6 | MEAT & WOOL » Dan Devine - Awakino Station Land use rules may evolve in industry favour Dan Devine runs Awakino Station, a 7,500-hectare sheep, cattle and deer operation in the Waitaki Valley. Karen Phelps Change is once again on the horizon for New Zealand’s high country farmers and for North Otago station owner Dan Devine the mood is more optimistic than it has been in several years. Beyond his role as Federated Farmers’ High Country Executive Chair for North Otago, Dan Devine runs Awakino Station, a 7,500-hectare sheep, cattle and deer operation in the Waitaki Valley. The property winters around 24,000 stock units across a mix of sheep, cattle and deer, supported by six full-time staff including Dan himself. His wife Jaz Mathieson helps out as well alongside raising their three daughters. Attention across the sector is currently fixed on the Government’s proposed rewrite of the Resource Management Act, which Dan believes could significantly reduce compliance costs for farmers. “There could be a few positives come out of it with a bit of luck. We’re all watching with interest,” says Dan. “Farmers are spending hundreds of thousands of dollars sometimes trying to get consents. We hope that this cost will be reduced at least by half.” He also sees potential opportunity in how land use rules may evolve. “For example if there is an instrument within the policy to graze high country or DOC land that had been taken out of the system through tenure review, possibly opening up larger conservation areas to stock grazing,” explains Dan. Pest pressure is another issue firmly back on the agenda, particularly as numbers of wild deer and pigs rise in some areas. “In a nutshell the venison recovery is a huge win. Farmers can get some pest control done for free as long as the venison market stays lucrative,” says Dan. “What I would encourage people to do if they are getting higher in numbers is talk to your local helicopter operator as a few processors are taking wild venison off the helicopter operators so farmers could get pest control for free.” He adds that other wild game could also become viable options in the future particularly if regulation around home-kill abattoirs changes. 83 Main Rd, Kurow 9498 | 027 899 0321 | asicontracting2020ltd@gmail.com Providing construction service for the agricultural, commercial and residential community. CONTRACTING Connecting people, innovation and business Connect with us at deloitte.co.nz Accurate Professional Service EID Recording Foetal Aging 3 Way Drafting System 2-3 Experienced scanning on the bigger mobs Proudly Supporting Dan Devine - Awakino Station South Island wide Sheep Pregnancy Scanning Service Contact Us Jess Bell 0279038516 jessbellscan@gmail.com “Ministers are currently talking about this but we are waiting to see what they have put down on paper,” he explains. “There are a couple of small processors already taking rabbit and hare for petfood for example and have done for a few years so pigs are the only species that aren’t getting sold commercially yet although there are a lot of hunters taking wild pigs to their local butcher to be processed for personnel use.” At Awakino Station, improvement remains a constant focus. “We’re always trying to improve. No years are the same,” says Dan. Genetics are a major lever with an emphasis on lifting overall performance rather than just breeding elite animals. “Rather than improving the top 20% of our flock we’re working on the bottom 20% to get it to average or above average and the easiest way to do that is through genetics.” That philosophy extends across all stock classes. “We want to keep things as simple as possible,” says Dan. “With our rams it’s fertility and footrot. PHONE 027 433 5523 DAVID O'NEILL CONTRACTING LTD Proud to be associated with Dan Devine - Awakino Station • PLOUGHING & CULTIVATION • FINE CHOPPED SILAGE • MULCHING • FERTILISER SPREADING • DIRECT DRILLING • GENERAL CARTAGE • BALAGE • RUT BUSTING • GRAIN HARVESTING
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