Newsletter Spring 2012
Andrew Jackson: Farming Matters
The obvious way to begin this newsletter is by acknowledging
the deluge that occurred during the greater part of August.
Well done to the farmers who had some positive newspaper
exposure, regarding animal welfare and the constant rain. It’s
great for us as farmers to be cast as the heroes rather than
villains occasionally. I’m sure from the public’s perspective it
was refreshing to see us in a different light to the one usually
played out in the media. Farming continues its roller coaster
ride, with falling returns and higher input costs. Although
none of that’s new of course, we are all in this together.
We’re still shuddering from some increases in the costs
associated with running a contracting business, especially
having just paid our insurance premiums.
Dairy Conversion: Infant Stages
The dairy conversion has been a learning curve, with some
highs and some lows thrown in there as well. We have learnt
a lot about the effects of poor pasture quality and I’m sure we
are going to learn about the idiosyncrasies associated with
dry-land dairy farming in Mid Canterbury very quickly. We are
thankful to our sharemilkers Dario and Rosanna Roma
and their team for their brilliant efforts and positive attitude.
Cost Saving: For Tight Times
There are always areas of our business that we can re-focus
on. In times of falling returns, one of the largest expenses
for farmers is feed conservation. It’s an expense that is often
expressed in cents per kilogram but a few moments on a
calculator can bring some nasty surprises to your attention.
Some smarter decisions made during the silage season can
make a huge difference to the cost of a job we are doing.
“Keep an eye on the cents and the dollars
will look after themselves”
As an example; let’s say we’re baling 40ha of high quality
spring grass silage. It’s going to yield 3,500 kgDM/ha, So
140,000 kgDM total. The grass is being purchased for $0.20/
kgDM, and its 30km away from the dairy farm.
Example A, with poor decisions made:
• Mow with a non-conditioner disc mower $55/ha
• Poor wilting and no tedding
• Bale at 25%DM
• Claas 3400 square bales
weigh 950kg x 25%DM = 237kgDM per bale
• 590 bales off 40ha
590 bales x $30/bale
Rake/Bale/Tube-wrap
$17,700
40ha x $55/ha
Mowing
$2,200
590 bales x $8/bale
Cartage
140,000 kgDM x $0.20/kgDM Grass
Therefore the cost delivered is $0.375/kgDM!
$4,700
$28,000
$52,620
Example B, now let’s be smarter about this:
• Mow with a correctly set mower-conditioner $70/ha
• We run through with our Lely tedder $30/ha
• Bale at 45%DM
• Claas 3400 square bales
weigh 750kg x 45%DM = 337kgDM per bale
• 415 bales off the same 40ha
415 bales x $30/bale
Rake/Bale/Tube-wrap
$12,450
40ha x $70/ha
Mowing
$2,800
415 bales x $8/bale
40ha x $30/ha
Cartage
Tedding
140,000 kgDM x $0.20/kgDM Grass
$3,320
$1,200
$28,000
$47,770
The same area delivered for $0.34/kgDM, saving $4850! Reminding
us of the old adage “if you keep an eye on the cents the dollars will
look after themselves”
End Of An Era: A Legend Passes
One of life’s “good sorts” passed away a couple of weeks
ago. Mark Moodie from Methven was a local character and
very well known amongst the farming community. Having
worked in the agricultural contracting industry all his life, he
had vast local knowledge. Mark always had time for a yarn
and will be sorely missed. Our thoughts are with his family.
Todd Holmes: Operations
Rain. Well, that’s winter about summed up! Oh, and frost
too. While anybody who has lived in Canterbury long enough
knows you never turn down the free irrigation from the sky,
August did get a little ridiculous! Dairy farmers with cows
calving out in the cold and wet, and cropping farmers unable
to get on with cultivation and drilling. Everyone was relieved
to finally see the sun and some warmth.
On a personal note I have some extra excitement added to
this coming season as my wife Madde is pregnant with our
second child. Due for delivery on the 10th of January, just in
perfect time I’m sure for the first big nor-west harvest day no
doubt! Maybe we should have thought that through more!
Local Staff: A Boost For The Future
As usual we have spent the winter recruiting operators for
the imminent silage season and harvest. We focused a lot on
finding young local people with potential to return for many
consecutive seasons. I myself spent my summer holidays
while at university (an increasingly long time ago!) driving a
baler. It was a great way to fund my studies and I always
enjoyed the long hours and varied routine that is unique to our
business. Hopefully we can continue to drum up some interest
amongst young local school-leavers in the future. These young
locals will gain some valuable machinery experience and in
turn will lift our average experience level and age. Of course
it’s always great to keep the revenue circulating within our
community as well. Every year it’s difficult for us to establish
a clear hierarchy within our staff. Sometimes the yard at the
beginning of the season is like watching a group of young
mountain goats banging their heads together to see who has
the hardest head. Through the more consistent staff pool we
are building we will hopefully correct this. Or just buy them all
helmets! As for the overseas contingent, this year we have
a real mix. English, Irish, Scots and unfortunately an Aussie!
