Mark and Devon Slee are top performers who walk the walk when it comes to the wider meaning of sustainability.
They’re this year’s supreme winners in the Canterbury Ballance Farm Environment Awards and were recognised not only for their environmental focus but also for their strong financial performance and the sustainability that brings to their family business.
They’re proving profitable, large-scale farms can also be good environmental citizens.
For the last three seasons the Slees have topped the Lincoln University Dairy Farm (LUDF) in terms of operating profit and taken overall honours in the benchmarking exercise that also includes three other high-performing Canterbury farms.
Last season they made $5271/ha in earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) compared with LUDF at $4665/ha. Their farm working expenses came in at $3.42/kg milksolids (MS) compared with LUDF’s at $3.84. Milk production at 1834kg MS/ha was similar to LUDF’s although stocking rate was slightly lower at 3.84 cows/ha compared with 3.94cows/ha.
They’re not pushing inputs excessively, supplementing cows with about 680kg drymatter (DM)/cow through the milking season. Most of that’s barley with about 390kg DM/cow fed in each of the farm dairies through the milking season, maize silage in the autumn and fodder beet as the season slows down in late autumn.
The couple have built the business up over the past 20 years, adding to the original area first converted by Mark’s parents Syd and Morrell in 1987 so that it now encompasses a 660ha milking platform split into three adjoining dairy units and support blocks totalling 260 ha.
Good grazing management to maximise both the quality and quantity of pasture harvested is an integral driver of profitability for the couple. Platemeters are out almost every week with staff checking residuals and gathering pasture cover data to create feed wedges for each unit. Nothing beats getting out and walking the farm to make sure good decisions are being made, they say.
Gibberellic acid is used to boost autumn production although supplements are the main tool used to manage the grazing round with autumn fodder beet this year nudging kale out of the milking platform altogether. In the past they’ve had a combination but the maths are in fodder beet’s favour.
Mark’s quick with the calculator and at regular good yields, and factoring in any wastage he’s reckoned on a cost of 34c/kg DM fed.
“We lose some yield because we’re cutting into its growing time be feeding it in autumn rather winter but it’s still giving us a very cost-competitive autumn supplement that fits in with our regrassing programme.”
It may also be helping their environmental profile as well. Work at LUDF being carried out with DairyNZ is finding fodder beet can reduce nitrate leaching because it lowers urinary nitrogen concentrations.
They’ve always sought to use best practice and implement proven research across all areas of the business, whether it be pasture management, people, irrigation, financial management or environmental sustainability.
Under Canterbury’s Land and Water Regional Plan proposal their management would easily fit with and in several cases surpass what’s defined as good management practice.
Their Lismore stony silt loam soil is leaky when it comes to nitrogen but they’re managing it with technology, first converting most of the farm from borderdyke to the much lower rate spray irrigation through what’s now eight centre pivots and using systems such as Aquaflex soil moisture monitoring. The soil moisture and temperature data collected by the automated system in the paddock is relayed back to a web-based format so Mark can see soil moisture and temperature levels.
It makes irrigation scheduling accurate and, together with the much lower rate pivot irrigation, helps minimise any drainage down through the profile. That in turn means nitrate loss to the aquifers is also minimised while pasture production potential is maximised, also boosting the amount of nitrate being taken back up by the plants.
Marks been heavily involved in irrigation for 20 years and is a board member of Irrigation NZ and past director of the Mayfield Hinds Irrigation company as well as the Rangitata Diversion Race.
Making the best use of what water’s available is high priority for both the irrigation companies and Melrose Dairy. Mark and Devon’s investment in onfarm storage and pivot irrigators have allowed more to be made of the resource. It’s meant they’ve been able to lift stocking rates over the last 10 years from 2.9 to 3.8 cows/ha without additional water, vastly improving productivity from the input.
They’ve invested in making more of their nutrient resource, putting effluent out at a low 5mm/ha rate through four centre pivots covering 400ha. Each dairy unit has a two-pond system with 30-day storage. Green water from the second pond is pumped out to the pivots and applied through the irrigation nozzles with no problems with blockages. Material from the first pond will be spread onto pastures during summer months.
Low rates over a larger area with automation and fail-safe devices fitted means peace of mind and better use of the valuable nutrients.
They use Ballance’s Ag Hub and GPS technology to record and monitor a range of data especially in relation to effluent and fertiliser placement but also for pasture and crop yield mapping to identify poorer or better performing areas. They’re investigating fertigation, particularly of urea through the pivots too as a means to reduce losses through volatilisation.
Collecting good data, monitoring and making decisions based on that information is key to making efficient use of resources and boosting productivity, Mark says.
A happy place
People are arguably the most precious resource for any large-scale dairying operation and creating a sustainable working environment has always been a priority for Mark and Devon Slee.
Their enterprise employs 13 staff and two part-timers with the three dairy units run by two managers and one contract milker. The roster is 3.5 days off and 10.5 days on with four 8.30am mornings. On those days the staff member milks once.
Systems are well documented and organised so that everyone knows what’s expected when. Mark and Devon meet once a week with managers and their contract milker on a more formal basis but informally communication is ongoing. They also meet with all staff monthly.
Meetings are documented with clear actions detailed so they don’t just become a talkfest with little outcome.
Devon plays a big role in the human resource area, ensuring documentation and systems are in place as well as making sure people’s aspirations and ambitions are catered to.
Staff turnover is low creating a win for both the people working on the farm and the owners.
“It’s got to be a happy place to work,” Devon says.
