The dairy industry is doing it tough too.. 1/3 the payout from the last few years..
Fonterra suppliers ..In the waikato [ south of Auckland, Hamilton area] they've had good rain so far...
That's one industry I could never figure out, An old Mate of mine has a small Dairy Herd down in the back-country of the South Island in the Murchison District,
He never knows how much the milk he produces is worth until after it is tested, he's not payed by the litre, his pay-out is by the amount of butter-fat content of the milk, he has to take what the Dairy says it's worth. ???
His herd is only about 140 plus Milkers, so it's a bit of guess work what his return is worth, after getting up at 2am every morning, maybe sometimes for almost nil return, all depending on feed and weather.
I've tried to talk him out of that Milking game over the years but, his family have been doing that for many generations , It's all he knows so, I suppose he will Die there in the back country like his Father and Grand-Father before him.
K.J.
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From Coast to Coast, We'll see it all.......One Day
They get a % of payout through the season .. Then they get paid per butterfat, protein, milk solids etc..
They have some idea of their payout... I was 39% sharemilker with 250 miking on my own 10 a side herringbone dairy in Waikato before I came to live in Sydney..
I think its EAST side down south Island which has had bugger all rain.. The WEST coast has had plenty..
Nice part of the world...
We never started real early.. Well ?? 5.30 AM an cows in shed by 6am.. Afternoon start at 4PM usually 2 hours maybe 2.5 hours in flush ?
Family farm .. I ended up buying house nr Penrith traveling to Hornsby or Meadowbank for work.. still 5.30 start at home for 7AM at work..
Home by 6PM .. Company vehicle back then..
Not much changed .. Pulling tits or climbing power poles.. Lol..
The subject often come up on things you've done.. Pub talk..
You should see the looks on peoples faces when I say I 'pulled tits' for a living ..