

Jason Perry and James Warbrick.
Farm facts
- Area: 369 ha effective milking platform
- Dominant soil: Haparangi silt loam
- Average rainfall: 1600 mm
- Crops grown on the milking platform: kale, fodder beet, summer turnips
- Supplements fed: pasture silage, PKE and dried distillers grain
- Cow numbers: 1098-1143, peak milked 1030 -1058
- Production: 342,397- 400,797 kg MS. 928 -1086 kg MS/ha, 331- 379 kg MS/cow
- Support block: 314 ha for dairy support, sheep and beef production


The dairy unit, managed by Jason Perry, became a monitor farm for the FRNL project in 2016. Trust Chairman, James Warbrick, has commented on joining the project.
What did you get out of the programme?
We have hard data from previous projects that is helping show us where we are positioned. The science is helping guide us on the use of different forages like fodder beet, and different ways of managing the land. This way we can meet the new regulations while also preserving the environment we farm in.
Why did you decide to join the programme?
Like other farms in the Rotorua catchment, we are facing new regulations and targets we need to meet. We think the science done on our farm will help us meet those challenges. We want to be active in working with the scientists to find solutions around nitrogen and phosphorus losses, rather than sitting around and waiting for others to figure it out.
Why do you think it's important?
Historically the land has been a food bowl providing for our iwi, from growing kumara pre-Europeans, to producing food from sheep and cows. We need to take a long-term view about how we can maintain that while being strong guardians of the land for future generations.


How will farmers and the industry benefit?
As farmers, if we have the right tools to take care of the land and water, we are making sure we have a future where we can feed and provide jobs for our people. That’s a win-win.
Management and experience with implementing FRNL options
Annual summary
Farm details |
2016/17 |
2017/18 |
2018/19 |
Source, comments |
Cows and farm size |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Herd size (1st July) |
1143 |
1098 |
1000 |
Actual |
Peak cows milked |
1030 |
1058 |
1031 |
Actual |
Farm size (effective ha) |
369 |
369 |
369 |
Actual |
Stocking rate (cows/ha) |
2.8 |
2.9 |
2.8 |
Peak cows/eff. ha |
Liveweight (kg) |
446 |
4461 |
4461 |
Actual |
Feeding |
|
|
|
|
Pasture offered (t DM/ha) Pasture offered (t DM/cow) Supplements offered (t/cow) Off farm grazing (t/cow) Supplement offered (t/ha) Supplements + off-farm grazing/feed offered (%) Purchased feed/feed offered (%) |
11.9 4.2 1.1 0.4 3.3 26 10 |
11.5 4 1.2 0.5 3.6 30 18 |
11.9 3.8 1.1 0.8 3.3 33 17 |
Farmax Farmax Farmax Farmax Actual Farmax Farmax |
Production |
|
|
|
|
kg MS to factory kg MS/ha |
342,397 928 |
400,797 1086 |
367,310 995 |
Actual Actual |
kg MS/cow (peak cows milked) |
331 |
379 |
356 |
Actual |
Nitrogen |
|
|
|
|
Fertiliser N applied (kg N/ha) |
155 |
197 |
142 |
Actual |
Surplus of purchased N (kg N/ha) |
140 |
205 |
129 |
Calculated2 |
Purchased N use efficiency (%) |
32 |
26 |
34 |
Calculated3 |
N leaching (kg N/ha) |
61 |
71 |
55 |
OverseerSci v6.3.2 4 |
N surplus (kg N/ha) Overseer |
210 |
280 |
208 |
OverseerSci v6.3.2 4 |
N use efficiency (%) Overseer |
24% |
20% |
24% |
OverseerSci v6.3.24 |
1 Used 2016/17 data, as only heifers weighed in subsequent years.
2 Fertiliser N + fed imported supplement N - product N (milk and meat).
3 100 × product N ÷ (fertiliser + fed imported supplement N).
4 Overseer includes estimates of N inputs from biological fixation, rainfall and irrigation.
Further changes Parekarangi will implement
As a result of learnings from this programme:
- Parekarangi will continue using crops to provide feed to the milking herd.
- Turnips will continue to be used to increase late summer feed quality and supply at a time where there is a risk of low rainfall limiting pasture production.
- Experimentation will continue to determine the best approach to incorporate oats into the farming system.
- The high winter and spring rainfall on this farm made the establishment of oats as a catch crop following autumn-grazed fodder beet and subsequent pasture establishment in spring challenging.
- In 2019 oats were sown straight from pasture and following turnip crops, with a larger total area than previous seasons.
- Although fodder beet was successful in extending lactation and increasing milk production in 2017/18, the long duration that paddocks were non-productive following grazing reduced their value for this farm.
- Plantain was assessed as both a crop and as part of a mixed pasture. Difficulties with persistence of plantain led to no further use on this farm.


New pasture establishing after turnips, May 2019
Download the Parekarangi annual report here.