In 2015 the signing of a joint venture between St Peter’s School, Cambridge, and Lincoln University saw the start of an exciting new chapter for Owl Farm as the first demonstration dairy farm in the North Island. Ten years on the joint venture is still going strong.
The inspiration for a partnership came about during the course of a conversation on the sidelines of a school rugby game. John Fegan, who was a Lincoln University alumnus and parent of St Peter’s School students, and Andy West, former Lincoln University Vice Chancellor, could see how a collaboration could revitalise the farm, and benefit the school, the university, and the dairy industry as a whole.
Ballance, DairyNZ, Fonterra, LIC, PGG Wrightson Seeds, Opus, and Westpac came on board to support the initiative as industry partners. Four of these companies (DairyNZ, Fonterra, PGG Wrightson Seeds, and Westpac) have continued to back Owl Farm over the entire intervening period, and have been recently joined by Ravensdown.
The initial goals were to renovate the operation, showcase good farm practices underpinned by science, strengthen ties between the school and farm, and encourage young people to join the industry.
The role of demonstration manager was created to lead the on-farm team, action the recommendations of the committees guiding the farm’s direction, and liaise with the industry and wider public. Doug Dibley was the first demonstration manager to take on the job.
“I was there right from the start – through the formation of the joint venture and bringing the various partners on board,” says Doug. “The farm was an average size and in average condition – exactly the sort of property you’d typically see in the industry. It was a great opportunity to demonstrate to local farmers how an average farm could be transformed. The farm always had a well-bred herd, but there were opportunities to optimise performance, especially through pasture and infrastructure improvement.
“The Management Committee included two or three local farmers with strong ties to the school and excellent business skills, plus an operational representative from each of the seven partners. Each partner brought valuable expertise—for example, Ballance had nutrient specialists, and PGG Wrightson Seeds provided agronomists who could significantly improve our farm systems from a crop and pasture perspective.
“My first year was all about establishment – supporting the creation of those structures, transitioning the on-farm staff to the demonstration model, and adapting to what was essentially ‘farming in a fishbowl’.
“Once we had the farm more firmly established, we began developing the long-term strategy for creating a financially viable, sustainable, profitable, and productive operation with strong health and safety systems.
“Those first couple of years were also about engaging with the public and the school. We hosted open days. We also worked closely with the school’s agronomy students to give them practical, hands-on farm experience.
“One of our biggest early projects was building a constructed treatment wetland to help denitrify shallow groundwater before it reached the Waikato River.
“Partway through my time there, we brought on Tom Buckley as the farm manager. He stayed throughout Louise Cook’s time as demonstration manager and most of Jo Sheriden’s tenure as well. Tom was outstanding – open to feedback, adaptable, and unflappable.
“I was in the role for two years, laying the groundwork for bigger strategic changes that came later under Louise and Jo.
“The highlights for me were the open days, engaging with local farmers, working closely with partners, and developing a strategic view of farming systems. I was still relatively young, and the role gave me the opportunity to grow, develop new skills, and contribute to a significant change in direction for the farm and the school.”
Louise Cook was employed as the school’s next demonstration manager in 2017 with the goal of building on the foundations Doug and the team had put in place, and taking the farm on the next stage of its journey.
The objectives for the farm had evolved. The focus remained on productivity, profitability, and industry leadership but the management team also aimed to create a futureproofed system which was sustainable, environmentally responsible, and provided a supportive, high quality work environment. This was alongside inspiring young people by providing them with exposure to the industry and opening their eyes to the opportunities it offers.
“The pieces of the puzzle were there for the farm to get up and perform,” says Louise. “The partners were on board, there was a great farm manager, and lots of amazing people wrapped around the business. We had this great setup, this great framework, and now it was time to really get that farm performance starting to move to a place that was going to build our credibility with farmers. Alongside that we also had to focus on sustainability – you’ve got to manage nutrient loss to water and greenhouse gases. And you also have to think about the people in the system.”
“I remember the Management Committee was having a coffee and thrashing out farm systems. I’d done FARMAX and Overseer models so we knew how they played out but we needed to visualise how all the aspects worked together.
