Farmers pushed to hills
Awatere Valley merino farmer Simon Harvey was once told by his father, John, a former sawmiller, to ‘‘do the simple things well, and you are half way there.’’
Harvey has stuck with those wise words and they paid off after he won, with wife Lynda and son Tom, the inaugural Marlborough Sheep and Beef Farmer of the Year Award.
Finalists were judged on the categories of management and governance, including succession, financial and risk management, social and community, animal performance, land management and financial performance. The Harveys, who run Glen Orkney, and Stronsay properties at the head of the Medway River, scored 17.9 points out of 25 in the business section.
‘‘My father passed down to me that if you keep both ends of the sheep clean and you treat them well, you are well on track,’’ Harvey said.
They bought Glen Orkney from Simon’s father in 1984, and added the neighbouring Stronsay property four-and-a-half years ago. Together the two properties, an hour’s drive from Blenheim, total 1930 hectares with a small area of flats running to easy hills and back to high country. About 1600ha is grazed, including 150ha which can be cultivated.
About 20 per cent of the property is high country, with 35 per cent steep hills, and 40 per cent easy hill country with a small area of flats. Lucerne is grown on 26ha with 11ha of plantain and clover. Average annual rainfall is 700mm with weather extremes ranging from cold winters, and hot and dry summers with a short pasture growing season.
Stock units total 4358 sheep, and 1340 cattle at a stocking rate of four stock units to the hectare, producing $420/ha. There are 3300-3500 merino ewes, and 950 replacement ewe hoggets, with 700 wether and ram lambs wintered over. Lamb scanning percentages at 159 per cent were among the highest for merino farmers in the region. Lamb survival rates, with 17 per cent mortality, were described as ‘‘outstanding’’.
Award judging chairman Chris Dawkins told a 170-strong field day audience at their property that their win was based on a strong family and community focus with a passion for stock and trees. In addition to the farming operation, the Harveys host a tourism venture involving a three-day high country trek, and also Queen Elizabeth II Trust covenants of 15ha fenced off native plantings, notably pink broom.
The Harveys symbolise the type of sheep farming which was now ‘‘happening in the hills’’, Dawkins said. The Marlborough region had lost 25,000ha of flat pastoral land in the past three decades due to land use changes as the traditional sheep farmer had been ‘‘pushed back to the hills’’, he said.
Harvey said the farm had made a lot of progress over the past four years with $575,000 debt repaid since Stronsay was bought.
‘‘This season has been as good as it gets,’’ he said. ‘‘Merino are challenging to farm but they are also very rewarding when you get it right which is one of the reasons we have not changed breeds.’’