Dairy farming is a strenuous and demanding job, but it is rewarding. Today, being a successful dairy farmer involves the awareness and understanding of technology, educational preparation and business skills. You will find that today's farmers attend training programs at university to learn about business and practice of agriculture. The daily life of a dairy farmer involves a large amount of hard work and the day starts early and ends late working both inside and outside. The classic dairy farmer has a strong work ethic, a positive attitude and usually a close relationship with his cows. They are dedicated to their profession and the job demands it.
The profession of dairy farming involves a huge amount more than just milking the cows. For a dairy farmer the day starts very early beginning with herding the cattle up to the milking shed. The cows are then given drink while the farmer prepares the shed for milking. After that the cows are given feed and the milking begins. If it is a wet and stormy day everything is given special attention as the cows need adequate shelter, farmers will often move their stock to a paddock with surrounding hedges offering shelter from the elements. The baby calves are given grain and milk. Cleaning the milking shed concludes the milking session. After this the heifers and dry cows are fed a special diet. Measurements of the food for the dairy cows are then done for the evening feeding and the feeding for the next morning. It is important to make sure the weight and measurements are correct so that excellent production is unhampered. This is often done twice a day.
During the different seasons of the year the dairy farmer has different priorities and jobs to focus on. In the spring time cows produce the most amount of milk and farmers milk their cows twice a day. Mating also occurs during this season. Planting of crops such as maize or turnips are also done in preparation for summer. Summertime is a slower period of the year as cows produce less milk due to the conditions of the weather. Hay making begins and cows graze the summer crops that were planted to help them through the dry season. Autumn brings a conclusion to the milking and it gives the dairy farmer an opportunity to work on the maintenance or development of the land. Things like fencing, drainage and water reticulation and shed maintenance are worked on as well as preparing for the next year. Milking has fully stopped by winter time and the focus is on the condition of the cows in preparation for milking and calving next season. Silage and hay are usually fed to the cows also to make up for the low amount of pasture.
Waibury Agricultural Investments owns and operates dairy farms and grazing-support farms situated predominantly in the North Canterbury region of New Zealand. Waibury secures on farm equity operators to increase the long-term productivity of these farms through prudent capital development if required. It maximizes production, cash flow and expected payout and its resulting in increased capital value.
The Waibury group owns and operates a number of dairy farming and grazing-support share farming locations throughout NZ and predominantly in the North Canterbury region.
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