Writen by Simone Smith

FOR the first time in seven years, Stu and Clare Modra are making all their business decisions on their own.

They can feed their 180-head Avalon Holstein herd the way they want.

Costs can be cut where they feel their business can handle it and they have freedom to explore their own ideas.

But despite all the positives of taking the leap from share-farming to leasing, there is a downside.

“If we weren’t leasing and we owned our own farm we would be willing to a take few more risks,” Mr Modra said.

“We want to build an asset . . . but there is not as much security with cows as with land.”

Owning a farm is the couple’s ultimate plan.

A move to Simpson in Victoria’s Western District from a share-farming arrangement at Allendale East, south of Mount Gambier, South Australia, a year ago was a step towards this goal.

And maintaining their herd milk production average during the move has been a positive start.

Production remained at about 8000-8500 litres a cow, with the cows averaging 21.5 litres a day prior to the arrival of the recent heatwave.

With the last of the season’s green pick turning a couple of weeks ago, feed is now a combination of supplementary fodder and crop.

Every day, milkers are fed 5kg of grain in the bail, about 9kg of pasture silage, 2.5kg oaten hay and 20kg of rape crop.

Currently in the process of drying-off the herd, the couple expect to witness the differences between share-farming and leasing once calving-time arrives.

Up to 75 per cent of their herd is in-calf to artificial-insemination bulls. In South Australia they only bred 13 heifers from AI in three years.

“(Share farming) the genetic merit of the herd suffered. We couldn’t do what we wanted,” he said.

“It was the difference between a stud herd and a commercial herd on-farm.”

The Modras are now on track for a profit for their first year in the Western District.

The Murray Goulburn suppliers admit the mid-season milk price has slightly derailed this plan.

Hinging their future on next season’s opening price, the couple have budgeted for the coming months.

“Even if it (the milk price) drops to 25 cents a litre we are still making a profit over feed costs,” Mrs Modra said.

She said at 25c/litre they would make a profit of 4.5c/litre.

An abundance of hay and silage, cut as a result of over-sowing existing pasture earlier this year, will save the couple up to $60,000 on feed costs.

Up to 45ha of their 112ha farm was cut for fodder, equating to 500 rolls of silage and 160 rolls of hay.

The Modras hoped to buy the farm when their three-year lease expired.