Farmers get a taste of sheep milking
‘‘Once you have decided on your farm system, the costs are primarily fixed.’’
Around 300 farmers, rural financiers and investors were able to get a taste of the dairy sheep industry recently.
But the question remains did they like the taste they received?
As a part of a field day to see the presentation of significant investment into the sector by the joint venture partners of Maui Milk, they were able to have a hands-on look.
Adding Waikino Station and the Waituhi Kuratau Trust farm, to Maui Milks portfolio adds up to around a $30 million investment.
Maui Milk was keen to showcase Waikino’s system which can be implemented by others.
The JV has milked 3000 ewes since 2015 and lessons learned are being implemented in the greenfield development at Waikino adding another 2000 ewes to the tally.
The new conversion includes two Aztec barns with feed conveyors, and a purpose-built lamb rearing facility.
Waikino Station general manager Peter Gatley answered farmers questions about profitability pointed to the strong parallels with other types of farming.
‘‘Once you have decided on your farm system, the costs are primarily fixed.
‘‘We already know what the expenses look like, but there is a lot of potentials to increase income from milk
‘‘Like the dairy goat industry we measure total solids including lactose, and aspire to match the dairy goat payout at around $17/k,’’ Gately said.
‘‘Sheep milk is about 18 per cent solids working out at $3/litre, so the prospect of a ewe earning over $1000 is possible, but two things need to happen.
‘‘We need to demonstrate a big lift in yield, and our marketers need to perform well to tap into the top end of the market. The dairy goat guys have done it, but they have 30 years head start.’’
‘‘New Zealand needs diversification in agricultural exports, and every farmer wants a high-value product, stable pricing and environmental sustainability.
‘‘We admire what the dairy goat industry has achieved, but we want to capitalise on our expertise in both sheep farming and pastoral systems for milk production’’.
Maui Milk doesn’t expect any new conversions to take place this year but advises farmers who are contemplating a move in 2019 or 2020 to first think about breeding the sheep.