Location: Waikato, Putaruru
Farm area: 190ha
Farm type: Dairy
Hamish Putt is a dairy farmer in the Waikato region, focused on utilising as much grass as possible and ensuring paddock performance is optimised. As with many farms, keeping track of all the moving parts - from feed and fertiliser inputs to compliance reporting, was a challenge before he adopted FarmIQ seven years ago.
For Hamish, the tipping point came when he needed a system to store and analyse pasture growth data and easily see which paddocks were performing best. “I was very interested to find which paddocks were performing more than others, and FarmIQ was certainly doing that,” he says.
The switch to FarmIQ has transformed the way Hamish manages the farm. Using FarmIQ, he can access live weight graphs, feed wedges, and nutrient heat maps, allowing him to make informed decisions. Reporting is now far simpler, with all compliance documents for farm dairy assessments and Regional Council requirements accessible in one place. “The last thing I want is to spend more time at a desk recording things,” he explains.
A major benefit has been the integration with Fonterra. Fertiliser, feed, and cropping records are automatically shared, and milk production data flows back into FarmIQ. This two-way data stream makes audits and farm assessments much less stressful. “All that information is already there when I need it. It makes reporting so much easier and saves me valuable time,” says Hamish.
Hamish also welcomes Fonterra’s new initiative, offering up to $1,500 reimbursement for on-farm digital tools. “It’s encouraging to see Fonterra backing tech we’ve already been using day to day. I’m sure it will help get more farmers using digital tools like this.”
For Hamish, the biggest benefit of FarmIQ is simple: it saves time, improves pasture management and gives him confidence that all aspects of the farm are tracked, recorded, and reported accurately. “If I were talking to another dairy farmer, I’d definitely recommend FarmIQ,” he says.
