Professional approach is paying off
Given that Matt is a veterinarian and his wife, Sophie, a former DairyNZ farm consultant, it hardly surprises that the couple take a very professional approach to their Oakura-based dairy farming operation.
Fifty-fifty sharemilkers on an 84 hectare, coastal property owned by Norton and Coral Moller, Matt and Sophie have adopted a policy of maximising returns through producing milksolids at low cost, thereby creating the highest possible profit margin on production from their 280 crossbred cows.
This is achieved, they say, by focusing on pasture utilisation and keeping costs down in terms of animal health. It also translates to management efficiencies gained through getting cows in calf and ensuring longer lactations.
‘‘There is so much variability in the payout that if you are always making a margin on your milksolids, then you have quite a sustainable business going forward,’’ says Sophie.
A key factor of the Thomas’s operation is that cows are milked only once-a-day on their flat to rolling Lower Ahu Ahu Road property.
‘‘We liked the idea of once-a-day milking because it really fits in with our philosophy of being better for the environment, better for the cows and better for the operators,’’ says Sophie.
‘‘I think that once-a-day milking fits well with any farm. Any cow can do once a day. If you have got high genetic merit cows, they will do well in any system.’’
‘‘Our herd Breeding Worth is 106 and the Production Worth, 127, which I believe puts it in the top 9 per cent in terms of BWs.’’
Production per hectare for last season was 1042kg milksolids.
‘‘Our production target overall was
87,000kg milksolids and we managed
87,500kg,’’ explains Sophie.
‘‘This target was set from the five year average for the farm and it was based on us milking once-a-day for the entire season. Before this, the farm was managed conventionally with twice daily milkings.’’
Near the end of September Matt and Sophie will plant five and a half hectares (7 per cent of the farm) in chicory and clover as a summer crop. This will give their cows access to quality feed when the grass growth slows down and quality drops, and it will enable them to replace older pastures when they re-sow with ‘‘Governor,’’ a diploid perennial ryegrass, in the autumn.
A third reason for cropping their selected area is the presence of yellow bristle grass, which the Thomas’s will do their best to contain, if not eradicate.
Sowing will be by direct drilling instead of conventional cultivation purely as a soil conservation plan.
Matt and Sophie adhere to a regime of meticulous planning, especially in terms of pasture management, and paddocks are scored on a weekly basis. Clover content is assessed annually.
Phosphate fertiliser is applied in spring and autumn following soil tests. Strategic use is made of urea, which in Matt’s words is applied little and often.
‘‘This is the first season we have put in a chicory and clover crop. Last year, which was our first season on this property, we grew turnips,’’ explains Matt.
‘‘Basically, being a coastal farm, we know that over a five year period that there are going to be a few years when we will have a two month dry spell, so we need to have a crop which we can take the cows to.
‘‘From a management perspective it’s a simple system – taking the animals to the food rather than bringing the food in in another form and having to feed it out.
‘‘Our plan is to have a crop; use silage plus what grass we have and maybe a little bit of palm kernel or some bought-in supplement if necessary. This would mean that if we had a two month, or perhaps even three month dry spell we could get through it at a push.’’