visit farmstrong.co.nz

INDUSTRY GOOD

Considering all options Bridget Maclean

A cow grazes on Ecotain plantain, which DairyNZled trial results show can be successfully incorporated into farm systems to reduce N loss while maintaining milk production.

GM new systems and competitiveness

airyNZ’s world-leading scientists continue to develop practical and cost-effective solutions to help farmers meet environmental regulations and consumer expectations. This year we are focused on progressing research programmes, in reducing methane emissions and water quality research. Regarding methane emissions, our methane research team is working to develop mitigation solutions that can be easily adopted to reduce onfarm emissions, while maintaining productivity and profitability. This research programme is investigating options to reduce total methane emissions (per hectare); and methane emissions intensity (per kg milksolids). We are scanning solutions being used in other countries, but farmers in many of these countries feed their cows rations in feedlots or barns, so we need to evaluate technologies and delivery options that work for our pasture-based farm systems. We are also testing methane reducing compounds delivered to cows daily using in-shed feeding systems or inpaddock automated feeders, delivered via slow-release boluses and fed to young calves pre-weaning to alter their lifetime emissions. Another area focuses on understanding the effect of farm system changes, such as stocking rate, cow genetic merit, supplementary feed and nitrogen fertiliser inputs, on greenhouse gas emissions and farm performance (people, profit and production). We work with farmers on all these projects. Farmers have been advising on options for incorporating these methanereducing compounds into grazing farm systems and providing feedback on barriers to or opportunities for adopting new solutions.

We are also about to start a four-year New Zealand/Ireland joint research programme to better understand methane emissions from pasture-based systems, such as in both these countries. Although feed intake is the key driver of methane emissions, research indicates there are differences in methane emissions throughout the season and with different feeds. That’s why this programme aims to determine methane emissions from cows grazing pasture during the season, and from cows grazing different pasture species (for example, clover or plantain). This will ensure methane emissions from pasture-based systems are accurately accounted for at a farm and national level. We have a range of research projects underway regarding water quality research that has us working with farmers to reduce N leaching and improve water quality. These projects include the Low-N Systems programme and the Plantain Potency and Practice Programme. As part of our Low-N Systems research, we’re determining the effect of combining different mitigation strategies into farm systems. For example, is there an additive effect from reducing N fertiliser use plus incorporating diverse pastures, such as plantain and Italian ryegrass? Determining the most successful and viable combinations will help farmers achieve N-loss reduction targets while maintaining farm business viability.

with DairyNZ DairyNZ and the Ministry for Business, Innovation and Employment fund this research, with support from Fonterra and CRV. The Plantain Potency and Practice Programme supports farmers nationwide to incorporate plantain on farm. Trial results to date indicate Ecotain plantain can be successfully incorporated into farm systems, to significantly reduce N losses while maintaining milk production. DairyNZ leads this programme, with co-funding from the Ministry for Primary Industries through the Sustainable Food and Fibre Futures initiative, as well as commercial partners Fonterra and PGG Wrightson Seeds. Research is also underway into solutions that will help reduce other contaminant losses on farms. DairyNZ is working with AgResearch and farmers in the Manawatū-Whanganui region to measure, monitor and reduce E coli losses into waterways. The knowledge gained from this project will be used to develop strategies for other regions. We’re excited about our continued work alongside farmers and other sector and research organisations to develop mitigation solutions for our unique pasture-based farm systems – and to get ahead of the environmental challenges farmers face. Together, we can get the best results for the sector. n

DAIRY FARMER

February 2024

ANIMAL HEALTH

Beyond the break By Samantha Tennent

The jury is still out on what is causing the front legs of so many dairy heifers in New Zealand to fracture.

pontaneous front-leg fractures could cost New Zealand around $10 million in heifer wastage each season. The condition was first uncovered in 2008 by Dr Jenny Weston from Massey University and has been escalating, with a survey in 2015 estimating around 10% of farms could be grappling with the issue. Fractures can recur on the same farm over several years, which are not always consecutive, costing the individual farm business in wastage and suffering. The latest research carried out by Dr Alvaro Wehrle Martinez from Massey University has been trying to identify risk factors to figure out what is causing this phenomenon. However, a long road is still ahead to truly understanding what is happening. “This condition is unique to New Zealand because apart from an outbreak in Warrnambool, Australia, nowhere else in the world has reported similar cases,” Massey University Associate Professor Kevin Lawrence says. “Over the last decade, we have spoken to a lot of very upset farmers and upset veterinarians who have had to deal with outbreaks, often involving large numbers of heifers.” Wehrle Martinez developed a questionnaire to take a closer look at particular risk factors related to health and nutrition on farms where dairy heifers experienced humeral fractures, and compared the

