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Individual Farms

An Individual Farm Benchmark (IFB) is the result for a single farm business. These farm businesses have agreed to share their farm business results. The benchmarks available for these farms relate to operational information only, no equity or debt related information is printed. 

Profiled below are some of the farms currently participating in the individual farms benchmarking. More farms will be available in the near future.

Taranaki

Hepburn's Farm, low-input (Eltham)

This Taranaki mid-altitude farm is 114 ha dairy farm milking 320 Friesian cows. The farm consists of 26% flat, 56% rolling hills, 18% steep country of which all is milked on. Milk production ranges from 900 to 950 kg MS/ha/year with farm working expenses around the $2.60 -$2.70/kg MS.  This farm's operating profit  is consistently in the top 20% for Taranaki farmers.

High-input farm (Hawera)

This farm is 58 ha eff. dairy farm milking 270 Jersey dairy cows. The off farm feed consists of maize and grass silage grown on a 38 ha runoff, also prolick and palm kernel are brought onto the milking platform. The farm has irrigation but it can only work at full capacity up to mid January and the rest of the dry spell there is only partial water application available. It is a long line lateral irrigation system. The farm is flat and can suffer from pastures burning off due to salt spray from the ocean. The farm produces between 1650 – 1750kg MS/ha/year and is often in the top 5% of operating profit for Taranaki farmers.

West Coast/Tasman

 Totara Farms Ltd (Grey Valley)

Totara Farms Ltd (Michael and Christine Hart) is a 137 ha effective dairy farm milking 300 cows in Totara Flat, Grey Valley. The farm operates a low-cost farm system by growing and maintaining quality feed and maximising pasture eaten. Targets for the 2008/09 season are farm working expenses of $2.70kg/MS and production of 105,000kgMS. Totara Farms Ltd has consistently been in the upper quartile for profitability in the West Coast region.

Canterbury

Lincoln University Dairy Farm (Lincoln)

Lincoln University Dairy Farm (LUDF) is a 159 ha effective dairy farm milking 660 cows in Lincoln, Canterbury. The farm is spray irrigated and the production for the 2008/09 season was 261,138kgMS. LUDF strives to be industry leading in terms of profitability and has consistently been in top 5% of all farms across the country.

Willsden Farm Ltd (Rakaia) Donkers

Willsden Farm Ltd (Leo Donkers) is a 306 ha effective irrigated dairy farm milking 1019 cows in Rakaia, Canterbury. The farm operates a grass based system with all cows wintered off farm and supplements used to fill in deficits mainly in early spring, late summer and autumn.

Beechbank Dairies Ltd (Culverden)

Beechbank Dairies Ltd (Alan and Sharron Davie-Martin) is a 141 ha effective irrigated dairy farm milking 495 cows in Culverden, Canterbury. All cows are wintered off farm and supplement is used to fill deficits during spring and autumn. The farm is targeting farm working expenses of $3.15 kgMS and production of 225,000kgMS for the 2008/09 season. Beechbank Dairies Ltd has consistently been in the upper quartile for profitability in the Canterbury region.

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