30 | January rain welcome in Hawke’s Bay The 285ha beef and lamb hill country farm is complemented by another adjoining 360ha lease block. Kim Newth Rain heading into Christmas and further rainy spells into January has kept the season heading in the right direction for Hawke’s Bay farmer Patrick Crawshaw, of Te Hau Station in Patoka west of Hastings. “We were going dry in spring but didn’t have to break out of our system to any big degree,” says Patrick. “The main impact it had was in delaying entry of the next crop of stock, but we’re having a reasonably good season now.” The 285ha beef and lamb hill country farm is complemented by another adjoining 360ha lease block. The farm operation lambs 1800 ewes and 400 hoggets per year. Patrick says he calves around 200 head of his own beef as well as calving down stud heifers from Kenhardt Angus Stud, run by his parents Sue and Grant who farm in Nuhaka, Hawke’s Bay. All up, he finishes approximately 350 cattle. Three years on from Cyclone Gabrielle, most of the cyclone damage on farm has been remediated. Patrick says the big job ahead is to work through the repairs and maintenance list from before the cyclone as this work can now no longer be ignored. There has been a lot of pressure on local farmers over recent years, so paying for this work is not easy. It is being done gradually as funds permit. Another priority on farm this year is targeting further gains in eating quality of the finished beef and lamb. RURAL PEOPLE » Patrick Crawshaw That means looking closely at animal management leading into slaughter, levels of feeding and the nutritive value of what’s being offered in order to chase finer margins. Meanwhile, Patrick has recently been reelected uncontested for another three-year term as B+LNZ’s Eastern North Island farmer director. Having had a lot of involvement with B+LNZ’s data and technology and audit and risk committees as well as taking part in the refresh of B+LNZ’s strategy in 2024, Patrick says it’s rewarding to see the work starting to bear fruit. Beef and Lamb New Zealand’s ‘by farmers, for farmers’ approach is all about encouraging farmer connection and supporting shared learning to address local challenges and opportunities. “The wider challenge now for Beef and Lamb is to build that strategy and engage with farmers to see what success looks like.” At the heart of B+LNZ is its farmer council, made up of farmers from all around New Zealand. It means communication is two-way, rooted in rural realities, with regional networks fostered and strengthened through field days, farming expos, road shows and other local events. Tech and tools for farmers continues to advance. For example, a new AI tool called Bella gives sheep and beef farmers easy access to sector-specific, fully validated data. A new app launched in December, DAGI, is targeting effective parasite management. Achieving greater integration of all the various tools available is an ongoing task for the sector, Patrick observes. Patrick is contributing to his industry in other ways too. In 2022, his farm was one of 10 commercial beef farms selected for a pilot Informing NZ Beef programme focussed on increasing the uptake of high-quality beef genetics. The strength of the programme is that its bringing together aggregated data across breeds to help drive further genetic improvement. Servicing the Puketapu, Patoka & Puketitiri area for bailing, silage, cultivation, drilling, maize / beet planting & earthmoving requirements M 021 308 684 E c.tcontracting@xtra.co.nz Supporting Patrick Crawshaw from the ground up Kenhardt Bull Sale: 24th June 2026 1.30pm sale SH2 Nuhaka.
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