The dairy farm's three equity shareholders work well together, have complementary skills, the same goals, and systems to monitor all aspects of the farm's performance.
One of the farm's three equity partners, Helwi Tacoma, said while it was a cliche, it was a case of trying to do everything right.
They have been helped by the fact the farm lent itself to success.
Mr Tacoma said when he first saw the Corbet Rd property, he was impressed by the quality of its soils and reliable irrigation source which allowed it to grow plenty of grass.
"That was the main driver," he said.
It was then a case of finding the right person to run it and ensuring cows were fed to their capacity through out the year.
"Put all of those ingredients into the pot and there you go."
Railside farm was the winner of the Dairy Performance Awards, a national competition based on its financial performance.
Mr Tacoma said constantly measuring the farm's performance was a key and central to that was a philosophy of targeting production and then feeding the cows to achieve that.
He said the farm could not grow enough pasture to completely satisfy the cows, so bought supplements, mainly palm kernel but also grass silage, for the shoulders of the season, from an adjacent leased block.
"We feed to that stocking rate. As long as we can source supplements to fill the gaps, we are assured of high production per hectare and high pasture harvest per hectare."
Mr Tacoma said the annual pasture harvest was 14.6 tonnes of dry matter a ha with the farm carrying 3.97 cows a ha.
Feed costs after wastage were $291 a tonne of dry matter for foliage and $283 a tonne for dry matter for concentrate.
Pasture, including grass silage and hay made on farm, made up 63% of the diet.
Post grazing residual was a key measure.
Mr Tacoma said he targeted residual of about 1500kg to 1600kg of dry matter a ha, saying that ensured pasture regrowth and quality would not compromised.
"If it is eaten down to a lot less, say around 1400kg to 1500kg, the problem is not in the pasture quality next round, but the reduced amount that would have grown back."
They operate a 20-day rotation with cows on two 12-hour breaks per paddock. Core costs were $463 a cow or $959 a ha but were closely monitored to reduce waste. Irrigation is by K-line which is moved daily, taking two and a-half hours.
Mr Tacoma said while water was reliable, the farm was long and skinny, with a dogleg, which limited the type of irrigation that could be used.
The business provided a 6.8% return on assets in the 2006-07 season and an operating profit of $2970 a ha.
The cost of production was $2.87 a kg of milk solids and the operating profit margin was 33%.
Mr Tacoma said all three equity partners contributed to the running of the property. Each month all three walked the farm and any decisions were made quickly and decisively.
"You see a problem and make a call with a solution and Chris [Stewart, farm manager] is the person who does the job."
That short decision-making timeframe ensured issues were quickly addressed and was a function of the trio's stable relationship.
"It helps that we get on. It is easier to make decisions and to get the personalities out of it."
They have brought to Railside the good aspects of previous businesses.
One of the things Mr Tacoma learnt was fast decision-making.
"That really put my nose to the hay, the fact a key thing was speed and decisiveness."
Railside was bought by Mr Tacoma and another equity partner, John de Veth, in May 2005 and managed by Mr Stewart with one worker and Mr Stewart's wife Jenny rearing the calves, doing the bookwork and livestock records.
Last off-season the Stewarts became an equity partner on a lower-order contract.
The three complemented each other.
Mr de Veth, a Timaru dairy farmer, was practical and an experienced farmer, Mr Tacoma, a former vet now a dairy farm owner and consultant, has strengths in feeding and stock health and Mr Stewart is a proven farm manager.
Mr Tacoma said Railside was tracking nicely and they were happy with its performance.
This year they hoped to produce 195,000kg of milk solids from 410 cows.