High-tech dairy farm with eye to the future
An award-winning hybrid dairy farming system with modern infrastructure enabling remote-managing and year-round milking in North Otago offers buyers the chance to secure a high-yielding farm with an eye firmly on the future.
The Gleniffer Farming Enterprise is approximately 30 minutes from Oamaru at
39 Tilverstowe Rd and 541 TokarahiNgapara Rd, Island Cliff, in the Waitaki Valley in North Otago.
The farm is owned by John and Ruby Foley and includes 111.19ha of land for purchase, while approximately 60ha of land is available for lease.
John says it has been an incredible journey to build the Gleniffer property, which won the North Otago Irrigation Company Environmental Award in 2015 and 2019.
“It’s run as an enterprise rather than an extensive farming operation. The simplicity of it is it’s measurable, productive, and provides financial rewards,” he says.
“The reason we set the farm up as we have is there’s got to be a return on investment and this demonstrates that rather than just relying on capital gains from the land, this is an investment proposition.
“It’s farming for the future with enterprise value. When designing this system, we placed a lot of emphasis on having happy cows.”
The business runs an average herd size of 435 cows and is forecast to produce
300,000kgMS for 2022 with an Oceania milk contract supplying UHT milk plus a premium winter milk contract.
The milking herd is split into spring and autumn herds milking year-round. Feed and milk performance is monitored with a focus on feed utilisation.
Lower fertiliser costs through the limited use of synthetic fertilisers is another key function of the farm, which is designed to exceed regional and national environmental standards.
The 111.19ha hybrid farm system includes a 54.7ha grazed milking platform and a 45.3ha ungrazed cut and carry area.
The block available for lease is used to produce mainly silage and wintering the herd.
Colliers brokers Ruth Hodges and Jonny O’Sullivan have been exclusively appointed to market the property for sale and are taking expressions of interest with a closing deadline of 4pm on Thursday 5 May, unless sold prior.
Hodges says this is one of the most intriguing rural listings to be brought to the market this year.
“Gleniffer operates a high stocking rate and achieves a very high production per cow by maintaining feed quality, minimal walking distance, and compact calving,” Hodges says.
“The cows are housed in two herd homes to have a two-hour pre-milking feed of high-quality supplements before every milking. The herd then returns to the paddock for grazing straight after each milking.
“The cows are high-producing Friesian Holsteins of a larger frame and are part of an industry-leading enterprise that has the potential to shape the future of dairy farming in New Zealand.”
O’Sullivan says the property is well suited for buyers looking at either a family operation or those seeking more of a hands-off investment, utilising technology to their advantage and creating margin from premium milk supply.
“The diet of the herd is reviewed and updated regularly by a nutritionist and accurately measured and recorded by Bluetooth data transfer, while there is scope to further enhance the operation with more technological advances,” O’Sullivan says.
“Covered herd homes and the milking shed are designed for easy cow flow and cow comfort. Herd homes are used for both feeding and shelter ensuring pasture is protected during poor weather conditions.”