When the Schats bought their first property near Darfield in 2018, they took up a contract to supply A2 to Synlait, which paid a premium of 20 cents per kilogram of milksolids (kgMS) on top of the standard farmgate milk price.
Mr Schat said cows with the A2/A2 gene produced milk which contained the A2 protein, which was sought-after overseas for its health benefits.
“The team at Synlait have been really good to us in helping with developing a new farm, so it hasn’t been a difficult transition.
“There’s no other characteristics with A2 milk. The taste and colour are just the same. It’s like having a different blood type.”
The Schats have a 103ha farm halfway between Darfield and Sheffield and milked 385 cows at peak last winter.
About 70% of the herd were Holstein Friesians, with a few pedigree Jersey cows and some crossbreds.
The couple and farm worker Harry Singh ran two milkings a day until mid-February, when they changed to three milkings every two days, with the same production.
The couple were previously 50:50 sharemilkers, milking 800 cows for Mr Schat’s parents at Te Pirita, on the north bank of the Rakaia River.
Taking on an A2 milk contract meant selling half the cows which did not have the A2/A2 gene, Mr Schat said.
“We had to sell some amazing, high-producing cows. But it got us into a great financial position to buy our first farm.
“We have to DNA test all our calves to prove it’s A2/A2 and Synlait randomly tests milk samples to make sure,” Mr Schat said.
“We had one cow that we bought-in last year which didn’t have the A2/A2 gene and Synlait picked it up when they tested the milk.”
The farm was on track to produce 183,000kgMS this year.
