Located 18km from Balclutha, South Otago, Katy and Tim Button run a 180-hectare dairy farm at Port Molyneux Dairies Ltd. With over 300 dairy cows, their primary focus is on sustainable milk production. This is achieved by maintaining healthy, happy cows and optimising grass growth.
For the Buttons, this means sourcing the best possible forage. One key to their success has been Germinal’s Aber High Sugar Grass (Aber HSG), which they’ve used since it first became available in New Zealand in 2006.
Challenges and goals
Upon settling in New Zealand, their goal was simple: produce high-quality milk by ensuring their cows had access to the best grass possible. However, the challenge was finding pasture grass varieties that would thrive in New Zealand’s diverse climate while supporting milk production and keeping their herd healthy.
When the Buttons emigrated from the UK, they were already familiar with the potential of Aber HSG, a forage grass funded by Germinal and developed 30 years ago at the Institute of Biological, Environmental, and Rural Sciences (IBERS) at Aberystwyth University. Aber HSG varieties are now exclusively bred by Germinal Horizon, our dedicated research and innovation division.
Adopting Aber High Sugar Grass
The Buttons' first experience with Aber HSG was a success: "I can tell you exactly which paddock we put it in. The cows grazed half of it one night, and the next morning they stopped at the gateway. They wanted to go back to graze the High Sugar Grass."
This reaction from the cows convinced them to continue sowing Aber HSG across the farm, aiming to improve both the cows' diet and milk yield.
Results and impact
Today, almost the entire farm is covered with Aber HSG, with the Buttons following a grass-based system, supplementing with silage only in shoulder seasons.
Their experience with Germinal’s products has been overwhelmingly positive, leading to enhanced milk production and healthier cows. According to Katy, "The cows certainly do milk well on it... You want the best quality grass you can have."
The consistency in grass growth and quality has been notable. Katy also emphasises the persistence and grazing characteristics of Aber HSG: "It’s good persistent grass. It establishes well and flows through into good milk production."
The Buttons have also found success with integrating Germinal clovers into their pasture: “The clovers, AberNormous, AberClaret, and AberLasting (DoubleRoot). They're good upstanding clovers. They really show through again.”
Sustainability and future outlook
Sustainability is a core goal for Port Molyneux Dairies. By focusing on grass-based feeding and minimal reliance on external feed sources, the Buttons are promoting a sustainable model of dairy farming.
As Katy explains, "If we've got happy, healthy cows chewing the cud, you can grow the feed with good grass to produce good quality milk profitably. It's what it's all about at the end of the day."
Persistent and productive pasture
“What Katy is seeing is what we expect from Aber High Sugar Grass varieties,” explains Simon Larsen, General Manager of Germinal New Zealand. “AberGain offers impressive tillering for a tetraploid, making it more resilient in all conditions to complement its palatability for grazing.
“With AberGreen, you have a diploid with even stronger tillering to further increase ground cover and persistence. With 5.5% higher digestibility¹ than standard ryegrasses, AberGreen is also great for driving milk production.
“Aber HSG varieties are exclusive to Germinal through our longstanding partnership with IBERS. The Germinal Horizon breeding team is embedded at IBERS and continues to focus on enhancing traits that deliver superior pasture performance in the face of environmental challenges.
“This work is supported here in New Zealand at our Germinal Horizon Broadfield site near Lincoln, where new material from our breeding programme is thoroughly tested. This ensures new Germinal pasture varieties perform in NZ conditions.”
¹Plant Research (NZ) Ltd (2014). Unpublished. Mean digestibility values were measured across five harvests at Ashburton from Oct 2013 to Mar 2014.
Interested in Germinal pasture varieties?
View our persistent clovers and energy-efficient Aber High Sugar Grasses.