Most recent:


Bill and Jacqui Perrottet:

Guyra, New South Wales, Australia


Northern New South Wales livestock producers Bill and Jacqui perrottet are reaping the rewards of an intensive rotational grazing system after only one season and are well on their way to boosting pasture utilisation by 25 per cent resulting in greater profitability in their livestock enterprise.

"Intensive grazing grows the bottom line" Download (PDF, 535kB)
Fleur Muller, Farming Ahead, April-2010

Alistair Just:

Sellicks Hill, South Australia


When we took on this block four years ago we thought we would have to improve pastures conventionally but grazing this way we have seen a huge reduction in weeds and don't even need to spray them - just through grazing management we've achieved the improvement we needed.

"Appetite for learning delivers results" Download (PDF, 116kB)
mlaPrograzier, Australia. Summer-2008/09

Jeff and Helen Dickens:

Manawatu, New Zealand


He is sold on the technosystem concept, saying before it was established they ran 2.5 bulls/ha on a rotational grazing system and had a grass grub problem. Increasing the stocking rate to 4/ha improved compaction and eliminated the grass grub whilst enabling them to increase the bull numbers from 115 to 180, which Jeff estimates recouped the setup cost in the first year.

Technosystem wipes grass grub
Hearland Beef / Dairy, New Zealand. May-2009

Peter and Pam Kelly: Northland, New Zealand

Location: Omamari Beach (North of Dargaville), Northland.
Farm Info: 300ha (incl. 150ha Techno)
250ha pasture - sandy country, 40ha forestry, 10ha shelter and ponds
Calf rearing to finished bulls and steers
Accomplishments: Balance Farm Environment Awards: Northland PPCS Livestock Award 2007
Balance Farm Environment Awards: Northland Supreme Award and the NZ Farm Environment Award Trust Habitat Improvement Award 2009
Show 3 articles, Feb 2003 - Mar 2010

Chris and Dale Turner: Manawatu, New Zealand

Location: Marton, Manawatu
Farm Info: 414ha effective (incl. 86ha Techno)
Flat, easy rolling country (naturally poor draining - tile "mole drained")
Rainfall average of 700-1000mm
Sheep 42%, Cattle (bulls and dairy heifers) 58%
Accomplishments: Meat & Wool - Manawatu Finishing Monitor Farm, Apr 2006 - Mar 2009
Show 2 articles, Dec 2006 - Apr 2009

Richard and Jane Maxwell: Canterbury, New Zealand

Location: Cheviot, North Canterbury
Farm Info: 670ha (incl. 134ha Techno)
Medium-steep hill country, 100-300m above sea level
Rainfall average of 770mm. Snow in winter and dry in summer.
100% bull beef finishing
Accomplishments: Meat & Wool - Mid-Canterbury Monitor Farm, Apr 2003 - Mar 2006
Runners-Up - 2008 Lincoln University South Island Foundation Farmer of the Year Competition
(the competition category for 2008 was "Meat Production")
Show 4 articles, May 2006 - Nov 2008

Neil Aicken: Waikato, New Zealand

Location: Onewhero, North Waikato, New Zealand.
Farm Info: 450ha effective (incl. approximately 288ha Techno)
296ha rolling contour, 118ha hill country, 36ha flats prone to frequent flooding
Beef finishing: bulls, steers and heifers
Accomplishments: Meat & Wool - Waikato-Franklin - Focus Monitor Farm "Cost-effective Intensive Finishing", Apr 2005 - Mar 2008
Balance Farm Environment Awards: Waikato finalist 2008
Show 11 articles, Dec 2004 - Nov 2008

SARDI Livestock & Farming Systems:
(South Australian Research & Development Institute)
Struan Research Centre
South Australia


Location: Naracoorte, South-East of South Australia
Farm Info: 1082ha (incl. 192ha Techno - 6 Systems of 32ha)
Struan lies on the edge of limestone ridges and comprises 250 hectares of sandy high country and 832 hectares of flood plains (rendzina and podsolised soils overlying limestone).
Good supplies of underground water are available at shallow depths (3-4 metres) and approximately 140 hectares are irrigated.
Rainfall average of 550mm
Show 5 articles, Sep 2003 - Sep 2008

Robert Kelly: New South Wales, Australia

Location: East of Guyra, New England, New South Wales Northern Tablelands
Farm Info: 620ha (incl. 75ha Techno with more land in the process of being converted)
Low-moderate fertility granite soils with naturalised pastures, clover.
Rainfall average of 850-900 mm.
5000 Commercial and stud Merinos; 200 beef cattle
Accomplishments: Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA) funded project 2003: "Optimising nutrition in Merino production systems" Project Code MS.028
Awarded an Australian Nuffield Farming Scholars Association Scholarship 2005
Show 6 articles, Apr 2004 - Jun 2008

