44 | More than 185 years on the land Dennis says the move to intensification was driven by the need to manage pasture and reduce pugging damage. Kim Bowden RURAL PEOPLE » Temataa Station Rachelle and Dennis O’Callaghan have just been recognised with a Century Farms award, celebrating more than 185 years of their family on the land at Temataa Station near Doubtless Bay in Northland. “The main reason we applied was for my dad. He’s 83, and he still lives on the farm,” Rachelle says. “It is a quite an achievement to have a farm continuously owned and run for seven generations in New Zealand. “We currently have three of those generations here with Dad - ourselves and our son Ryan with his wife Annie – and we want to recognise that with Dad.” The property’s history stretches back to 1839, when missionary Joseph Matthews arrived in Kaitaia from the United Kingdom. He bought the land encouraged by the church, laying the foundations for the Matthews family - but it wasn’t easy going at first. “It was very infertile soils, not great farming country,” Dennis says “With the application of lime and fertiliser – that’s what really made this country into what it is today.” Every generation has left its mark, and Dennis says each brought innovation in their own way. Dennis and Rachelle took over 25 years ago. Back then, the farm ran approximately 3,000 breeding ewes and 200 breeding cows. They’ve since shifted to an intensive bull finishing operation, running close to 2,500 bulls, and incorporated a neighbouring property that was originally part of Joseph Matthews’ land. Dennis says the move to intensification was driven by the need to manage pasture and reduce pugging damage. “With the cattle, we put them in very small mobs of 20 to 25 and they are moved every second day,” he says. He acknowledges many people assume intensification is worse for the land. “It’s a misconception in the general population… it’s not. It’s the dead opposite.” The production gains have been significant, and the topsoil has increased in volume under this system. Dennis says they were “very lucky” to be part of Beef + Lamb New Zealand’s monitor farm programme when they first started the process. “We went from 180 kilos of carcass weight per hectare [to] over 400 just by doing the intensification.” Being data-driven underpins his approach. “I’ve always kept very good records and monitored what we do,” he says. “To make the best decision you need good quality information. “It’s just trying to take a scientific approach to farming, really.” Succession planning is another careful consideration. Rachelle admits it’s never straightforward, and she is blunt about the friction of keeping a legacy intact. “When you undergo succession, basically, you aren’t fair. People miss out,” she says. “It’s an asset that’s worth a lot of money but actually doesn’t generate a massive income...it’s not like you’re rich at the end of the day.” She says advance planning - “long before it becomes reality” - is key. The couple’s son Ryan and his wife Annie are set to become the seventh generation to run the farm. They’ve decided to join Beef + Lamb’s hub farm programme, which builds on the monitor farm work Dennis and Rochelle have been part of. The idea is simple: provide a venue for sharing learnings and creating awareness of challenges and opportunities.
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