The Motukaika farm lies 25km from Timaru at the small settlement of Cannington, an area with low dairy intensity that has proved advantageous for sourcing grazing and supplementary feed.
The milking platform makes up 296ha of the farm and this season it has a target of 400,000kg milksolids (MS) from 1070 cows. Its three-year average is 389,710kg MS from 1040 cows.
Kurt Snook from CRT Real Estate in Timaru said the combination of infrastructure, irrigation, water supply and soil type provided potential to increase pasture yields and production levels.
“This farm still has more production to come out of it in the future,” he said.
“Stock and plant is available at valuation as well, so it could be bought as a going concern.”
About 301ha of the farm is irrigated via pivot and K-line from a reliable onfarm water supply of three bores, while a separate bore near the dairy supplies stock water through a fully reticulated scheme with an inline dispenser. This system is also designed to supply stock water to the neighbouring property where the cows are wintered, enabling minerals to be added through the dispenser.
“The herd has been wintered on the adjoining property since conversion, with this arrangement set in place for the coming winter.”
The calves are grazed off the farm from the beginning of December until they return for calving to enter the herd.
All 57 paddocks on the farm access the dairy by formed stock lanes, with 95% of those lanes capped with limestone and maintained to a high standard.
“It’s a well laid out farm with an excellent dairy and a concrete feedpad adjoining it.”
The dairy is a 60-bail rotary with meal feeders and a 1000-cow yard outside. It’s designed to be run by one person with Protrack electronics and drafting. The hydraulic drive for the platform has a backup system in place that can even be driven from a tractor in the event of a breakdown.
A grain crusher and silos adjoin the dairy and the feed system has a four-head dispenser to allow additional augers to be used for other inputs such as meal. Supplements are fed out in feed bins at the 600-cow concrete feedpad near the dairy, while a second standoff pad is fully gravelled and ECan compliant for 1000 cows.
The farm has four permanent staff and an equity manager, with a further staff member employed during summer for irrigation. Accommodation for staff is catered for in the three-bedroom homestead and two modern three-bedroom homes.
The farm has a sale deadline of February 27. For further information contact Snook on 0272 560 449 or Simon Richards on 0274 570 990.
