Dairy Push South Waikato Focus Farm
Adolf and Mary-Ann Mathis are the focus farmers for the Dairy Push programme, farming 95ha on the outskirts of Tokoroa, running 320 cows.
Through the process of creating a business plan, using DairyBase to review performance and involving rural professionals in the business, the focus farm will be looking to address the following issues:
- Improving profit (EFS) by 10% each year
- Reducing empty rates
- Improved feeding
- Improved soil nutrient management
- Succession issues
FarmWalks & updates
Follow the progress of this focus farm through regular FarmWalks >>More
Financial update
Read the focus farm financial update (to 31 January) >>More
Field day
Field days are held twice a year. View the handouts from these field days >>More
Feed plan data
The feed plan is a working document which helps determine the extent and timing of management decisions relating mainly to stock movements, feeding levels and supplement inputs. This should be viewed in conjunction with the fortnightly farm updates above.
Base information of focus farm (AP&M Mathis Partnership)
| Dairy unit: | Total Area | 105ha | Effective Area | 100ha |
| Runoff: | Total Area | 72ha | Effective Area | 70ha |
| 2007/08 |
2006/07 |
2005/06 |
2004/05 | |
| Effective area: | 100 | 95 | 95 | 95 |
| Cows wintered: | 328 (3.3ce/ha) | 324 (3.4ce/ha) | 319 (3.4ce/ha) | 317 (3.3ce/ha) |
| Replacements: | 80 (24%) | 83 (26%) | 82 (26%) | 74 (23%) |
| Peak milkers: | 321 | 319 | 314 | 312 |
| Milksolids: | 96,134 | 119,558 | 118,345 | 115,054 |
| MS/cow: | 299 | 375 | 377 | 369 |
| MS/ha: | 961 | 1,258 | 1,246 | 1,211 |
| Calves reared: | 75 | 71 | 74 | 72 |
| Grazing – repl.: |
Off at weaning back at calving |
Off at weaning back at calving |
Off at weaning back at calving |
Off at weaning back at calving |
| Grazing - cows: | 100% at home | 100% at home | 100% at home | 100% at home |
| Date 1st pickup: | 5 August | 5 August | 6 August | 4 August |
| Date last pickup: | 16 March | 8 May | 15 May | 9 May |
Supplements - kgDM:
| 2007/08 | 2006/07 | 2005/06 | 2004/05 | |
| Maize imported: | 94,000 |
100,000 |
100,000 |
100,000 |
| Grass silage imported: | 40,000 |
29,000 |
106,000 |
36,000 |
| Grass silage made: | 16,500 | 46,000 | 37,000 | 30,000 |
| Hay imported: |
28,000 |
22,500 |
0 |
27,000 |
| Threshed Rye: | 45,000 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Total Supplement: | 223,500 |
197,500 |
243,000 |
193,000 |
| Supplement/cow | 696 | 619 | 774 | 618 |
Nutrient applied kg/ha:
| 2007/08 |
2006/07 | 2005/06 | 2004/05 | |
| Nitrogen: | 225 | 223 | 223 | |
| Phosphorus: | 48 | 65 | 51 | |
| Potassium: | 87 | 39 | 97 | |
| Sulphur: | 54 | 88 | 90 | |
| Magnesium: | 22 | 12 | 35 | |
| Calcium: | 107 | 149 | 128 | |
| Lime: | 60 tonne | 0 | 0 | 60 tonne |
Soil Test July 2007:
| pH | P | K | Ca | Mg | SO4 | BS% | |
| Home: | 6.2 | 38 |
5 | 12 |
24 |
5 | 71 |
| Effluent: | 5.9 |
51 | 9 | 7 | 27 | 4 | 54 |
- Find out more about the Dairy Push programme
