Rakaia Island Dairies Website

Below is an article that appeared in the Press newspaper in March, 2001. It gives a great insight into where the Turner families have come from.

Brothers in the big league

Brothers Doug and Dave Turner are about to crack the magic million kilograms of milksolids on their Rakaia Island dairy farm. HOWARD KEENE reports.

Rakaia Island sits like a 14.5km long ship with its bow thrusting upstream into the braided channels of the Rakaia River.
The main channel of the river and the north branch are deflected by the "bow" of the island, while the "stern" has the river's lagoon as its boundary at the coast.

In the few years the island has become home to one of the largest dairy herds in the country.

Back in 1980 two Rangiora brothers tossed in their regular jobs, packed everything in their Holden ute, and headed to the North Island to seek their fortunes as sharemilkers. Today David and Doug Turner, and their wives Margaret and Helen, run 2760 cows, three milking sheds, and employ 20 staff, the Turners are now in the big league.

But while many big dairy conversions are owned by syndicates or corporations and run with managers, the Turners are still very much hands on and with a love of the job. Since they took over Rakaia Island in 1994 cow numbers have steadily increased, and although there is the potential to increase further, they are consolidating this year. Last year the Turners operation produced around 785,000kg of milksolids. This year they are well on target to crack the magic one million kilograms.

Away from the golden arable landscape of the Southbridge area, the land rises towards the Rakaia River. A dirt road wide enough for two tankers eventually leads down to the channels of the north branch of the river, some with bridges. Once over the north branch, the land stands high enough above the river to have withstood hundreds or probably thousands of years of Rakaia floods, judging by a reasonable soil cover.

Near David and Margarets house, a cluster of houses and buildings give a village atmosphere. Some are staff houses, some are farm buildings. David Turner points to a new office and recreation building for staff. They have made a conscious effort to make staff comfortable.

"There is now a lot of pressure on getting the staffing right," Margaret Turner says. "If we're not up to speed they're going to leave. What's good this year is that most of the staff are staying for next season."

Before they went sharemilking in 1980, Dave worked at the Rural bank in Blenheim, and Doug was a diesel mechanic.

During their two years away, Doug married Helen. Doug and Helen, and Dave then came back south to work on Northbank Station which was being converted to dairying. Three years later they bought the North Rakaia road farm, and were running 350 cows there by 1986. This was followed by the purchase of Fereday Island as a run off property in 1988. Fereday Island is another island of the Rakaia between the north branch and the north north branch of the river.

In 1988 Dave married Margaret. Today the two couples each have three daughters and a son, and farm the property in partnership.

When they sold the two farms and bought Rakaia Island in 1994 they were milking 750 cows.

Of the purchase of the Rakaia Island sheep and cattle farm, Dave says, "It was risky on the day because it wasn't really seen as a dairying property, and because of the access, But we saw potential here because of the bigger area." The Turners have freehold over half of Rakaia Island, while the other half belongs to Environment Canterbury.

Of the 1700ha, 1100 is directly used for dairy cows, while 600 is in winter feed and grazed by young stock.

As is normal with dairy conversions, the paddocks have been completely reorganised. Irrigation comes from shallow wells which are affected by low flows on the Rakaia and restricted in dry periods, and from deep wells which are not on restriction. The Turners are still developing deep wells.

The last seven years have been a time of steady growth. The first milking shed was built in their first year, the second in 1996, and the third this year.

Although the year has been good weather-wise, and the dairy payout is at record levels, the autumn has turned dry, and there might be a problem with winter feed. "It depends on what the weather does, but we might have to dry off early," David Turner says.
"Not that it hasn't happened before, but this year could be so good." They are realistic about the rapid expansion of the dairy industry, recognising that some people could get their fingers burnt with the current high prices being paid for land and cattle.
"It depends on the payout," David says. "Chances are its as good as its going to get. We've tried not to push things. We would rather expand when the prices are down than when they're up. Its got to be sustainable. A lot of the time you actually end up competing with other farmers when the prices are up."

Hence the Turners present spell of consolidation. Dave: "There's still a jolly good future in the industry. In no other can you start from scratch and get somewhere."

Doug: "If you put your head down and bum up, you can do it, its all about attitude. It was nothing we planned on paper, it just happened." What is it about these two low-key guys now in their mid forties that has brought success?

Margaret Turner: "They are not pessimistic at all. They really like a challenge." And money is not the big issue.

Doug Turner: "If money was an issue, we could easily have sold up this year, and got a pocketful of money.'

Dave Turner: : "I guess we're not as ruthless as the corporates. We could farm just for money, but there'd be no fun in that."

Now that they are employing 16 milking staff the early mornings are gone, but "we are working harder in managerial roles. On a farm like this there's always something happening, there's always something extra to do."

Doug Turner: "Our philosophy is that timing is everything. If it needs doing, its got to be done."