Pressure will keep mounting on farming

Recently appointed Otago Federated farmers president Stephen Korteweg does not believe environmentalists will go away just because they are ignored. The pressure from these people along with tacit support from government and local bodies will inevitably mean increased requirements costs for those wanting to keep farming. 

There will be little mercy shown those believed to be polluters. Unfortunately there is a perception, especially by some urban folk that dairy farmers are ruthless, wealthy and uncaring, intent on making money before looking after the environment. Much of this resentment is obviously driven by the tall poppy syndrome, delighting in using the catchy ‘dirty dairy’ expression wherever possible.

Dairy farmers know they have to lift their game and are already putting in systems to overcome problems of effluent disposal especially in the winter. This is a huge problem in the south where more wintering barns are being built. 

In many instances, including Korteweg’s own, it was usually sounder economics to invest in a wintering barn than buy more land. Getting bigger only meant the problem was still there but increased in size. 

Among the key issues facing Federated Farmers are the environment, water quality and animal welfare. Already advocates for these groups are voicing their demands, which if put into practice will knock back farm production and in some cases force changes to land use. 

Few councils have significant farmer-friendly numbers, so it is important to have Federated Farmers with their policy advisors available to step in and make sense of unworkable plans. This work is undertaken on behalf of members as well as non-members.  It is important to persuade as many non-members as possible to join the federation and help offset costs.  However farmers still have to make an effort with some farm practices, such as leaving dead or dying stock where they could be seen by the public. 

Stephen Korteweg (54) has spent a lifetime in the dairy industry, first working in the Kaitangata cheese factory and eventually owning his own farm milking 600 cows. At school he aimed at either being a dairy farmer or working in the processing industry. 

The four years spent in the Kaitangata cheese factory were enjoyable as he was involved in every aspect of production. Later in his career became a director of the Otago Dairy Cooperative.  

He grew up on a family dairy farm near Kaitangata – a 44ha property milking 90 cows. At the time it was a typical one-man operation. However his father’s health was indifferent and a share milking venture developed.

“I was still only 20 and keen to expand but my father was indifferent and suggested life would be easier for both of us if I bought him out, which I did. I also bought a 16ha neighbouring block and pushed the cow numbers up to 120.  It was 1979 and I was 21.”

He said for the next 30 years the concentration has been on expansion with the purchase of more land and intensification. The Korteweg operation now has 180ha milking 600 cows.  

Recently there has been involvement in an equity partnership in Southland, milking 500 cows on 150ha. The aim was to put in place a system that works so well at Kaitangata, where a rotary milking had been installed along with a state of the art wintering barn.

The barn was the centre-piece of the environmental management plan. “We looked at every type of barn available throughout New Zealand and Holland, and came up with the present design which ticked all the boxes. We figured the cost of $750,000 will be more than recovered in about five years.” 

He said this was based on milking longer, recycling nutrients and the general wellbeing of the cows.  At this stage 400 of the cows were sheltered and 220 wintered off-farm. Three ponds have been built with another planned if all cows are wintered on the Korteweg farm.

Three years ago Stephen and Rhonda Korteweg won the Otago section of the 2009 Ballance Environment Award.  Their two sons are keen to be dairymen and Blake will be sharemilking this season.

“We’ve been keen to see them get a trade and see the world before settling down. We don’t want them to be clones of me.”