One of the country’s largest corporate dairying groups wants to differentiate its products and specialise in liquid milk here and in the giant Chinese market.
Theland Farm Group has agreed to supply year-round Jersey milk for national distribution that will consistently be higher fat, pasture-fed and palm kernel-free.
Chief executive Justine Kidd, former Dairy Woman of the Year, said the Lewis Road plan was mooted late last year and Collins Road was selected for cows with a minimum of J12 (at least 12 sixteenths Jersey) breeding.
“We had some here already and others were collected around the Theland North Island farms and we have gone into the market to get some autumn-calvers.”
Another requirement is that milk fat should be 5.6% or more and the components should be consistent year-round, which will be challenging.
The plan calls for 400-500 Jersey cows in total, about half-and-half autumn and spring calving.
That will be just under half of the cows milked on Collins Road, the 394ha suburban farm at Temple View, providing scope for increasing the Jersey milk production in the short term.
Theland intends to move wholly to Jersey winter-milking there when feed supplies allow.
The peat soil is slightly warmer than other parts of Waikato, for better winter pasture growth and high maize yields are achieved.
A second vat has been installed and Green Valley has tankers and trailers that will carry milk segregated into that for the local liquid market and that to be processed for export.
The regulations that apply on-farm for food safety and animal welfare are the same for all markets, operations manager Frano Staub said.
Winter milking is not new for the five Collins Road staff but the added herd complexity and the national Jersey launch have generated excitement.
Theland already sells 40,000 litres a week of fresh milk air-freighted into China, processed at Green Valley.
The Jersey herd will be milked first, beginning at 6am, and should finish in less than two hours.
The milk lines will then be air-purged to the Jersey vat and the second herd brought in at 8.30am.
The afternoon milking times will be 2pm and 4pm respectively, Staub said.
The autumn in-milk Jersey cows are on a daily diet of 18kg DM to ensure good winter mating results.
Somatic cell count is a focus for the farm team, to ensure it stays below 150,000 cells/ml.
“Theland has the room to grow milk output as New Zealand falls in love with Jersey milk and the volumes go up,” Kidd said.
“There are some interesting new technologies to extend the shelf life and our China marketing team will be watching closely to gauge the potential for Jersey milk in that market.”
The Theland Tahi group of 16 farms in the North Island is moving towards milk specialisation and this is a first step for its 12,500 cows.
“We are keen to get ourselves market-ready for specialty milks and therefore delighted this Jersey opportunity has come along.”
As a response to unforeseen demand Theland can dedicate another of its Waikato farms or potentially partner with another producer.
Land expansion is not part of the corporate plan but higher value is core strategy.
Collins Road will breed its own Jersey heifers for herd replacements and introduce compatible terminal sires over the Jersey cows to ensure all male calves and unwanted females go into meat production, Kidd said.
Autumn calving and the Hamilton location ensure a strong market for surplus calves.
“Theland has a strong focus on waste reduction and value-add opportunities.”
Lewis Road Creamery and Theland readily agreed on the premium raw milk price for the Jersey supply, Kidd said.
The recommended retail prices fall in the range of $3.80-$4.60 a litre, depending on bottle size and variety – three varieties will be homogenised, non-homogenised and light.
Green Valley Dairies was formed by the Pulman family in 2003 at Mangatawhiri, northern Waikato, and employs 50 people in the processing plant and a further 50 drivers, farm workers, administrative staff and casual workers.
It produces organic, non-organic and flavoured milks under its own name, two Barista varieties and organic and non-organic creams while also processing about half of the throughput for partners such as Theland.
The plant has the neighbouring Marphona dairy farm of 1200 organic cows and another adjoining farm of 800 non-organic.
General manager Mark Pulman and site manager Adrian Dunham said the principles and controls of organic production will be replicated for the Lewis Road Jersey products.
One tanker and trailer a day will come in from Collins Road farm with both the Jersey and non-Jersey milks kept separate.
Lewis Road Jersey milk will be sent in the afternoon and be distributed by Big Chill throughout the country over the next 24 to 48 hours.
Milk will be on sale within two or three days of leaving the farm with 15 days shelf life.
Milk is always tested for inhibitory substances and sensory rated when coming into the plant and after pasteurisation it is rechilled.
The aim of Green Valley is to add value to milk wherever it can because milk is too cheap compared with other beverages, Pulman said.
His family is also dairy farming and will do all that it can to support the dairy industry.
