42 | MEAT & WOOL » Julia & Stewart Eden Showing prized stock a family passion Stewart Eden holing Java Garth and Julia Eden holing Java Tonka Georgia, while filming the virtual show for the Canterbury A&P. Jake Eden with his heifer Java Pickles Nora and Ebony Eden with her bull Java Pickles Mannix. Sue Russell Julia & Stewart Eden farm at Balfour, some 45km from Gore in Southland. While Stewart’s interests lie with the Holstein breed, Julia has long been connected with South Devon, a breed introduced to New Zealand in 1969. Her stud’s registered name is JAVA. Julia is originally from the part of England where the breed originates. Upon arrival in New Zealand in 1994, Julia worked for a rural supplies company and when circumstances presented, she got into breeding Dexters. “I was wanting a more commercial animal with the Dexter breed but the genetic pool was very limited and prevented me from continuing the way I wanted, so I spent a couple of years looking around and I landed on the South Devon. I am very much into minority breeds and the South Devon has such a long history that I became very interested in them,” Julia explains. South Devon can be traced back to the 16th century, from the southwest of England. Used to crossbreed, they produce second-to-none progeny for beef, but it wasn’t until the 1960’s when recording of weight-gain became popular that the breed’s performance capability was recognised. Today, the Eden’s milk 260 pedigree Holstein and in the region of 35 beef cows while Julia’s herd of registered Devon cows has reduced to 20. One of the attractions to the breed Julia says is their temperament. “I’m a big fan for temperament. It’s important when you have children on the farm that you know they are safe. When you walk into a paddock with the South Devon’s they just stare at you. They are gentle, docile, lovely animals to work with.” The farm measures 216ha total, 199ha effective and there’s a wintering barn for the dairy cows, given the very low temperatures the region can experience. Julia says that one of the positives about the farm is that it is completely self-contained. A separate cut-and-carry block provides crops that supplement the herd’s diet. While the farm is consented for 300 milking cows, the decision to reduced down to 260 has not significantly affected production. With this drop in dairy cow numbers the couple have been able to concentrate more on the beef. The two balance well, given when cashflow gets a bit tight, the emphasis on fattening in 16-17 months means they reap the benefits of a higher schedule in January/February. “I think this number is perfect for the farm. The dairy cows are well looked after and get plenty of nutrition to retain condition and produce milk, while the beef cows and my Devon’s are also thriving.” Breeding goals these days have shifted to focus on fertility while still keeping an eye for the physical structure and the ability to walk well. The past three seasons have been very dry and for the first time this year, the cows have been on a 16-hour milking regime. “We have a clay base under the farm which doesn’t help.” Helping on the farm is Kylie, an ‘absolute angel’ of a worker, who lives locally. It makes it possible for Stewart to run the operation without any other workers and Julia says the couple are just beginning to work through longer-term plans for the business. The district has a mixed-bag of farming types, from sheep and beef, to dairying and grain production. JAVA South Devon stud began through the couple importing embryos from Australia from which three heifers and one bull were produced. “This gave us a really good base,” Julia says. And while she would love to continue with the South Devon breed, as is the case with minority breeds, the local genetic pool isn’t wide. “I need some new genetics and still have eyes and ears out all over the world. I’m fussy and not prepared to sacrifice my girls when it comes to temperament.” Showing the prized animals off is a family passion, with the children getting more involved as they get older. A couple of days before show-day Julia says are always a bit crazy. Julia has been showing stock for 24 years and understands the commitment it takes to do well. That interest now extends to children, 13 year old twins Jake and Ebony who are both keen attendees at shows. With the cancellation of so many shows due to COVID Julia says the impact for her children, who look forward to the events, has been huge. “First Bovis and now COVID, it’s been a really tough couple of years.” The importance of showing animals can not be underestimated either. Julia describes it as the shop-window for others to see the quality of the stock grown on the farm. Julia Eden with winning bull Java Pickles Earl at last years Gore A&P show. View of the Eden’s Balfour farm. Silage and Baling contractor servicing the Northern Southland District Brent Eaton 027 485 5994 Matt Muir 027 220 4000 O ice 03 201 6386 Email ewl.balfouro ice@gmail.com Find us on Facebook EWL Limited Proudly supporting Stewart & Julia Eden 0800 SGTDAN (748326) Gorton Street, GORE Ph: 208 3965 E: admin@sgtdan.co.nz BETTER BEET LTD Contact Erik 027 204 8019 • betterbeetltd@gmail.com Full paddock to stack options available • four cleaning turbines for cleaner beet • Rear wheel in between tracks of front wheels • Optimal distribution of the machine weight • New scalping system BEET HARVESTING The latest and greatest in beet harvesting technology available
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