final nzdia central plateau handout 2019 cv1 · 2019-05-08 · & handout covers/dairynz...

https://nzdia.sharepoint.com/sites/management2/Shared Documents/NZDIA 2019/-06- Regional/-12- Regional Field Day Flyers & Handout Covers/DairyNZ Handouts - Complete/Final NZDIA Central Plateau handout 2019 CV1.docx


Field Day Programme Wednesday 10th of April 2019

10:30am Welcome, Introductions and Health & Safety Carlos and Bernice Delos Santos, NZDIA Regional Managers of the Central Plateau

Lead facilitator of today’s field day is Colin Grainger-Allen. Central Plateau Consulting Officer

10.35am Dairy Trainee of the Year – Harry Phipps Colin Grainger-Allen Central Plateau Consulting Office 10.45am Dairy Manager of the Year – Lawrence Walden Colin Grainger-Allen Central Plateau Consulting Officer 11.30am Share Farmers of the Year – Tom Bridgens Kirsty Dickins, South Waikato Consulting Officer 12:55pm Past Winner’s Reflection – Trevor Hamilton 1.05pm Lunch kindly sponsored by Farm Source Tokoroa

Health and Safety notices:

• All children must always be supervised by an adult at all times • Visitors must remain with the group and follow signs and directions • The farm has a non-smoking policy • This is an agricultural workplace, please take care • Please see one of the DairyNZ team is you require any assistance


2019 Results

Share Farmer of the Year Tom Bridgens (Tokoroa)

Runner Up Anthony and Danielle Kiff (Tokoroa)

Third Bruce and Jo Husband (Ngakuru)

Dairy Manager of the Year Laurence Walden (Taupo)

Runner Up Chance Church (Tokoroa)

Third Bevan Samuel (Reperoa)

Dairy Trainee of the Year Harry Phipps (Rerewhakaaitu)

Runner Up Claire Douglas (Taupo)

Third Bronte Marquet (Reperoa)


Dairy Trainee of the Year

BlackmanSpargo Rural Law Ltd Most Promising Entrant Award

Ben Purua

T H Enterprises Ltd Farming Knowledge Award Harry Phipps

Rotorua Lakes Council Community & Industry Involvement

Tessa Inskeep

B.O.P. Regional Council Communication & Engagement Award

Bronte Marquet

DairyNZ Practical Skills Awards Harry Phipps

Dairy Manager of the Year

The Vetora B.O.P Employee Engagement Award Chance Church

Perrin Ag Consultants Ltd Leadership Award Alexandra Lond

James and Son Feed Management Award Laurence Walden

DeLaval Livestock Management Award Laurence Walden

Fonterra Dairy Management Award Bevan Samuel

Primary ITO Power Play Award Nicholas Mitchell

Westpac Financial Management & Planning Award

Chance Church

Share Farmer of the Year

DairyNZ Human Resources Award Bruce & Jo Husband

Ecolab Farm Dairy Hygiene Award Tom Bridgens

Federated Farmers Leadership Award Anthony & Danelle Kiff

Honda Farm Safety and Health Award Grant & Anika Sandford

LIC Recording and Productivity Award Tom Bridgens

Meridian Energy Farm Environment Award Anthony & Danelle Kiff

Ravensdown Pasture Performance Award Tom Bridgens

Westpac Business Performance Award Tom Bridgens


DAIRY TRAINEE OF THE YEAR Harry Phipps (Rerewhakaaitu)

Judges citations for Harry Phipps Merit Awards Farming Knowledge Award

Harry showed great farming knowledge with clear, concise answers to technical questions. His experience and training showed through with an all-round performance in this section. He is well placed to build on this knowledge to further his career. It was very apparent that Harry had a real passion for dairy farming.

DairyNZ Practical Skills Award

Harry showed a good level of knowledge and experience in the tasks set. He appeared very confident and relaxed throughout the module. Harry answered the questions well and came across very motivated and interested beyond the practical tests given to him. His outgoing and friendly nature would be an asset to any employer.


