Written by Fritha Tagg - reproduced with permission from The Dairy Exporter
Kaharoa dairy farmer Robbie Moore had long wanted to expand his dairy farming operation.
“We had outgrown the home farm,” he explained to Dairy3 conference delegates who visited the property in early May.
“It’s surrounded by lifestyle blocks, so we couldn’t expand that way and price of land anywhere near the farm was too high.”
But he and wife Luana wanted to stay in the area for family reasons.
“We know how to farm here but the search for a larger farm or land to develop a dairy farm was frustrating,” he said.
“I had looked at many different options.”
Then 344ha about 10km from the home farm came on the market. It was planted in eight- to 11-year-old pines with no boundaries but with forestry “roads” – not the large operational dairy farm he was hoping for.
One of the factors in his decision to purchase the land was the additional pressure coming from Environment Bay of Plenty (EBOP) over the amount of nitrogen (N) in groundwater, which drains into Lake Rotorua and surrounding catchments.
His 120ha dairy farm at Kaharoa, between Rotorua and Tauranga, is one of 26 in the Lake Rotorua catchments to go under the EBOP microscope. In 2001 a study on sensitive catchments was begun, measuring and monitoring stocking rates, fertiliser use and bought-in feed. Its aim is to reduce the amount of N leaching into the waterways while keeping dairy farming viable.
The Moores’ home farm is within the required benchmarks because of its lower stocking rate, but restrictions on land use added to his push to expand elsewhere.
After careful investigation and discussion with Trudy Laan of Perrin Ag Consultants, he tendered for the 344ha and purchased it in September 2005, intending to use it as a run-off for the home farm as it was close enough and handy to extended family.
It has the same soil type, Kaharoa Ash, and the same climate as the home farm but perhaps a slightly greater rainfall.
Robbie contracted to Perrin Ag to manage the conversion and clearing the land began in January 2006.
“While the trees were still standing it was very hard to see what we had bought,” he said.
“My initial thought was to make it into four runoffs but once we started to see the contour I knew it was good enough to dairy on and I know we can improve it.”
EROSION CONTROL
By December 2006, 267ha was cleared with 20ha remaining. The balance of land along the edges of the gorges will be kept in forestry to help control erosion.
There’s enough flattish land to accommodate a rotary dairy and other farm buildings. During clearing, any trees of value were harvested for wood chips, giving some return. Trees too young to harvest were taken out of the ground using a root rake, then pushed into large heaps which were eventually burned.
The cleared land was lightly harrowed and 2.5 tonne/ha of magnesium lime and 1t/ha of capital fertiliser was applied. A grass seed mix of 10kg Tabu and Impact to 3kg Sustain clover was sown by helicopter in 30ha lots. High winds twice blew the seed off the knobs of the hills.
After drilling down 357m, contractors hit a good supply of water.
“It [conversion] is a process of stages and each stage relies on the one before being complete and right,” Robbie said.
“We had to wait to put fences and water in until we could really see the contour of the land and get a feel for how the farm could work.”
LACK OF FENCES
Stocking the property proved to be difficult. In September 2006, the first stock of 100 heifers was put on with another 100 a month later. Then 70 calves came on in November and 230 heifers in January. But lack of fences and water meant it was easier to let the pasture go and graze only the paddocks where stock could be well controlled.
“We were embarrassed with the amount of grass we had,” Robbie said.
When Dairy3 Conference participants visited the farm, races were in, much of the fencing and water was in place, and the 60-bail rotary dairy platform was under construction.
Robbie wanted something that was “simple, basic and would last”. Meal bail-feeders are incorporated in the platform design which will eliminate the need for Dosetron or in-shed drenching.
“The most economic use of grass is to convert it into milk, using quality cows, not ‘eating’ it with the tractor,” Robbie said.
OVERSTOCK PLAN
The plan is to overstock the farm to control grass at peak growth rates with no harvesting of pasture. Palm kernel will be used to fill the shoulders and maize fed through winter.
“We have designed the farm to handle 1000 cows and will start with about half of that. We have a seven-bay calf shed and an eight-bay implement shed
and we plan to put three houses on the property soon.”
A 90,000-litre effluent reservoir will give two days’ storage before the effluent is spread over 50ha by two spray guns.
Almost the last task on this dairy conversion is the tanker track, a major job as the dairy is nearly 1.1km from the road and the track crosses a gorge.
Fonterra requires a maximum 1:10 gradient for tankers and trailers which meant the biggest earthworks on the conversion were required for a 2m by 30m culvert in the gorge.
“We needed to get it right, to have a good solid base with plenty of substance,” Robbie said.
“Rain didn’t help and we had to be careful the whole lot did not wash away before it was secured down and finished off with a solid cap. But it will be ready to send the first tanker-load of milk away in a month or so.”
Robbie had always intended to have an equity manager on the conversion so “I can do what I want to do and delegate the rest”.
He approached Michael and Tania Conwell, who were sharemilking on Wharenui Dairy, close to Rotorua Airport. It is being retired from dairying partly because of Lake Rotorua catchment issues.
“They bring their cows, plant and machinery, staff and their comprehensive dairy experience,” he said.
“They worked for me 17 years ago when they started their dairy career. It will be good to have them involved.”
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