August 11, 2026 • 8 mins
Don Moore of Kennington looks at a quick start (so far) to calving.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Then when this interview is brought to you by Agricenter
South Branches in Lawnville, Gore, Cromwell, Milton, and Ranfurly, drop
by your local agri Center South brunch today.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
Hen Don Moore farms at Kennington. He's part of the
Fonterra Shareholders Council. Don Good afternoon. The song is Southern
Nights by Glenn Campbell. But the Southern days at the
moment are pretty busy. It sounds as though you've got
calves everywhere.
Speaker 3 (00:26):
Yeah, yeah, things are pretty busy at the moment. Yeah,
we're probably caught out a little bit. It's we're already
just over twenty five percent in through carving, and I
haven't finished my window projects, so sort of trying to
get some of those picked off in a couple of hours.
We get free in the afternoon and then and then
(00:48):
we're back into the next day again. So yeah, it's
busy time, all right.
Speaker 4 (00:52):
Is it chaos at the moment or are you coping?
Speaker 3 (00:55):
Oh yeah, no, we're coping. It's it's organized chaos. Would
I would say, yeah.
Speaker 4 (01:00):
Yeah, I like that term. It covers a lot of bases.
Speaker 3 (01:03):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, just getting processes are coming into place,
now you know, we've got the milking mob and milk
going in the vat and the routines starting to settle in.
It's just that real busy time when you're getting a
lot of calves. You've got a big clossrum mob, the
cowshed time as a lot training heifers and calves coming
(01:26):
out everywhere. So you know, we're getting there. It's we
are getting we're keeping on top of it, we're keeping
ahead of it. But it's busy yep.
Speaker 4 (01:35):
Training the heifers, how's that going on the platform? Yeah?
Speaker 3 (01:39):
Good, it's not so bad in the hearing bone. We
run them through a few times over winter and and so,
and then we bring our springers and so they so
by the time they get to milking, they've they've been
through the road up a few times already, so that's
not too much of a problem. It's just you know,
those cows, those heifers that want to kick their cups
off and things like that. But yeah, that's just that's
(02:02):
that's carving. It happens every.
Speaker 2 (02:03):
Year, so it's kind of like kids at a school play.
They go there and practice and practice. When it comes
to the main event, a few of them have the
opportunity to go a bit rogan. It does happen, Yeah
it does.
Speaker 3 (02:13):
Yeah, Yeah, you get the occasional one, but most of
them are pretty good.
Speaker 2 (02:17):
So as far as you went too projects, remembering not
long ago you moved down to Kennington, what do you
still got? What are you working on still as such?
Speaker 3 (02:24):
Well, all sorts of things. We've got some heap of
pens that are half built, We've got heifers in them
in the in the two bays that we've almost finished,
and then we're sort of trying to work ahead of ourselves.
And I probably got a bit carried away ripping out
things with the digger over winter. And I've still got
I've still got a few fences to build as well
(02:46):
while we're while we're there, So I was out yesterday
for a couple of hours getting a fence prepped, and
today I'll go and bang in some posts and get
a lane finished. And yeah, getting power around the farm's
been a bit of an issue. Holt has been a
saving race for that, but still they you know, you
still need power on those gates and things, and yeah,
(03:07):
so we're working away at it. I had a good,
good good win yesterday around getting some power around some
more of the farm. So I'll get these hopefully get
these other to this lane finished today in this afternoon maybe,
And and they're all really help things.
Speaker 4 (03:24):
A digger can be a useful yet brutal tool in
the wrong hands.
Speaker 2 (03:29):
Ah.
Speaker 3 (03:29):
Look, it's so enjoyable having the digger on farm and
making progress. But then you've got the job of sorting
everything out that you've done after the fact.
Speaker 4 (03:39):
That's just the way it goes.
Speaker 2 (03:40):
As far as your feed levels, I mean, we've had
a few frosts recently, got call last week.
Speaker 4 (03:45):
Are you happy with your covers?
Speaker 3 (03:47):
Yeah, yeah, definitely. We had some pretty sort of fantastic
winter growth. And yeah, we had a bit of a
wetter week, and but look it's it's not been real wet.
You can still ride around most of the farm on
a two wheeler, which this time of the year, that's
that's that's pretty good.
Speaker 2 (04:05):
Yeah, it's really good going for the time of year.
