Successful, sustainable dairy farming on the Garden Route

For 15 years, the Muller family, near George, has been using biological farming methods and no-till practices. Their pasturereared dairy herd is thriving and can be directly traced to the operation’s original 17 cows.

- Jay Ferreira

The Muller family has been farming on Milk wood farm near George for 33 years. Today, Phil and Georgie Muller run Milk wood Dairy in partnership with Phil’s father, John, who started milking 17  cows on his farm outside Kokstad in KwaZulu-Natal in 1957.

“In 1984, we relocated to Milk wood farm with our cattle,” says Phil, who has been farming in a 50:50 partnership with his father for the past 20 years.

John looks after the finances and cattle records and carries out repairs on the farm, while Phil runs the dairy, pastures and stock. Georgie, his wife, who consults for Waikato Milking Systems in New Zealand on the software of the company’s milking systems, assists with the running of the milking parlour and feeding system.

A year ago, the Mullers installed an Afimilk computerised milking system, which has helped to increase cow efficiency on the farm.

FARMING, NOT FIGHTING, WITH NATURE

“Being conservation conscious and wanting to be sustainable, we’re passionate about biological farming systems,” says Phil. “We strive to work with nature and not against it. John has always conserved the soil, and in the past 15 years we’ve had access to minimum tillage seed drills to plant. So we’ve completely stopped disking in an attempt to improve our soils, while at the same time balancing soil minerals and feeding soil life.”

According to Phil, the aim is to build up the organic matter in the soil and limit the use of chemical fertilisers, while maximising the use of cattle manure, as well as chicken manure that is bought in.

“This has all helped us to follow more biological farming methods,” he says.