DAIRY FARMER

February 2024

findings to farms where no fractures were reported. “Unfortunately, only 68 farmers responded but the data has still given us a good indication of the important risk factors,” Lawrence says. “Alvaro’s findings show that dairy farms which had crossbreeds as the main breed were much more likely to experience humeral fractures and that farms that turned their calves out at a young age were slightly more likely.” He got bones from heifers who had experienced fractures and compared them to control heifers who had died for other reasons. He found that the fractured heifers had osteoporosis, a condition that made their bones more likely to break. This was consistent with previous research from Dr Keren Dittmer. He also found that the bones had reduced total collagen content. He also collected rib samples and was surprised to find that heifers with fractured front legs also had broken ribs. So, it is not just the humerus bone that is affected by this condition, but a fractured leg is disastrous and easily observed compared to a broken rib. This condition exclusively affects two- and three-yearold dairy heifers, with the fracture occurring within four months of calving, peaking in September and October. Farms experience a range in the number of animals affected, with some large outbreaks of over 60 heifers being reported.

Scientists are still determining what is causing spontaneous front-leg fractures among dairy heifers in New Zealand. Photo: Keren Dittmer

The fractures are almost always a complete spiral fracture of the mid-shaft of the humerus, the upper frontleg bone. The cows with this issue often stand with one leg hanging. “The fractures usually occur around peak lactation, when the heifer is mobilising more and more calcium from the bones to support lactation, which further weakens the osteoporotic humerus, leading to a break.” Since it is most common in New Zealand, Lawrence says we need to uncover what changed in 2008 and has continued since. When the first cases were discovered by Weston, LIC ruled out any genetic linkages and although it is seen more often in crossbreeds, it is still seen across all breeds.

Dittmer suspects that osteoporosis could be caused by decreased protein in modern diets combined with feed pinches and growth checks, meaning less bone is laid down by growing animals, resulting in weaker bones. But there are a lot of unknowns, and the team would love to extend the research to dig deeper. They encourage farmers to continue to report fractures to their vets, Massey University and DairyNZ. From what they do know, the advice to farmers who are experiencing issues is to ensure that replacement dairy heifers are given plenty of copper in their first year, to make sure animals are meeting their growth targets, and to feed meal for longer after weaning than they previously may have. n

ANIMAL HEALTH

Miraka-WelFarm alliance harnesses digital synergy Samantha Tennent

WelFarm is now integrated with Miraka’s systems capturing information related to their excellence programme, Te Ara Miraka.

iraka and WelFarm have joined forces to simplify administrative tasks for farmers and empower them to focus on their core responsibilities. The collaboration aims to integrate digital systems and automate the verification process, reducing manual checks and allowing for improved herd health monitoring and performance comparison. Recognising the shared goal of supporting farmers, our widely used digital portal, WelFarm, is now integrated with Miraka’s systems capturing information related to their excellence programme, Te Ara Miraka. This integration will allow the verification process to flow automatically between WelFarm and Miraka systems, eliminating the need for manual checks to adhere to Te Ara Miraka standards during on-farm assessments. It all came about when Miraka’s general manager of milk supply, Chad Hoggard, visited a supplier and quickly learnt of the double-handling of data to take it from one system to another to verify their standards had been met. He could see huge potential to reduce that administrative load and was keen to work collaboratively with WelFarm, and others, to support their supplier base. The current integration

confirms there is a current Animal Health Plan in place and that at least two body condition scores have been performed throughout the season. Automatic reporting captures those verifications and fires them to where they need to be, without any additional input from the farmer or veterinarian.

