February 1, 2026 • 9 mins
Nigel Johnston of Mabel Bush reckons the season has been not too bad although some heat would be appreciated.
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Speaker 1 (00:16):
The clash is the music for a Monday. This is
the Muster on Hock and nowI my name's Andy Muller.
Our next guest is Nigel Johnson. He's dairy farming at
Mabel Bush. Nigel, welcome once again.
Speaker 2 (00:28):
Thank you very much, Andy, thanks for having me.
Speaker 1 (00:31):
How things being over the past six weeks or so,
You've got through the busy season, the sully season as such.
Speaker 2 (00:37):
Interesting. We've been recently dry, so I was lucky enough
to get away for a large portion of January, and
over that time we're only growing or less than thirty
five kiloads a day, so put us under a bit
of moisture and feed stress, which is annoy But this
last lot of rain last weekend and again now I
(00:58):
think we'll really set us back up. So you're quite
looking forward to a good autumn again.
Speaker 3 (01:03):
Have you had much in the way of sunshine?
Speaker 2 (01:06):
No, which is the challenge. We need that alternating between
rain and sunshine. And so hopefully the sun comes out
this week. We're the things are looking pretty good though.
We're lifting average cover and we get our first grazing
of young grass on Friday. We had to we had
to wait for the weeds to be the right size
to spray them and then a fourteen day withhold. So
(01:27):
it's a little frustrating driving past the best grass on
the farm and knowing we can't eat it yet.
Speaker 1 (01:31):
Well, you know it's said to fall back on very
shortly there, so I suppose it's a short term for
the long term in that regard.
Speaker 2 (01:38):
Yeah, we're getting some excellent results. We've had some really
good agronomy advice using a product called Tribal Gold to
control dock and Californian and thistles and young grass. So
we're getting up to five seasons with no dock and
a paddock and considering where we came from with a
dock problem here, that's been a game changer for us.
Speaker 1 (01:57):
Now, speaking of breceeded kelso early you're on in the
hour and Nigel and he's preasonable and team were has
milk flows, but for the season you're on the one day,
once a day's system. Their how's it been?
Speaker 2 (02:08):
Yeah, generally pretty good? Were this dry so held us
up a bit. So we are one percent behind on
a daily basis from last year and five percent up
for the season. That includes a bit of winter milk,
which we've never done before milking those few days into June.
So last season was actually very nearly a record season
for us. So if we can keep up these production
(02:29):
levels on Stoke.
Speaker 3 (02:31):
So Joane, milking something you'll keep doing.
Speaker 2 (02:36):
Only to set us up correctly for the spring each year.
So yeah, we milked because we had surpus feed in
front of us and ground conditions that enabled it. It
certainly isn't isn't standard practice. I've been south and long
enough to know that sometimes the winters can be a
little variable. So were just the beauty of our system
because we're winter and cows at home. We can dry
(02:57):
off based on court condition, sore feet, but more importantly
leave the right amount of pasture cover so that we're
all set up for the spring.
Speaker 1 (03:06):
So a lot of people have a day and mind
regarding dry off, but you can decide at the drop
of a hat more or less what you want to
do production wise for that winter.
Speaker 2 (03:14):
Yeah, we've still got to So it's all about the
cows that drive the system. So what we found is
we're lucky enough in this cow shed that that we
bought the previous owners head milk meters in there, so
we monitor the milk flows and when they're doing a
third of their peak production. We dry the cows off,
so some of these high producing caves might get dried
(03:34):
off during ten liters, and some of the lower producing
cares and younger cows might get dried off as low
as five leaders. And that enables us to energy us
help count through the autumn as well and manage cow condition.
It tends to be a really good driver around what's
the best practice to do for the animal. So we
start drawing off the end of April, and that mob
(03:56):
size just increases of that dry mob and then and
then generally the balance of the here has dried off
at the end of May.
Speaker 3 (04:03):
So when the crops are looking pretty good.
Speaker 2 (04:07):
I've found in my experience here that I'm not terribly
good at growing crops. So we are just the Baylor
John grass addocks now and that suits my personality. So
we can drive around the farm, count the bales and
know that when to feeder is sorted. We've had a
reasonably successful run sourcing dailage and growing it at home,
(04:27):
so we've actually got all of this year's daylage stacked
up probably half of the following seasons, which gives us
a fantastic buff if we get caught out with the
weather next spring.
Speaker 1 (04:37):
Yeah, that's a great quote. Then Nigel and I don't
do one to crops. It doesn't say my personality. What
do you think's gone wrong?
Speaker 2 (04:43):
Well, we we had the worst of every crop, so
we had while turn up. I went to HD swedes.
