| 7 RURAL PEOPLE » Bryce & Aneta Lupton A highly successful change on farm Karen Phelps Bryce and Aneta Lupton are ne-tuning their bull and lamb nishing operation after transitioning Te Opu Farm at Maungaturoto from sheep and beef breeding in 2005. It’s been a highly successful change for the farm and has given them much greater exibility to respond to the seasons and sensitive environmental challenges of its location on the Kaipara Harbour shores. The latest experiment is growing ewe lambs for a local breeding farmer and returning them to him as two tooths. Bryce says it is utilising the dairy heifer replacement scenario for sheep, not a common practice in New Zealand, but they are nding it ts their farm system well. “From the breeder’s point of view, he can use a terminal sire over his ewes to get more lambs off earlier. It’s also one less mob he has to look after in his system and he can get a better grown two tooth on our easier rolling country so their life performance is enhanced,” explains Bryce. He hopes to keep adding value to his client, increasing lamb weights, and is also looking at how additional value can be created for the farm to result in a win-win. “The last two seasons weather has been a bit challenging so we couldn’t get the lambs on as early as we would have liked. But when we can and can achieve more weight and condition then we are looking at mating the top half of them for ourselves. That would be the cream on the top if we could also get a lamb out of them and sell them as store or nish them depending on the season.” Bryce and Aneta farm Te Opu Farm, which totals 392ha (360ha effective), in an equity partnership with Peter and Prue Vincent. Located 10km west of Maungaturoto on the shores of the Kaipara Harbour the farm winter nishes lambs and trades bulls. The home block of 377ha has been in Bryce’s family since 1890 and looking after the land is a legacy he takes great pride in. Much of the unusable farming land in the system has been retired and planted in natives – around 20,000 to date. The largest block that’s been retired is 1ha. The property has native bush in DOC estate and QEII National Trust covenants. They were also nalists in the 2017 Northland Ballance Farm Environment Awards. The farm nishes around 3500-4000 lambs each year and winters 450 yearling bulls. They buy store lambs in April-May-June and sell in July-November at 18-19kg carcass weight. Replacement bulls calve at 120kgs and are taken through two springs and sold mostly as store to other farmers at 18-22 months of age and 400-450kgs. The bulls are in a block grazing system comprised of block 0.85-1ha. This allows them to produce more kilograms of beef by strictly controlling the grazing management. As the original block of land at Te Opu has been in his family for over 130 years, Bryce’s next goal is to submit the farm to the Century Farm Awards. His main driver is to preserve the farm’s history for future generations as entrants’ farm histories are recorded digitally then stored at the Alexander Turnbull library. “We have our name on the title of the farm but at the end of the day we are caretakers of this land. The land is key and looking after it our main goal.” Bryce is utilising the dairy heifer replacement scenario for sheep, not a common practice in New Zealand. Don Wilson - Pukekohe 027 497 5825 - don@onroadtransport.nz Blue Vallance - Paparoa 027 480 1072 - blueandgayle@xtra.co.nz Grant Robinson - Whangarei 021 158 8386 - grant@onroadtransport.nz 09 238 4016 | RD2, Pukekohe 2677 www.onroadtransport.nz North Island Livestock Cartage Proudly supporting the mid-northern farming community since 1960 Your First Choice for Veterinary Care
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