| 51 Report lays out plan for sprawling station Pamu is addressing the contentious issue of public access by opening further areas to recreational users. Hugh de Lacy Certified Plumber, Drainlayer & IQP Backflow Tester 03 577 6967 office@hpd.co.nz www.hunterplumbinganddrainage.co.nz DOUGLAS FARM CONTRACTING LIMITED Locally owned & operated with excellent knowledge of chemicals & terrain. For all enquiries & scheduled work Phone Sam Douglas on 027 629 9179 or 03 314 7676 • Fully Registered Chemical Applicators • 2 GPS equipped Spray Trucks • One self propelled sprayer, all sprayers fitted with Trac map proof of placement. • Applicator of Liquid Fertiliser, Pro Gibb & all other specialised chemicals Specialising in all medium and conventional square bale hay operations Big Bale Farming Ltd - (03) 577 7501 | 021 398 939 | info@bigbale.co.nz • Buying / Selling Hay • General Cultivation • Mowing & Raking • Combine Harvester • Wrapping & Baleage • Direct & Conventional Drilling Dave Hughes Contracting Ltd Working locally in Marlborough and servicing wider rural, farming areas. • Wilding pine & other tree removal • Transport/cartage • Saw work • Roading • Culverting • Scrub clearance • House site landscaping • Aurgering • Drainage • Mulching Ph: 03 577 5099 • Cell: 0274 515 644 A mix of recreational, environmental, farming and historic values is reflected in the Integrated Landscape and Farm Management Plan for the sprawling Molesworth Station in Marlborough, released recently by Pamu (state-owned Landcorp Farming Ltd). A history of farming disasters dating back to the 1850s saw the Government take over management of the abandoned 180,470ha station in 1938, and attempts have been ongoing ever since to rectify the damage caused by rabbit and weed infestations. In the early 1900s the farm carried 40,000 sheep and 10,000 lambs, only to have 39,000 sheep killed by severe rain and snow between 1911 and 1913, rendering it uneconomic and thereafter over-run with rabbits. Today the station winters 3000 in-calf cows and 2300 R1 and R2 heifers, with the calves being raised on finishing blocks near Hanmer. “The environmental impacts from grazing on Molesworth have been reducing over time, and in many cases farming may provide an ecological benefit,” the 128-page report says. “The actions to ensure progress continues, which are recognised in this plan, can be summarised as encouraging cattle away from the waterways, weed and pest management, minimising fertiliser inputs, cultivation and the use of cropping, managing highrisk areas (yards), not over-grazing and ensuring useful ongoing monitoring and data collection is MEAT & WOOL » Molesworth Station occurring.” The farm is currently managed by Pamu which is addressing the contentious issue of public access by opening further areas to recreational users “providing this can be done safely for visitors, staff and animals. “Some options for this include the addition of a mountain-bike trail up the Severn River, and reinstating the Maori trails, with historical accounts provided by Tangata Whenua. “In some areas of the station direct access is not possible (e.g. Tarndale), but visitors could still be given insight into these areas” through virtual reality technology. Some of the ongoing management practices recommended by the report include not using nitrogen or phosphorous on pasture, and limiting their application to crops on the basis of soil tests and agronomic recommendations. Mob sizes are to be kept small during mustering to reduce pressure on sensitive areas such as wetlands, and $50,000 a year will spent on wilding pine control under the joint administration of the Ministry for Primary Industries and DOC. Among the new initiatives recommended in the report will be the removal of willows in and close to waterways, diverting stockyard run-off from reaching Molesworth Stream, increasing stockwater reticulation and the provision of shade, and the implementation of a three-yearly monitoring programme to track changes over time. Pamu has held the lease on Molesworth since 1990, but had begun farming there three years earlier. “The Molesworth of today is an amalgamation of four separate pastoral leases – Molesworth, Tarndale, St Hellen’s and Dillon – which were all abandoned by the Crown between 1938 and 1949 due to rabbit infestation, huge stock losses due to snow, and economic recession,” the report says. “Crown management has supported the gradual recovery of the land while protecting its historic significance and enhancing environmental outcomes. “The Integrated Land Use and Farm Environment Plan brings together all of the elements that contribute to the landscape” and its use. “It considers how these elements interact with each other, the risks created by this interaction, and identifies how these risks can be managed to maximise the beneficial interactions” of land, water, animals and people. Recreational, environmental, farming and historic values are reflected in the Integrated Landscape and Farm Management Plan for Molesworth Station.
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