Written by Elaine Fisher

Despite decreasing their fertiliser spend, Fraser and Katherine McGougan have maintained production and improved pasture health on their 150ha Willowvale Farm in eastern Bay of Plenty. Careful management is crucial to the farming operation’s success and its long-term environmental sustainability.

Decisions on the type and volume of fertiliser to apply are determined by the results from soil testing every paddock on Willowvale. Whole Farm Soil Testing (WFST) is carried out by Ravensdown every two years, but as pasture performance and continuity continues to improve across the farm, the McGougans may extend this to a three-year interval.

There are three soil types across the property: Whakatane fine sandy loam, Opouriao fine sandy loam and Rewatu fine sandy loam, and each behaves differently.

Paddocks on the lower contour are Whakatane fine sandy loam with a stony sub-soil, and they drain well, while the heavier Rewatu soils perform better after draining with Novaflo.

Before WFST the McGougans treated the farm as a series of blocks but embracing WFST has allowed them to be much more specific about how much fertiliser each paddock receives.

“We are looking for consistency of pasture growth across the entire farm and we’re achieving that now,” says Fraser.

“Liming helps nutrients from our acid soils so we may enhance the available nutrients simply by putting on lime.”

The Olsen P target level for the farm is 33. Soil pH targets are addressed through a regular liming programme in accordance with soil testing. Shed effluent is used to complement the fertiliser programme across the effluent area, which extends to 48ha (35% of effective area) where currently no additional fertiliser is added. From the OverseerFM nutrient budget, 37kgN/ha/year is lost to water.

Fraser uses Ravensdown’s HawkEye software along with his farm maps and a GPS system in his tractor to ensure nutrients are applied exactly where they are required and at the correct rate every time.

“We invested in our own fertiliser spreader so we can apply fertiliser at exactly the right time and the technology means anyone can carry out application exactly as it should be done.

“The drop in our fertiliser spend has been significant. We are not spending money on nutrients we don’t need, and we are reducing emissions and nutrient leaching.”

Reducing nutrient loss and enhancing the environment are important to Katherine and Fraser who have continued to plant and fence out waterways, change drainage systems where needed, and they have decreased stocking rates.

“We’re concerned about the potency of nitrous oxide as a harmful gas because of its warming potential and are trying to minimise this specifically,” Fraser says.

“Also, we are working very hard on reducing our N loss numbers and the N loss in total, not just to water. This includes volatilisation as well. We would love to do some trial work on our soil types to find the true losses.”

Saving on fertiliser spend is significant for the Willowvale budget, but money is not the main driver for Fraser and Katherine’s decision making.

They are conscious that climate change, along with consumer attitudes to farming practices, pose threats to their business and they are proactive in addressing those issues, Fraser says. “We no longer feed palm kernel because it’s a threat to the New Zealand Inc brand as it’s seen by the public as a by-product of an industry that has significant environmental impacts. No matter what we as farmers think, what we produce is a consumer product and we must pay attention to potentially adverse consumer perceptions of our industry.”

That includes how animals are treated too, even though caring for their cows is second nature to the McGougans. They don’t need public pressure to ensure they do the right thing as their approach to dairy farming is holistic.

Liam, Fraser, Katherine, Emily and Isaac McGougan

Katherine and Fraser consider the health of their soils, waterways, native bush, wetlands, stock, staff and themselves in their management plans. Putting that into practice is among the reasons the couple won a 2019 environmental award and why Fraser is a DairyNZ Climate Change Ambassador.

“We are caretakers of the land, not its owners. One of the core things for us is that we don’t have to push production to be profitable. We take a more rounded approach and have decreased pressure on the system. Animal welfare is at the forefront, which includes better pasture management and getting the pasture species’ balance right,” Fraser says.

“We do a lot of re-grassing and one of the strengths of the farm is that we can grow a lot of maize, between 26 to 27 tonnes per hectare, as part of the re-grassing programme.”

The maize paddocks are also where much of the farm’s cowshed effluent is spread.

Climate change is already exerting pressure on the farm. “We used to be summer safe here but that’s no longer the case.”

The area receives the same volume of rain in a year, but it’s not regular, with longer dry periods and more extreme rain events.

“The biggest weather changes have been in the past 20 years, and I think the impacts will happen even faster in the next 20. We can’t turn a blind eye to them,” Fraser says.

The district’s first frost of 2022 wasn’t until May 12, almost two months later than usual. “We are not getting the chilling effects, which can help control pest pasture species so pasture management is getting harder.”

Paspalum and kikuyu grasses, once never an issue, are now appearing in Willowvale paddocks. However, there’s one success story for pest plant control on the McGougan farm. Thanks to Ravensdown’s grass-friendly herbicide ‘Multiple’, Californian thistles are now under control. “We’d been battling them for 20 years without significant success,” says Fraser.

“Global warming is absolutely affecting our industry and we can’t keep doing what we’ve always done. Once the milk pay-out drops, which it inevitably will, farmers will be forced to really focus on their pastures. The weather is changing and some places in New Zealand may no longer be suitable for dairying, while others may become better for it.”

It’s a source of pride for Fraser and Katherine that the family has been on the land since it was settled by Fraser’s great grandfather in 1898. The couple hopes that tradition will continue well into the future.

Working together to achieve outcomes

Ravensdown has actively supported and encouraged Fraser and Katherine McGougan to reduce their nutrient inputs.

“Ravensdown sees the big picture. It knows that the impacts of climate change and the requirements to reduce emissions under He Waka Eke Noa (the Primary Sector Climate Action Partnership), and new rules to protect and restore New Zealand's fresh water are affecting farming, so it’s being proactive to help farmers meet those challenges,” says Fraser.

John McFadgen, Ravensdown’s Senior Agri Manager for the Bay of Plenty, based in Te Puke, says as a farmer-owned co-operative, Ravensdown’s role is to do what is best for its shareholders.

John says he takes personal pride in the performance of Willowvale farm and its pastures. “I enjoy problem solving and working alongside Fraser and Katherine to achieve the best possible results.

“It is also important that Ravensdown continues to do the right thing for the environment. At the same time, we’re saving Fraser money through the efficient and targeted use of fertiliser."

John McFadgen, Ravensdown’s Senior Agri Manager Bay of Plenty, discusses the performance of Willowvale Farm pastures with Fraser McGougan

Farm Facts

Farm name Willowvale Farms Ltd
Owners Fraser and Katherine McGougan
Location Opouriao Valley, Taneatua, Eastern Bay of Plenty
Area 150ha (136ha effective)
Topography Flat
Soil type Opouriao silt loam and Rewatu silt loam
Herd 420 head at peak (3.2 cows per ha)
Production per cow 367kgMS
Production per ha 1161kgMS
Production worth 160
Breeding worth 130
System category System 2 (10% imported feed)