“As more information is needed to satisfy other parties, the easier it will be if we can get more integrations established.” WelFarm is a proactive programme vets use to monitor herd health and wellbeing, track progress, and compare performance at regional and national levels. It utilises a web-based tool and within the programme some of the necessary data required by Miraka suppliers to adhere to Te Ara Miraka

standards is already being collected. By leveraging this integration, farmers will have access to automated benefits and improved efficiency in managing their farms. It is also important to highlight that automated data flow is purely a byproduct of the core value for using WelFarm. The programme is centered on proactive herd health monitoring, empowering farmers and vets with benchmarking data and bringing information together for a high-level overview to identify where there might be opportunities and monitor progress. In many cases it’s not the actual data that needs to transfer too, it could be a simple verification that something has occurred and is available if requested but ultimately allowing farmers, and their support networks, to focus on their core responsibilities. Having the healthiest herd possible is becoming even more important with the focus on efficiency and reducing environmental impacts, so a simple approach can help farmers identify where they

should focus their efforts. For around the cost of 1kg of milksolid per cow per season, there is a wealth of information vets can capture about their farmer’s herds, using the information to work with them to target support and reduce costs in other areas. And as more information is needed to satisfy other parties, the easier it will be if we can get more integrations established. Vets are a trusted source of information worldwide, so having an automated link with a vet-led system holds a lot of value. As more parts of the supply chain realise the benefits of integrations, we will see more being established. This integration is limited to Miraka processors, but it should encourage farmers to talk to their processors about any integration opportunities that could support the sharing of information. n

Find out more at welfarm.co.nz

Who am I?

Samantha Tennent is general manager WelFarm Ltd.

DAIRY FARMER

February 2024

ANIMAL HEALTH

When it’s too darn hot As summer bears down, mineral supplementation can help support heat-stressed cows.

eat stress is one of the most overlooked seasonal problems on the dairy farm, largely due to it coinciding with a natural drop in production over the summer months. This means a lot of farmers think of heat stress as something out of their control, when there are nutritional strategies that can be used to mitigate the effects of heat stress. When temperatures climb above 21degC and humidity above 70%, both the cow and the grass can become stressed. In terms of grasses, natural toxins and mould build up in the grass, the toxins contained in this grass can affect the cow’s central nervous system. In terms of the cow, she becomes stressed when she can’t expel excess heat, which causes her to drool more and decreases the amount of saliva reaching her rumen. Combined with reduced feed intake, excess body heat can disrupt rumen pH and can trigger acidosis. The effects of this lead to decreased production, lower disease immunity, poorer conception rates, and can increase instances of lameness. Symptoms of heat stress are observable behaviours that cows exhibit as they try to bring down their body temperatures. These behaviours include panting and drooling, increased water intake and time standing at the water trough, the herd grouping together to extract shade from each other, and a drop in appetite and feed intake. This results in a decrease in

DAIRY FARMER

February 2024

milk production, specifically milk solids. While the pressure of production may have eased a little over the summer months, it’s crucial to keep up mineral supplementation for your herd. Cows still require energy, even if it’s not going into milk. They are still experiencing the pressure of walking, maintaining their immune function, and growing their calves. Farmers may also be feeding more supplementary feeds in the drier months, which means the need for mineral supplementation increases. Research shows it’s important to maintain good trace mineral levels during hotter months, especially selenium, copper, cobalt and zinc. Selenium increases the cow’s ability to deal with oxidative damage, which has a direct impact on the reproductive system and all other health processes in the cow. Chromium helps to support the cow through heat stress as it increases the amount of energy the cow can metabolise, which in turn increases appetite. Cobalt is important in the conversion of energy, and zinc plays an integral part in immunity and metabolic responses. Growing amounts of research are being undertaken around the efficacy of seaweed, with results showing it protects and increases the health of the liver by fortifying it and stripping toxins out of the cow before they can do damage. Finally, live yeast has been proven to enhance rumen

One of the symptoms of heat stress is increased water intake and time standing at the water trough.

function by increasing nutrient digestibility and stabilising the rumen pH. The key to a health cow is a healthy rumen, and yeast supports the rumen in better feed conversion.

At a time when both the cow and the pasture it grazes are suffering from the heat, keeping up with mineral supplementation is a crucial part of the puzzle in heat stress mitigation. n

AUTUMN CALVING

Pāmu scales up on calves By Gerald Piddock

Pāmu says it wants to rear 100% of its calves for beef by 2030.

