Volckman Composting Barn – Karamea, West Coast

Location: Karamea - West Coast, South Island, NZ

BUILDING DETAILS

Size: 137.5m long x 44.5m Wide
Herd Size: 650 Cows

The Volckman Composting Barn in Karamea was built to solve a familiar West Coast challenge: wet winters, pasture damage, feed wastage and pressure on cows and staff.

Since commissioning, the barn has delivered whole-system gains across animal welfare, pasture performance, milk production and labour efficiency. Owner Geoff Volckman describes the system as largely foolproof and says he would build the barn again without hesitation.

Why a Composting Barn Was Chosen

Karamea’s high rainfall and winter conditions made traditional wintering increasingly costly, both in pasture damage and lost production.

The composting barn was designed to:

• Protect paddocks through winter

• Improve cow comfort and condition

• Reduce feed wastage

• Create a safer, more controlled working environment

• Lift overall system resilience, not just provide shelter

Key Outcomes & ROI Drivers

1. Animal Welfare & Cow Performance

The most immediate and visible improvement has been cow comfort.

• Cows are noticeably calmer and more settled

• Improved body condition over winter, historically difficult in this region

• Reduced feed demand compared with wintering outside

• Ability to milk later into autumn and early winter (into June) due to better cow condition

• Safer, more predictable stock handling for staff

These gains underpin downstream improvements in production and utilisation.

2. Pasture Protection & Spring Performance

Removing cows from paddocks during wet periods has delivered strong pasture outcomes:

• Significantly improved spring pasture cover

• Minimal pugging and contamination

• Faster pasture recovery post-winter

• Reduced regrassing and repair costs

The barn effectively functions as a winter feed pad, reducing pressure on land when it matters most.

3. Milk Production Gains

Milk production has increased materially since commissioning. 

Gains are attributed to:

• Reduced feed wastage

• Better control of winter feeding

• Improved cow condition heading into spring

• Reduced stress and energy loss during wet conditions

As with many composting barns, the value is realised at system level, rather than from a single metric alone.

Compost, Bedding & Nutrient Value

The compost produced has meaningful fertiliser value, though optimisation is ongoing.

Current practice:

• Compost spread regularly using a chuck wagon

• No long-term stockpiling

Identified opportunity:

• Improved nutrient planning to reduce reliance on synthetic fertiliser

• Avoiding duplication (spreading compost and then applying fresh chip)

• Continued refinement of chip type and particle size to improve heat generation and longevity.

Design & Build Learnings

What Worked Well

• Concrete feed lanes under the eaves

  • Protects feed from rain

  • Reduces wear in high-traffic areas

  • Improves longevity and hygiene

• Concrete around water troughs for durability

• Coastal-grade steel critical for corrosion resistance in West Coast conditions

• Layout allows flexible feeding, drafting and pre-milking staging

• Strong ventilation and airflow performance

Geoff has visited other composting barns, including a timber-framed system in Christchurch, and noted confidence in steel construction for durability and long-term performance.

Strong advice from the Volckmans: do the homework and visit operating barns before committing.

For the Volckmans, the outcome is simple: better control, better outcomes, and a system they would choose again.

Location: West Coast, South Island
Client: Rural,  Dairy Farming 
Application: Rural, Farming, Milking, Dairy Cows, Aztech Buildings, Rural Buildings, Bird Proof, Composting Barn
Reference: C2444