Winter is a time of major challenge in New Zealand farming. Does the climate dictate these challenges? What about pasture growth rates? Does the lack of sunshine mean our mood is low? These things can certainly occur but they really have little bearing on churning out poor farm business results year after year.
I see a lot of effort each winter being put into keeping animals alive on very little feed with the expectation that spring will fix everything up and bring some good news financially. While very common, this method hamstrings the whole result from the beginning. Let’s face the fact that the winter is wetter and colder, the grass grows slower (if at all) and animals need to be fed if they are expected to perform. Let’s accept these basics so we can then start to take control of our farm businesses and make decisions that will deliver profit through taking account of these factors, rather than by ignoring them.
Firstly, understand the 6 Profit Principles and use the GrowFARM System to identify utilisable profit periods throughout the year. Spring can bring great profit which will not be news to most people. However it all comes unstuck when we don’t set up to take profit from the spring. Depending on the animal type and stock class that will provide spring profit there will be a target date when we need a certain pasture cover to fully feed those animals from then on. What is that date? What is that target pasture cover?
Then do what it takes to set up for that. Make sure you have the required pasture cover pre winter that will give you that target cover in the spring. Winter pasture growth rates, stocking rates and feed demand need to be taken into account (and there are various ways and tools for doing that).
If there are too many animals on and pasture growth rates are low or negative, pasture cover will rapidly decrease to a point where animals are being maintained or starved. As a result, spring growth will be much later through lack of leaf area, energy and nutrients for the plant to grow fast when the conditions allow. Spring growth may not turn up until November, when if only a few basics were adhered to, it could have begun in September or earlier! Animals may have their growth stunted, be susceptible to health issues and generally have a rough time of it. Supplements may be fed out just to keep animals alive as the normal course of operating. This is a huge opportunity lost and the business is behind the 8-ball from the start of the season. Remember, grass grows grass!
What can you do? Prepare well is the answer! Know the 6 Profit Principles and know how to implement them. Ensure you have flexibility in your system because the climate will not be the same every year and you need to allow opportunity. Therefore, make sure your stocking rates are at an appropriate level. Farm business people have full choice about what they run on their property every day of the year. Whatever you do, do it well and do it profitably.
If you need crops or supplement – fine. Just make sure they are profitable! If not, then perhaps you need to rethink how you do your winter. Farms in some regions need some feed insurance up their sleeve but if the system fully relies on that every year, then once again perhaps you need to rethink how you do your winter.
So, what will you do now to set up for the spring opportunity? Will you carry on as usual and expect a different result, or will you do things differently?