Dairy farming wasn’t the first career choice for either Geoff or Gerda Bradly but with the purchase of their Manawahe farm in 2005 they discovered a talent for animal and land management.

Geoff or Gerda Bradly have turned a marginal dairy farm in to one that’s sustainable both financially and environmentally.

Three times
The cows are moved up to three times a day depending on the weather and the season.
During summer the cows are put in an ‘easy’ paddock near the dairy after milking, moving to a second area later in the day and by evening, into a hill paddock.

“That encourages them to graze further up the hillside in the cool of the evening, conserving their energy and helping with pasture management.”

The farm is run by Rob Mitchell-Scott, who contract milks, and Gerda is the relief milker when required.

It takes about three to three-and-a-half hours to milk the cows at the peak of the season with the cows averaging about 20 litres per cow.  

The herd was mainly Friesians when it was bought from Gerda’s parents, but over time Jersey, some Ayrshire and now Kiwi Cross have been used to create the smaller-framed, productive animals the Bradlys believe are best suited to the farm’s terrain. 

Placing rocks to assist fish to swim upstream is among the conservation enhancements used on Nga Rakau Farm.

Top five
Despite once-a-day milking the production worth of the Nga Rakau herd is in the industry’s top five per cent.

The aim is to produce an average of between 340 kg/ms and 360 kg/ms per cow; and for the current season the herd is on track to produce in excess of 115,000 kg/ms.

Nga Rakau operates a low-cost farming system, growing nearly all its own feed thanks to careful pasture management and an accurate fertiliser regime.

Geoff has put his engineering skills to good use in the contouring of parts of the farm and the redesign of some waterways to reduce flood damage.

A spillway has been created alongside one culvert, which at times struggles to cope with water flow, and Geoff has placed large rocks to enable fish to more easily swim upstream.

Voluntarily fencing the many waterways on the farm has been done in close consultation with the Bay of Plenty Regional Council and the Bradlys speak highly of the advice and support they’ve received.