And it's the same old story. If you've got too
much tucker in there, there's still the opportunity of frost,
which I think might be forecast over the weekend, just
to up the buds off as well.
Speaker 3 (04:17):
Yeah, yeah, And so yeah. I mean with all the grass,
you sort of you want a bit of a dry
spring that you can actually utilize. It can be a
bit of a challenge otherwise, but.
Speaker 4 (04:26):
It's a great problem to have too much tucker. You've
got to be got to matte.
Speaker 3 (04:30):
Oh, definitely, yeah, definitely, And we're we're we're probably oversupplied
with winter bayleage. I think we're definitely not going to
finish all of that, so that's a good thing. We'll
we'll push that through to the next winter.
Speaker 2 (04:43):
So would you say it's been a softer winter than
last year if that's possible, Well, beer a.
Speaker 4 (04:48):
Mind you're in a new farming position as well, new spot.
Speaker 3 (04:52):
Yeah, I think it has been. Yeah, if you if
you're wat in May, you've got a wet, wet, wet winter.
But we had a really good made in June here,
so that's helped out a lot.
Speaker 2 (05:06):
And of course the GDT last week there was a
slight rise in there which stopped that run of falls
that have seen over the past two or three auctions
before that. And it'll be interesting to see where it
ends up too.
Speaker 3 (05:21):
It certainly will be. And you know, sort of seeing
social media and things of what's happening overseas. There seems
to be a bit of pressure on milk production overseas,
and I guess that might start to play out and
we might start to see that in some of the
GDT auctions over the next month or two. But yeah,
(05:43):
that's something that only time will tell.
Speaker 2 (05:45):
A few people talking about late eight dollars these days
for a break even point, I think last season, just
on the average of what you heard around eight dollars
forty eight dollars fifty was that point. But that extra
thirty cents is quite a concern. If that is the case.
Are you seeing that.
Speaker 3 (06:00):
Well, I mean, it's it's an interesting one. There's certainly
some amattic costs and things, but there's been it's you
make sure that you're sort of separate out some extra
things that people have done on farm, you know, and
there's been a lot of investment on farm and some
of that, you know, most of that, yes, that will
go into sort of capital, but some of it will
(06:22):
get soaked into RNN expenses and increase your farm working
expenses and that in that way. But it's a positive
move and it's a positive spend. So as long as
that's being spent on the right things, then then that's okay.
Speaker 2 (06:38):
So that's how you view this season a hit. Everything's
looking pretty positive to coin that B word.
Speaker 3 (06:44):
Yeah, I'm I'm I'm positive about how things are going,
you know, And obviously we've taken on a lot more
debt this year with the new farm, and but we're
still sitting pretty positive around what the future looks like
over the next couple of years.
Speaker 2 (06:59):
Has it taken you well to get used to your
new surroundings or you knew what was coming.
Speaker 3 (07:04):
Yeah, it's probably more on the social front, to be fair.
It's been interesting. It's got got its highs and its lows.
And you know, we miss all all of our friends
back and Gore and and you know we catch up
with some of them occasionally, but you certainly don't see
them daily lot you used to. So that's been the
biggest change, you know, and saying for the kids at
(07:24):
new school. But but in the cargo's got a lot
to offer and the kids have been into sports and
things that they never had the opportunity to do. So
so there's you know, there's some positives and negatives.
Speaker 4 (07:36):
You have any other big smoke traffic lights down there,
you know.
Speaker 3 (07:39):
Oh and look, I was hoping to get out last
weekend and go for a fish even But the way
that carving has gone that sort of put the ki
wash on that pretty quickly.
Speaker 2 (07:50):
Well, it sounds as though everything's happening at one stime.
We'll be you carry on and good luck with the carving.
Sounds like you need it with all these numbers.
Speaker 3 (07:57):
Well we'll be good, but thank you very much.
Speaker 4 (08:01):
It's just darn Moore farming at Kennington. Interesting those stats.
Speaker 2 (08:05):
He just talked about being over a quarter of his
herd already popped out their calves and you're hearing them
in a few places too.
Speaker 4 (08:11):
So while it's like that, out of his guns to
the gun.
Speaker 2 (08:13):
Well, hopefully everybody gets through all right, because it is
a busy time of year. It's called carving, right. Kelly
Backing is up next from Darry and Ze talking about carving.
Let's have a catch up.