āmu has set itself the ambitious goal of rearing all of its calves from its dairy herds for meat production by 2030. To achieve this, the stateowned farmer is investing in its calf-rearing capacity while following best practice calf care. One of these investments is its 85 hectare unit at Exeter, north of Taupō, where it held an open day in December, attracting close to 200 people. This year it will rear 55% of its calves with the aim over the next two to three years to lift that to 75-80%, says Pāmu chief executive Mark Leslie. “We can see an easy pathway rearing those first 80% of animals ... but the challenge will be the last 20%. We acknowledge that.” Of Pāmu’s 110 farms, 42 are

dairy farms, milking 40,000 dairy cows. Its rearing plan has it increasing its calf overall capacity from rearing 5400 this season to 10,500 in 20262027 across all of its farms. Outside of Exeter, it has converted a woolshed to rear 600 calves at its Weka farm on the West Coast with another shed planned, to rear up to 900 calves. Exeter farm manager Mason Jones says they reared 3300 spring- and autumn-born calves last year with the aim to lift that to 3500 for this season. In 2024, they will rear 800 more through their autumn calving sheds and in 2025 will expand the existing rearing shed at Exeter by adding another, smaller shed. It still leaves capacity questions, with Pāmu needing to create facilities to rear a

further 3000 calves. It is still considering its options, Jones says. The calves are sourced from Pāmu’s 16 spring-calving farms and three autumncalving farms, arriving at the shed at four days old and remaining there for three

“It’s making sure the cows are healthy, they’re at condition, they’re going to calve well and they’re going to have bright calves that will get up and drink quickly.” Michael Shallcrass

weeks in pens filled with woodchips. The shed can rear around 800 calves at capacity. The calves are fed milk, meal and hay. After three weeks, the first batch of calves go outside and get trained on outdoor feeders and hotwire fencing. The empty pens are left for a couple of days to dry out before the next shipment of calves arrives. If calves get sick, they are removed and transferred to an adjacent implement shed that is converted into a rearing pen to stop any disease spreading to other calves. Once the calves reach 100kg, they are transferred to one of Pāmu’s other farms and finished to 200kg before the end of April as either a bull, prime steer, heifer, veal, once-bred heifer, as a replacement for a dairy beef cross breeding cow herd, or

DAIRY FARMER

February 2024

Pāmu’s Exeter unit reared 3300 spring- and autumn-born calves last year with the aim to lift that to 3500 for this season.

sold on the store market. Jones says the biggest challenges to overcome if Pāmu is to expand are staffing, biosecurity, the risks of intensive rearing in sheds for 15 weeks and planning the logistics of rearing such a large number of calves in terms of co-ordinating it with Pāmu’s dairy farms. The calves are collected from seven dairy farms in the first six weeks of calving. For the last two weeks, the calves are collected from all 16 spring-calving dairy farms. “That poses a massive risk in terms of bringing bugs in. With seven it’s manageable but as you get to the end of the season, there’s more bugs, rearers are more fatigued and that’s where issues can kick in.” They increasingly found health issues from the calves from the final few weeks of picks-ups this season, he says. As more facilities get built to help with the expanded numbers, Jones says they will try to be more strategic about

DAIRY FARMER

February 2024

how they rear the calves to reduce this issue. It’s an intense system that puts pressure on an already bug-loaded system, he says. “We are going to have to work through that with our team with a lot of attention to detail, training and pushing through to the end because it’s going to have a massive knock-on effect in rearing those last lot of calves.” Jones says they are still working on a plan to ensure the tail-end of the calves are reared to the same standard. They are also working on consistency in terms of care and colostrum management across Pāmu’s farms. “That sets us up to succeed as well, so making sure all of our dairy farms are on the same journey and singing the same tune as what we need.” It includes finding answers for how to shift calves in January when the weather turns dry. Currently, it takes Mason and his team 14-15 weeks to rear the calves to 100kg. If that can be reduced to 12 weeks, it would allow them to better manage these tail-end calves. Jones says their goal is to keep their rearing costs lower than $400 a calf. Pāmu’s biggest costs are milk and labour, totalling $109 and $101 respectively. Next is general expenses at $81 followed by animal health and calf meal at $57 and $49. Factoring in an undisclosed

