Winners share future goals for farm
over January 2022). Total effective: 845ha, with 70ha flat and cultivatable hills.
Farm Policies: Waipuke was leased in 2016, to simplify and reduce workload, to help out new staff members on their new blocks.
Terminal policy was implemented at home. (No young sheep, calves from cows sold prime/store.) Knox Estate breeds replacements for sheep and cattle.
Mangaone gets bottom 400 2ths, 200-odd 5yo ewes, topped up with 200-odd poorer mixed age (MA) ewes.
Cattle have been similar, older, lighter, late cows come from Knox, these were going to South Devon or Charolais bulls, but have gone back to Angus or Hereford to make marketing easier.
Knox Estate
Sheep: MA ewes: 1400, 2ths: 800, mated Hgts: 600 (aim to get 1000 up to weight next year with more crops), dry hoggets: 700, rams: 22.
Sheep policy: Coopworth-based flock, currently 1400 MA ewes and the 800 best 2ths are at Knox breeding replacement stock. Lambs are finished or stored as season dictates.
This year, except 160 sold prime off mum, they have sold all lambs as store. Store money has been good, ewes were light after a hard spring and lambs were light as well, so a long way off finishing.
Priority was getting ewes up to weight and summer crop used for tailend ewe lambs and better country used for middle and top ewe lambs.
There were 500 hoggets grazed out from August till late December.
This was done to alleviate a looming pasture deficit (mainly porina damage) and get good 2ths.
Growing out good 2ths is their goal. For three years, 600 ewe lambs were sent away grazing in January to return 12 months later having lambed as a hogget.
Aim: MA ewes at Knox to dock 150 per cent — this has previously occurred at Mangaone.
Cattle: MA cows: 110, R2 hfrs: 40, Weaners: 120.
Cattle Policy: Knox has the breeding stock for both properties. Cows are put to Angus and Hereford bulls. Steers are sold store as R2s. 50 yearling heifers were mated to Angus bull.
Cropping: 8ha/year into grazing barley then new grass (hunter this year worked well). 2019, 20ha into rape/plantain with chopper meant to be for ewe lambs, then steers wintered on it. In 2020, 15ha went into kale/plantain with chopper, same as above.
Mangaone Valley Farm
This is predominantly a breeding property, which usually sells a portion of lambs store and finishes what they can, works out approximately 25/75.
Sheep: 5yo ewes: 250 mated April 1. MA ewes: 1330 mated April 25. 2ths: 420 mated April 25. The 5yos are weaned late November, ewes go straight onto truck, middle cut sold store mid December, the rest finished. MA and 2ths weaned early January, Target 33kg 1000 lambs prime.
Cattle: 70-80 cows mated January 5, 35 steers wintered and sold store early December (sold mid-October this year due to low feed covers), 30 weaner heifers wintered, top 10-15 sold prime before second winter, rest wintered sold prime as 2yos, 30-40 dairy calves come on in December go home as R2s in-calf 18 months later.
Business/personal goals: Get production up to $1200/ha. Subdivide bigger paddocks — 14 new hill paddocks since 2016, 8km of new fencing including lanes and fencing around yards, seven paddocks to go. Increase Olsen Ps on Knox lighter/ poorer country 90 units of p last three years.
Water system on Knox: Get equity partnership running and make it a success. Looking for a finishing block to finish young stock, get FS into land ownership.