| 29 Major milestone for Haldon Pastures The family has been farming in Canterbury since 1863. Emma Bailey Continuing to adapt and evolve is what has kept the Grigg Family on their farm, Haldon Pastures, for 100 years. This year the family will be honoured at the New Zealand Century Farms and Stations (NZCFSA) awards for the century they have been farming their land seven kilometres east of Hororata. “The family has been farming in Canterbury since 1863. My great-great-grandfather started at Longbeach in Ashburton and they were there two generations,” fifth generation farmer John Grigg said. In 1925 his grandfather bought the 553 hectare farm Haldon Pastures. John and his wife Hilary added an extra two farms in the 1990’s to take it to 844 hectares. “It was a bit of a gamble. We went from being a mostly sheep farm with a bit of cropping to a mainly crop farm with a few sheep.” The farm went from 40 hectares of crops and 4,500 ewes to 400 hectares of crop with 19 different varieties this year and 1,300 sheep. The seed they harvest is sent for seed dressing then sold into Asia and Europe. Once it is harvested, sheep grazing helps control weeds and regrowing seed. They also do winter grazing of dairy cows on kale and beet. A shared vision and ability to adapt with the times keeps the farm in family hands, son Hamish believes. “We are constantly learning, changing and evolving and we are lucky that we don’t butt heads because we both have the same vision for the farm.” Irrigators have been a game changer for the farm, providing surety to the crops they grow. The multiple rivers, springs and streams that run through the property including 6 kilometres of the Hororata River add to the diversity of the farm. They have worked closely with Environment Canterbury to protect the property’s wetland and the native mudfish there. A solar powered fish fence has been put in place to stop trout getting into the wetland and decimating the mudfish population with excellent results. The Griggs also have a long and proud tradition with the Canterbury A & P Show. New Zealand Century Farm and Station Awards » Haldon Pastures P SRS 03 302 8115 email: nzoffice@spsnz.co.nz Proudly supporting Haldon Pastures SOUTH PACIFIC SEEDS (NZ) LTD Specialists in Hybrid Vegetable Seed Production John is a 5th generation former President of the Canterbury Agricultural & Pastoral Association and now Hamish is a Committee member and Chair of the Equestrian Section. “It’s good to get involved and it brings the farm to town. Not everyone has close encounters with farms and livestock anymore. It’s important to keep that connection between country and town and celebrate the agricultural sector,” Hamish said. The father of Hamish’s fiancé Georgia, Steve King, works for ANZ and encouraged the family to enter the awards as they hit the 100 year mark. “We had to find the titles to show the ownerships, thankfully Steve could access that sort of information, and we put our application in. There is a limited application space each year.” Hamish said. It’s a source of pride for John that the farm remains in the family. “Family farms are becoming few and far between, especially with the amount of corporate farming happening now. Having Hamish as the next generation and wanting to farm is great.” NZCFSA chair Edward Fitzgerald said “Keeping any farm or station in a family from generation to generation through challenging times is an impressive achievement and deserves to be recognised.” The programme began in 2005 in Lawrence, Otago. A formal dinner will be held in the small rural town in May. N E U T R O N P R O B E S E R V I C E S , S O I L M O I S T U R E M O N I T O R I N G B U C K E T T E S T I N G & I R R I G A T I O N S Y S T E M E V A L U A T I O N I N D E P E N D E N T S O I L M O I S T U R E A D V I C E I N S T A L L A T I O N & M A I N T E N A N C E O F E Q U I P M E N T M A R K F I T Z G I B B O N | H A M I S H M A XWE L L MARK +64 27 777 0275 HAMISH +64 27 567 3007 www.agriwaterservices.co.nz Independent irrigationmanagement services, based in Canterbury, New Zealand. Proud to be supporting Haldon Pastures
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