Part of the project is the P3 Trust Hauraki Monitor Farms: five high-profit farms located in the Hauraki Plains which share their information through a weekly newsletter and field days.
The farms operate on a range of different soil types, employ different management systems, and apply and measure success using some innovative and creative farming practices.
Newsletter
The weekly P3 Monitor Farms newsletter provides regular updates of KPIs local farmers can benchmark against. Reporting includes financial performance and evaluating some of the more experimental, and potentially unfamiliar on-farm practices.
P3 Monitor Farms – Feed harvested/ha, FWE/kgMS and Operating surplus/ha
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Farm: |
Feed Harvested/ha (t) |
FWE/KgMS ($) |
Operating Surplus/ha ($/ha @ $6/kgMS) |
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|
Year: |
2015 - 2016 |
2016 - 2017 |
2015 - 2016 |
2016 - 2017 |
2016-17 |
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Troy and Adriana/Clayton-Greene, (CM) |
16.2 |
15.1 |
$2-78 |
$3-04 |
$4621 |
|
John and Nikki Garrett, and Greg and Margaret Garrett |
14.2 |
13.8 |
$2-42 (50%SM) |
$2-10 (50%SM) |
$1714 (50%SM) |
|
Neil and Glenda Gray, Teagan and Ashley des Landers |
13.5 |
12.7 |
$3-28 |
$3-85 |
$3337 |
Farmer details
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This is Grant’s second season contract milking on the Haurakian Charitable Trust Farm. Grant is overseen and supported by Diary Direct (Brian Hammond) for farm planning, and employs one full-time staff.
Their opening stocking rate is three crossbred cows/ha with the planned start of calving July 7th. All young stock graze off on a nearby runoff.
They run a profitable and simple System 2 farm with PKE contracted to meet feed deficits during the season. They will increase their cropping area to 15ha chicory this season from last year's 9ha.
170kgN/ha is used annually and effluent is stored in a cliptank with a 30ha application area.
Last season was the trust's first season owning the farm and Grant's first season. Las season the farm achieved 1070kgMS/ha with the future target being 1116kgMS/ha with similar feed levels bought in.
Grant has employed an assistant to help with the day-to-day running of the farm and his two daughters lend a hand to covering time off and for their own love of farming. The farm has a twenty-six ASHB which Grant and one assistant can run very efficiently.
This is Grant’s first contract milking job and in his second season. He speaks very positively of this farm's performance and its future capability.
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Troy and Adriana winter 245 cows and run a pasture-based system with a small amount of imported feed.
Troy and Adriana have come onto the farm as contract milkers after Tim and Sarah Mvimbi, the previous contract milkers and monitor farmers of several years who have shifted near Clevedon to a 50:50 sharemilking opportunity.
Troy and Adriana grew up as Plains locals with farming families. Troy was a plumber for nine years before coming to work for Campbell and Delwyn on their 700-cow Kaihere Farm for 18 months prior to the move to Central Road. Adriana worked in Hamilton as a dental assistant before family and farming. They have three young children.
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The farm in which John and Nikki were equity partners with John’s parents was sold allowing them to become equity owners of this monitor farm which they had previously sharemilked.
John now supervises the farm with daily operations carried out by a farm manager and assistant.
The soil type is a Hopai Clay; typical of much of the Plains but perhaps not as heavy as some.
Farm policy is fiercely centered on pasture with some imported feed mainly from a support block.
John and Nikki both grew up in the Hauraki district.
John and Nikki are also 50:50 sharemilkers on a 146ha dairy farm near Turua where they live, and John also manages two support blocks.
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Hayden and Sarah are 50:50 sharemilkers on this Hikutaia farm owned by Bob and Jill Nichol. Hayden is supported by three full-time staff: Logan, Laura and Jess, allowing three people to be on farm throughout the year while someone is on leave.
Stocked at 2.9 crossbred cows/ha. All 120 calves stay on until June 1st when they swap with the R2 heifers out at grazing.
They run a very profitable and simple System 2 farm with PKE contracted to meet feed deficits before balance date and over the summer dry. Spring surpluses will be made into grass silage.
The farm has a forty-four ASHB which runs efficiently with two staff with a 300-cow rubber topped standoff/feed-pad. Last season this farm achieved 970kgMS/ha with the future target being 1000kgMS/ha with similar feed levels bought in.
Hayden and Sarah, along with their three young boys Beau (4), Kace (2), and Jack (5-months), are in their second year 50:50 sharemilking on the Nichol’s farm.
Hayden grew up in Whangarei, moving with his family to Te Aroha when he was fifteen years old. He met Sarah ten years ago while working in his tiling business. Sarah has a dairy background near Waitoa, her parents introduced Hayden to dairy farming employing them as managers then as contract milkers in the Te Aroha area while Hayden completed his PrimaryITO Level 4 qualification.They then spent a year 50:50 sharemilking 220 cows before coming to this farm. Together they have a well-balanced passion for dairy farming with Hayden enjoying the pasture management side and what that brings to bottom line results while Sarah enjoys the animal contact and health side.
Their motivations to become monitor farmer is to learn more and increase contact with other top farmers.
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The soil type is at the wetter end of the spectrum of the Plains' predominantly Hauraki Silt Loam and Silt Clay.
Ashley and Teagan are the contract milkers employing staff to assist in the day-to-day running of the farm and are invested in equity partnerships.
A large herd home facility assists with management during winter and spring but the management focus is on a pasture based system.
Neil is the fourth generation Gray on the farm while Glenda hails from the Levin area. After completing a BAgScience degree at Massey University, Neil and Glenda also progressed through the 50:50 pathway to enable purchase of the then home farm, adding to this since to bring the farmed area up to what it is today.
Neil and Glenda manage the fresh liquid milk (Buttercup Dairies) side of the business utilising identified A2 milk cows milked through a rededicated dairy near the Thames-Turua roadside.
