| 89 T T Ange Davidson Green acres part of Auckland Supercity Auckland has 1700 hectares of working farmland in its metropolitan area. COMMUNITY Auckland City Farming Auckland is one of the few Supercities in the world to have 1700 hectares of working farmland in its metropolitan area. The farms are run by Auckland Council and are spread across 24 regional and local parks from Wellsford to the southern head of Manukau Harbour. Farm manager Garry Hewson says the farms average 70 hectares in size with the smallest block at five hectares and the largest at 300 hectares, covering a wide range of climate and soil types. Most of the farms are accessible to the public which helps bridge the rural and urban divide. “Our main purpose for farming within the Auckland region is to maintain the park settings and we try to do this in the most efficient way. We use stock to manage the grass growth which is a low emission and low cost alternative to mowing the grass with a tractor We try to farm holistically by reducing synthetic inputs, keeping stocking rates low and minimising transport between farms. We also endeavour to farm better and get rid of our stock earlier,” says Garry. “When we need to move stock we use trucks and the roading network, and with the Auckland traffic congestion, it can be a long way between point A and B. We are under pressure to reduce our emissions so we keep truck movements to a minimum.” To help with the lowering of emissions, the farms have moved to Kelso sheep genetics which are producing a low emission tested sheep . The Kelso is a composite breed made for New Zealand conditions and are so far working out well across the farms. “About 6000 ewes will go to the ram this year, and while we’re always thinking about ways to add value to the meat we sell and offset people’s rates, the economy of scale is not there. We also farm a herd of 400 Hereford cows that are selected for their docility and these help keep the kikuyu grass in good condition for sheep and lambs,” says Garry. As the city’s regional parks are run primarily for the people, the farming system is run as simply as it can to enhance the parks. The focus is on maintaining the setting and environment. “The public love seeing what we do. The shearing shed at Ambury in Mangere is open to the public and we’ll advertise when we are shearing. We have a small grandstand for the public to sit and watch and we fill the place up,” he laughs. “It’s a great opportunity for the public to see animals and how we farm them, and to understand where their food comes from. People are quick to alert us when there’s a cast sheep or another issue, and we’ll respond immediately.” Auckland City farms are committed to trial regenerative style farming on one of the larger blocks, and it is actively reducing the amount of chemical products used on the ground and the sheep. Guano, lime, seaweed and other in-ground products can be trialled, along with a reduced stocking rate and different pasture management. As regenerative farming promotes grazing at the top of the grass growth cycle, it is difficult to keep pastures user-friendly for public access. Most of the parks have a mix of grassland and native bush and there is an active regime to retire more pasture which will effectively reduce GHG emissions.The parklands operate within three separate kauri die-back zones which require separate protocols for stock movement to reduce the risk of spreading kauri die-back around the Motu. Gary manages a dedicated farm business unit within the council consisting of farmers and park rangers and works closely with the regional parks team. Proud to be working alongside Auckland City Farming Listening. Thinking. Innovating. 0800 4 KELSO Dickie Direct use more e cient nutrient forms in conjunction with soil enhancing biology to improve farm production, pro tability and environmental sustainability. 0800 4 DICKIE (0800 43 42 54) www.dickiedirect.co.nz Get In Touch To Find Out More
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