Hinemoa Quality Producers Ltd

More documents

Recommendations

Info

• Proactively Good Brian and Jacqui Wellington ...Continued the deer waste is still used. Feed pit scrapings are regularly set aside, lime is mixed in and the brew sits until March when it is applied back onto pasture. “That’s fertiliser we don’t have to buy,” says Brian. JUDGES’ COMMENTS looking for new innovations, finding solutions, trying new ideas. • mix of stock variety for land and soil types and to fit feed quality and demand. • Good work/leisure balance. Excellent fencing of waterways and planting of natives. Behavioural observation is put to good use throughout the farm minimising the unproductive and destructive problem of fence pacing by the deer. A number of measures are standard practise explains Brian: “We always try to keep them fully fed, we move them on if the weather is wet, so they aren’t eating dirty pasture, we have electric outriggers on all fences, and we always try to work it so we never have deer on both sides of the fence.” This last measure is the most difficult to implement he says. “Trying to put it in practise is the hardest part, it does take a lot of planning, but it is worth it.” Understanding the territorial nature of stags, particularly during the four-month period around the roar, dictates how they are managed. Once they get to around 3.5 years old, stags are set stocked during the roar at five to a hectare on the rougher ground. “Then you leave them alone and they find their own spots and they are happy. You can’t move them once they start to roar.” Brian is positive about the bloodlines they are fostering. “We’ve spent a lot of money on breeding stags at times and it is now showing up, especially in our velveting stags.” The improvement is clear when it is considered a two-year-old stag in the 1980s producing 1.1kgs of velvet was a keeper, now that figure is 2.2kgs and up. “This year we had a stag cut 10kgs and it’s only six, we are thrilled.” Apart from Brian and Jacqui there are two full-time employees on the farm, a stock manager and a general hand.
Frank and Wendy Portegys ‘Braemar Lands <strong>Ltd</strong>’ BALLANCE NUTRIENT MANAGEMENT AWARD LIC DAIRY FARM AWARD The judges described this family-owned business, situated on Scotsman Valley Road north of Cambridge, as “a very well run low input dairy farm”. At the helm of this 140ha (135ha effective) farm is Frank Portegys. “Frank is a very enthusiastic individual who is always trying to think outside the square to have a competitive advantage over other farmers while staying sustainable,” wrote the judges in their feedback report. The award judges were impressed with the effectiveness of this family partnership, noting that Frank and Wendy were the recognised entrants to these awards despite the collective ownership of Braemar Lands by the Portegys’, Ben and Justine Cameron and Chresten and Rachel Davis. Wendy, Ben and Rachel are siblings. The judges described the business structure as “a great working relationship between shareholders” who also choose to spend time and holiday together. Time management is clearly a well-honed skill in the Portegys household. In addition to helping Frank run the farm Wendy is a PE teacher at Morrinsville College and the couple have four children, this year attending four schools. Nicolaas (15), Keeley (13), Jack (11) and Mandi (8) all help out on the farm. Cows are milked all year round with approximately two-thirds of the herd spring calving and one third autumn calving. Dry cows are wintered off to avoid having to feed supplements over winter to the milkers. From December milking is once a day. “This farm is three kilometres to the back, so once a day saves the cows a long walk in the heat of the afternoon,” explains Frank, “it also reduces workload over summer and has a positive impact on cow condition.” The 378 cows (peak milked) produced, for the 12 months to the end of January, 137,000 kg MS. When the Braemar partnership began with the purchase of the flat to rolling (with some steeper sidings) property in 2008, Frank was a long time between milkings. He’d last milked cows as a university student and upon graduating had spent eight years as a fertiliser representative and six years working for Dairy NZ. He believes that while he took longer to complete practical farm tasks in his first year, his broad experience gained in agribusiness is an asset. “I’ve seen what works and what doesn’t,” he says. The judges commended the Portegys’ encouragement of staff into industry training and interest in their well-being. Employee Darren Smith won the ‘Dairy Trainee of the Year’ in the 2011 Dairy Excellence Awards and is moving on to a lower order sharemilking position in June. Relief milker Mike Smith is happily stepping into Darren’s job. • Excellent low input system with all costs continuously monitored to ensure farm is sustainable at all payouts. • Very good understanding of soil science, soil processes and nutrient cycling; modest stocking rate and use of nitrogen. Great start to riparian planting; good medium term targets and future goals. use and monitoring of water in dairy shed; very well organised throughout the farm, has finger on the pulse. • Efficient JUDGES’ COMMENTS
Page 1 and 2: 2012 WAIKATO Chris and Vikki Nichol
Page 3: Brian and Jacqui Wellington BEEF +
Page 7 and 8: Ian and Judy Nelson (managers), Lan

Hinemoa Quality Producers Ltd

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?