“That poses a massive risk in terms of bringing bugs in ... as you get to the end of the season, there’s more bugs, rearers are more fatigued and that’s where issues can kick in.” Mason Jones internal purchase price, the calf returns a margin of around $65 a head. The goal is to lift that margin to $100, which he believes is achievable due to the economies of scale as the rearing operation scales up. Fonterra senior veterinary manager Michael Shallcrass says the volatility of the calfrearing industry is a result of the price rearers purchase the calves for, the price at which they sell them to finishers and the impact of disease when the calves are on the farm. The price element is down to external factors that are beyond a farmers’ control, he says. The farm’s management practice will also dictate the impact and the spread of disease. “That’s going to have a big

impact on the profitability of the calf rearing season overall.” The rearing industry is geared around getting a calf to the state where its rumen is developed to a degree that it is no longer feeding on milk, so that milk can be sent to the processor. That means farmers have to make compromises. Feeding less milk means the calf will grow more slowly – but the farmer’s costs are reduced. It is also important for the rearer to know what is happening on the farm the calves are born on. That all has an impact on how successfully that calf will be reared, he says. “It’s cow preparation. It’s making sure the cows are healthy, they’re at condition, they’re going to calve well and they’re going to have bright calves that will get up and drink quickly.” Feed consistency is also key. A calf’s immature digestive tract is not capable of digesting a wide variety of feeds apart from milk, and inconsistency around feeding volume, timing and temperature all affect how that milk is digested. It can also set the calf up for a nutritional scour, which is the gateway to an infectious scour, he says. “Having consistency in your feed is really important as is understanding the compromises there,” Shallcrass says. n

Exeter farm manager Mason Jones says staffing, biosecurity and animal health are the biggest risks Pāmu has to overcome if it is to successfully increase its rearing capacity.

AUTUMN CALVING

Preparing for the future

Northland dairy farm operation has established a large-scale calfrearing unit to better position itself to meet market and community environmental and animal welfare demands. The operation, Mid North Farms, milks 2500 cows consisting of an autumn calving herd, four spring calving herds, a specialist dairy support farm, a beef finishing farm and the new and improved calf-rearing unit. At four days old, autumn and spring calves from the dairy farms are transported to the calf-rearing unit, where they are raised to 75kg liveweight. For this integrated system

Mid North Farms have erected four connected poly houses capable of housing 960 calves for their dairy farming operation. to work cost effectively, there are critical risks to manage, and the centralised rearing of calves is one of these. The solution was to erect four connected poly houses with a total area of 2028m2, which could be divided into 20 pens per shed, with 12 calves per pen, and a 3m-wide central lane in each shed. The facility can house 960 calves where every calf

has 1.6m2 of space in pens that have containment panels on three sides and an open gate to the lane to avoid disease transfer between pens. With one crop of spring calves successfully raised and the current crop of autumn calves in the shed, it is proving its worth. Having calves protected from the past year of

extraordinary Northland rain has been a great animal welfare and growth bonus, says Mid North Farms, and it is a comfortable place to work. The team operating the facility are critical to its success, with calm, caring, detail focus and love of calves being essential for it to deliver the next generation of dairy cows and beef cattle for the business. n

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AUTUMN CALVING

Peace of mind Cow collar technology is proving to be a reliable tool when it comes to accurate heat detection ahead of mating.

dopting cow collar technology has provided Andrew Fullerton with peace of mind ahead of calving in autumn. The Te Awamutu dairy farmer has been using GEA’s CowScout with DairyPlan for seven years on the 145 hectare (effective) dairy farm he runs. Fullerton and his team of two full-time staff milk 500 predominately Friesian cows and calve the whole herd over autumn. The farm has been in the Fullerton family for 23 years, with Andrew currently leasing it off his mother and working towards farm ownership in the next five years. The collars, which monitor the cows 24 hours a day, are a reliable tool for accurate heat detection and continuous health monitoring. Fullerton says he initially wanted them for ease of management. “With the labour shortages, it was a bit harder getting staff that cared these days. “At least with CowScout, I could go on DairyPlan the morning of mating and I

would have all the data in front of me,” he says. He has confidence that when he goes away, the cows are still being looked after. “If my staff are secondguessing a cow, they can look at CowScout. I’ve found that my staff who usually aren’t into cows get to know their behaviour and habits a bit easier with it. CowScout is like peace of mind.” CowScout has also enabled him to improve his six week in-calf rate and condense the mating period. “You know all heats prior to mating, so it’s easy to do a synchrony programme. “You know a 100% that the cows have had a heat, so you can give them PG [prostaglandin] and you’re not wasting money on cows that don’t need it. “I do a lot of embryos here, so just having reliable heat detection for expensive embryos has paid for itself. I’m not just putting an embryo in a cow that is having a first weak heat.” Since first mating with

