The second seminar would focus on the practicalities of feeding cows and the third on reviewing a wintering system and assessing body condition gain and ensuring a safe transition to the dairy farm, DairyNZ consultant Chrissy Williams said.
The series was aimed at getting both dairy farmers and graziers acting and thinking along the same lines so there was a positive outcome for both parties.
Macfarlane Rural Business’s Hugh Eaton, who has 10 years involvement in dairy support, overviewed the types of grazing agreements and what both the dairy farmer and grazier should expect from each other.
Expectations needed to be clearly communicated and well in advance so that both parties had the necessary information to plan, prepare and deliver what was expected. Graziers needed to realise that cows were a valuable asset so therefore had to do everything possible to ensure they returned home “happy”.
He said a grazier should expect:
- the right number of cows delivered at the promised time
- relevant paperwork – NAIT and TB declaration forms – to be completed by dairy farmer
- stock to be fit and healthy at a body condition score (BCS) of >4.5
- clear expectations for feeding levels and target condition or liveweight
- dairy farmer to collect any cows calved on crop
- a fair feed price to be paid promptly – also, payment of a deposit was not an unreasonable expectation.
Clarifying the type and detail of a grazing agreement was necessary well before the cows arrived. Most winter grazing agreements were based on a standard weekly per cow rate, typically from $24-$26, where the grazier was responsible for the daily feeding.
Another grazing option becoming more popular, especially in Canterbury, was the selling of a standing crop. This arrangement put any risk back on the dairy farmer who usually had control on how and when the crop was fed. Under this arrangement graziers needed to:
The figures in the Table A show $6.50/head/week grazing fee from weaning to 30 April for calves, $10.50/head/week from 1 May to 30 April for yearling heifers.
