| 59 All the breeding stock stays up on the hill and the lambs that don’t go straight to the processor at weaning are sent down to the irrigated block for finishing. Steep land no issue Sue Russell Matt and Sara Black run a sheep and beef operation Marble Point Station, located between Culverden and Hanmer Springs in Northern Canterbury. They farm in an equity partnership with Robin, Pip, Paula and Jeremy Wilson from West Melton. The farm extends to almost 2400 ha, with the bulk of it being steeper hill country. The farm is supported by an irrigated block closer to Culverden. Helping on the farm is Richard Moriarty and Sara works off-farm four days a week as a Business Services Manager for Amuri Irrigation Company. For the couple that balance of working on and off farm works well with Sara’s mother Joan helping out with the kids after school. Marble Point’s boundaries follow nearby waterways, the Waiau Uwha and Pahau rivers, and Browns and Glenallan streams as was often the case when farms were subdivided in the early 20th century. The Hurunui district still has many stations of similar size to Marble Point. In terms of stock, Marble Point Station is home to 4000 Corriedale ewes and 400 angus breeding cows. Corriedale and Suftex rams are purchased from equity partners, the Wilson family at Wilfield Sheep Stud. Asked to describe their approach to running the Station, Sara puts it simply: “We try to do the basic things well. Marble Point is a beautiful property and has been really well looked after and we are just trying to continue that legacy”. The couple have been running Marble Point Station for nearly five years and Sara says they wouldn’t want to be anywhere else. “I grew up on a farm across the river and Matt in Culverden, so we have a lot of history in this district.” The couple have two children, 12 year old Julia and 10 year old Tom, who get picked up by the school bus from the farm gate. Sara says Corriedales used to be a very common breed in the Amuri area prior to the conversion to irrigation and dairy farming in the late 1970s and MEAT & WOOL » Marble Point Station - Sara Black early 1980s. They coped well through long dry Canterbury summers and produced a mid-micron wool as well as a good-sized lamb but the breed has come a long way since then. “The wool is fine enough to fall into the tail end of the Merino contracts. Merino has created so much recognition for New Zealand wool. Our ewe wool falls between 26-28 micron which we think is about the right spot without losing too much size in the lambs.” The Blacks very much ‘hold the torch’ for a resurgence for wool as a super fibre and sell their clip through Peter McCusker at PGG Wrightson Wool. A good sheep will produce healthy lambs for about six years and Sara says after weaning they check old ewes’ teeth and udders and also condition score all ewes. Lambing and calving is underway in midSeptember and by late January lambs have been weaned. Sara says they were also fortunate to inherit a well-bred line of Angus cattle. “We’ve simply continued to build on their good genetics. We’ve culled a little bit more for durability in the hills and we’re working towards a slightly more compact animal.” Matt artificially inseminates their top line of cows and heifers and yearling steers are sold to repeat buyers each year. All the breeding stock stays up on the hill and the lambs that don’t go straight to the processor at weaning are sent down to the irrigated block for finishing. “As the quality of our heifers improves we are retaining more younger stock which allows us to cull more heavily for age and genetics.” Heifers are monitored for their first calf as a 2-year-old and then pretty much left to it after that. Looking ahead Sara says they may look other income sources for the future, including growing trees or utilising the frost-free river terraces for horticulture, in order to bring in additional income. “The future will require us to account for on-farm emissions so it’s important for us to continue to run the farm profitability. I feel for many in the farming sector right now especially those farming with climate change not to mention the relentless onslaught of regulations and compliance to deal with.” Sara has also just completed Escalator, a 12 month agri focused leadership course with the Agri Women’s Development Trust with the support of Amuri Irrigation and the North Canterbury Federated Farmers Charitable Trust. “We’re lucky to have these organisations breaking down complex information and providing guidance to farmers.” She has just taken on the position of Meat and Wool Chair for North Canterbury Federated Farmers to contribute more to that work. Marble Point Station is majestic in aspect, with steep hills, covered on the faces with manuka, kanuka and tussock. “For Matt and I, we’re just where we want to be. We’re so lucky we have our family close by, great farming partners and are part of an awesome community .” WILFIELD CORRIEDALES 1213 West Coast Road, West Melton, RD1 Christchurch 7671 Contact Robin Wilson robin.wil eld@xtra.co.nz | 021 158 3866 www.facebook.com/Wil eld sheep stud • Open headed upstanding sheep • High Fertility Corriedales • Finer woolled Corriedales - suitable for New Zealand Merino SmartWool contracts • Footrot Resistant - all rams DNA tested • Meatier Corriedale rams - Lincoln CT scanned • SIL across flock recorded • 9 of the top 10 Corriedale rams on SIL are born at West Melton • 1604/15 has a NLB BV of 0.44. This puts him in the top 6% for fertility across all New Zealand rams, of all breeds! • Quality assured Wilfield Stud are Proud suppliers of Marble Point Station FOR ALL YOUR GROUND PREPARATION, DRILLING AND BALEAGE NEEDS EMAIL WAIHUI@AMURI.NET CONTACT DREW 0274 359 668 OR TOM 021 626 388 Amuri Transport (1989) Ltd Livestock – Bulk Cartage – Fertiliser Spreading & Stores – Daily Freight Service – Quarry 56 St Leonards Rd,Culverden Ph: 03 315 3033 – E: admin@amuritransport.co.nz Livestock - eddie@amuritransport.co.nz Fertiliser - fert@amuritransport.co.nz Freight - freight@amuritransport.co.nz Marble Point Station, looking towards Hanmer. BILL LOTT 0272 326 114 Ph/Fax 03 315 6117 DAVE LOTT 0274 858 001 Specialists in - Bulldozing - Digging - Dairy Conversions - Earthmoving, Roading, Tracking, Dams and Ponds - Contouring & Earthworks For Centre Pivots & Much More - Shingle Supplies
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