We have also lifted the average age and experience level of
our overseas staff this year. While this required interviewing
3-4 times more applicants than usual, hopefully it will also
result in us being able to provide the best service possible.
Feed Trading: Onwards And Upwards
Bruce Lilley has been with us for almost 12 months now.
We’ve found him to have a wealth of farming knowledge
which has proved invaluable in his role as our Feed Trading
Representative. Bruce is honest and integrity is high on his
list of qualities. Thanks for the past 12 months Bruce; you’ve
done a sterling job.
All the best for the coming season, Andrew & Val Jackson
Newsletter Spring 2012
Staff Profiles
Harry Jackson (Harold)
Age: 18
Role: Claas 3400 Baler
Seasons working for us: lots (had no choice)
Andrew & Val’s eldest son Harry commenced working for us fulltime this year. Having
spent numerous seasons already driving the various types of equipment we run, he has
gained experience far beyond his years! Harold enjoys fishing, motorbikes and making
frequent trips to Dunedin to visit his girlfriend!
Karl Booth (Boothy)
Age: 32
Role: Isuzu Truck and Trailer unit
Seasons working for us: Just started, fulltime position
Karl is a local Ashburton lad. In the past he has driven trucks for McCormicks, Freightlines
and latterly Hilton Haulage as a milk tanker driver contracted to Synlait. He is married to
Tania and has two children Jaylen (3 years) and Kody (7 months). His interest include
gardening and tramping/outdoors.
Balabha Lorenzo (Buzz)
Age: 21
Role: Wrapping
Seasons working for us: 3 years
Buzz is a local Methven lad. He is one of our most experienced wrappers, having
spent the past 3 seasons with us. In the off-season he has a position in the ski-patrol
department at Mt Hutt. His interests include skiing, sky-diving and basically anything
else dangerous he can find.
Andreas Wilson (Dre)
Age: 21
Role: Wrapping
Seasons working for us: 3 years
Andreas is also a local Methven lad and one of our more experienced wrappers, having
spent the past 3 seasons with us. He is currently studying Science at Canterbury
University, majoring in Geography. His interests include soccer and rapping at our
Christmas party.
Canterbury Looking Forward: An Exciting Place To Be
Many things are changing rapidly at the moment; dairy
payouts, grain prices, meat and fibre prices, weather, dairy
conversions, irrigation schemes... the list goes on. No doubt
Canterbury will be a very interesting and exciting place to
live over the coming years. And of course change will always
present us with great opportunities in what we do. It’s far better
to focus on these than the things that temporarily hold us back.
Remember to come and see us at the Ashburton A&P Show
26th and 27th of October, and look out for “Brucilla” (Bruce
Lilley’s drag queen alter ego!), at the Miss Methven Pageant,
November 3rd. I look forward to working with you over the
coming season.
Kind Regards, Todd Holmes
Joke: Have A Laugh On Us
A farmer is sitting in the neighbourhood bar slowly getting drunk. A man comes in and asks the farmer, “Hey, why are you
sitting here on this beautiful day getting drunk?” The farmer says, “Some things you just can’t explain.”
“So what happened that is so horrible?” the man asked. The farmer then decides to try an answer, “Well if you must know,
today I was sitting by my cow milking her. Just as I got the bucket about full, she took her left leg and kicked it over.”
“That’s not so bad, what’s the big deal?” The farmer says, “Some things you just can’t explain.”
“So what happened?” the man asked again. The farmer, relenting, continued, “I took her left leg and tied it to the post on the
left with some rope. Then I sat down and continued to milk her. Just as I got the bucket about full she took her right leg and
kicked it over.” “Again?” The farmer says, “Some things you just can’t explain.”
“So, what did you do then?” the man asked, intrigued.“I took her right leg and tied it to the post on the right. I sat back down
and continued to milk her, and just as I got the bucket just about full, the stupid cow knocked over the bucket with her tail.”
“Wow, you must have been pretty upset! but that’s no reason to just sit here getting all depressed.” The farmer says, “Some
things you just can’t explain.”
“So then what else did you do?” the man asked again. “Well I didn’t have any more rope, so I took off my belt and tied her tail
to the rafter. That’s when my pants fell down and my wife walked in.”
Newsletter Spring 2012
Machinery This Season: Lime Green
This season will see the addition of two new Claas Arion tractors to our fleet along with a new Claas Jaguar 950 forage
harvester. This signifies our relationship with Claas Harvest Centre and the value we place on their back-up service. We have
come to find their company ethos un-matched in our area amongst machinery dealers. With the amount of work we need to
get through in the time we have, it is imperative we keep machines moving whenever necessary. CHC know this and have
tailored the way they run their business to meet both contractors and farmers needs.
