Dairy seminar to cover a wide range of topics

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 13, Issue 634, 30 April 1996, Page 6

Dairy seminar to cover a wide range of topics

Practical advice on dairy conversions covering a wide range of detailed topics is offered in a free seminar to be held at the W aimarino Golf Club this Thursday, 2 May. Peter Feickert, rural saies manager for Ruapehu Re-

alty who is organising the seminar, said all people are welcome to the free seminar — "investors, landowners, farmers, whoever, please come along." "We hope to show people why we think the Waimarino is suitable for

dairying, apart from its history," said Mr Feickert. He said the Waimarino has been a good dairy area in the past. The meeting will start with opening comments from Owen Hammond who, for many years has with his

family successfully operated one of the most productive dairy units in the lower North Island. Owen will outline the reasons why dairying ceased and the promise for the future. The area has going for it an even disiribution of rainfall and is not prone to a summer dry, it has the good natural fertility of the Ruapehu soils, and it has the requirements of milk processors to have product coming from a region that is complementary to their present suppliers. For example both Kiwi and Tui have a large bulk coming from early calving early spring growth districts with the flush of production tapering off late December. The Waimarino has a later spring hence the calving and milk production peak is late December January, so the existing plants are able to utilise their otherwise un-der-utilised production capacity at those times. "The interest is coming from milk processors for product, from sharemilkers who find it increasingly difficult to enter the dairy industry on a land ownership basis in other. regions, and the third interest is from present Waimarino landowners who are looking at making their holdings more profitable from the better dairy farming returns," said Mr Feickert. "We'regetting calls from landowners wanting to find sharemilkers, and sharemilkers looking for landowners." He said sharemilkers are coming from Northland, Waikato, Taranaki, and Manawatu-Rangitikei. They are existing sharemilkers who want new, in some cases additional, agreements. Some want to enter into land ownership. Most already have a herd, the equipment and expertise and they want to buy land but can't in their area. AgfirstConsultants West Limited will have three speakers at the seminar, covering a wide range of detailed topics. Jocelyn Balvert from the company's Rotorua office will cover the process of

conversion, fertiliser requirements, pasture management, and the pros and cons of sharemilkers compared with contract milkers. Jocelyn has been involved in many conversions and owns one herself so has first-hand knowledge. Ian Howatson from the Gisborne office is one of Agfirst's agricultural engineers and will cover dairy shed requirements, water requirements for stock milk cooling, shed wash down etc., water quality requirements, options for effluent disposal. Stewart Finlayson from Wanganui will cover the

suitability of the area for dairying, ie pasture growth rates, free draining soils, climate plus ways and means of minimising the impact of the winter. These speakers will be expecting to be asked some ball park costings and also some idea as to what legal requirements they are likely to have to meet. Also speaking will be milk manager Andrew Watters from Tui Milk and Pam Hikuroa from Kiwi Dairies, speaking on supply and shareholding requirements, cowshed and tanker facilities. Andrew Cornwall from

Peach Cornwall and Partners will briefly review some creative financing option. These will demonstrate how existing owners can significantly increase the value of their properties using their own resources and those of others. "Many people believe that because they don' t have the cash or borrowing ability they cannot consider the option," said Mr Cornwall. "But there are alternatives even for small properties." Mr Feickert stressed that everyone is welcome to the seminar. "We hope the sceptics come along too!"