Improving soils and grassland is the focus for Rob Visser, who makes artisan cheeses from the milk produced by his 130-cow Jersey herd.Chris McCullough reports.
Surely there is no better place to run a dairy farm producing prestigious cheese than in the heart of South Africas idyllic Cape Winelands.
That is exactly where Rob Visser wakes up every morning to milk his herd of Jersey cows on Dalewood Farm in the west of this southernmost African nation.
Rob is a second generation farmer and is truly passionate about his cows, his regenerative farming, the cheese produced and the team which helps the family succeed.
The cheese business, Dalewood Fromage, is an integral part of Dalewood Farm, producing a range of artisan cheeses with a unique recipe formed by Rob himself.
His range of award-winning speciality cheeses includes Brie, Camembert and blue in different styles. There are also Huguenot, Boland and Lanquedoc brands unique to Dalewood.
Producing the milk to make the cheese is a closed herd of 130 Jerseys. Rob adheres to his own precisely formulated grazing plan to achieve the most from the herd and the land, using no artificial fertilisers, insecticides or weed killers to boost the pastures.
Rob says: Cows are milked twice a day using a 10-point swingover system, achieving a yield of 20 litres each at 4.9% butterfat and 3.7% protein.
In terms of breeding, Rob uses the best bulls available, with high index figures on his cows via artificial insemination. His breeding goal is to achieve a fertile cow with good milking traits, longevity, good balance, good udders and high solids.
Rob says: To help us with our genetics, we run a full DNA evaluation of the herd and breed for A2 beta casein carriers. I need to glean as much data as I can from the cows, so we use milk recording, full genetic analysis and breeding data capture.
We operate a 25% replacement rate. The bull calves are all kept and put out to grass at 10 months old where they receive salt lick blocks and are fed 2kg of grains per day. They are sold at 20 months old or earlier if we are short of grass.
However, it is Robs superior pasture management skills which are the foundation of the success of this farm, skills he learned from research.
Three years ago, Rob came across the work of Australian soil scientist Dr Christine Jones and her work, which looks at the negative impact fertiliser can have on the microbial activity in the soil.
Rob says: Soil fungi are very important for feeding the grass and helping to release trace elements in the soil and into the plants so they can be absorbed by the cows. This is crucial to herd health and milk quality.
Fertiliser actually kills microbial activity and fungi in the soil.
In 2019, Rob planted 14 different pasture species, including a variety of cocksfoot grasses; six clover species; vetch, which is a multi-purpose crop; serradella, a winter-growing annual pasture legume; lucerne and a selection of wild turnips and radishes.
Rob monitors grass growth and quality in the pastures each day. If the weather has been hot and the grass density is low, the cows rotate through the pastures quicker. On average, they return to the same paddock every 30 days.
The farm receives about 800mm of rain per year. After the spring rains, grass is in better condition and the cows eat more.
When the weather is hot, they mostly eat more during the cooler night times.
Rob says: Our cows run on mixed permaculture pastures following the research guides by Dr Jones. The cows are also buffer fed a 12-species oat hay, together with our home-mixed concentrates fed at a flat rate of 7kg/day. We do not run any cow groups.
The heifers and dry cows graze dry pastures, but we use irrigation in summer on the pastures for the milking herd.
The temperatures here in South Africa hit the highs from January to March, so we irrigate the milking cows pastures during this time. After that, the pastures dry out and provide a forage which is high in protein for the cows.
Rob keeps meticulous records on which paddocks the cows have grazed each day, therefore making the rotation system practical and easy to manage.
He says: Our cows are not pushed for maximum production. Instead, we try to find a balanced sweet spot for herd health and financial gain. The goal here is to achieve a balance, a manageable happy space for people and cows.
However, of course there are challenges here. Dairy farming is very intensive, so free time is very limited and, like everywhere else, the costs of inputs, particularly grains, is very high.
Farm facts
The farm employs eight staff and the emphasis is on a healthy work-life balance to help retain good workers
The farm runs a herd of 130 plus followers
Rob Visser is a second generation farmer
The family has farmed at Dalewood Farm for 60 years
The farm extends to 45 hectares (111 acres)
