Dairy NZ

"I had a worker start who was new to farming, and Pasture Plus fitted with what we wanted to do in terms of building his knowledge base," says Richard.

Nick, the new worker, is a career changer who switched from hospitality to farming after seeing an advertisement on television encouraging people to consider a career in the dairy industry.  He has never looked back and now, almost two years down the track, has a strong knowledge base on which he continues to build.

Richard was glad of the guidance that Pasture Plus provided not only for Nick but also his farm manager who had come from a smaller farm.  All three attended the group for about a year.

Richard moved from a sharemilking job to the 200 hectare farm at Motumaoho 16 years ago.  He farms 720 Jersey cows on a self contained, all grass (with the exception of a little maize) system.

Pasture Plus covers key aspects of pasture management and provides information on the tools available to make better decisions.  These tools include feed budgets, feed wedges, spring rotation planners and rising plate meters.

Richard found the discussions practical and helpful for his staff.

"Information on pasture management was explained better to them by the speakers at Pasture Plus than I could ever do," he says.  "It was good that the reasons for using certain tools and techniques were given," he says.  

 The group also benefited Richard who had an opportunity to talk to other farmers in the area.

"One of the reasons I went along was to see other farms and operations," says Richard. "By going out to a different farm you get a different perspective on your own operation.  You might just pick up on a comment that someone else makes and it gets you thinking again about what you are doing and why you are doing it.  It helps to keep you focused," he says.

Does he recommend it to other farmers?  Yes definitely.  The topics are current and practical and the days are suitable for a wide range of people.