Continued page 38

Stay in control this season with CowScout. Healthier cows are proven to stay in your herd for longer. With CowScout collars, you can respond quickly to potential health issues, ensuring optimal herd management. • Detect metabolic disorders early in newly calved cows. • Identify non-cyclers and potential slipped cows. • Act promptly to treat sick cows, minimising vet costs and reducing recovery times. • Precise and timely heat detection during mating, helping improve in-calf rates. Treat every cow as an individual with CowScout. Call us on 0800 GEA FARM or visit GEA.com

Andrew Fullerton has been using GEA’s CowScout with DairyPlan for seven years on his 145ha farm.

DAIRY FARMER

February 2024

AUTUMN CALVING

It begins with the bull By Gerald Piddock

Better beef genetics are the missing piece when it comes to getting higher value calves.

sing better beef genetics for mating cows for non-replacement calves is critical for the dairy industry to get further value from these animals and keep rearing financially viable. Using better beef bulls makes a huge difference, Focus Genetics’ Professor Rebecca Hickson told an open day at Pāmu’s Exeter farm north of Taupō. Focus Genetics is working with Pāmu to create better genetics for its nonreplacement calves as the government-owned farmer aims to rear all of its calves off its dairy farms for meat production by 2030. A beef bull’s biggest job for a dairy farmer is not to cause them a problem. It has to get the cow in calf – with calves that are born on time without causing any issues. This leaves a lot of scope to add selection pressure for beef traits, Hickson said. The difference between a Friesian and a Jersey/ crossbred cow size-wise is around 32kg. When those cows are mated to the same bull, half of those genetics are being passed on to the calf, meaning there will be a 16kg liveweight difference

between a calf with Friesian and crossbred genetics. On a carcase weight basis, it equates to a 9kg difference. “We think there is about a $60 value difference in going from a Friesian to a crossbred dam in terms of what you are going to hang on the hooks with those two different cows,” Hickson said. But if beef finishers offer to pay dairy farmers more for Friesian calves, it equates to around $40 a cow. “That’s the difference in terms of calf value that we can pay them for having Friesian instead of crossbred cows.” Hickson questioned whether this is enough to persuade farmers to switch to more Friesian cows. “From a beef farmer perspective, we can’t pay those farmers enough to switch from crossbred to Friesian cows.” Research shows there is a 26-day variation in the weaning age for the calf to reach 85kg when that calf is sired from a bull that dairy farmers are happy to use and produces dairy beef calves that a rearer is happy to buy. Those extra days on milk cost more than that $60 difference in value. There is a big variation

Continued from page 37

fresh embryos resulted in a 75% conception rate. He put it down to be able to utilise all prior heats to make sure his cows are having true heats every 21 to 22 days. He says the collars have also enabled his staff to have a sleep-in and reduce their

CowScout, Fullerton has a 7% better conception rate with 150 embryos. His six week in-calf rate improved by 6% and the empty rate by 2%. His latest pregnancy testing results for

If dairy farmers wanted to produce good non-replacement calves, the bulls required are those that include genetics that allow for fast growth, Focus Genetics’ Professor Rebecca Hickson says.

among bulls in terms of their progeny’s rearing performance. There is not much difference when extrapolated to a 600-day weight. “We still get a huge amount of variation in the growth potential of those calves to satisfy the dairy farmer.” It means if dairy farmers want to produce good nonreplacement calves, the bulls that they need are the ones that include genetics that allow for fast growth. “That’s how we make a big difference,” she said. The best way to get good beef genetics in a dairy herd is through a straw. It allows the dairy farmer to be selective and avoid the costs involved

with leasing or purchasing a bull. Massey University’s Dr Nick Sneddon told farmers that the reason whiteface calves are so popular with rearers is because they know the genetics of what they are buying by sight. “You’re choosing what the packet looks like instead of what the bull looks like – and that’s what we have to convince the dairy farmer to go and do – not just use Herefords, or Angus or Charolais. Use the best ones you can.” The price difference on a beef straw basis between a top beef bull and an average bull is not that significant at $3-$4, he said. n

hours towards the end of mating. “When I’m doing SGL [short gestation length] the last three weeks of mating, I can comfortably milk and draft out the bull cows by myself.” Seven years in, he says what he loves most about CowScout

is the fact he owns it outright and gets technical support whenever he needs it. “When I bought it, I owned it. I’ve had it for coming up seven years and I have not had any subscription fees. If there’s an issue, there’s a backup service.” n

