Local farmers lift numbers

01-11-2004 | Not Specified

Local farmers boosted the numbers who attended the first afternoon field trip that is traditionally part of the New Zealand Grassland Association’s annual conference.

This year Central Canterbury was the venue, and conference registrations had to be closed at 350 to keep to venue safety requirements.

On the field trips, however, local farmers could attend at no charge, providing they arrived at the venue in their own transport, and had the choice of arable or dairying venues.

The dairy farm featured is near Carew by the northern bank of the Rangitata River.

Kintore Dairy Farm Ltd is owned by a partnership involving three shareholding entities, with five partners.

The partners are actively involved in policy and direction decisions and employ a full management team including managers and staff, farm advisers and financiers.

The main thrust of the business is to achieve a 6-7% return on investment while looking after the farm environment and staff welfare.

Owner John Rodwell welcomed the NZGA visitors and summarised the substantial development undertaken at Kintore over the past 5-6 years, which has absorbed around $2 million. About half of this has been used to improve productivity through irrigation, pastures and livestock.

The land was originally in border-dyke irrigation, but most seasons experienced severe soil moisture deficits, which markedly affected pasture growth, milksolids production and profits.

Kintore’s extra production has been achieved by growing and using more pasture per hectare, through using more irrigation water and more efficient application.

By increasing the feed offered and consumed, in preference to increasing stocking rate, milk production per cow has increased from 1000kg milksolids (MS) per ha to over 1200kg MS/ha. Extra milk production has also come from increasing the average lactation length by using irrigation more effectively in summer and early autumn.

At the same time a relative risk reduction has been achieved.

Kintore is managed by Irishman Nick Rowe, who moved south from Waikato to gain experience with irrigation.

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