Vicki and Terry Pascoe, Club Med, Gordonton

My husband Terry and I and I run an 100 acre Thoroughbred Agistment Farm (like a Stud Farm but no stallion) in Gordonton.
On average we agist (graze and care for) 60 horses of varying ages (foals, weanlings, yearlings, racehorses and Brood Mares). Forty Fresian heifers are also grazed from six weeks of age through to 20 months pre calving. We are a highly intensive farm.
Our grass is an important part of our service to our clients with all supplements (excluding horse feed) grown on our farm and surplus sold to other stud farms. We harvest 800 bales of hay and 120 bales of silage (10 bale equivalent), so our farm is

very intensive with a good sandy loam Waikato mix soil type. We expect our property to produce 12 months of the year and believe “you only get out what you put into a farm or anything in life”.
During the breeding season (1st Sept to 31st Dec) we walk out (take the mares to visit their next mate) and believe that our pasture content and availability plays an important part in assisting with fertility. Last year achieving a 100% fertility rate (34 out 34 in foal) with previously 95%. Thoroughbred broodmares can be mated 10 days after they foal and are expected to produce 20 litres of milk per day for their fast growing foal (ideally 3 – 4 kg per day initially) and after mating their developing foetus as well.
On our farm broodmares are only supplemented during the last trimester of their pregnancy (usually winter) with Dunstan Pasture Plus which provides all the mineral and vitamins (which are stored in the foetus up till the first three months of life) therefore, it is important that we have high quality feed and soils to produce grass with good balance. We are delighted with the strong, well conformed and grown horses that our farm is producing which are either sold or raced by their owners who are experiencing success on the race track.
At Club Med we have used FERTCO fertiliser and advice since 2000 initially with John Ferens and now with Arthur Payze. We have been delighted with the service, and they are an integral part of our farm management program twelve months of the year. Initially during October we walk the farm together, take soil samples and plan our pasture re seeding, spraying and fertiliser plan for the late summer, when we also meet again and decide our follow on program.
At Club Med we suggest you give FERTCO a call