We were lucky enough to have that year group where
we had the high lucas and ates and the HD swedes,
so animal health issues. Then we went to fodder Beat
and we were lucky enough to get that year of
(05:04):
velvet leaf in the fodder beat. So now I find
buy and I'm quite good at grass.
Speaker 3 (05:11):
Oh it works for you? Why not? I mean a
lot of people do it as well.
Speaker 1 (05:14):
And for suits of synergy of your system, especially doing
the once a day things, they're all powered to you.
Speaker 3 (05:19):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (05:20):
Next, one of the other things I was saying before
we managed to get away in January. We had a
really good trip around the whole country really, but especially
the North Island. Both Andy and I originally from the
North Island, so we caught up with friends and family.
A lot of people hadn't seen some thirty years. I'm
gotten in the back of some places that you don't
normally see. And it's really interesting some of these different
(05:41):
systems and how people cope with different weather events. Yeah,
it makes me really I can see why we did
the things we did. You know, sometimes you dealt a
situation then you just make the best decision to make
it work.
Speaker 1 (05:55):
There's some fantastic country in the North Island that you
go through, the king Country and the light took a
weady way, and then you go down say the East
Cape Hexpay. You go in and lead through a pot
of key and the likes, and you look at the
countryside and the difference to what we've got down here.
But it's just so vast, and seeing the way this
weather's played out recently, it's heartbreaking because having seen the
(06:17):
country and how they're so susceptible to the weather, it's
just a real shame.
Speaker 2 (06:24):
Well, that's interesting. A lot of the roads that we
went through you actually wouldn't be able to get around
this month. So we like going up through the Hawk's Bay.
Ironically that looks like it's a glaciosate trial. It was
just completely brown, but they had one hundred mills of
rain your after we left, and supposedly she's in the
corner it's all green again. But gisbon, I mean as
the crow flies, isn't there far up the road and
(06:46):
there's just grass blowing in the wind. But you get
some massive and what really surprised me. I don't get
all political about this, but you know, you hear all
these reports about the country going into pine trees, but
from the main run if you don't actually see is
that many pine trees? But all the locals tell me
though just the next valley over certainly yet the changing environment.
Speaker 1 (07:09):
So what made you guys move south when you did?
Just to change your grass so to speak.
Speaker 2 (07:17):
Yes, I've actually I was brought up on a dairy farm.
It's just out of long with know, but I've not
really spent that much time farming in the North Island.
I've been working down here in my role with the
bank and realize that South and was not only a
great place to farm, but are in net community and
some strong, strong support networks around us. So when we
(07:38):
came back from overseas, this been like great neat place
to base ourselves and bring up our kids, and it
certainly has worked well for us.
Speaker 1 (07:46):
So no inklings, you go back and farm up North
you found your happy place down at Mabel Bush.
Speaker 2 (07:51):
I'm quite every to spend some more time up there socially,
but farming moist. I think staying here works well for us.
It was we caught the end of the dairy boom
came in two thousand and four, and it was it
was obvious there were more opportunities to farm at a
reasonable scale and also get a when I got to
(08:13):
share mooking job after after twelve months of changing cups
on wages. So you don't hear those sort of things
in the North Island. When you don't hear about it
happening again in the South Island.
Speaker 1 (08:23):
There now you're missing out on the Southern field Days
next week. You're having to take some of your offspring
back at the UNI.
Speaker 3 (08:31):
So that's a bugger.
Speaker 2 (08:34):
Yes, got to be careful what I say here, Andy,
But yes I do enjoy a good wie. I member
field Days, which is quite funny because I had to
ever buy anything. But the social side of it is
very good. So I wish everyone that's going to the
field Days good luck at good time. But sorry, I
won't be there.
Speaker 1 (08:53):
Your Southern Field Days that's happening next week and just
Finally as well, very quickly, Gorge wrote squash Club congratulations
and you're a war at your prize giving into you
are now.
Speaker 2 (09:02):
Thank you very much. Andy. It does seem a little
tongue in cheek that I get the most social player
when half of the season I haven't even played through
an injury. But Sydney is a neat group of people
and it's nice to be back on the court again there.
It's good to look after our health.
Speaker 1 (09:17):
Oh, I thought you need to celebrate that award and
just tell Pemblin about it each and every opportunity to
get made.
Speaker 3 (09:22):
Don't understand yourself very good.
Speaker 2 (09:24):
I'll take your advice on that one.
Speaker 1 (09:25):
Andy thinks, hey, good on you, Nigel, Let you carry on.
Speaker 3 (09:29):
Always good to catch up.
