The Dairy Exporter Podcast Proud Country Network

Having a methane breeding value would see a 5-15% reduction in methane output from the New Zealand national dairy herd by 2050. But one Waikato dairy farmer shares how he has already been on this journey to build a more efficient herd, lowering his greenhouse gas profile for a decade. 

 

Guests include:


David Chin,  Chief executive of LIC
James Smallwood, Chief executive of CRV Ambreed
George Moss, Waikato dairy farmer 
Suzanne Rowe, AgResearch senior scientist

Hosts:


Sheryl Haitana, Editor, Dairy Exporter
Anne Lee, Deputy Editor, Dairy Exporter
Delwyn Dickey, Journalist, Dairy Exporter

 

Waikato dairy farmer George Moss shares his journey to build a more efficient herd for a decade. A herd which has lowered his farm’s greenhouse gases and improved his profitability. The herd has moved from the 50% percentile to the top 3% nationally and he has more efficient cows milking on a shorter lactation.

He is passionate about lowering the environmental footprint and has found some good results through focussing on breeding more efficient cows. 

LIC and CRV have collaborated on a methane research programme which has found a variation in bulls that have a lower methane emission. 

Both David Chin, chief executive of LIC and James Smallwood, chief executive of CRV Ambreed discuss the methane research programme and the steps that need to be taken to deliver a methane breeding value to New Zealand dairy farmers by 2026. 

They chat about how a methane trait has to be part of the other key selection criteria for farmers and how the research has to be robust for NZ to stand behind the claims that our cows are lower methane emitters. 

The pair also talk about the importance of collaboration between industry competitors in NZ and globally to try and tackle some of the bigger challenges the industry faces.

AgResearch senior scientist Suzanne Rowe tells journalist Delwyn Dickey about the progress NZ is making in methane research and how they are working with the Government to recognise the ranking of lower methane animals. 

She also discusses the prospect of testing methane from milk samples, with promising results from their research with sheep with good predictors, and how that can cross over to dairy cows. 

Read more about methane breeding here

https://dairyexporter.co.nz/is-breeding-the-answer/
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We have a mountain to climb to shift a narrative with society of farming as well as a determined effort by political leaders to develop the best stable of agricultural policies in the world - but first we must draw on what is happening globally as New Zealand is but isn't unique. 

2023 Nuffield scholar and Gisborne sheep & beef farmer, Kerry Worsnop says, we need better leadership that's prepared to elevate the importance of the primary sector to the New Zealand public both environmentally and economically even if it's at the expense of political wins.

Guests include:


Kerry Worsnop - 2023 Nuffield Scholar and Gisborne sheep & beef farmer.

Hosts:


Sarah Perriam-Lampp, Managing Director, CountryWide Media

Read Kerry's full Nuffield Report "Designing agricultural policy for a future in farming"

This episode is a special bonus episode through CountryWide Media’s partnership with Rural Leaders and the New Zealand Nuffield Farming Scholarship. 
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What we do in winter has a fundamental impact on the productivity of our pastures, from a persistence perspective, a soil health perspective, and from a production yield perspective. But where do you start? 

Farmers Will Grayling and Will Green discuss their two dairy farm businesses. The pair both focus on profitable pasture-based systems and share their top tips on hitting pasture cover targets. Barenbrug’s Graham Kerr also chats about getting the most out of your pasture crops, when to start having conversations, making strategies, and communicating them. 

Guests include:


Will Grayling, Singletree Dairies Limited
Will Green, Greener Grazing Limited & Dairy Holdings
Graham Kerr, pasture systems manager, Barenbrug

Hosts:


Sheryl Haitana, Editor, Dairy Exporter
Anne Lee, Deputy Editor, Dairy Exporter
Sarah Perriam-Lampp, Managing Director of CountryWide Media

Will Grayling and Will Green hosted the 2023 Spring Pasture Summit in Ashburton, and while their approach to supplement use is vastly different, their end goal is the same: pasture is king. Anne gets into the nuts and bolts of their individual systems, and how they’re faring in the current business landscape. 

Will Green is in his fourth season sharemilking for Dairy Holdings, and uses minimum bought-in supplement (80kg drymatter per cow). Will Green has been in an equity partnership for the last decade with the van der Poels, and uses 900-1100kg of drymatter per cow.

Barenbrug’s Graham Kerr says when it comes to pastures farmers need to know what their strategy is. Once you have the plan you communicate it to everyone involved.

He talks about the research behind the impacts of pugging in crops, and encourages farmers to be thinking about managing it, if they aren’t already. 

Read more of Graham’s tips here.

Check out Barenbrug’s Better Pastures Together podcast here.

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It’s no secret that as prices continue to increase across the board, fertiliser has famously gotten more expensive. With the introduction of a wholesale fertiliser company, the market is about to change.

But in the meantime, farmers are looking for ways to manage their fertiliser costs and nutrient footprint - and what are the best ways to do this without breaking the bank? Sheryl Haitana talks to those who have managed to do this successfully, including using variable rate fertiliser applications, and annual soil testing. 

