Friday, March 29, 2024

Dairy Hub delayed

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The Southern Dairy Hub is on hold until a farm is bought for the project.
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An offer has been made “which ticks so many boxes that it looks like the back of a porcupine,” Southern Dairy Hub chairman Maurice Hardie said, but even if the purchase went ahead it would be too late for the previously planned start of calving in August next year.

“We are committed to making the project work, and to do that we need to identify the best farm for the job but finding a farm of suitable size and scale is proving to be more of a challenge than we anticipated. 

“This is a long-term undertaking and obtaining the most suitable property is important as we don’t want to compromise what the hub is setting out to do,” Hardie said.

The farm needs to be 300 to 380ha, within 30 minutes’ drive of Invercargill airport, and able to be split into four so separate farming models can be tested. It will also have to winter the cows and graze the young stock.

As well as a dairy, other support buildings such as offices for researchers and meeting rooms will need to be built.

“Until we buy the right farm we are continuing with planning and design, so we’ll be ready to go without delay,” Hardie said.

“Even if we manage to buy a farm now the timeline is looking very tight even for the 2017-18 season.”

With the lease of the current Southland Demonstration Farm at Wallacetown ending on May 31, 2016, the hub has “a plan B and a plan C”.

“Plan B is to find another farm we can use as a demonstration farm for a year or two and plan C is to lease the stock out that we own.”

Pledge money already collected from southern farmers for the project is being held in a trust account until a purchase is made.

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