Bruce Lilley: Feed Trading
What a pleasure to have some fine, sunny weather after a
cool frosty winter and a wet early spring. Methven Senior
Rugby and Netball teams have made us all proud by winning
their respective competitions. With calving and lambing in full
swing the silage season will soon be upon us.
Grass Silage: The Staple Supplement
With the silage season fast approaching, the price of grass
will very much depend on quality and availability. First cut
grass silage generally brings a premium due to its high ME
and digestibility. Healthy relationships between growers and
buyers are always needed, so each party can benefit from
the rewards.
Feed Trading Role: 12 Months In
Having been in the feed trading position for nearly 12 months
now, I would like to thank Todd, Andrew and Val for their
ongoing support in making me very welcome into my role and
their business. It has been a pleasure meeting old and new
clients and I look forward to doing business with you over the
coming months. I hope you have a wonderful season going
forward as we need each other in order to be successful both
now and in the future. Keep the 3rd of November free, Jackson
& Holmes have an entrant in the “Miss Methven Competition”.
Maize Silage: Premium Feed
The maize planting season is just around the corner and
with it comes a lot of discussion on price in relation to the
dairy payout. In most situations all the grower and buyer are
looking for is a “fair deal”. Maize is a wonderful product for
maintaining cow condition pre drying-off and post calving. A
maize contract gives feed reliability at both ends of the season
and removes the gamble of a fluctuating grass market.
Transport Services: A Historic Partnership
As you will know Philip Wareing Ltd. has provided us with transport services for a very long time now. We have forged a
business relationship through thick and thin that has truly stood the test of time. Common goals like community minded
sponsorship, loyalty to our customers and commitment to growth has helped us to work together in providing the best
service possible.
Cereal Silage: Cows Love It
Cereal silage is a very under-rated crop for quality and feed
utilization. For an arable farmer, cereal silage gives options
such as early crop removal followed by a brassica for lamb
finishing or dairy grazing. Demand for cereal silage often
increases due to limited supply of other feeds particularly
grass. With the dairy sectors need for supplement increasing,
the cereal silage option will become even more attractive.
Kind Regards, Bruce Lilley
Newsletter Spring 2012
Client Profiles
Misty Downs Farms Ltd.
Paul Adams and Debs Taggart are in their fifth season as
equity managers on their 191ha (effective) dairy farm. The
farm is in the higher rain fall area of Mt Hutt and receives
an average rain fall of 45 inches. They are milking 650 cows
this season. Paul’s area of focus is the practical aspects
of dairying and feed budgeting. Debs takes control of the
calf rearing plus all record keeping and accounting. All the
cows are wintered and the young stock grazed at the nearby
Marr Family Farms. Anyone who knows Paul and Debs will
appreciate that they are great people to deal with and this
comes across in the farm motto. “Fair, Fun & Focussed”.
Fair: Not aiming to be the best or the worst.
Fun: Having a laugh & joke along the way.
Focussed: We have targets to meet.
Another classic Debism is MIUAYGA, or “make it up as you
go along!”
One of Paul and Debs’ philosophies is to build good
relationships with people where there are mutual benefits.
Our contracting business would sit nicely in this category. We
supply Misty Downs Farm with a full range of silage chopping
and baling services as well as sourcing maize, grass and
cereal silage.
McKendry Farm Ltd.
Phil and Jude Mckendry run a 200ha mixed cropping farm
at Lyndhurst, Mid Canterbury. Phil is the fourth generation to
care for the land that has been in the McKendry name for 120
years. As founding chairman of the Barrhill Chertsey Irrigation
Scheme, water is close to the hearts of the McKendrys and
now 90% of the farm is irrigated.
They grow Wheat, Barley, Ryegrass, Watties Peas and
Maize, which integrates well with a store lamb finishing
operation. Busy people, Jude manages to fit in teaching at
Lauriston School as well as looking after the next generation
of McKendrys, Ella 16, Tom 14, and George 12.
Phil is well known locally as the chairman of the Ashburton
Trading Society as well as being a director of Electricity
Ashburton. Phil manages to keep fit playing tennis, skiing
and running; Jude enjoys her skiing, gardening and yoga. We
have been providing contracting services, which include straw
and silage baling plus the marketing of their surplus ryegrass
and wheat straw, to the McKendrys for approximately
fifteen seasons.
Office: 03 303 0872 Address: 185 Earlys Road, RD1, Ashburton, 7771
Andrew Jackson
Todd Holmes
Bruce Lilley P: 027 4393 387
P: 027 279 8926
P: 027 553 3085
E: [email protected]
E: [email protected]
E: [email protected]
www.jacksonholmes.co.nz | www.andrewjacksoncontracting.co.nz