Background

• Born and bred in Ngakuru, Rotorua • Looked at dairy farming a year after leaving school • 2 ½ years farming 1 season for contract milker, then 6 months on family farm

building practical skills. • Secured current role as herd manager for farm owners Gary and Kathy O’Donnell

Farm overview

• 400 spring calving cows • 140ha • Expected production for this season 155,000 kgMS • 32 ASHB shed • System 4 • Most of the herd wintered off farm • Supplements purchased are maize silage and PKE (Grass silage is from the runoff) • 5ha turnips summer crop

Goals

• Farm manager on a smaller farm • Contract milking again on a smaller farm (maybe one labour unit) • Building equity through off farm investments- house and stock • Enter NZDIA farm manager

Motivators

• Harrys parents have been a big influence and inspiration to what can be achieved in the dairy industry

• The community of Rerewhakaaitu through discussion groups local CO Kevin McKinley to stretch himself and move out of his comfort zone

• Having parents and family who have entered and won in the past encourage him to give it a go

• Judging process was challenging and made him think about why they do things on farm a certain way

Training

• PITO Level 4 production management


• Looking at doing a diploma in the future

Off farm interests

• Hunting • Mountain biking • Spending time with family and friends

DAIRY MANAGER OF THE YEAR

Lawrence Walden (Taupo)


Judges citations for Lawrence Walden’s Merit Awards Feed Management Award Lawrence demonstrated a clear understanding of matching feed supply with demand and how he used technology to articulate feed management decisions on farm.

DeLaval Livestock Management Award Genuine understanding of how replacement stock are reared managed through until returning to the farm. Lawrence and his wife Emma showed a clear passion and dedication to presenting a tidy well managed herd. We enjoyed seeing the well reared heifers being milked in the drop rail shed

Background

• Married to Emma • Five children • Worked as a bushman after leaving school • Tried farming while staying with a friend when wood prices dropped and when there

was uncertainty in the forestry industry. • Worked on farms in the central plateau area- landing a manager’s job at K road for

Landcorp • Manager at Mayflower for Landcorp • Manager for The Land Tauhara Road farm • 3 seasons as manager for Tauhara Moana trust farm 601 • He is taking over the running of a second trust farm next year

Farm Overview

• Farm owner Tauhara Moana trust farm 601 10km from Taupo • 365ha affective area on pumice soils


• Stocking rate 2.8 cows/ha • 1050 spring calving cows • Farm 420m above sea level highest paddock 500m • Rain fall 970mm • 66 ASHB drop rail cowshed • Target MS 385,000kgMS • System 5, this is a trust decision as historically dry farm • Runoff to grow Lucerne, grass silage and hay • 28ha turnips for summer crop • 18ha Oats planted for winter early spring • Growing 12tonnes/ha from 141kg/N/ha/year • Imported feed of 6 tonnes/ha or 2 tonnes/cow

Responsibilities

• Overseeing farm, ensuring staff and animal safety • Compliance for environment Waikato and Te Ara Miraka • Animal records MINDA live and pro • Implementing standard operating procedures for farm • Mating and calving rosters • Farm consultant reporting • Monitoring KPI’s • Culling decisions • Staff motivation • Te Ara Miraka quality milk programme • Staff performance appraisals setting goals and training plans

Challenges of the farm

• Long walking distances up to 3.5km • Unique cowshed design, drop rail • Dry summers • Large team of staff, working with different skillsets of staff • Large herd management, fertility and SCC

Strategies to manage these challenges

• Heifers on OAD for the whole season • Good wet race that can be used while herds are been milked • 6 on 2 off roster, full time tractor drivers


• Large storage capacity for supplements for low growth periods, summer and winter • Long acting dry cow therapy • Monitoring for mastitis

Strengths of the farm

• Supportive trust farm owners and consultant • Support land, good supply of supplements • Good contour, land dry in winter • Strong team that work well together • Autonomy to make decisions

Training and Development

• PITO level 4 production management • Entered NZDIA for the challenge and networking opportunities

Goal Setting

• Purchase land or house • Grow while staying at Tauhara Moana farms, looking forward to the challenge of

running the two farms • Family time enjoying sporting and recreational opportunities that living close to

Taupo provides


Farm map


SHARE FARMER OF THE YEAR Tom Bridgens (Tokoroa)

Judges citations for Tom Bridgens Merit Awards

Ecolab Farm Dairy Hygiene Award

Considering the age of the cowshed, Tom showed that dairy hygiene is taken seriously. Tom demonstrated his knowledge of correct drug procedures and recording. He understood key factors affecting milk quality and initiated a good maintenance plan. There were clear instructions for any relief staff.

LIC Recording & Productivity Award

Tom is achieving high milk solids per hectare and he is aligned with the farm owner's livestock policy as well as benchmarking them against higher BW animals. He is aware of how investing in young stock regularly will hasten his equity growth. The judges were impressed with the presentation of the herd on the day.


