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Dairy farmers Scott and Maree Bixley, with children (from left) Katelyn (4), Tyler (7) and Jayden (9), are fulfilling a family dream of creating a successful farm business in Southland. PHOTO: SUPPLIED A Southland Holstein Friesian stud is realising the farming dream of one generation, while securing the future of another.

Scott and Maree Bixley, of Kaylen Holstein Friesian stud in Tussock Creek, moved their farm business from the Waikato six years ago.

Mrs Bixley said farming in the Waikato was tough.

"So a good friend farming in Southland encouraged us to come down for a bit of a look."

The family bit the bullet and were in an equity partnership with Mr Bixley’s parents, Russell and Lynda, milking 350 cows on 142ha, with a 28ha support block next door.

Mr Bixley said he was brought up in Pukekohe, the son of an accountant, and Mrs Bixley on a dairy farm in Maramarua.

"Dad always wanted to be a dairy farmer but decided to continue working as an accountant — and still is today," he said.

With aunts and uncles dairy farming, he dairy farmed in the Waikato for some years; he and his wife 50/50 sharemilked 180 cows at Morrinsville, and then 50/50 sharemilked 410 cows at Otapiri.

They then moved to a position in Kindley Downs at Clydedale, where they 50/50 sharemilked 780 cows.

"We went from 180 cows to 780 cows in two years," Mr Bixley said.

The original herd they bought was made up of Jersey cattle, but within two years they had sold the Jerseys and replaced them with Holstein Friesian cows. During that time they bought crossbred animals, which they later sold to a Southland farmer.

Today, the herd was between 70% and 80% Holstein Friesian.

They decided to farm Holstein Friesian cattle because they were hardier to work with, had a good temperament, and there was a market for surplus stock, Mrs Bixley said..

"We are also looking for cows who do the job for us," she said.

"We are sitting at production of 190,000kgMS but we want to do a lot better. We’ve had a few curveballs thrown at us since moving here, but we’re getting there."

Wet weather has meant pugging could be an issue, but the couple has commissioned work on a Smart Shelter, which would take the pressure off in spring.

The Bixleys fed one tonne per cow through the shed and bought in baleage to feed in winter, rather than grazing crops.

Calving started on August 21, with about 80 replacements kept.

"Any extra, we send up to China," Mr Bixley said.

"We also sell 50 beef weaners every year."

Mr Bixley was an artificial breeding technician, and used the STgenetics’ Chromosomal Mating Programme, while he still picked their own bulls.

For the dairy herd, they used sexed semen for the first four to five weeks, followed by one week of conventional Holstein Friesian semen; after that, any returning cows were put to Belgian Blue or short gestation crossbred bulls from LIC for a final week.

They had used Edg Rubicon-ET in recent seasons and had good daughters coming through.

"We’ve also used bulls from the Maire herd, including Maire Oman Franklin," Mr Bixley said.

"We have twins who are retired now at 16-years-old but have contributed hugely to the herd, with 26 descendants between them; some of their daughters are by Franklin."

When the Bixleys were selling the Jersey herd out, they put "big bull" Tomlu Oman Dotson-ET over "a pretty rubbish Jersey cow".

"The result was an animal that grew and grew and ended up with full Holstein Friesian markings, and was built like a train.

"She had daughters to Ladys-Manor Pl Shamrock-ET and Seagull-Bay Supersire-ET."

They also bought a group of in-calf heifers from Roger and Sue Jenkins, of Membury Stud, with "small udders and fantastic temperament".

Their ideal cow was a big, Holstein cow which produces the milk of two cows.

"We want the litres, capacity, and strength that comes from a big cow.

"We want to milk fewer cows, so we really pick on udders, size, litres and components to create an efficient cow."

Mrs Bixley said they left their preoccupation with breeding worth (BW) behind a long time ago, to great benefit.

"When we chased BW we had cows with hard udders, and we were culling cows at five years old.

"Since we left BW behind our heifers have nice soft udders, and no swelling; we have got our udders back and cows are lasting longer in the herd."

Looking to the future, they would like to buy Mr Bixley’s parents out, and milk fewer cows.

"We’d like to milk less cows while maintaining peak production," Mrs Bixley said.

"Scott and I are fulltime on the farm over calving and mating, with one fulltime staff member, so we’d like to make it easier."

The farm, JTK Farms Ltd, was named for the Bixleys’ children: Jayden , Tyler and Katelyn. The stud name, Kaylen, was an amalgamation of the names of their children.

Mr Bixley said his parents were looking to sell up and join them in the South Island.

"Dad and I do have battles, him being an accountant and me being a farmer, but we both want to make money, have fun, and do the breeding thing,

"We’re setting up the business for the kids as well, to secure their future."