Speaker 4 (08:23):
He's call
Then when this interview is brought to you by Agricenter
South Branches in Lawnville, Gore, Cromwell, Milton, and Ranfurly, drop
by your local agri Center South brunch today.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
Hen Don Moore farms at Kennington. He's part of the
Fonterra Shareholders Council. Don Good afternoon. The song is Southern
Nights by Glenn Campbell. But the Southern days at the
moment are pretty busy. It sounds as though you've got
calves everywhere.
Speaker 3 (00:26):
Yeah, yeah, things are pretty busy at the moment. Yeah,
we're probably caught out a little bit. It's we're already
just over twenty five percent in through carving, and I
haven't finished my window projects, so sort of trying to
get some of those picked off in a couple of hours.
We get free in the afternoon and then and then
(00:48):
we're back into the next day again. So yeah, it's
busy time, all right.
Speaker 4 (00:52):
Is it chaos at the moment or are you coping?
Speaker 3 (00:55):
Oh yeah, no, we're coping. It's it's organized chaos. Would
I would say, yeah.
Speaker 4 (01:00):
Yeah, I like that term. It covers a lot of bases.
Speaker 3 (01:03):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, just getting processes are coming into place,
now you know, we've got the milking mob and milk
going in the vat and the routines starting to settle in.
It's just that real busy time when you're getting a
lot of calves. You've got a big clossrum mob, the
cowshed time as a lot training heifers and calves coming
(01:26):
out everywhere. So you know, we're getting there. It's we
are getting we're keeping on top of it, we're keeping
ahead of it. But it's busy yep.
Speaker 4 (01:35):
Training the heifers, how's that going on the platform? Yeah?
Speaker 3 (01:39):
Good, it's not so bad in the hearing bone. We
run them through a few times over winter and and so,
and then we bring our springers and so they so
by the time they get to milking, they've they've been
through the road up a few times already, so that's
not too much of a problem. It's just you know,
those cows, those heifers that want to kick their cups
off and things like that. But yeah, that's just that's
(02:02):
that's carving. It happens every.
Speaker 2 (02:03):
Year, so it's kind of like kids at a school play.
They go there and practice and practice. When it comes
to the main event, a few of them have the
opportunity to go a bit rogan. It does happen, Yeah
it does.
Speaker 3 (02:13):
Yeah, Yeah, you get the occasional one, but most of
them are pretty good.
Speaker 2 (02:17):
So as far as you went too projects, remembering not
long ago you moved down to Kennington, what do you
still got? What are you working on still as such?
Speaker 3 (02:24):
Well, all sorts of things. We've got some heap of
pens that are half built, We've got heifers in them
in the in the two bays that we've almost finished,
and then we're sort of trying to work ahead of ourselves.
And I probably got a bit carried away ripping out
things with the digger over winter. And I've still got
I've still got a few fences to build as well
(02:46):
while we're while we're there, So I was out yesterday
for a couple of hours getting a fence prepped, and
today I'll go and bang in some posts and get
a lane finished. And yeah, getting power around the farm's
been a bit of an issue. Holt has been a
saving race for that, but still they you know, you
still need power on those gates and things, and yeah,
(03:07):
so we're working away at it. I had a good,
good good win yesterday around getting some power around some
more of the farm. So I'll get these hopefully get
these other to this lane finished today in this afternoon maybe,
And and they're all really help things.
Speaker 4 (03:24):
A digger can be a useful yet brutal tool in
the wrong hands.
Speaker 2 (03:29):
Ah.
Speaker 3 (03:29):
Look, it's so enjoyable having the digger on farm and
making progress. But then you've got the job of sorting
everything out that you've done after the fact.
Speaker 4 (03:39):
That's just the way it goes.
Speaker 2 (03:40):
As far as your feed levels, I mean, we've had
a few frosts recently, got call last week.
Speaker 4 (03:45):
Are you happy with your covers?
Speaker 3 (03:47):
Yeah, yeah, definitely. We had some pretty sort of fantastic
winter growth. And yeah, we had a bit of a
wetter week, and but look it's it's not been real wet.
You can still ride around most of the farm on
a two wheeler, which this time of the year, that's
that's that's pretty good.
Speaker 2 (04:05):
Yeah, it's really good going for the time of year.