Ravensdown Pasture Performance Award

The use of a pasture meter as well as regular walks and advice from the owner Rex, showed that Tom has an emphasis on providing an accurate idea of pasture covers. The farm yields around 18 tonne DM/ha. Tom's focus on utilisation of the pasture, as well as supplementary feed, resulted in very good production per cow and per hectare.

Westpac Business Performance Award

Tom's overall financial knowledge for his age and the speed to which he has upskilled himself in this area, is highly commendable. The budgets and equity plan presented, were accurate and these demonstrated an understanding of a clear and achievable pathway to his equity goals. Tom is a cost-effective operator and is a role-model for young people in relation to financial management and wealth creation.

Background

• Born in Pokeno on a dairy farm • Moved to a farm on Horahora Road at the age of 6 and completed his schooling at

Cambridge • Left school at 16 and took on his first job as a farm assistant milking 450 cows • The following season he stepped up to 2IC with 520 cows on the same place • Purchased a one-way ticket to England, and spent a year and a half travelling and

farming over there • The moved to Sydney to work for a construction company • Came back to New Zealand in June 2018 where he is currently contract milking for

Rex and Loris Bates.

Vision and Goals

Has a Farm Business Plan that includes a vision, strategy and goals, SWOT analysis and current financial position.

Vision

Create a business where I will never stop learning and developing new skills, to further my own growth and set up a farm that is sustainable, environmentally friendly and profitable for myself and family in the future.

To be able to wake up every morning to go outside and work on my own farm that I have purchased through many years of hard work.


To do these I believe the following are important values and guiding principals

• Never to lose sight of love of farming and its challenges • Share my passion and pass on as many skills as possible to further like-minded people

to achieve their goals • To continue to enjoy a balanced lifestyle while growing my business, and have the

courage to take on new challenges • Cherish close relationships with my friends and family

Short-Term Goal

June 2020 go 50:50 Sharemilking 260-280 cows

Long-Term Goals

Farm ownership within 10 years of sharemilking


Farm Overview

Farm Owner/s: Rex and Loris Bates

Area: 80 effective hectares

Soil: Makiki and Taupo Pumice

Rainfall: 1522mm average

Fertility: pH P K S

5.8 – 6.1 42 - 63 3 -12 3 - 24

Pastures: Predominantly ryegrass and clover. Over sow 35-40% every year with Shogun.

Drainage: Free draining soils

Farm Dairy: 24 bail Rotary with no cup removers

Special Features: Farm Map


Stock and Production

Herd Details Breed of herd: Friesian X Breed BW: 43/43 PW: 46/68 Calving Date: 20th July Mating length 9 weeks

Production over the last 3 years

The above graph shows the differences in production over the last three years. It is also a reflection of a changing farm system in terms of cow numbers and timing of in-coming replacement cows into the system.


Mating Management

• All animal recording done through MINDA live • No CIDR’s • No pre mating checks • Tail paint for cycling cows • 5 weeks of AI and 4 weeks with the bull • Uses nominated Friesian sires to produce F12 calves • Bulls are 2-year-old Friesians that have been reared on runoff to save costs • Bulls changed every 12 hours to minimise lameness and failure

Culling Policy

• PD February 20th • Consider

o Supply/demand o Animal history o Current Production o BCS o Stature o Animal health o Empties

Animal Health

• Lame cows drafted and feet lifted as soon as noticed • All lame and mastitis cows are separated as soon as illness is picked up • Any unknown sickness is assessed by the vets • All penicillin cows are marked red and recorded • When cows have cleared their milk withholding period, they are painted blue and

returned to the herd • “3 titter” cows are marked with a leg band and recorded on the white board for staff • Cows are always walked at their own pace • NO STICKS EVER


On Farm Management

Staff Tom is the only full-time staff member. He employs a relief milker that fills in when time off is required. Calves are reared by Rex Bates and Kim Belfield

Health & Safety Tom created his own health and safety farm policy. Training is important for relief staff on effluent, machinery, and shed policies – staff manual (rules and checklist) and safety equipment are provided at the shed. The hazard register is also kept at the shed.

Farm System The farm fits into the System 3 definition with 1TDM/c, 17% of imported supplement for the 18/19 season

Supplements Supplements imported include

• PKE Blend – 165T fed in feed deficits with Maize in feed bins/troughs

• Maize – 90T fed through early spring to balance date, and now in autumn

• Grass Silage – 50T fed through summer/autumn to fill feed deficits gaps

Decisions made for buying in supplement are based around pasture growth rates and the likely response rates from applying Nitrogen and the price of supplements.

