Champ farm near self-sufficient
Former Regional Sharemilker of the Year champions have placed a near self-sufficient dairy property on the market, following a decision to diversify business interests. The 140.6ha property, about 19 km south-west of Opotiki, is owned by 2001 Bay of Plenty Sharemilker of the Year winners Dean and Sharyn Petersen; one of three dairy and dairy support farms the Petersens own in the region. It milks 320 cows on a De Laval system — averaging
119,620 kg of milk solids per season over the past four years — as well as producing a substantial maize silage tonnage annually for stock feed.
The freehold property, at 98 Waiotahi Valley Rd, is being marketed for sale by auction at 1pm on November 28, through Bayleys Tauranga.
Salesperson Rhys Mischefski says a flat land contour keeps about 90 per cent of the property within the milking platform. It is divided into about 60 paddocks, separated by electric post and wire fencing over a topography of predominantly flat grazing blocks with some steeper sidling hills.
Mischefski says the property produces
28-30 tonnes of maize silage annually from 7ha of pasture; 40 tonnes of palm kernel is brought in as supplementary feed each year.
“The near-coastal location underpins a reliable mild climate which is ideal for pastoral farming; it receives some
1500mm of rain annually. Good bore water is reticulated to all paddocks via a
40mm main line,” he says
“This layout, topography, climatic influence, and silt loam soil type of this block add up to a strongly-performing farm with relatively low input requirements. Consistent fertiliser application has sustained nutrient levels to enable consistently high levels of pasture growth on a near year-round basis.”
Building Infrastructure comprises: A 24-aside herring bone milking shed with adjoining feed pad; a six-bay round hay barn; a concrete silage bunker; a four-bay implement shed/workshop; a four-bay calf-rearing shed; covered fertiliser or palm kernel bin; a three-bedroom homestead adjacent to a fully self-contained sleep-out.
Mischefski says gravel for the multiple lanes and cattle races across the farm is mined from a pumice quarry pit within the property.
Effluent is treated on the property in a designated pond before being spread across the pasture.
“With the maize production, the effluent-based fertilisation, and the rock mining combined, this is a near selfsufficient farming operation,” he points out.
“Utilisation of the highly-automated milking system enables the farm to be run at input per kg of milk solids rate far better than the industry standard.”