2006 Winners

2006 Supreme Award and LIC Dairy Farm Award

David Jones

For this year’s supreme winner, dairy farming is about running top quality cows on high performance pasture without damaging the environment. David Jones’s dairy farm at Rotherham in North Canterbury milks 500 cows and produces 230,000kg of milk solids a year off 178ha of land of which 160ha is effective. David, who also won the LIC Dairy Farm Award, is not a man just chasing top milk production. He also aims for sustainable land management, strong animal welfare practices, sound employment conditions, and an attractive property to live and work on. “It’s a fairly simple operation which I believe is sustainable. I think we’ve got the scale about right, and it’s a pleasant, very profitable, but also sustainable operation to be involved in.”

David and his late wife Cathy started developing the property in 1999. Gradually they changed the borderdyke irrigation system to more efficient spray irrigation. Gun irrigators are used rather than a center pivot so that shelter belts can be retained. “Spray irrigation enabled us to move on to a completely new plane” he says. “It gave us much more control and opened up new opportunities on the farm.” In particular spray irrigation has enabled him to utilise a range of the newest grasses, and much of the farm has been regressed for a second time using ARI ryegrass. “We used ARI because we became increasingly aware high endophytic grass was damaging the per cow performance, and that was putting a ceiling on our summer performance.” He believes he has developed a relatively simple operation which is sustainable. “My real interest is high performance cows on high performance pasture. It’s possible to do without damaging the environment simply by following good practice.”

Over the last two years he has planted 4500 trees on the property for shade and shelter. “I’m happy spending money on the environment, but will only be able to do that with a strong, profitable business.” David says dairy farming is not just about milking cows. “I enjoy the whole ethos of farming, especially the people side of it. Canterbury’s been such a melting pot of dairy farmers from all over New Zealand and indeed the world. I’m excited to be part of it.”

Farm manager Sasha Shulyak is in day-to-day charge of farming operations, but David says he still has his finger on the pulse of the farm. Close monitoring of water use and nutrient budgeting are important aspects of the operation. A nitrate inhibitor is used across the farm to reduce nitrate leaching through the soil, and where effluent is sprayed on to paddocks no additional nitrogen is used. Effluent is seen as a resource on the farm, and is strategically applied to poorer land and to shelter belts to stimulate growth. David Jones says that he has always enjoyed farming, but his wife’s illness and death was a big setback. “Entering the award helped me rediscover what an enjoyable and rewarding business farming can be.”

What the judges said…
• Passion for pastures and livestock is strongly reflected in production.
• Applies best scientific research in a practical manner.
• Works collaboratively to address local industry issues.

© 2007 Environment Canterbury