Jerseyland Farms – March 2023

Changes:

Vicki Goodeve has handed over the supervision of the farm to Pete Aitkin. Pete has recently returned from a few years with Grasslands Missouri, USA, supervising farms and managing the operation. He has farmed in South Waikato and Taranaki prior to this. Vicki and her family are moving to Masterton. Vicki has been great to work with, ensuring that the farm is well set up.

There will also be a new Contract Milker on farm from June 1. There were 18 applicants. The attraction for many was the location, being close to Invercargill, and the potential the farm had. Vicki and Julie were responsible for interviewing 5 candidates. Following thorough due diligence the board have offered the position to Dyllan Geerlings and Rachel Jackson. Pete is finalising the contract with Dyllan and Rachel.

Chris and Phillipa have done a great job for Jerseyland Farms as seen in the production and general tidiness of the farm.

Effluent and Water Consent:

Environment Southland require a renewal of consents by August 2022, so a company specialising in completing these has been engaged, and progress is going well.

Efficiency:

We have seen some great signs of efficiency this year – whilst there is a number of reasons – having over a third jerseys on the farm is a major one.Last season 260 tonne of feed was fed through the shed and no supplement was made on farm. This season, to late February we had fed 84 tonne of feed, made 369 bales of silage and are just 1.9 percent behind season to date.

Crops:

The winter crop is well established, as is the new grass. There have been issues with weeds in the spring sown pasture swards, which appears to be Southland wide. It’s unusual in Southland to have to spray new pasture, but this was needed.

Production:

Cows averaged 1.57 kgMS per day through February.Production is currently 50 kgMS per day ahead of the same time last year.Feeding levels have been impacted by a drier than normal summer, as can be seen in the pasture growth curve. Pasture cover was 2000 kgDM/ha late February.

Finance:

Jerseyland Farms is currently in strong cashflow position. This meant the board moved its first dividend payment forward, paying a total of $100,000 to investors in January. Progress to Jerseys:The board is still working on securing animals for next season.

The board will visit the farm 31 March.