Hannes and Lyzanne du Plessis – On their farming journey and helping others to achieve their goals.
“We came to New Zealand from South Africa in 2003 with a baby, a suitcase, and $20. Hannes started as a Farm Assistant, and within five years, we had worked our way up to Lower Order Sharemilkers. Since then, we’ve farmed herds from 300 to 1,150 cows across the Waikato and Southland, employing and mentoring both Kiwi and migrant staff along the way.”
In 2023, we launched our training company, Agri Teach Me – Online Farming Education, to bring affordable, practical Ag training to Southland. Our goal is to combine our love for dairying with our passion for helping others succeed in the industry, especially those new-to-New Zealand who, like us, may struggle with language and cultural barriers.
When asked what is one of the most significant improvements, they have made in their farm careers, Hannes cited the use of NutriMin® Springer Cow Balancer. Since we introduced it into our Springer cow diets, we have produced over 30,000 more milk solids, dropped our empty rate from 15 -22% to 7.25% over the last two years with an 81% 6WICR, and have had less than 1% incidence of milk fever this season
Healthier cows have transformed everything, they recover quicker after calving, get back in calf faster, and perform better across the board. That means fewer vet bills, less time spent treating sick animals, and a smoother, more profitable season. We’re not losing time or energy lifting downer cows, and our whole team is happier and more relaxed.
These gains in health and reproduction have had a direct impact on our bottom line. We’re more productive, more profitable, and far less stressed. Mornings in the shed used to be something we braced ourselves for – now we get stuck into the day without the additional stress of sick cows.
We wouldn’t go through spring without NutriMin® Springer Cow Balancer. It’s one of the smartest investments we’ve made – for our herd, our people, and our business.”
— Lyzanne & Hannes du Plessis, Agri Teach Me, Southland