DAIRY FARMER

February 2024

AUTUMN CALVING

CMR gains mount up

Waikato dairy farmer says she has been pleasantly surprised with how well her calves have grown from using calf milk power instead of vat milk. Up until last year, the Gores, who run 480 cows on their 170 hectare farm in Hinuera, had continued to do what they had always done when it came to feeding their young calves by feeding them milk from the vat. Lucy Gore says it was financially better to leave the milk in the vat and send it to the factory rather than take it out and feed it to the calves. The economics may have got them to consider calf

milk replacers (CMR), but their experience with calf feeding this year has changed their perspective on its other merits. “We’ve always had the mindset of calves doing better from the milk straight out of the vat. “But we were pleasantly surprised and proven wrong that calf milk powder can actually do just as well.” Their chosen calf milk replacer, Ancalf, is almost identical to the raw whole milk and it contains a coccidiostat, as well as the vitamins and the minerals, she says. “I’d say it’s as good as whole milk. To be honest, I was probably expecting

rougher coats and not filling out as well in terms of the body having good cover. Comparing weights from this year to last year, we’re sitting around the same weight gains.” Ancalf is a casein-rich CMR that is similar to the composition of natural whole milk. “I spoke to some farming friends using Ancalf, they said they had really good results from it, and the casein that’s in the Ancalf is really good for curding.” NZAgbiz also advised the Gores on feeding rates and how to transition the calves onto the CMR. “We were really impressed that it’s easy to mix as well.” n

Lucy Gore says the CMR she uses on her calves is as good as whole milk.

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One last word …

he New Year has kicked off with plenty to be positive about. Hopefully everyone has managed to have some sort of break away from the milk shed and recharge their batteries to face 2024 with an upbeat intent. GDT prices are trending upwards with the two auctions in January jumping 1.2% and 2.3% respectively. It also reinforces Fonterra’s decision to bump up its midpoint forecast to $7.50/kg MS in December. While that is still borderline breakeven for many – and on-farm costs are still stubbornly high – it will give farmers welcome peace of mind. The improved sentiment is backed in Rabobank’s most recent rural confidence survey, which came out in midDecember, where dairy farmers surveyed showed the biggest uptick in confidence. Farm conditions are playing a big part. There is a phenomenal amount of feed out there on farms, particularly throughout the North Island. While you can’t control what goes on outside the farm gate within the market, having well-conditioned stock makes a huge difference to the frame of mind. The good soaking the country got in mid-January has also been welcomed by those with feed crops. The old rule of thumb of maize crops having to be at

least fence-high by Christmas was well and truly blown out of the water this growing season. Even if it does turn dry in February, there should now be enough pasture cover and feed reserves to cope as minds begin to switch from late summer to early autumn. Farmers are also well prepared, with DairyNZ and the Ministry for Primary Industries getting the message to farmers as best they could about drought preparedness late last year by holding a series of field days that went over strategies in dealing with the dry. At one of these at a farm near Morrinsville, it was clear that it wasn’t the host farmer’s first rodeo – nor the 20 or so farmers who went along, with all indicating they had some sort of plan in place. Speaking to the DairyNZ staff member who ran the day, he said there was the same level of preparedness at a similar field day he had run on another farm. The first anniversary of Cyclone Gabrielle that caused so much devastation is fast approaching for those towns and regions throughout the North Island. Many are still recovering from its effects and the sunny, settled weather in that part of the country has been a blessing.

The dry may already be setting in in parts of the South Island. In some areas, it is already turning dry and maybe these areas might get the brunt of El Niño after all. So those and other fishhooks remain, such as the potential for hot muggy weather leading to a surge in facial eczema cases and pests like fall armyworm playing havoc on maize crops. In the South Island, M bovis continues to stubbornly raise its ugly head. Finally, we will also see more of exactly what the change of government will mean for the farming sector as politicians and the public sector crank back to life. Much has been promised and expectations are high from the primary sector. Now they will have to start delivering on those promises. Some would argue that this is already happening with the scrapping of the “ute tax” and plans to replace the National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management 2020. The ball is now in their court to see what its replacement will look like.