Martin Oppenheimer: New South Wales, Australia

Location: Petali, Welcha, New England, New South Wales Northern Tablelands
Farm Info: 1,500ha (incl. 200ha Techno)
Rainfall average of 1200mm. Grey loams, some basalt and granite
Merino stud and commercial operation 12,000 Sheep, 500-1000 trading cattle.
Show 1 article, Autumn 2008

Ron and Chrissy McCloy: Northland, New Zealand

Location: Ora Ora Farms, Waimamaku, Northland
Farm Info: 380ha (330ha effective) (incl. approximately 122ha Techno)
450m above sea level - steep rising hills (clay and bolder complex)
Rainfall 2300mm annually
Rearing of bobby calves through to finishing. Dairy Techno run alongside to provide milk for rearing.
Show 2 articles, Aug 2006 - May 2008

Richard and Debbie Brown: Canterbury, New Zealand

Location: Temuka, South Canterbury
Farm Info: 146ha(incl. 40ha Techno)
Irrigated
Rearing of bobby calves through to bull beef finishing.
Show 1 article, Apr 2008

Angus and Esther Mabin: Hawke's Bay, New Zealand

Location: Takapau, Central Hawke's Bay
Farm Info: 1000ha effective + 100ha leased (incl. 80% of farm in Techno the rest in the process of being converted)
Flats and 167ha Hills
Rainfall: summer dry
100% rising two-year bulls.
Accomplishments: Management committee of the High Performance Farming Programme in Hawke's Bay - part of Meat and Wool NZ's Monitor Farm programme
2007 Appointed to the Silver Fern Farms Board of Directors (New Zealand's foremost meat marketer, exporter and processor of meat products)
Show 2 articles, Oct 2007 - Jan 2008

Geff and Dinah Cookson: Northland, New Zealand

Location: Kawakawa, Northland
Farm Info: 730ha: 485ha in grass rest in native bush (incl. approximately 16ha Techno)
50ha flat/easy rolling (semi volcanic soil), 320 of rolling to medium hill and 115ha steep hill (heavy clay)
Rainfall 21yr average 1358mm
Bull finishing
Accomplishments: Meat & Wool - Far North Beef Improvement Focus Farm "beef finishing", Apr 2004 - Mar 2007
"How to make good production even better"
Show 3 articles, Sep 2005 - Sep 2007

Dennis and Rachelle O'Callaghan: Northland, New Zealand

Location: Taipa, Doubtless Bay, Northland
Farm Info: 576ha effective (incl. approximately 104ha Techno)
126ha flat to gentle slopes, 450ha rolling hill country (clays, alluvial terraces and sandy soils)
Rainfall 21yr average 1358mm
Bull, steer and heifer finishing, breeding cows and sheep 50/50 mix
Accomplishments: Meat & Wool - Far North Monitor Farm, Apr 2004 - Mar 2007
Show 5 articles, Sep 2004 - Dec 2005

John and Fiona Hudson: Hawke's Bay, New Zealand

Location: Tikokino, Central Hawke's Bay
Farm Info: 1120ha effective (incl. 400-500ha Techno)
50:50 flats/hill stoney silt loam
Rainfall: summer dry
60% cattle the rest sheep.
Accomplishments: Meat & Wool - First Hawke's Bay Monitor Farm, Apr 1991 - Mar 1995
Show 1 article, Dec 2004

Herstall and Alyson Ulrich: Canterbury, New Zealand

Location: Tikokino, South Canterbury
Farm Info: 589ha: 2 properties - 430ha (effective) hill sheep breeding farm and 85ha (effective) irrigated flat finishing block (with 56ha in Techno)
Rainfall average of 625mm (dry summers often)
Sheep 90%, Cattle 10%
Accomplishments: Balance Farm Environment Awards: Canterbury PPCS Livestock Award 2003
2008 Joined the Silver Fern Farms Board of Directors (New Zealand's foremost meat marketer, exporter and processor of meat products)
Show 2 articles, Mar 2004 - Sep 2004

Kissel Family: Victoria, Australia

Location: Sunbury, Victoria
Farm Info: 800ha: (incl. approximately 600ha in Techno)
Rainfall average of 550mm
Cattle
Show 1 article, Feb 2002