And it's the same old story. If you've got too
much tucker in there, there's still the opportunity of frost,
which I think might be forecast over the weekend, just
to up the buds off as well.
Speaker 3 (04:17):
Yeah, yeah, And so yeah. I mean with all the grass,
you sort of you want a bit of a dry
spring that you can actually utilize. It can be a
bit of a challenge otherwise, but.
Speaker 4 (04:26):
It's a great problem to have too much tucker. You've
got to be got to matte.
Speaker 3 (04:30):
Oh, definitely, yeah, definitely, And we're we're we're probably oversupplied
with winter bayleage. I think we're definitely not going to
finish all of that, so that's a good thing. We'll
we'll push that through to the next winter.
Speaker 2 (04:43):
So would you say it's been a softer winter than
last year if that's possible, Well, beer a.
Speaker 4 (04:48):
Mind you're in a new farming position as well, new spot.
Speaker 3 (04:52):
Yeah, I think it has been. Yeah, if you if
you're wat in May, you've got a wet, wet, wet winter.
But we had a really good made in June here,
so that's helped out a lot.
Speaker 2 (05:06):
And of course the GDT last week there was a
slight rise in there which stopped that run of falls
that have seen over the past two or three auctions
before that. And it'll be interesting to see where it
ends up too.
Speaker 3 (05:21):
It certainly will be. And you know, sort of seeing
social media and things of what's happening overseas. There seems
to be a bit of pressure on milk production overseas,
and I guess that might start to play out and
we might start to see that in some of the
GDT auctions over the next month or two. But yeah,
(05:43):
that's something that only time will tell.
Speaker 2 (05:45):
A few people talking about late eight dollars these days
for a break even point, I think last season, just
on the average of what you heard around eight dollars
forty eight dollars fifty was that point. But that extra
thirty cents is quite a concern. If that is the case.
Are you seeing that.
Speaker 3 (06:00):
Well, I mean, it's it's an interesting one. There's certainly
some amattic costs and things, but there's been it's you
make sure that you're sort of separate out some extra
things that people have done on farm, you know, and
there's been a lot of investment on farm and some
of that, you know, most of that, yes, that will
go into sort of capital, but some of it will
(06:22):
get soaked into RNN expenses and increase your farm working
expenses and that in that way. But it's a positive
move and it's a positive spend. So as long as
that's being spent on the right things, then then that's okay.
Speaker 2 (06:38):
So that's how you view this season a hit. Everything's
looking pretty positive to coin that B word.
Speaker 3 (06:44):
Yeah, I'm I'm I'm positive about how things are going,
you know, And obviously we've taken on a lot more
debt this year with the new farm, and but we're
still sitting pretty positive around what the future looks like
over the next couple of years.
Speaker 2 (06:59):
Has it taken you well to get used to your
new surroundings or you knew what was coming.
Speaker 3 (07:04):
Yeah, it's probably more on the social front, to be fair.
It's been interesting. It's got got its highs and its lows.
And you know, we miss all all of our friends
back and Gore and and you know we catch up
with some of them occasionally, but you certainly don't see
them daily lot you used to. So that's been the
biggest change, you know, and saying for the kids at
(07:24):
new school. But but in the cargo's got a lot
to offer and the kids have been into sports and
things that they never had the opportunity to do. So
so there's you know, there's some positives and negatives.
Speaker 4 (07:36):
You have any other big smoke traffic lights down there,
you know.
Speaker 3 (07:39):
Oh and look, I was hoping to get out last
weekend and go for a fish even But the way
that carving has gone that sort of put the ki
wash on that pretty quickly.
Speaker 2 (07:50):
Well, it sounds as though everything's happening at one stime.
We'll be you carry on and good luck with the carving.
Sounds like you need it with all these numbers.
Speaker 3 (07:57):
Well we'll be good, but thank you very much.
Speaker 4 (08:01):
It's just darn Moore farming at Kennington. Interesting those stats.
Speaker 2 (08:05):
He just talked about being over a quarter of his
herd already popped out their calves and you're hearing them
in a few places too.
Speaker 4 (08:11):
So while it's like that, out of his guns to
the gun.
Speaker 2 (08:13):
Well, hopefully everybody gets through all right, because it is
a busy time of year. It's called carving, right. Kelly
Backing is up next from Darry and Ze talking about carving.
Let's have a catch up.
Speaker 4 (08:23):
He's call
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