Gerald Like us: farmersweekly.co.nz Read us anywhere: farmersweekly.co.nz

DAIRY FARMER

February 2024

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DAIRY DIARY February 2024 Systems fit for the West Coast field day Small Milk and Supply Herds is organising a field day at Paul and Abby Clement’s farm on the West Coast. The Clements are farm owners in their third season milking 200 Jersey cows on a 95ha milking platform. The day will look at their system, hear about how they progressed into farm ownership and why they chose Awatuna on the West Coast, and how flexible milking works for them. Agronomist Simon Moloney will talk about developing pastures that produce optimally and last the distance. AgFirst’s Bob Thomson will talk about the different options for generating a return from surplus calves, including how you can analyse them and select a policy that will fit your business. February 28 Venue: Paul and Abby Clement, 759 Kumara Junction Highway, Awatuna *meet at the green shed on the beach access road (Six Mile Rd) Start time: 10:45am – End time: 1:30pm More information is at: contact.smashnz@gmail.com Alternative Pastures field day Northland There has been a lot of work put into looking at successfully growing and implementing different pasture species into a farm system. At this event, farmers will be able to hear and ask questions of some of the leaders in this area. Speakers include: • Allister Moorhead – Agricom product development manager, discussing different pasture species. • Mark Dunham – Northland Seed and Supplies, discussing how to implement different pasture species into the farm system. • Geoff Crawford – local farmer, showing us how he has utilised different species to help mitigate some of the challenges he faces on his properties. February 21 Geoff Crawford, 344 Hukeranui Road, Ruatangata West SN 17053, 10:30am to 1:30m Contact Stephen Ball: stephen.ball@dairynz.co.nz or 027 807 9686 Calf-rearing workshops Dairy Woman’s Network is holding “Today’s calf, tomorrow’s cow” workshops in Northland and Waikato in February. What topics will be covered? How to rear heifers well, shed set-up – ventilation, bedding & biosecurity, navel care, calf pick up, colostrum, feeding calves for lifetime performance and weaning. February 9 Northland: Tangiteroria Community Complex, 23 Pukehuia Road.

Calf-rearing workshops continued February 27 Waikato: Gordonton Hall, 1024 Gordonton Road, 9.30-2pm. More information is at: https://www.dwn.co.nz/events/ People Expo DairyNZ and the Dairy Woman’s Network are holding People Expo symposiums throughout New Zealand in March. Join us at a People Expo symposium for the opportunity to hear from thought leaders on what’s needed to help tackle the big issues in employing and keeping people on dairy farms. Speakers include economist Shamubeel Eaqub, dairy farmers Sue and David Fish and My Farm chief commercial officer Chris Parsons. Each speaker will present followed by a workshop component. The workshops are to dig deeper into what the learnings are for you, your business and the dairy community. Attendance is free and lunch is provided. March 13 Northland: The Barge Showgrounds Event Centre, Maunu Road, Maunu, Whangārei, 9:30am-2:30pm. March 19 Southland: Ascot Hotel CNR Racecourse & Tay Street, Invercargill, 9:30am-2:30pm. March 26 Manawatu: Bush Multisport 57 Huxley Street, Pahiatua. 9:30am2:30pm. March 27 Bay of Plenty: Millenium Hotel Rotorua 1270 Hinemaru Street, Ohinemutu, Rotorua, 9:30am-2:30pm. More information is at: https://www.dwn.co.nz/events/ Dairy Woman’s Network 2024 conference DWN’s 2024 conference will propel farmers towards new and exciting destinations in their personal and professional lives. • Enhance your values: Discover the power within as we delve into refining and amplifying your core values. Unearth the essence of what truly matters to you. • Elevate your skills: Engage in interactive sessions, and dynamic discussions where you will gain practical tools and strategies to enhance your life’s journey. • Evolve your journey: Surround yourself with a diverse community, forge meaningful connections, and build a network of support that will elevate you to new heights. May 2 New Plymouth: Plymouth International, 220 Courtenay Street, New Plymouth.

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