15/08/2008, Jos and Marian Van Loon
A thriving agribusiness in South Waikato is achieving excellent results with Samen genetics.
Jos and Marian Van Loon arrived in New Zealand in 1989 and worked one season in Litchfield contract milking before purchasing a 50% share in an equity partnership milking 400 cows on 147-hectares in Puketurua, Putaruru.
After university, four years in a piggery and working in sales, selling meal and advising dairy farmers, Jos and wife Marian, a nurse, looked at relocating from Southern Holland to Belgium, Portugal or Canada. The couple ended up in New Zealand because of the sharemilking system although they ended up going straight into an equity partnership.
“Over the years we have been involved in equity partnerships 12-years out of the 19-years we have been here and started another this August,” Jos said.
Last year Delta Farms Limited expanded to include 152-hectares next door bringing the milking platform to 255 effective hectares with 930 cows in milk.
In 1995 the operation went fully computerised with a Westfalia, fully drafting, milk metering, and herd management system. This was all moved across to the 50 bale rotary built in 2001 when a feed pad was also built.
The home built feed pad has a 7000 cubic metre holding capacity which equates to 90 days and the effluent is applied to the farm over the growing season.
Inputs this season include 60-hectares of maize, mainly home grown, 1400 tonne of palm kernel and tapioca, 500 tonne of soya/canola, 120 tonne of molasses and 191 tonne of wheat barley straw.
“It cost us a lot to feed the herd through the drought but the cows are looking really good,” said Jos.
“They have a high straw diet in the dry period and meal is introduced as they are milked or as required.”
Last season 880 cows produced 405,000 kgsMS, 460 kgMS/cow and they have produced up to 550 kgsMS /cow.
“Last season we incorporated the new farm and didn’t get off to a good start and didn’t have a good peak.”
Jos said they were well set up to achieve this season’s target of 550 to 560 kgsMS from 930 cows. The herd was originally bred with overseas genetics but in the early nineties they had problems with temperament, bad legs bloat and slow milkers. They experimented with crossing, the Jersey cross never being successful, the Ayrshire first cross performed reasonably well but the second generation didn’t perform as well.
“The last five or six years I have been searching for overseas genetics with a bit more strength. I was reluctant to use Dutch genetics but my herd management system tells me my Samen heifers produced 400 litres more than all the others over the entire season,” Jos said. The highest yielding two year old heifer was a daughter of Samen’s No.1 bull; “Jorryn”, she produced and incredible 10.750 litres, we had no problems getting her in calf either.
The Westfalia system records daily milk yields and fat corrected mature equivalents (FCME).
Previously the herd has included World Wide Sires, Semex and Ambreed genetics.
This breeding season, Samen sires will be used on 95% of the herd.
“I am looking for a stronger animal that can produce and last a long time,” Jos said.
Delta Farms calve 200 in the autumn, 100 being carryovers to give them another chance at mating. They have a 450 kgsMS/day winter milk contract. Cows are progressively dried off according to their calving date and all cows have a seven to eight week dry period.
This spring they will calve down 730 and the 150 spring heifer replacements are reared on a four bail Lely automatic feeder.
Staff includes John fox who is in his eighth season with Delta Farms and Jimmy Climo who is in his fourth. Farm Manager Bram Deutz Ebeling started in January straight from Massey and had worked on the farm previously over two summers as a student.
Marian milks full time over the busy period and rears the calves and they are currently looking for a full time milker to complete the team.
Jos and Marian have four children, Fiona (17), Tania (15), Heidi (14) and Mitchell (12).
“They are all involved with the farm and do their hours when needed,” Jos said.
During the quieter time of the year the family cycle together and when Jos and Marian are not milking or feeding calves they are involved with their children’s sports which range from rugby, netball, hockey through to swimming and triathlons.
On a recent trip back to Holland Jos saw a USA equipment mixer wagon built by a Dutch farming family and was so impressed he is importing a 30 cubic metre wagon for their own farming operation.
“In my opinion it is one of the most durable wagons built anywhere in the world coping with the demands of 24 hour a day use,” he said.
“I may import them as a sideline interest because I know it is a quality wagon.”
The high input farmers target 500 kgsMS/cow so require genetics which can efficiently convert feed to milk. Sue Macky from Dairy Production Systems Limited advises Delta Farms annually and they target more efficient feed to milk by higher per cow production with approximately 6,500 kgDM per cow per year rather than a higher stocking rate. At these levels of feed-intake, BW becomes irrelevant as body size and capacity play a more important role.
“It is a personal preference – we enjoy achieving high production and making a profit by following certain principals,” Jos said.
Because the empties are not culled and they are breeding for good udders and legs their replacement rate is lower than 15% making the average age in the herd quite high. Despite the Samen heifers producing significantly more, the empty rates were actually lower (8%) than the herd average.
“In general we believe New Zealand bred cattle have not got good enough udders to cope with high input systems as more milk puts more strain on the udders and teat placement.
“The Samen heifers certainly performed well, they are good cattle, have strength, good feet and legs and should suit our system quite well,” said Jos.
“Udders and legs are a must and not negotiable.”
rachel.scrimgeour@xtra.co.nz
