Owners clinch top title
John and Catherine Ford are the supreme winners of the 2015 Bay of Plenty Ballance Farm Environment Awards (BFEA).
The Rotorua sheep and beef farmers own 1240-hectare Highlands Station – a large hill-country farm, south of Rotorua.
Sitting within the Lake Tarawera and Rotokakahi catchment, the Central Plateau farm’s distinctive contour was shaped by volcanic activity which flattened forests, carved out hill faces and left the area covered in phosphaterich mud.
John Ford’s father, Allen, began developing the farm in the early 1930s and John and Catherine bought it from family in 1995.
In their feedback report, BFEA judges noted the Fords’ ‘‘strong family history of commitment to agriculture’’.
The well-maintained farm had a ‘‘much loved feel’’, and its outstanding meat and wool production puts the property among New Zealand’s leading sheep and beef farming operations.
The Fords were careful to manage the volcanic soils appropriately, with farm management practices matching the capabilities and catchment of the land.
Highlands Station also has extensive native bush areas, including 140ha under QEII National Trust covenants.
Stock performance on Highlands Station is excellent. Sheep resilience is a key priority and the Fords have introduced romney genetics to improve robustness and facial eczema tolerance.
Bull calves are bought in November and sold after 15 months. Rising threeyear cattle are used to control surplus feed in the hill country, and all cattle are weighed regularly so that staff can benchmark production against past averages and targets.
Judges also noted John’s passion for minimising erosion on the challenging contour. Staff culture was an asset and staff took real pride in the farm.
A field day will be held on Highlands Station on Tuesday, March 31. The winners in the 2015 Bay of Plenty Ballance Farm Environment Awards were:
Supreme Award, Soil Management Award and Livestock Award: John and Catherine Ford, Highlands Station, Rotorua.
Kiwifruit Orchard Award, Innovation Award and Harvest Award: Phillipa Wright and Stephen Kenna, KWKIWI Limited, Katikati.
Dairy Farm Award: Corrie and Donna Smit, Corona Farms Limited, Edgecumbe. Integrated Management Award: Geoff and Gerda Bradly, Nga Rakau Farm, Whakatane. Farm Stewardship Award: Tataiwhetu Trust, Tataiwhetu Farms Limited, Ruatoki/ Taneatua. Land and Life Award: Te Kaha 14B2 Trustees/ TKG/OPAC, Hamama, Te Kaha. Bay of Plenty Regional Council Award 1: Tony and Margo Cairns, Oturoa Properties Limited, Rotorua. Bay of Plenty Regional Council Award 2: Geoff and Billie Dobbs, G N and B H Dobbs, Katikati.