We were young, energetic, highly indebted, and determined to show that we could make stuff happen.
Winter cropping, the norm for the previous generation of farmers taking on low fertility properties covered in browntop, was dismissed as old school.
‘Hoof and tooth’ was the mantra of the time and any suggestion that fewer better fed animals might be beneficial was quickly dismissed by those at discussion groups.
The concept of all-grass farming was embraced and short even covers were the sign of progress, however we also knew of a farming family close by doing things differently.
They were from Europe, their animals were much bigger and they fed a lot more supplement, including molasses. They weren’t alone, there were a handful in the district focussed on fully feeding their stock.
As our focus was high utilisation of pasture because that’s supposedly where the profit was, ‘expensive’ supplement was somehow seen as cheating and those doing so didn’t attend discussion groups.
Our reference then became those also chronically underfeeding often well-bred and reared animals. Looking back we sometimes wonder why we didn’t follow our instinct and reduce animal numbers and feed them better.
However, banks encouraged higher animal numbers as they were part of the total farm equity, and large factories were dependant on ever increasing volume to provide a payment to farmers that was just a little above that required to survive from one season to the next.
Cows, operators, families, and land were under stress resulting in youngsters brought up on farms opting where possible for vocations in towns and cities.
There are cycles in all things and the future of dairying increasingly looks like smaller factories providing specialist niche high-margin market products.
To meet the quality standards and traceability farms may well shrink in size with fewer elite animals fed higher energy, fibre, and full-protein rich diets.
Less synthetic nitrogen will be applied to increasingly diverse species pastures with products sold as pasture based, as distinct from grass fed.
One thing however won’t change and that is the reliance on clover as the foundation of our permanent high producing pasture.
Because clovers fix nitrogen in response to an increase in demand from rapidly growing grasses and herbs, a negligible amount is lost to groundwater.
And because it is under permanently grazed pasture that carbon is most readily sequestered, intensive dairying will be recognised as an environmentally desirable activity and will occupy high quality land close to major urban centres.
The farms, along with the data necessary to support the above vision, already exist, and a return akin to that of the town-supply farms that existed in the 1960’s and 70’s almost certainly will re-appear.
It’s an exciting future for those prepared to break from existing constraints. There’s a lot to learn however for those that embrace the vision it’s a stimulating and thought-provoking process that can be enjoyed with an ever increasing support group.
Children of farming families will once again be proud of their family enterprise and keen to introduce friends to what is a genuinely exciting and rewarding lifestyle.
For more information call Peter on 027 495 0041.
