Business Rural Autumn 2021

| 13 More water a ‘game changer’ for station Karen Phelps MEAT & WOOL » Coleridge Downs I ncreasing the area irrigated will be a “game changer” for Coleridge Downs, says general manager Tony Plunkett. The large-scale high country station incorpo- rates four farms in the Raikaia Gorge and Central Canterbury – Annavale Station, Big Ben Station, Dry Acheron Station and Coleridge Downs. The opera- tion runs Headwaters sheep, Angus cattle and deer which are red hinds crossed with wapiti. Headwa- ters are a relatively new sheep breed established in 2006 to breed ewes that thrive in the high country. Their meat is marketed and trademarked as Te Mana Lamb. At present, 100ha of Coleridge Downs is ir- rigated and this will increase to 400ha giving more certainty to the operation as well as the ability to increase stock numbers. “In a good year we can finish 80% of the stock but this can drop to 50% in a bad year. This will give us the ability to get more kilograms out of the gate,” says Tony. More water will also enable the farm to increase weaning weights, buy in trade lambs and calves to finish and lamb 100% of the hoggets as opposed to around 70%. It will also provide more opportunities for cadets. Part of the farming operation is a training scheme that sees the farm employ a few cadets each year, increasing to eight as the irrigation project will see more work generated. Each year the first year cadets, usually 16 to 18 years old, are offered the opportunity gain Primary ITO level 3 qualifications, and second year cadets a level 4 qualification. Two days a fortnight are spent in classroom sessions, but the balance of training is on-farm with stock managers. This includes general stock work, shearing, tractor work, fencing and mustering by foot and on horseback. As the farms’ range from extensive hill country, medium productive rolling and flatter terrain through to intensive, irrigated pastoral land there are plenty of opportunities for learning, says Tony. Increasing the irrigated area to 400ha (from 100ha) will provide multiple benefits to the farming operation at Coleridge Downs. Coleridge Downs Ltd is part of the Omega Lamb Project, a Primary Growth Partnership between Headwaters, the entity, which established the breed, Alliance Group Ltd and the New Zealand Govern- ment through the Ministry for Primary Industries. The lambs are naturally high in Omega 3 and de- liver a better marbled meat, which results in great taste, further enhanced by a 35 day diet of chicory. The farms’ steers are finished at Five Star Beef after 12 to 18 months at a target weight of 480kg, while heifer calves are kept and sold as in-calf R2’s after replacements have been selected. All male calves are castrated and finished at Dry Acheron. The deer unit is at Coleridge Downs. Weaners, supplied to Alliance, are finished from 50kg to 55kg and replacement hinds are supplied by Mt Hutt Station. With meat prices currently affected by the Covid-19’s impact on the hospitality industry it’s a waiting game for things to bounce back. Part of the Coleridge Downs farming operation is a training scheme for cadets. The irrigation project will boost the number of cadets to eight. rrspreading.co.nz 03 302 8650 info@rrspreading.co.nz • Pr ecision Nit r ogen Application • Lime & Super Sp r eading • Advanced GPS T echnology • Mapping Capability • V ariable Rate Sp r eading • Pr escription Sp r eading - Bulk Grain, Silo & Cool Storage - Firewood & Shingle Supplies - Agricultural Spraying - Lime & Super Spreading - Precision Nitrogen Sowing - Swing-Lifting - Log, Hay & Straw, Grain, Stock & Container Cartage PROUD TO SUPPORT COLERIDGE DOWNS LTD PO Box 28, Line Road, Methven • Ph: 03 302 8616 E: philipwareingltd@xtra.co.nz • www.philipwareing.co.nz www.tambo.co.nz | 027 5774 217 | info@tambo.co.nz Tambo is proud to support Coleridge Downs Forging and fostering relationships, providing cutting edge advice on all things rural for over a decade in Canterbury.