Bay of Plenty Focus Farm
The Bay of Plenty Focus Farm is an initiative by Bay of Plenty dairy farmers to provide regional information.
- Contacts
- About Richard and Creina James' Farm
- FarmWalk notes
BOP Focus Farm Field Day:
Getting Cows in Calf
Thursday 9th September 10.45 am – 1.00 pm
Richard & Creina James' Farm
147 B SH 2
Matata S/N 21700 - Field days
Bay of Plenty Focus on Dairying
Bay of Plenty Focus on Dairying is an initiative by local dairy farmers in the Bay of Plenty to explore ways for local farmers to make their farms profitable, sustainable and satisfying for all stakeholders.
These values underpin a healthy rural community, where we and our children can prosper and grow.
The Bay has a long tradition of farming leadership through effective demonstration. This dates back to the successful Omeheu and Awaroa demonstration farms in the '70s and '80s and was reinvented in the '90s as the Comparative Farm programme run by Bay Milk Products, with able assistance from a number of local farmers and rural professionals. For some years there has been no comparable programme and dairying in the Bay has been the poorer for that.
 Farmers attending a field day in June 2010 |
We have enthusiastic support from research institutions such as DairyNZ and AgResearch and expect there will be frequent dialogue with them as we endeavour to implement best practice on-farm.
However, the key to the success of a project such as this is local vision and initiative. This means leadership, ownership, and participation from the local community.
That is exactly what has happened here. This project is a joint initiative – between the farming community, rural leaders, as well as DairyNZ and Fonterra.
The project is well underway with the first focus farm established on Wilson and Sandra James lease farm at Awakeri. The objectives for the focus farm are:
- To demonstrate the process and actions the James’ take to meet their goals
- To monitor, record and analyse key data to support any management decisions
- To provide information on a timely basis on farm management and field days held on the focus farm to dairy farmers and their staff in the BOP
A business plan has been completed and targets have been set for the season and targets set for the 2007/08 season.
The farmer steering group would like to eventually widen the scope of our project to involve other farms as well throughout the wider Bay of Plenty. The first objective however is to focus on one farm and do it very well.
Contacts
| Phillipa Hedley | Project Facilitator | 027 4786 695 |
| Selwyn Beynon | Consultant and Committee | 07 3123 232 |
| Cameron Bierre | DairyNZ Consulting Officer Whakatane and Committee | 027 2888 238 |
| Brian Power | Chairman | 07 3084 846 |
| Stuart McHardy | Committee | 07 3049 672 |
| Alan Barr | Committee | 07 3049 704 |
| Colin Wilson | Committee | 07 3228 825 |
| John Scrimgeour | Committee | 07 5333 681 |
| Murray Linton | Committee |
07 573 8252 |
| Roger Armstrong | Committee |
07 315 7638 |
| Wilson James |
Committee |
07 304 8183 |
About Richard and Creina James' Farm
 Richard and Creina James |
Goals and Targets
Richard and Creina’s vision is to have a farm business that attracts enthusiastic and motivated staff, produces good profits, but not at the expense of animal welfare.
- To find out more about Richard and Creina James read the news release "New focus for Bay project".
Short term – 3 years
- Operate a low cost, profitable system
- Aim to get FWE to $3.50/kg MS over next 3 years
- Generate a minimum of $2500/ha before tax, personal, plant replacement and debt
- Farm attracts high quality staff and has systems that enable staff to readily achieve the targets set
- Keep as many of the farm costs “in house” as possible to reduce risk and keep control
- Develop clear management procedures and decision rules for the production system
- Streamline the effluent system to meet compliance and not be a daily chore
- Develop training systems in key areas (calf id; heat detection; mastitis)
Pastures and Soils
- Increase pasture eaten to 13.5 t DM/ha plus
- Increase Olsen P to 40 plus
Reproduction season ended 31st May 2013
- 90% SR in 3 weeks; 98% 4 weeks;
- 85% of 1st calvers to start 2nd lactation
- Empty rate < 8% for 11 week mating (bull out at 23rd Dec)
Mastitis
- Average BMSCC < 200,000
- 1% Clinical cases/month and 3% for 2 peak calving months June and July
Wastage Targets
8% MTs
2% deaths
2% Temperament and udder conformation
6% SCC
7% Production
25% Replacement Rate
