36 | Waikiwi REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT Diversification builds resilience in Waikato Kim Newth Another two free-range broiler chicken sheds are due to be fully commissioned by January 2023. nfd21kwRivertown Safe Power Assured ● Master Electrician • Commercial • Domestic • Industrial • Rural • 24/7 Phone (07) 828 7240 30 William St, Huntly. PO Box 164, Huntly rivertownelectrical@xtra.co.nz Rivertown Electrical rural domestic commercial industrial www.rivertownelectrical.co.nz Proudly supporting Waikiwi Farms Ph: 078263075 Proud to support Waikiwi Farms At Waikiwi Farm in the North Waikato, David and Lyndi Jefferis have recently added a new income stream to supplement their cropping, and lamb and beef finishing operations: free-range poultry farming. David is the fourth generation in his family to farm the flat to rolling pastures of rural Te Kauwhata. Each preceding generation has added value to the 390ha farm, building best practice both for land and livestock. David and Lyndi’s recent diversification venture is now part of that ongoing story of progressive land stewardship. In 2019, the couple committed to the establishment of four free-range broiler chicken sheds to raise poultry under contract to Inghams. Another two sheds are currently under construction, with both due to be fully commissioned by January 2023. Full annual production is expected to be around 1.4 to 1.5 million hens. “At the time we made this commitment, Lyndi, a full-time secondary school teacher, and I had been looking at options for expansion and were also interested in doing something that mitigated the weather risk to our business. Waikiwi has three income streams already but at the end of the day they can still be affected by weather. We see diversification as a way to alleviate that exposure.” Setting up this new venture has been an enjoyable experience for the couple, who are pleased to have Lucy Troth on board as their full-time chicken farm manager. “Lucy has many years’ previous experience and is very passionate about the industry. She’s been a really good part of the story for us. Once we have the other two sheds running, we’ll have another part-time person involved, plus my input too.” Each of the new sheds, measuring 168m x 16m, contains around 40,000 birds. Chicks are received at less than a day old and farmed out to 40 days or so. The cycle is repeated up to six times a year. Considerations around access to services and resource consent conditions guided where the sheds were sited. Approximately 12ha in extent, the chicken farm has been set up on land previously used for growing maize silage sold on contract to dairy farmers, as well as a winter lamb grazing area. While it has slightly reduced the maize silage area, Waikiwi Farm is still growing up to 140ha every year. With the chicken farm venture now well underway, the couple is satisfied they made the right decision. “It has been a positive addition to the business and is also providing value in terms of the shavings and chicken litter it generates. We utilise that as fertiliser in our maize operations, which we previously bought in. For us, it has been a really good synergy. On the contract poultry side, we are still learning and establishing the last two sheds will still be a challenge.” At Waikiwi Farm, lamb finishing complements summer maize growing. Waikiwi finishes some 9000 lambs each winter, all sold exclusively to Coastal Lamb, of which Waikiwi is a shareholder. The premium brand sells 100 per cent pasture fed NZ lamb. Their suppliers, including Waikiwi, are a select group of North Island coastal farms. As well as meeting domestic demand, Coastal Lamb exports to global markets in Europe and Asia. “Being involved with Coastal Lamb has been interesting and rewarding. Supply chain disruptions over the past couple of years have been challenging but, having said that, the hospitality sector offshore responded quicker than here and that has been a real positive.” Beef finishing has also been a part of the Jefferis family farm story since 1875. Bull beef finishing has been the cattle grazing system since the 1980s, with all grassfed bulls purchased at four months old and sold from 18 to 22 months. Waikiwi is an acknowledged frontrunner on environmental management, having been named Waikato’s Supreme Winner in the 2007 Ballance Farm Environment Awards. A long- term planting programme, proactive soil management and total waterway fencing all contribute to the farm’s excellent environmental performance today. “A lot of that was instigated by my father, Bob, who had the foresight and drive. We continue to plant trees for shade and shelter. Bob is not commercially involved in the business anymore but still calls in regularly and has a great relationship with our dry stock farm manager, Craig Pallister.” David is full of respect for how his father has gently made the transition off the farm with his wife Cherry, as well as supporting significant changes in the business over the years. Bob still has a bike and a working dog, and a love for farming. “We are also fortunate to have great staff, who make a huge contribution to the business. They are great people and are a lot of fun to be around.” David and Lyndi enjoy sharing their rural lifestyle with their own family of three – Adam, 20, Georgia, 18 and Sam, 16. Looking back, David says he never felt any pressure from his parents to go farming and he would never put that on his own children either. “I came to farming reasonably late in my mid-20s and before that was heavily involved with sporting commitments. By the time I came back to farming, I really wanted to give it a go, but more importantly was fortunate to have the opportunity. I worked here for a few years, then moved to a much larger farm and worked in agriculture in the US, so I had good exposure to it before coming back here again in 2001. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed it all.”
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