Dairy Beef Farming Excellence: How Waipuna is Leading the Way

At Waipuna, a 560-hectare Pāmu farm near Te Anau, innovative farming practices are paving the way for improved dairy beef production. Waipuna is transforming how dairy beef calves are reared and finished, achieving notable results in growth and efficiency.

When Alex and Ashleigh Field took on the management of Waipuna, the farm was primarily focused on sheep farming. Recognizing the potential of dairy beef farming, they began implementing strategic changes to optimize their systems, with calves becoming the foundation for a successful finishing operation.

Prioritizing calves and refining farm operations have been central to their approach, creating a well-balanced system that supports both yearling finishing and lamb production. This shift in focus has led to optimized processes for growing out dairy beef calves while enhancing overall farm performance, with Alex saying:

Through innovative practices, Waipuna has achieved measurable improvements in growth rates, feed conversion efficiency, and market readiness. By implementing a well-integrated approach, the farm has successfully met the demand for dairy beef while maintaining strong results across other areas of production.

Key strategies driving this success include:

• Prioritizing Dairy Calves: Allocating top-quality grass paddocks to calves has driven growth rates from 400-500 grams/day to peaks of 1.2kg/day, with calves entering winter at a robust 280kg live weight. This strategic focus ensures calves are set up for success early in their lifecycle.
• Streamlined Transitions: Calves benefit from a well-structured onboarding process, including a three-day quarantine on clean pastures, enhanced biosecurity measures, pellet supplementation, and nutrient boosts. These steps result in rapid adaptation and consistent growth.
• Rotational Grazing Systems: A five-cell rotational grazing system with mob sizes capped at 25 bulls optimizes feed utilization and minimizes challenges like infrastructure damage or behavioural issues. Bulls are finished at over 520kg live weight by 17 months, meeting market demands efficiently.
• Integrated Farming Systems: The farm strikes a balance by supporting yearling bulls while maintaining strong lamb production, ensuring optimal use of resources across operations.

These strategies reflect a focused approach to dairy beef farming, leading to transformative results:

• Improved Growth Rates: Calves are now outperforming previous benchmarks, achieving stronger weight gains and faster finishing.
• Integrated Operations: Waipuna’s system effectively balances dairy beef production with lamb finishing, ensuring efficient resource utilization.
• Higher Returns: Thoughtful management of cull timings and well-optimized systems have enhanced market opportunities and profitability.

Waipuna’s success offers important insights and practical takeaways for other dairy beef farmers:

• Prioritize Calves: High-quality feed and care for calves provide long-term benefits in growth and profitability.
• Focus on Biosecurity: Clean pastures, rotational grazing, and quarantine measures are essential for safeguarding animal health and ensuring consistent growth.
• Manage Mob Sizes: Smaller mob sizes encourage better growth rates and help reduce operational challenges like behavioral issues or infrastructure damage.
• Embrace Adaptability: Learning from mistakes, addressing challenges head-on, and focusing on long-term solutions are key to driving continuous improvement and success.

The transformation at Waipuna demonstrates how thoughtful, adaptive farming practices can deliver remarkable results in dairy beef production while offering valuable lessons for the wider farming community.

With plans to expand bull finishing platforms and invest in resilient pastures like Italian ryegrass, Waipuna aims to push boundaries and remain a leader in dairy beef farming. The farm’s commitment to environmental and economic sustainability ensures continued success. Alex advises:

Waipuna demonstrates the power of strategic thinking and innovation in dairy beef farming. By prioritizing calves, implementing rotational grazing, and optimizing operations, Waipuna has become a benchmark for excellence in New Zealand farming.

For more insights on dairy beef farming best practices, visit Pāmu New Zealand.