Speaker 1 (09:31):
Thank you, Noidel, Johnson Farming and Mabel Bush. You're listening
to the muster before we wrap up for a Monday
clear officer from Southern Diary Hub
The clash is the music for a Monday. This is
the Muster on Hock and nowI my name's Andy Muller.
Our next guest is Nigel Johnson. He's dairy farming at
Mabel Bush. Nigel, welcome once again.
Speaker 2 (00:28):
Thank you very much, Andy, thanks for having me.
Speaker 1 (00:31):
How things being over the past six weeks or so,
You've got through the busy season, the sully season as such.
Speaker 2 (00:37):
Interesting. We've been recently dry, so I was lucky enough
to get away for a large portion of January, and
over that time we're only growing or less than thirty
five kiloads a day, so put us under a bit
of moisture and feed stress, which is annoy But this
last lot of rain last weekend and again now I
(00:58):
think we'll really set us back up. So you're quite
looking forward to a good autumn again.
Speaker 3 (01:03):
Have you had much in the way of sunshine?
Speaker 2 (01:06):
No, which is the challenge. We need that alternating between
rain and sunshine. And so hopefully the sun comes out
this week. We're the things are looking pretty good though.
We're lifting average cover and we get our first grazing
of young grass on Friday. We had to we had
to wait for the weeds to be the right size
to spray them and then a fourteen day withhold. So
(01:27):
it's a little frustrating driving past the best grass on
the farm and knowing we can't eat it yet.
Speaker 1 (01:31):
Well, you know it's said to fall back on very
shortly there, so I suppose it's a short term for
the long term in that regard.
Speaker 2 (01:38):
Yeah, we're getting some excellent results. We've had some really
good agronomy advice using a product called Tribal Gold to
control dock and Californian and thistles and young grass. So
we're getting up to five seasons with no dock and
a paddock and considering where we came from with a
dock problem here, that's been a game changer for us.
Speaker 1 (01:57):
Now, speaking of breceeded kelso early you're on in the
hour and Nigel and he's preasonable and team were has
milk flows, but for the season you're on the one day,
once a day's system. Their how's it been?
Speaker 2 (02:08):
Yeah, generally pretty good? Were this dry so held us
up a bit. So we are one percent behind on
a daily basis from last year and five percent up
for the season. That includes a bit of winter milk,
which we've never done before milking those few days into June.
So last season was actually very nearly a record season
for us. So if we can keep up these production
(02:29):
levels on Stoke.
Speaker 3 (02:31):
So Joane, milking something you'll keep doing.
Speaker 2 (02:36):
Only to set us up correctly for the spring each year.
So yeah, we milked because we had surpus feed in
front of us and ground conditions that enabled it. It
certainly isn't isn't standard practice. I've been south and long
enough to know that sometimes the winters can be a
little variable. So were just the beauty of our system
because we're winter and cows at home. We can dry
(02:57):
off based on court condition, sore feet, but more importantly
leave the right amount of pasture cover so that we're
all set up for the spring.
Speaker 1 (03:06):
So a lot of people have a day and mind
regarding dry off, but you can decide at the drop
of a hat more or less what you want to
do production wise for that winter.
Speaker 2 (03:14):
Yeah, we've still got to So it's all about the
cows that drive the system. So what we found is
we're lucky enough in this cow shed that that we
bought the previous owners head milk meters in there, so
we monitor the milk flows and when they're doing a
third of their peak production. We dry the cows off,
so some of these high producing caves might get dried
(03:34):
off during ten liters, and some of the lower producing
cares and younger cows might get dried off as low
as five leaders. And that enables us to energy us
help count through the autumn as well and manage cow condition.
It tends to be a really good driver around what's
the best practice to do for the animal. So we
start drawing off the end of April, and that mob
(03:56):
size just increases of that dry mob and then and
then generally the balance of the here has dried off
at the end of May.
Speaker 3 (04:03):
So when the crops are looking pretty good.
Speaker 2 (04:07):
I've found in my experience here that I'm not terribly
good at growing crops. So we are just the Baylor
John grass addocks now and that suits my personality. So
we can drive around the farm, count the bales and
know that when to feeder is sorted. We've had a
reasonably successful run sourcing dailage and growing it at home,
(04:27):
so we've actually got all of this year's daylage stacked
up probably half of the following seasons, which gives us
a fantastic buff if we get caught out with the
weather next spring.
Speaker 1 (04:37):
Yeah, that's a great quote. Then Nigel and I don't
do one to crops. It doesn't say my personality. What
do you think's gone wrong?
Speaker 2 (04:43):
Well, we we had the worst of every crop, so
we had while turn up. I went to HD swedes.
