Michael Woodward never wanted to milk cows.
But that all changed after the son of Mohair New Zealand founder John Woodward met Susie, the daughter of an Upstate New York dairy farmer in Canterbury while working on Synlait’s 3000 cow farm in Dunsandel. They were two of 19 staff.
Michael Woodward holds an Angora goat.
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The couple married and graduated to a 50/50 sharemilker set up with 10000 of their own cows in Canterbury.
They had four children, Kylie, 15, John, 13, Jack, 11, and Charlie, eight, before moving north.
Then, while visiting family in Tirau in 2019, they started to look around at Waikato farms and found what is now Cowgora Hills on Puktetawai Road near Ōtorohanga up for sale.
“We had our eye on a place in Raglan, and this was on the way through,” Michael said.
“I grew up on undulating land, and it reminded me of home,” said Susie.
They also enjoyed the feel of the township, with its hanging baskets.
“This is a good town.”
Kylie Woodward, 15, holds an Angora goat kid on her parents’ Ōtorohanga goat and dairy farm. Senior writer Chris Gardner paid the family a visit and learned how the two systems complement each other.
Since 2019 Michael and Susie Woodward have owned and operated Cowgora Hills, a blended A2 milk dairy cow and angora goat farm.
A mixed herd of cows and goats graze the land, each consuming different parts of the pasture.
The pasture-based farm is a far cry from the cut and carry system operated by Susie’s parents in the US.
Back in the US, farmers are reluctant to share information about their business, so Susie welcomes the openness of the kiwi agricultural sector.
Calves feeding
The 170-hectare farm, with 150 effective hectares, supports 300 cows supplying to Synlait and 150 angora goats supplying to local and overseas buyers. But they will soon be looking to supply to another dairy company as Synlait exits the North Island.
The move to the North Island was not without its challenges, with Susie saying the first year or so came close to breaking them.
Once they had shipped 1,000 cows north, the country went into lockdown, making it had for the family to settle into a new community.
Then they had to get their herd accustomed to the hill country, which was quite different from the flat farms it was used too.
Things quickly changed after the pandemic, with their sons joining the Ōtewā School where Michael was co-opted onto the school board four years ago. He has also recently joined the board of Ōtorohanga College where their daughter is a pupil.
He has also just been elected onto Ōtorohanga District Council.
Susie and Michael Woodward.
The Woodwards employ one staff member.
They are in their second season of twice a day milking, having milked once a day since their arrival at Cowgora Hills.
“Financial pressure has forced us into that decision,” Michael said.
“We hope to go back to once a day.”
Last season the farm averaged 400 kilogrammes of milksolids per cow, or 110,000 kg of milksolids – 10,000 kilogramme more than once per day milking.
The Woodwards are advocates of the Dairy Industry Awards, having been a finalist and regional winner.
“We have got better at what we do,” said Susie.
The feedback from judges helped.
Cowgora Hills
