Thursday, March 28, 2024

Northland beefs up

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Beef + Lamb New Zealand monitor farms have come to an end in Northland with a spectacular example of farmer and community group-led progress over three years for a sheep and beef enterprise. Hugh Stringleman reports.
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Daniel and Nicola Berger at Ahuroa, only 50km from the centre of Auckland, have escaped the “goldfish bowl” while presenting an impressive list of achievements to the final field day. 

The Bergers were lauded for their enthusiasm and achievements but most of all for their willingness to try new things, some of which didn’t work, the final field day crowd was told. 

Facilitator Gareth Baynham of AgFirst Northland presented the Bergers with a fender kit for their ATV, used for shifting hot wires on the intensive beef systems (IBS). 

The older Romney ewes on the easier country, found on the home farm.

“Systems do not cost your time – now we are farming 7000 stock units and we have more time.” 

Nicola added that they are making more money and Daniel is finishing his farm work before dark. 

On June 30, 2013, the Bergers carried 3448 cattle stock units, 1200 more than two years previously on balance date. 

They also carried 3784 sheep stock units, nearly 500 more than two years previously which, with the cattle, added up to 30% more stock units. 

Gross farm income in the most recent financial year was $931/ha, farm working expenses $419/ha and cash operating surplus before interest, lease, drawings, depreciation and tax was at $512/ha. 

The surplus rose $100 over the past two years and doubled over the past five years. 

Baynham said the surplus average for Northland sheep and beef farms is around $300/ha.

Kale fails to impress

Two consecutive seasons with winter crops of kale have convinced the Bergers that it will not be worth repeating next year. 

The crops were sown in November and break-fed from June onwards in order to carry more young cattle during the winter without pasture pugging damage, and to have more mouths to utilise spring pasture growth. 

The first season was good and a crop yield of 10.6t/ha DM was estimated in June, followed by a yield of 14 tonnes in September on the remainder. 

Seventy young bulls were run on the 6ha crop from mid-June to mid-September, whereas previously only 20 would have been carried on the same area of pasture. 

Two groups of yearling Friesian bulls put on an average of 70kg LW and 58kg over 88 and 99 days respectively, resulting in 0.8kg/day and 0.59kg/day LWG. 

‘We have no plans to repeat the exercise in the future.’

The crop cost $1115/ha to grow and, without allowing for shifting time, the cost was approximately $1.50/kg LWG. 

The same paddocks were used to grow another crop sown in November and grazed by 37 R2 bulls through the winter, stocked at 2874kg/ha LW. 

Each bull was allocated 17kg/day DM but utilisation was low and the LWG was only 0.62kg/day over 98 days. After coming off the crop those bulls did 1.6kg/day LWG. 

The drought last autumn pegged back crop growth to 9t/ha DM yield in early June. 

“Given there was a huge difference in rain between the two seasons, this was a reasonable result, because pasture grew 50% less during the same period,” Daniel Berger reported.

The direct costs were $2.97/kg LWG this year, which makes cropping marginal financially. 

“Logistically it is also difficult as the bulls need to be shifted every day, on foot, through mud. 

“So we have no plans to repeat the exercise in the future.”

Younger ewes underdone

When Daniel and Nicola Berger began on three years as the Lower Northland monitor farm, they believed the lambing percentage of 120% was a major limiting factor for business growth. 

The 2500 mainly older Romney ewes were lambing in mid-July so as to get the first draft of lambs away at the end of October. 

In consultation with facilitator Gareth Baynham and the community group, they decided 140% was where they should be. 

The older ewe numbers have been reduced and the flock split. 

The older ewes are now run on the home farm and nearby Davie-Martins and mated to terminal sires. This year they achieved 128% and the first draft of lambs left in early November at 17.6kg CW average. 

The younger ewes were left at Te Muri and the lambing date moved back one month to mid-August. All were vaccinated for campylobacter and toxoplasmosis, and flock replacements are being kept. 

“But the result three years later is those younger ewes not performing where we want them,” Nicola Berger said. 

“This year we did 119% at Te Muri, down from 126% the year before, so that might have been a result of the autumn drought. 

“The ewes are in good health, and being managed well, so not too sure what is happening.” 

The Bergers met with veterinarian Trevor Cook and came away with extensive notes – shared with field day attendees – which they hope will provide more success in the future.

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