We were lucky enough to have that year group where
we had the high lucas and ates and the HD swedes,
so animal health issues. Then we went to fodder Beat
and we were lucky enough to get that year of
(05:04):
velvet leaf in the fodder beat. So now I find
buy and I'm quite good at grass.
Speaker 3 (05:11):
Oh it works for you? Why not? I mean a
lot of people do it as well.
Speaker 1 (05:14):
And for suits of synergy of your system, especially doing
the once a day things, they're all powered to you.
Speaker 3 (05:19):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (05:20):
Next, one of the other things I was saying before
we managed to get away in January. We had a
really good trip around the whole country really, but especially
the North Island. Both Andy and I originally from the
North Island, so we caught up with friends and family.
A lot of people hadn't seen some thirty years. I'm
gotten in the back of some places that you don't
normally see. And it's really interesting some of these different
(05:41):
systems and how people cope with different weather events. Yeah,
it makes me really I can see why we did
the things we did. You know, sometimes you dealt a
situation then you just make the best decision to make
it work.
Speaker 1 (05:55):
There's some fantastic country in the North Island that you
go through, the king Country and the light took a
weady way, and then you go down say the East
Cape Hexpay. You go in and lead through a pot
of key and the likes, and you look at the
countryside and the difference to what we've got down here.
But it's just so vast, and seeing the way this
weather's played out recently, it's heartbreaking because having seen the
(06:17):
country and how they're so susceptible to the weather, it's
just a real shame.
Speaker 2 (06:24):
Well, that's interesting. A lot of the roads that we
went through you actually wouldn't be able to get around
this month. So we like going up through the Hawk's Bay.
Ironically that looks like it's a glaciosate trial. It was
just completely brown, but they had one hundred mills of
rain your after we left, and supposedly she's in the
corner it's all green again. But gisbon, I mean as
the crow flies, isn't there far up the road and
(06:46):
there's just grass blowing in the wind. But you get
some massive and what really surprised me. I don't get
all political about this, but you know, you hear all
these reports about the country going into pine trees, but
from the main run if you don't actually see is
that many pine trees? But all the locals tell me
though just the next valley over certainly yet the changing environment.
Speaker 1 (07:09):
So what made you guys move south when you did?
Just to change your grass so to speak.
Speaker 2 (07:17):
Yes, I've actually I was brought up on a dairy farm.
It's just out of long with know, but I've not
really spent that much time farming in the North Island.
I've been working down here in my role with the
bank and realize that South and was not only a
great place to farm, but are in net community and
some strong, strong support networks around us. So when we
(07:38):
came back from overseas, this been like great neat place
to base ourselves and bring up our kids, and it
certainly has worked well for us.
Speaker 1 (07:46):
So no inklings, you go back and farm up North
you found your happy place down at Mabel Bush.
Speaker 2 (07:51):
I'm quite every to spend some more time up there socially,
but farming moist. I think staying here works well for us.
It was we caught the end of the dairy boom
came in two thousand and four, and it was it
was obvious there were more opportunities to farm at a
reasonable scale and also get a when I got to
(08:13):
share mooking job after after twelve months of changing cups
on wages. So you don't hear those sort of things
in the North Island. When you don't hear about it
happening again in the South Island.
Speaker 1 (08:23):
There now you're missing out on the Southern field Days
next week. You're having to take some of your offspring
back at the UNI.
Speaker 3 (08:31):
So that's a bugger.
Speaker 2 (08:34):
Yes, got to be careful what I say here, Andy,
But yes I do enjoy a good wie. I member
field Days, which is quite funny because I had to
ever buy anything. But the social side of it is
very good. So I wish everyone that's going to the
field Days good luck at good time. But sorry, I
won't be there.
Speaker 1 (08:53):
Your Southern Field Days that's happening next week and just
Finally as well, very quickly, Gorge wrote squash Club congratulations
and you're a war at your prize giving into you
are now.
Speaker 2 (09:02):
Thank you very much. Andy. It does seem a little
tongue in cheek that I get the most social player
when half of the season I haven't even played through
an injury. But Sydney is a neat group of people
and it's nice to be back on the court again there.
It's good to look after our health.
Speaker 1 (09:17):
Oh, I thought you need to celebrate that award and
just tell Pemblin about it each and every opportunity to
get made.
Speaker 3 (09:22):
Don't understand yourself very good.
Speaker 2 (09:24):
I'll take your advice on that one.
Speaker 1 (09:25):
Andy thinks, hey, good on you, Nigel, Let you carry on.
Speaker 3 (09:29):
Always good to catch up.
Speaker 1 (09:31):
Thank you, Noidel, Johnson Farming and Mabel Bush. You're listening
to the muster before we wrap up for a Monday
clear officer from Southern Diary Hub
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