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Sustainable
Hill Country Development a
Winner
This article was published
in Country-Wide southern edition, May
2005.
Achieving
above average stock performance in a
financially, environmentally, and socially
sustainable way is the key to success of the
Keen family’s farming operation.
Gore
farmers John, Fay, and Jeff Keen won the
Supreme Award in this years Southland Balance
Farm Environmental Awards for what finalist
judge David Clarke described as a very good
example of the development of hill country in
a way that is unlikely to cause adverse
effects on the environment.
The Keens
farm an 870ha hill country property of which
600ha is effective farmland, 53ha is planted
in tree plantations and copses, while the
balance is native hill country.
Jeff Keen
says when his parent’s John and Fay bought the
farm in 1979, the property was considered to
be typical run country in that it was covered
in tussock and manuka and only 85ha had been
cultivated.
Since
this time the Keen’s have undertaken extensive
sub-division of the four blocks that once
constituted the farm, planted a lot of trees
(despite the harsh economic environment of the
eighties) and took the first steps towards
lifting the production of the farm.
In those
early days the farm carried a total of 2200
stock units, and was not a high producing
farm.
Lambing
percentages sat around 100% and calving
percentages languished around 80%.
Today the
farm carries 5500 stock units, 4200 of which
are sheep and the balance are beef
units. This is a
sheep to cattle ratio of 70:30.
For the
past two years lambing percentages in the easy
care Perendale ewes have averaged 130% to sale
while last’s calving percentage in the Angus
cross cows was 85%.
Lambs are
finished on the farm over summer to an average
17.6kg CW.
Jeff says
he doesn’t try to sell a large number of lambs
off their mothers a weaning, rather he works
at finishing the bulk of lambs over
March.
A
Perendale ram is used over the bulk of the
ewes, and a terminal sire is used over 600
older ewes.
Of the
effective farm area 500ha has been cultivated
and 100ha is what Jeff describes as fertilised
hill country.
The 217ha
native hill country block is used for grazing
for about one month a year in winter, when it
supplies standing hay to ewes and
cattle.
While
they plan to develop this block, Jeff is
cautious about pouring on large amounts of
capital fertiliser on what are low fertility
soils.
Rather he
is planning to sub-divide the block spray out
the tut and apply a fine particle FPA
fertiliser.
Jeff says
trials using this fertiliser on the block have
been quite encouraging in that it has
stimulated nutrient cycling and microbial
activity.
“It is
just not economic to fly large amounts of lime
on what is a low fertility block”.
The
development of the native block will not be
used to lift the number of stock units they
carry, rather it will act as a buffer zone for
the existing number of stock units.
Jeff, who
manages the farm on a daily basis, is acutely
aware of the need for sustainability in his
farming practices and uses the principles of
holistic management in his
decision-making.
“Our land
is our resource base and we need to look after
it as it effects everything else down the
track’>
In making
decisions around the development of the farm,
he questions the effect his decisions will
have on the future of the property.
“We are
looking after the property and while I enjoy
the lifestyle, I want it to be here for the
next generation.
Particular attention is paid to pasture
quality, particular as no supplementary feed
is made or fed out.
This year
35ha of turnips have been grown for winter
feed and 18ha have been sown in short rotation
ryegrasses.
These
crops are then used for feeding the hoggets
and finishing cattle.
When the
crops are finished the paddocks are sown down
in permanent pasture.
Jeff says
he includes 7 kg of clover in his pasture
mixes to target summer production for lambs as
well as providing ground cover, preventing
invasion by weeds.
To help
establish the clover, new pastures are
initially grazed very hard before being left
to recover.
Subsequent grazings are by cattle only and
then used for lamb finishing on what are
essentially sheep parasite free
pastures.
“Growth
rates on these pastures have been very good,
and drench costs have been reduced.”
Faecal
eggs counts are monitored as are the worm
burdens on the
pasture.
Pasture
recovery time is important, especially in
young pastures when Jeff is conscious of root
development.
Cattles
are used to maintain pasture quality over the
whole farm, especially important as no
supplementary feed is made, and they do not
use a mechanical topper.
The
fertiliser bill equates to $8.70/su net
including the cost of spreading.
Jeff
explains the cost of fertiliser is higher
because of the winter cropping, but this still
outweighs the cost of making and feeding
supplementary feed.
Fertiliser is flown on the hill country in
spring, and is spread on the young grasses in
spring. All the
cultivated land receives a maintenance
dressing in autumn.
The Keens
take pride in the quality of the water on
their farm.
A number
of small meandering streams on the farm are
being fenced off and filters collect silt so
that it is kept on the property.
A water
scheme installed in 2003 draws water from a
creek on the back of the
farm. The water
runs through settling tanks before being
gravity fed to the rest of the farm for stock
water.
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