Guests include:


Leonie Guiney, Fairlie dairy farmer
Patrick Davis, CEO, Catalyst Ag
Matthew Richards, CEO, Fortuna Group

Hosts:


Sheryl Haitana, Editor, Dairy Exporter
Anne Lee, Deputy Editor, Dairy Exporter
Sarah Perriam-Lampp, Managing Director of CountryWide Media

Fairlie farmer Leonie Guiney keeps on top of fertiliser costs by soil testing every winter. She  uses this data to monitor each paddock's individual soil situation to get optimum pasture growth. The benefit of testing in the winter is to reduce the impact of any recent fertiliser applications.

Leonie operates a pasture-based dairy system in Fairlie and says the beauty of the system is it’s simple to run, but it has been a matter of necessity rather than choice.

Australian fertiliser company Marnco is scheduled for arrival in New Zealand early next year. Catalyst Ag CEO Patrick Davis says Marnco’s entry into the market will provide a much-needed dose of competition, which will hopefully make the established companies think about what value they’re providing to their customers. 

At the moment there are only two fertiliser companies and Marnco could be a good opportunity to break up the duopoly they hold on the market. Sarah Perriam-Lampp talks to Patrick about what the wholesale model could mean for the existing cooperatives. 

Matthew Richards from Southland farm collective Fortuna Groups says nutrient placement is the key to being cost-effective with fertiliser. While Fortuna’s philosophy of variable rate fertiliser didn’t come from a cost-cutting mindset, it has certainly helped maintain a consistent price-point for almost a decade. 

Part of their system is monitoring their paddocks, including all paddock soil testing every four years. He says sometimes when times are tough it’s better to invest in testing rather than product, so you don’t spend money on unnecessary product and guessing how much your paddock needs. He says by doing this they’ve made 10-20% savings on fertiliser costs.

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An opportunity to connect, learn and inspire - The Dairy Industry Awards took place in Queenstown last weekend, and host Sheryl Haitana takes the opportunity to talk to those leading the way in the dairy sector. 

Across the board the winners say the highlight is creating lifelong connections, and being inspired by others in the industry who take pride in their work. 

Guests include:


Will Hinton & Kali Rangiawha, Share Farmers of the Year
Kieran McCahon, Dairy Manager of the Year
Kirwyn Ellis, Dairy Trainee of the Year

Hosts:


Sheryl Haitana, Editor, Dairy Exporter

Kali Rangiawha and Will Hinton are contract milking on a Manawatu farm, and say farming is in their blood. Kali has been dairy farming in New Zealand and Australia for more than a decade, while Will emigrated here from England, keen to continue on farming like his ancestors, after growing up in Wiltshire. 

Will puts the couple's success onfarm down to Kali’s courage and can-do attitude, and being able to balance raising three children alongside running the dairy operation on their own. For them, the appeal of contract milking was being able to incorporate their kids into their work day - a journey Kali shares with her followers on her Instagram account. 

Northland farmer Kieran McCahon has been back on the family farm for two years now, and takes joy in having a unique beach-facing farm. He says it can be a harsh environment, but a beauty you learn to respect. He entered the Dairy Industry Awards to benchmark himself in dairy managing after spending a long time studying. He’s proudly the first person from Northland to take out the Manager trophy. 

Dairy Trainee of the Year Kirwyn Ellis is working just down the road from the fifth-generation Waikato farm he grew up on. He says he’s living the dream, by doing something he’s wanted to do all his life. The drawcard for him is working with cows, land and people. 

He was inspired to enter the awards after being encouraged to by a former winner who lives in the area. It's a great way for the younger generation to benchmark themselves amongst their peers, get valuable feedback from the judges, and make long-lasting connections across the dairy sector. 

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Women in rural communities are known for wearing many different hats, and the Dairy Women’s Network (DWN) conference is a showcase of the women going above and beyond in the dairy sector and in their communities. 

The DWN’s 2024 “Enhance, Elevate, Evolve” conference was held in New Plymouth last week, and included the first ever non-dairy farmer recipient of the Fonterra Woman of the Year Award, herd health veterinarian Katrina Roberts.

Host Sheryl Haitana takes the opportunity to talk to two DWN award recipients, as well as the CEO of DWN about the inspiring work being done by women in the dairy industry. 

Guests include:


Katrina Roberts, Fonterra Woman of the Year
Jules Benton, CEO, Dairy Women’s Network (DWN)
Rebecca O’Brien, DWN Regional Winner of the Year

Hosts:


Sheryl Haitana, Editor, Dairy Exporter
Sarah Perriam-Lampp, managing director of CountryWide Media

Fonterra Woman of the Year Katrina Roberts says receiving the award as a herd health veterinarian is a great opportunity to showcase the important role vets play onfarm.

After growing up on a beef and pig farm in Australia, she developed a passion for the dairy industry, especially with the farmers themselves. She talks to Sheryl about the work she’s done with her research as a vet, as well as life as an on-call dairy vet. 

DWN’s CEO Jules Benton says the awards are a great way to celebrate women in the dairy sector, who often just quietly get on with their work. She says it’s also a great opportunity to inspire other women in the sector, to take on leadership roles and get involved in their local communities. 

DWN’s Regional Winner for 2024 Rebecca O’Brien says her award is reflective of not just her work, but of the organisations that she works with. She says without those groups she wouldn’t be doing what she is now. 

Rebecca discusses her journey from growing up in the city, to moving to a remote dairy farm with her husband, in the Eastern Bay of Plenty. She gives Sheryl an update on what’s next for her various groups, to keep locals connected in their community. 

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