The 27- and 26-year-old sharemilkers have their eyes set firmly on farm ownership or an equity partnership within the next 10 years and knew they had to stand out to get ahead in what’s a competitive industry.
They are ambitious and want to move forward quickly, but only if the numbers stack up, Jade says.
“We have a 10-year goal that is based on quite conservative figures, but it’s such a moving target with so many things out of your control.”
Having the awards on their CV is a tool to help them achieve their goal.
They are in their third season 50:50 sharemilking 265 cows for Jim and Judy Barrett at Morrinsville. The next step is a 600-cow sharemilking job within two years.
The high school sweethearts already have a good CV of versatile skills between them to aid in a successful dairy business.
They were both raised on dairy farms in south Waikato and spent years relief milking growing up.
Bobby gained a diploma in mechanical engineering after school and Jade studied towards a Bachelor in Business, majoring in accounting.
After a couple of years studying, they were offered a job managing 400 cows at Wardville. The position suited a couple and the farm owner was also working onfarm to help guide them through the first spring.
They stayed on for a season then had the opportunity for a 21% lower-order sharemilker job milking 330 cows, also in Matamata, for a year.
They then took a break from the industry, with Bobby going building for two years and Jade working in finance.
“It’s a huge commitment to buy cows and we wanted to make sure it was what we wanted to do,” she says.
Their hearts soon led them back to dairying. They both wanted the lifestyle of working together onfarm and a chance to grow equity for their children and give them the same lifestyle they grew up with, something they are already benefiting from since having their now 16-month daughter Addison.
It was the first time they had entered the Dairy Industry Awards. As well as raising their profile and a chance to network with like-minded people in the industry, they also saw it as an opportunity to get expert opinions on how they could improve their business.
“We are both competitive people, if we do something we want to do it well,” Bobby says.
“We wanted to challenge ourselves and get feedback on how we could grow and adapt our business.”
The couple have allocated roles in the business. Bobby takes charge of livestock, farm environment, dairy hygiene and health and safety, while Jade is responsible for pasture, financials, human resources and calf rearing.
“Our strengths complement each other well and we take charge of our own areas while still consulting one another.”
Although they discuss what happens onfarm everyday and share a lot of the farm jobs, they make sure they don’t step on each other’s toes.
Some of the key feedback they received was about getting systems in place for when they move to a larger operation and employ staff.
With just the two of them, they don’t need a monthly health and safety report and it was good to be aware of the need to have more structured systems in place for the future.
“It’s good to be aware of those areas, because it will be a future part of our business.”
The Jersey herd they have put together has a BW of 137 producing 370kg milksolids (MS)/cow and 1210kg MS/ha on a System 2 operation.
They are operating at a higher stocking rate of 3.3 cows/ha at the peak and have to be proactive to make informative decisions throughout the season.
Dry summers in Morrinsville meant they had to open their minds to buying in more feed than they would like, but it’s all done on a cost analysis. In their first season onfarm they were running at a System 3 but have pulled back on some of the supplement.
The couple do regular farm walks to monitor the feed wedge to keep an eye on feed supply and harvested 12.4t DM/ha last season.
They feed an average 70-90t palm kernel. Last year they harvested 90t grass silage, but this season they only harvested 30t and planted 8.9ha chicory.
They are always focused on the bottom line, rather than chasing production, and maintain their focus on a low-cost operation.
That was one of the reasons they won the Westpac Business Performance merit award. Jade regularly does a revised budget which has helped them make significant equity gains over the two previous seasons, despite the difference in the $8.40 and $4.40 milk prices.
Their equity growth last season was 40.6% in DairyBase and they have a detailed plan around their 10-year goal for farm ownership.
“We have an actual process in place on how we will get there.”
They also won the Ecolab Farm Dairy Hygiene award for their clean farm dairy and sound procedures in place for high-quality milk.
The runners-up were Ben and Lizzy Moore, 30% farm equity and lessee position at Tirau. Te Awamutu 50:50 sharemilkers Shaun Good and Michelle Adam placed third.
