As a dairy assistant, my job specification is to aid in the milking and management of the cows. There is a 60-bail rotary parlour on the farm, and milking the 773 cows takes approximately two hours and 20 minutes.

For a new parlour, it is very basic, with no cluster removers, meal feeders or a dump line, reflecting the simple but effective way dairy farmers think and work here. I work with two others on the farm and David, the 2IC (second in command), who ensures work is being done and to a good standard.

Milking begins at 5.30am and 2.30pm every day, which took a bit of getting used to. Usually our jobs rotate week on week. For example, one week you could be getting the cows, which means you could be starting at 4.30am to ensure the cows are in the collecting yard and ready for milking at 5.30am depending on which paddock they are in. We all work on an 11-day on, three-day off roster. This gives us three days off to travel and see New Zealand. It’s not all about work.

Cost is everything

Keeping costs to a minimum is the key to success in dairy farming, in good times and in bad according to Erik. After being on the farm for over a month now, I really do see why Kiwi dairy farmers are the best in the world. The way grass is managed and utilised is phenomenal.

Great lengths are taken to protect regrowth and to graze grass at the three-leaf stage. The Kiwi way might not be the most labour-effective way, but it is the most cost-effective and it’s what keeps them on top of the game.

From speaking to Erik and from our regular farm meetings, the cost of producing 1kg of milk solids on this farm varies between $3.70 and $4. With the average cost of production in New Zealand being $5.40, we are managing our costs very effectively, and at a very low $3.90 milk price, our farm is still making some profit.

The real eye-opener for me since I came to New Zealand is how the farms are run like proper commercial enterprises and how every little detail is taken and scrutinised to ensure a profit is being made.

Erik is extremely cost-conscious and will only spend money if it’s absolutely necessary and if it will be of benefit to the business. The real eye-opener for me since I came to New Zealand is how the farms are run like proper commercial enterprises and how every little detail is taken and scrutinised to ensure a profit is being made. This is totally different to the laid-back, family farms that rely on direct payments to get them by which we often see at home.

However, I do believe that having the family farm culture is a good quality to have and New Zealand lacks this. I still believe that for Irish farmers to compete they need to become a lot more business-minded.

Full weekly grass walk

Budgets here are done weekly to ensure cost of production is kept under $3.90/kg MS and the farm does not go into debt. A complete farm grass walk is done weekly, so that covers can be utilised efficiently and to ensure that the use of expensive bought-in feed, such as palm kernel and silage, is kept to a minimum and used only if necessary.

It seems to me that grazed grass is the key to driving profit and the more you can grow and use, the better.

Martin Duggan is a BSc agricultural science student at Waterford Institute of Tehchnology from Galmoy in Co Kilkenny. He received the ASA/Arvum Group travel bursary supported by the Irish Farmers Journal.

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