They lease a neighbouring support block to graze their youngstock, keeping up to 110 heifers each year. And they have a good market for surplus heifers and beef calves.
On the farm, pasture is their key focus. They keep a close eye on round lengths and residuals to ensure optimal use. The cows are on 24-hour grazing, going into a fresh paddock at night. After the morning milking, Michelle or their 2IC, Phillip Boshoff, checks the paddock to assess feed availability and coordinates with Bill to adjust the supplements as needed. They use the feedpad daily.
“Pasture comes first, and then, depending on pasture availability, we adjust what’s fed on the feedpad accordingly.”
“Early in our farming career, we would measure and analyse as much as possible, adjusting feed, changing stocking rates, drying off at different times, and as we’ve built our knowledge and skill.”
Towards the end of lactation and over the dry period when they don’t need as much grass, 20 hectares of the farm is planted in maize. They also grow 4.4ha of lucerne.
Bill spent years refining the herd’s diet, balancing cost and availability with the herd’s nutrient requirements. Now he has a simple process, using a base of maize with palm kernel expeller (PKE), molasses and, depending on the time of year, some soy hull, and lucerne in winter.