“So I made a radar graph and that was the birth of the Wagon Wheel. It showed the trade-off between our primary KPIs for each farm systems option. It helped us to analyse what we were prepared to compromise on. The framework became a really good way of evaluating farm systems.”
They settled on farm performance, animal well-being, environment, business health, quality workplace, and community as their main Wagon Wheel focus areas, each with their own KPIs.
“Not every farm will have the same goals, but everyone should know what’s on the outside of their wheel – and be honest about how they’re doing,” says Louise.
“The engagement with the School’s students also built over time. We had students doing geometry in the real world – measuring breaks and paddock layouts for example, and carrying out science fair projects.
“It was a real privilege to be given the opportunity to be a caretaker of Owl Farm. And being able to work with partners and committee people with passion, commitment, talent, generosity, and expertise.”
Jo Sheridan is the current demonstration manager and came on board in 2019. She is in charge of the current operation which comprises 142ha milking 360 cows in a DairyNZ System 2, aiming to produce 400-440 kgMS/cow annually.
“When I joined Owl Farm in 2019 it had great infrastructure, a great manager, and a clear strategic direction captured within the Wagon Wheel KPIs,” says Jo.
“From the start, one of the key areas I focused on was ensuring Owl Farm met community and industry expectations around what dairy farming in New Zealand should look like. Particularly our impact on water quality and nitrogen loss to the Waikato River. Another key focus was understanding the implications of climate change, how we adapt to that and our responsibilities around mitigating our greenhouse gas emissions.”
Owl Farm aims to achieve a downward trend in its key environmental indices, in particular greenhouse gas emissions and nitrogen loss.
“A big highlight for me during my time here has been our ability to evolve, adapting our nitrogen use so it is more efficient,” says Jo. “There are enough science, technology and mitigation strategies available for dairy farmers to ensure that our nitrogen’s cycling more efficiently within our system and we have minimal loss to our wider environment.”
Over the last ten years Owl Farm’s modelled nitrogen loss figures have shown a significant improvement, dropping from 40 kg/ha/yr in 2014/15 to 24 kg/ha/yr last season.
In the area of animal wellbeing, in 2018 Owl Farm made a significant shift, introducing their “purposeful lives for calves” policy. The aim was to minimise the number of bobby calves and instead breed marketable animals that produce a viable financial return. Since then, the number of calves with purposeful lives has increased from 34% in 2018 to 83% in 2025.
People are another key focus area, with KPIs sitting under the Quality Workplace section of the Wagon Wheel. Owl Farm uses DairyNZ’s Workplace 360 assessment tool to analyse their work environment. It measures their progress in a number of areas including: balanced and productive work time; competitive remuneration; health, safety and wellbeing; effective team culture; and rewarding careers. The aim is to achieve a target of 100% in the three Workplace 360 levels of Foundation, Good, and Great. In 2020/21 they scored 100%/79%/63%, since then they have shifted the dial to 100%/87%/76% in 2023/24.
Unlike a typical dairy farm Owl Farm also has a significant commitment to nurturing positive connections with, and educational opportunities for, school and tertiary students, farmers, and the Waikato community at large.
“Another highlight for me is fostering Owl Farm’s relationship with St Peter’s School students and our community,” says Jo. “We’ve almost tripled the number of students who are studying in the food and fibre sector. It’s been a real pleasure to have the farm gates open to the wider public and knowing that we are farming in a way that brings pride and joy to those who are involved in the farm business and those who come and experience it.”
Over 2000 people enter the farm gates every year, whether it is St Peter’s School students, farmers and rural professionals attending Focus Day events, or the public attending the annual Open Day. There are numerous other farm visitors – from primary school visits, through to industry organisations conducting research, international customers and cyclists looking across the boundary fence from the Te Awa Cycleway which borders the farm.
“Owl Farm is a special and unique resource for New Zealand and its dairy farmers”, says Jo. “A whole team of people, our partners and farmers, have contributed their time and energy to help us thrive. Their support has underpinned Owl Farm’s evolution over the last 10 years and will help us to continue to build on our success over the next 10 years.”
