Last Wednesday, two of our Wairarapa sales and marketing team members attended the NZIPIM Wearable & Renewables Field Day at Taumata Island Dairy.
Situated on a 450ha block, Taumata Island currently milks 450 cows with a production of 480 milk solids. With the goal of reducing operating and labour costs, farm manager Wade Hamlin says that the installation of their new FarmGen Solar system, in combination with Halter collars, is transforming how they run the farm.
Their solar setup, installed by Matt Luscombe from FarmGen Solar, feeds surplus energy back into the grid at a small return of 3c per unit. While not completely off-grid, it’s already cutting costs significantly and is expected to pay for itself in just four years. The system, with a 30-year lifespan, was also more affordable to install on the ground rather than on the roof.
On the animal management side, Halter collars are streamlining operations while improving cow health and farm efficiency. The collars help extend grazing rotations, detect heats, and reduce pressure on cows by guiding movement without excessive force. Wade has also seen a drop in lameness and a reduction in labour needed during mating, with an impressive 76% six-week in-calf rate. Running a nine-week AI program with no bulls, plus a short-gestation strategy in the final three weeks, means calving is wrapped up in just seven weeks, making life easier and keeping things running smoothly.
Like any new system, there’s a bit of fine-tuning, managing leader cows and keeping collars updated, but the payoffs are worth it. It’s helping attract staff, cutting vehicle costs, and giving a heads-up on animal health, from early signs of mastitis to calving insights.
Tech like this is changing the game, proving you can farm smarter, not harder, while keeping efficiency and sustainability in check.
