The couple, who farm the 350ha Pukekauri farm near Katikati, also managed to collect the Beef + Lamb NZ Livestock Award, WaterForce Integrated Management Award, Donaghys Farm Stewardship Award and a Bay of Plenty Regional Council Environmental Award.
A key part of the couple’s focus in recent years has been to protect sensitive areas of the farm, identifying land use areas that deliver profitability, while fencing and stabilising less productive, more environmentally delicate areas. This has included retiring erosion and weed-prone land on the rolling property and stepping up riparian and marginal land plantings.
Competition judges commented on the stunning appearance of the farm that overlooks the north-western Bay of Plenty, and its greatly enhanced biodiversity.
The improvements have been achieved without compromising farm profitability. The sheep, bull and dairy grazing income continues to keep the farm in the top 10% of North Island drystock operations for returns.
Rick has been running dairy grazers on and off for the past 20 years, but in recent years has committed to them as a key part of the farm’s operation.
“We had a big client drop out a few years back and we went to all bulls,” he said. “However you find the bulls don’t graze paddocks out as well as the dairy heifers, and the returns between the two if you do it right are quite similar.”
Coming onto the property as three-month-old calves the heifers are run through until they are due to return home for calving. Last summer’s extreme dry conditions forced Rick to review his options for all stock, and he decided to try feeding palm kernel to both bulls and grazers.
“Andrew Siemelink suggested we try some palm kernel. The calves had got a bit light so we threw a couple of half-tonne bags in for them. The calves had only been doing 0.3kg LW/calf/day. With the palm kernel we got them up to 1.3kg LW/calf/day.”
The inclusion of palm kernel has also made the bull and heifer grazing system more flexible.
“We’re able to stock up with bulls from later winter to early spring, making the most of the feed in front of them, turning that feed into liveweight. It means we’re not having to harvest it as supplement to feed out later. Now when grass quality gets poorer in summer, we can feed out 5-6kg of palm kernel per head per day.”
With gains of 1.2kg LW/bull/day and liveweight prices at $2.20/kg versus 30c/kg for palm kernel, the returns are positive. Meantime heifer condition can be held on with palm kernel as required, with similar liveweight gains possible when growth starts to flat line on pasture only.
“And having the bulls is a safety valve for the heifers. Once they are up to weight we are progressively destocking them,” Rick said.
“It’s less stress than trying to run all dairy grazers and having to keep the numbers up and the feed up right through summer.”
Working from MINDA data and DairyNZ recommended growth rates, Rick is able to check through regular weighing if the targets are being met.
“We work on an individual animal’s performance, rather than a mob average, and the palm kernel helps if you have calves that are not on target through summer, getting them up to weight for winter.”
In a region that has the dubious distinction of rearing the country’s lightest heifers, Rick enjoys the communication and co-operation with his grazing clients to achieve the best stock possible.
“If we get it right there is a big prize there for the dairy client, and dairy farmers will share that prize if we get it right.”
