Business Rural North Spring 2021

| 19 Strategic regeneration ‘honey’ of an idea Jaime Arnold sees to the calves (above) while husband Mark looks after the yearling bulls (below). Hugh de Lacy RURAL PEOPLE » Mark & Jaime Arnold T here’s enough regenerating manuka on Mark and Jaime Arnold’s 330ha farm to support honey production, but such are the vagaries of that industry the native scrub is more valuable to them as a hillside stabiliser. “We have plenty of land covered in manuka, some of which would erode if we sprayed and re- grassed,” Mark Arnold says. “We strategically choose to keep our Manuka regenerating in the hope that if we keep these areas in their raw form they will tick two boxes: the environmental one by limiting soil erosion, and the income from manuka honey, but the honey industry is proving to be a cut-throat one – there seem to be no moral boundaries or respect. “It’s important that land owners and honey companies collectively understand and take owner- ship of how many hives are suited to the amount of manuka you have, and that they’ve been sited appropriately.” The Arnolds’ frustration with a lost honey income opportunity and a generally fragmented industry is their one reservation about farming their rolling to steep Mt Thomas block 40km east of Dannevirke. The couple have been sheep and beef farming for just three years after giving away their respective logging and teaching careers 14 years ago to take up dairy farming. They switched to sheep and beef on buying Mt Thomas, formerly a stud sheep-farm, and today have it running around 3000 stock units. They started off at Mt Thomas by buying in all their Romney ewes but have since begun breed- ing their own and buying in only young stock for replacements. The rams are sourced from the Turanganui stud founded in 1907 in the southern Wairarapa, part of the Wairarapa Romney Improvement Group. “Last year we trialled keeping some of our best Romney-cross ewe lambs and mated them as hog- gets with a Suftex terminal sire,” Mark says. “Being a blackface they were at a great weight before mating, and scanned really well. “We were apprehensive about how they would lamb but were chuffed with docking this group at 120%, and they’ve proved to be excellent mums.” “We learned that the ewes needed a bit of extra attention between lambing and then mating again as a two-tooth, and this year they went to the ram a little on the light side but still scanned at 160%.” By comparison the Romney hoggets didn’t do as well last year but still scanned at 102% with 10% empty. With the cattle the Arnolds for the past three years have bought in four-day-old calves and reared them until weaners or yearlings. “This year is the first year we’ve decided not to buy in calves because Jaime has taken on full-time teaching at the local school and doesn’t have the time to hand-rear them,” Mark says. “Our last 14 years has shown that, if you put your mind to it, you can do anything: we’ve gone from teaching and logging to learning how to dairy farm and now own a sheep and beef farm – and we love it,” he says. Celebrating 20 Years in Business Proud to support Mark & Jaime Arnold Congratulations on your outstanding achievement Mark & Jaime. We’re so happy for you!