Couple claim Greater Wgtn title
sustainable. What I was really impressed with and what they can teach many others is their excellent attitude towards the people they employ who help make this such a good operation.’’
There were four finalists on the East Coast region alongside the Hirsts.
The Knauf family of Maraekakaho – Ivan and Sue with their son and daughter-inlaw Lewis and Mel – won the Ballance Agri-Nutrients Soil Management Award, LIC Dairy Farm Award, Hill Laboratories Harvest Award and WaterForce Integrated Management Award.
Nigel and Deirdre Tomalin, of Pukeorapa Station, Nuhaka, won the Beef + Lamb New Zealand Livestock Award and the Farm Stewardship Award in partnership with the QEII National Trust and the New Zealand Farm Environment Trust went to Tim Aitken and Lucy Robertshawe together with their children Jim and Willa from The Steyning near Tikokino.
MARTINBOROUGH sheep and beef farmers Dan and Reidun Nicholson, pictured, won the 2016 Greater Wellington Ballance Farm Environment Awards.
Described by judges as an outstanding husband and wife team with a strong community commitment, the couple farms 607 hectares of hill country in the Ponatahi Valley, north of Martinborough. They hosted a winner’s field day on Tokaroa Farm at the end of April attended by about 130 people including a busload of people from different government agencies such as MPI.
‘‘It was good to have some interaction with them and show them what we do. It was very dry then so it was good to showcase dry land farming and how we cope with that,’’ says Dan.
As well as being the overall winners, the Nicholsons also received the CB Norwood Distributors Agribusiness Management Award, Massey University Innovation Award and the Ballance Agri-Nutrients Soil Management Award.
Originally purchased by Dan’s parents Patricia and the late Matthew in 1977, Tokaroa Farm winters about 6200 stock units on 585ha effective, with a 75:25 sheep to beef ratio. It is run in conjunction with the 800ha Bush Gully Station, managed by Dan’s brother, Matt. Reidun, a vet, takes care of financial records for the whole business.
The awards judges said Dan and Reidun were part of an exceptional family venture with an impressive governance structure to ensure the ‘‘progressive and intergenerational business will remain robust and successful well into the future’’. They said the Nicholsons had an excellent understanding of the various soil types on their farm and were committed to leading science and research for the benefit of the wider farming community in summer dry areas.
Other winners in the 2016 Greater Wellington Ballance Farm Environment Awards were Richard and Becks Tosswill, Te Awaawa, Masterton, who won the Beef + Lamb New Zealand Livestock Award and the Farm Stewardship Award in partnership with QEll National Trust and the New Zealand Farm Environment Trust. The PGG Wrightson People in Agriculture Award, Hill Laboratories Harvest Award and WaterForce Integrated Management Award were won by Palliser Estate Wines of Martinborough and the LIC Dairy Farm Award went to Blair and Deanne Percy, Masterton.