Buffalo Dairying in New Zealand

When Annie Wills and Phil, her husband, decided that they would like to do something different with their Hanoverian stud property north of Auckland, they were sure they’d come up with the right idea when they saw the popularity of buffalo mozzarella cheese while travelling in Italy. Buffalo herds were common in Italy, but as a potential business idea, running a herd of dairy water buffalo sounded intriguing.

“It wasn’t easy to buy a buffalo herd. Australia was our nearest possible source but people weren’t very willing to sell. Eventually three years ago, we were able to import a small youngish herd of heifers from Queensland,” says Annie.

The exciting thing about water buffalo from a mozzarella perspective is that their milk is very rich in fat and protein, yielding solids of almost 20%. The small production per cow of between five and seven litres per day is more than compensated for by the extra cheese potential per weight. Water buffalo differ from cows also in that their teats are not regular. They are a little closer together and sometimes a different shape, whereas cows are bred for their udder and their teats are more or less all the same and in a predictable position. It means more care needs to be taken when attaching cups.

Annie says, “Because these animals have known domestication over hundreds of years in Asia, they are friendly and like to be around us. Usually they’re very placid but it isn’t too difficult to upset one. They’ll withold their milk if they’re offended. They’re canny too. We keep one of our bulls with the girls because he’s much easier to manage like that. He’s worked out where the girls come out after milking and he goes down there and waits for them.”

In the Asian world water buffalo are used as beasts of burden. They do well in their native Asia where their patchy hair allows them to cope with the heat. Because they only have a thick skin for protection, they are susceptible to chills and not suitable for less than moderate climates. They need wind shelter too.

Always precise with the position of their solid horns which are part of their cooling system, Water Buffalo bleed profusely if they are removed. An un-horned cow would ultimately be victimised by the horned members of the herd. These creatures are exceptionally good at looking after their young and it’s uncommon to encounter problems when they calve. They’re not even difficult to feed, thriving on roughage, but Annie says they go after good grass if it’s available. Buffalo-beef, now becoming more popular, is lean with a finer grain.

Buffalo Cheeses A buffalo dairy herd will produce milk for almost twenty years and provides for people who suffer from cows milk allergies. Mozzarella is not the only cheese this rich dairy is good for either. Try pecorino, or a nice blue. How about the soft cheeses, or the dainties such as marscapone, all part of a broad range suitable from buffalo dairy.

The Wills make most of their own soft cheeses and sell them at Northland markets. Having taken on the management of one of only a few buffalo herds in New Zealand, most of which produce meat rather than dairy, the Wills must certainly have satisfied their need to do something different.   Source: Theresa Sjoquist interview with Annie Wills, August 2010.

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