To manage the FEI PKE is fed in concrete troughs on the exit race on the way to the paddock. It is a challenge to feed a minimum of 2kg, as some cows get more than others. Often fed with maize to reduce the impact of the FEI

Wintering

• Spring calvers are wintered off for 6 weeks from the beginning of June to the 20th July. • Milking into winter is decided from the amount of pasture available and the number

of empties.


Pasture Management

• Bought a plate meter to get eye in, and have confidence with the amount of feed in the paddock at the beginning of the season

• Uses MINDA land and feed to create a feed wedge to determine upcoming surpluses or deficits

• Daily visual assessments are made when driving up the race 4 times a day • There is a no topping policy • Residuals are met by putting cows back into paddocks to clean up or grazing that

paddock earlier in the next round • 15ha of grass silage was made on farm. Grass silage is made to maintain pasture

quality and is cut within the round so it stays in the rotation • 35-40% of the farm is under sown. Any underperforming paddocks get sprayed out in

autumn and re-drilled with Shogun with their own drill. Underperforming paddocks are selected by the number of grazing's they have throughout the year and when it goes to seed

• Aim to hold a 100-day round through the winter with autumn milkers • Pasture growth is monitored, and rotation length is speed up as cows come back to

milking platform to calve • From the 20th of July Ammo fertiliser is applied to boost grass growth in the spring in

combination with ProGibb •


Environmental

• All waterways are fenced • 41ha has effluent applied to it • The effluent system consists on an un-lined pond, submersible pump, and travelling

irrigator (They are currently in the process of putting a new lined pond) • A map is used to show where effluent has been applied which helps determine

maintenance fertiliser. N use is the same across the effluent and non-effluent blocks • Ravendown completes a soil test every 2 years. From these results a fertiliser plan is

created to keep soil fertility within the optimum • In 2017/18 209kgN/ha was applied on the milking platform. Nitrogen application is

based around applying N before a feed deficit following the cows. They follow the cows from July to December and stop when soil moisture is limiting. A couple of rounds are used in the autumn to boost Average Pasture Cover (APC) before winter

• This season with the drier conditions they have purchased more supplements to fill the feed deficits while they waiting for rain

• According to the 2015/16 nutrient budget below, the Nitrogen leaching risk was calculated at 59kg/ha/yr for the dairy farm

Nutrient Budget


Communication & Human Resources

Farm owners

Communicate with Rex every couple of days

Tool Box and health and safety are completed with Kim around on farm hazards on the dairy farm.

Business team

• Accountant (Jaime Fisher, Accounted 4) • Bank manager (Mike Smith) • Mentors (Rex Bates, Pete and Sally Bridgens) • Sales/product reps include; Ecolab, Ravensdown, LIC, FarmSource, South Waikato

Vets, Claas.

Personal development

• Dairy Industry Awards • PITO 2 and 3

Financial key performance indicators (KPIs)

• Tom classifies spending into wants and needs – this is a key focus of keeping his costs down

• A monthly and annual cashflow budget are completed • Tom had a budget from the farm owner and has monitored and updated it throughout

the year. Expenditure has been less compared to budget and income up with additional milk solids this season resulting in a cash surplus of $84,200 compared to the original $39,000.

• Accountant completes tax obligations, but Tom completes GST to save money


Current asset/heifers and how they are being managed

• Choose X-Breed calves as Tom believes they are an economical animal to farm

• Currently owns 56 calves which are reared at parents on their 40 acres

• They are on milk powder till 80kg and meal until 90kg

Rearing costs What and what price Total cost

Calf Purchase 56 calves @ $175 (average) $9,800

Milk Powder 64 bags @ $100/bag $6,400

Meal 4T @ $700/T

20 bags @ $20

$3,200

Animal Health 12x Dehorning

All animal 5 in 1

$500

R1 grazing Dec-May $7/head for 21 weeks $8,232

R2 grazing $10/head for 52 weeks $29,120

Total cost $57,250


Tom’s goal: is to reach farm ownership within 10 years of sharemilking, below is a budget to get into sharemilking with no liabilities, followed by an equity growth graph showing the growth under different sharemilking opportunities.

Why own a farm?

• Financial independence • Being outside- working with animals • Self-employed/own boss • A good place to raise a family • Never go hungry


Equity growth over 10 years with the four different options; low performing small farm, high performing small farm, low performing larger farm and high performing larger farm