A return to spring

Third-generation Ashburton dairy farmers TJ and Mark Stewart are no strangers to adapting and evolving.

With a history of resilience – particularly after the devastating flooding of May 2021, in which their farm was severely impacted – the Stewart brothers, alongside Mark’s wife Stacey, are once again reinventing their approach to dairy farming.

Their latest transition sees a move back to spring calving after many years of running a successful winter milking operation – with their free stall barn remaining at the centre of their operation.

The Stewart farm has been in the family for 70 years. It was originally a sheep and cropping property before being converted to dairy by TJ and Mark’s parents, David and Maree, in 1982. They began milking 300 cows, laying the foundation for what would become a much larger operation. In 2001 the brothers took the reins, buying the cows and machinery, and steadily expanded the business.

Today, the property supports 600 Holstein Friesian cows on 180ha effective. While David and Maree have stepped back, they remain an integral part of the family trust, which leases the land to the younger generation.

One of the major turning points in the farm’s development was the construction of a 140m x 70m, 500-bed free stall barn with 40 x 35m straw loafing area in 2013.

“Being autumn calving at the time, we were sick of mud everywhere,” TJ says.

The barn, built in collaboration with Rakaia Engineering, revolutionised their system – offering a warm, dry environment which drastically improved feed utilisation and animal health outcomes.

“The barn gave us options to sustain production and maintain cow comfort,” TJ says. “Benefits include not having milking cows pugging up grass during winter, it is warmer and drier, and ensures 99% feed utilisation. Animal health has improved as the cows are not trying to survive wet, cold, miserable weather while making milk. An environmental benefit is that effluent is captured and put onto pasture at a suitable time and is not going onto wet paddocks.

“It’s been a great add-on to the farm, and we wouldn’t farm without it now.”

The barn allowed the Stewarts to transition into a high-input winter milking system, achieving up to 70% autumn calving at one point. This set-up enabled them to secure premium winter milk contracts with Synlait, helping generate a consistent milk flow and strong income even during traditionally low-production months.

It came in particularly handy in May 2021, when a catastrophic “1-in-200-year” flood hit their farm, leaving 14.5 hectares buried under riverbed rubble and a further 20 hectares covered in silt, stones, and debris.

A portion of their herd – dry cows at the grazier – had to be moved, and the family was evacuated. Despite the devastation the Stewart family rallied, aided by community support.

Thanks to strategic planning and the infrastructure already in place, particularly the free stall barn, the farm not only recovered but continued to operate successfully, achieving higher than average production within their pre-flood feed budget.

Despite the success of their winter milking programme, the Stewarts chose to return to spring calving in the 2024/25 season.

“It basically came down to the cost of feed production,” TJ says. “With the rising cost of farm workings, shifting to spring calving made more economic sense.”

Today, the cows’ diet, designed to maximise production, is comprised of the following: DBC Milk Maker pellets (550kg/cow), PKE (450kg/cow), grass silage (450kg/cow), maize silage (700kg/cow), lucerne silage (200kg/cow), sunflower and soya protein (150kg/cow) and straw (300kg/cow). Feed is adjusted seasonally with pellets and PKE fed year-round in the shed; grass silage fed during the shoulders of the season, when required; and maize, lucerne and protein fed in the barn between April and October. Straw is fed to dry cows, and cows are on grass between October and April.

The cows have proven to do well under this regime, averaging 600kgMS/cow per season.

The calving season now begins on July 15, with mating starting around October 20. The Stewarts perform four-six weeks of AI to Holstein Friesian sires, then switch to beef genetics through to December.

They prioritise health, fertility, and production traits in their sire selection and are particularly drawn to smaller-framed cows. Bulls like Westcoast Alcove and Walnutlawn Solomon have produced progeny the Stewarts are proud to have in their herd.

In 2022, the family adopted Allflex collars for heat detection, allowing them to move to 100% AI breeding and eliminate bulls from the herd. This technology has proven particularly useful for identifying heats in barn-housed cows where visual cues are harder to detect.

The Stewarts have bred some standout cow families, including progeny from the renowned Fairview Goldc Frosty-ET EX line. One of her heifers, Barwell Mercy Frosty-ET, was sold at the 2024 NZ DairyEvent for $8,500.

The family enjoy participating in shows and competitions when time allows and Mark and Stacey’s children – Paige, Olivia, and James – are involved in calf club.

The family has also had success in the Regional Semex On-Farm Competition: in 2024, they placed second in both the Five-Year-Old Cow category with Barwell Solomon Lilly-ET EX and the Mature Cow category with Barwell Solomon Aimee VG87. Back in 2019, Barwell Wbrook Annie-ET EX2 claimed first place in the National Semex On-Farm Competition in the Five-Year-Old Cow category.

TJ, Mark and Stacey have a strong appreciation for pedigree cattle and enjoy the aesthetics and performance of Holstein Friesians.

“There’s just something about them,” TJ says. “Their size, their frame, their capacity – you can get a lot of milk out of them. I love looking at good cows.”

Stacey says that while they are transitioning to spring calving, they are maintaining flexibility within the operation.

“We’re figuring out what works best for us in terms of cow numbers, which cows to breed from, and how much to feed under the new system,” she says.

The Stewarts remain focused on balance: between production and animal welfare, tradition and innovation. Their approach is shaped by a strong understanding of what their land, herd and business need to thrive.

Stacey, originally from Tasmania, sums up the unexpected journey: “I came to New Zealand 18 years ago, planning to stay for one year. Now I’ve got one husband, three kids, and a dairy farm.”