Management Strategy

Maximise productivity both milk and live weight gain by ensuring all dairy livestock are well fed by offering the highest quality pasture, pre-grazing targets of; 2,850kgDM/ha September-January, 3,000kgDM/ha February -April, 3200kgDM/ha May - August and consistent post grazing residuals of 1,600kgDM/ha.

Produce 630 kilograms of milk solids (kgMS), 9,500 litres per cow and 2,420kgMS per irrigated hectare with less than 2000kgDM of imported supplement.

Grow the highest yielding, highest quality, persistent pastures and legume varieties that can be managed effectively to ensure that maximum MJME/ha is utilised. Renovate 10% annually using the highest yielding, highest quality crops that support the pasture renovation programme relieving feed deficits January, February and March.

Optimise profitability by disciplined feeding of supplements. Only using supplements that minimise wastage and increase profitability.

Utilising the Allfex Cow Monitoring system, implement an intensive disciplined AI reproduction programme minimising intervention and cost.   Breeding progeny for longevity, high feed conversion efficiency and pasture-based milk production. Week 1-2 sex selected Dairy semen, week 3-9 Beef semen and 10-12 Beef Bull. R2’s to be mated with sex selected semen then followed by Beef Bull. Planned start of calving (PSC) 1st July August.

Manage close-up/springers with pasture, maize silage, cereal straw and X-Zelit to manage metabolic health 

Manage early lactation by identifying animals potentially susceptible to health and fertility deviation by actively managing in a separate focus group.

Manage late lactation using tools such as OAD and 3 in 2 milking to improve cow comfort, reduce lameness and ensure target body condition scores are achieved at dry off and calving.

Manage pasture covers at dry off and PSC that will minimise the need for supplementary feeding and ensure optimal feeding levels in early lactation.

Maximising efficiency during the milking process minimising milking time, labour and cow pen times. 

Rear all calves born.

Maximise nutrient efficiency and maintain soil fertility at levels that support high pasture production whilst minimising Nitrogen and Phosphorous surplus and losses by fertilising by a balance approach and managing by soil type and topography. Follow up with soil testing. 

Develop a nutrient balance strategy that enables continued improvement ensuring that all local regulatory requirements are met and/or exceeded and best farm management is continued/achieved.

Manage occupational health and safety (OHS) by continually identifying and recording actual and potential hazards, actively managing these hazards by refining the management systems mitigating risk to personnel.

Encourage all staff to contribute to the development of the OHS policy ensuring that all safety initiatives are practical, therefore, ensuring a higher level of compliance. 

Use and continue to develop detailed standard operating procedures (SOP’s) with industry experts and staff.

Use SOP’S as part of the training initiative to increase staff competency and promote best practice farming.

Use SOP’S to form basis of the Occupational Health and safety framework.

Refine management systems to decrease stress, increase body condition and improve welfare of cows through increased pasture intake.

Increase buffer zones on environmentally sensitive areas with native plantings and improve the environmental value of stock exclusion areas.