Business Rural North Spring 2021

| 55 RURAL PEOPLE » Parikanapa Station Drench resistance, stock water focus T urning spring water into stock water and bat- tling drench resistance in ewes are the core elements of the back-to-basics management drive at Landcorp’s 3,700ha hill country Parikanapa Station near Waerenga-o-kuri, about 40km from Gisborne. “We’ve gone back to being a straight breeding farm with the aim of getting as many lambs as possible out the gate as stores and onto Landcorp fattening farms,” Parikanapa manager Jimmy Rog- ers says. “We pick take a pick of the mums, but 90 per- cent of our lambs go out as stores.” By contrast, all of the Angus weaner cattle are finished out for two years, and all heifers are likewise retained. “Every heifer that makes the mating weight of 315kg goes to the bull, and those that don’t make it we finish ourselves,” Jimmy says. The Parikanapa stock comprises 11,700 breed- ing ewes and 800 cattle on an effective area of 2,615ha, while a further 580ha is in pine trees and 314ha in QE2 and retired land. The big area in pines reflects the recovery pro- gramme on Parikanapa after the disaster of Cyclone Bola in March 1988, when nearly a metre of rain fell in a short period over the notoriously slip-prone Gisborne hill country, doing $82 million worth of damage and killing three people. Millions of tonnes of pumice soil slipped down the hillsides, prompting a region-wide effort to stabilise the land by planting pines. The first 50ha of those plantings on Parikanapa are to be harvested this year, with contractor P F Olsen already engaged in cutting tracks and the land will be replanted in pines and natives. Also underway at the moment is a drive to improve the stock water system by tapping into springs. “We’re generally summer-safe but access to wa- ter is one of the biggest factors that lets us down, so over the coming months we’re rolling out a plan to get that finally sorted,” Jimmy says. In terms of stock health, the biggest challenge to Jimmy and his six full-time staff is fighting drench resistance in the ewes, with the worst problem be- ing barber’s pole worm. “This is Gisborne hill country, and we’ve got pretty much every weed and bug you can imagine, and we have to work a lot with the vets to find a drench that works.” Another on-going sheep health challenge is fly- strike, and for years the farm has shorn all its sheep twice a year to combat it. “Our shearing policy is more built around animal health than providing income, because the flies up in this country are very hungry,” Jimmy says “That said, we’re doing a bit of a trial with our early terminal lambing ewes, keeping them full- wool to see how it works with us.” Jimmy started his farming career straight out of high school, working on farms in the Gisborne- Wairoa area before joining Landcorp for a five-year stint in the South Island, initially way down in Te Anau, and later of the West Coast. He has since returned to the Gisborne area as Parikanapa manager and says he relishes his role there. “Most of the country that was in danger of slips has been stabilised and retired now, we’re making progress on stock water and drench resistance, and it’s now just a matter of doing the basics right,” Jimmy says. “Most of the country that was in danger of slips has been stabilised and retired now, we’re making progress on stock water and drench resistance, and it’s now just a matter of doing the basics right.” Hugh de Lacy School leavers and primary school students at the Fieldays Careers and Education Hub hosted by GrowingNZ. Careers hub highlights role of food, fibre to young audience M ichelle Glogau, CEO of the Primary Industry Capability Alliance (PICA/GrowingNZ) says there’s no better time than now to think about a career in the food and fibre sector. “Covid-19 has shown the strength and resil- ience of our (farming) sectors. To meet the demand around the world for quality New Zealand ideas, products, and services, and to help shape the future of food and fibre in New Zealand, we need more skilled people,” says Michelle. “Whether you’re a school leaver considering your options or looking to transfer your skills to a new career, there is a myriad of opportunities in food and fibre to suit everyone.” A dedicated space for those curious about the career and training pathways available in the sec- tor was the Fieldays Careers and Education Hub, hosted by GrowingNZ. Deborah Lynch, Information Manager at Grow- ingNZ, says it was rewarding to broaden people’s horizons about the vast range of careers available. She says that while there are fantastic career opportunities on-farm, there are many careers in towns and cities too, with two-thirds of the sector’s workforce being employed in processing and com- mercialisation. While school leavers and career changers were key audiences of the Hub, GrowingNZ went one step further, engaging with primary school students to broaden their career aspirations and future proof the sector simultaneously. Inspiring the Future is a programme stemming from the findings of New Zealand research, Drawing the Future, where school students were asked to draw what they wanted to be when they were older. From a pool of 7,700 drawings received by the TEC, results showed that more than 50 per cent of the drawings showed children aspiring to just nine jobs, with only one of these top jobs being a farmer. Drawing the Future food and fibre sector-related findings: • Less than 0.1% of children drew themselves in a specific horticulture job. • Less than 0.1% of children aspired to work in the forestry industry. • Only 1.6% of children from urban schools aspired to be farmers, compared to 7.3% from rural schools. 19 21 Mahia Ave, Wairoa 06 838 6948 ken@eastlandbfs.co.nz www.eastlandbfs.co.nz Proudly supplying Parikanapa Station For all your Aerial Agriculture and Horticultural Services. SMS Certi ed Contact: John Chittick - 027 2249039 Matt Wilson - 027 3300482 GISBORNE | 743 Gladstone Rd | 06 867 9405 | gisborne@evs.co.nz WAIROA | 46 Freyberg St | 06 838 6099 | wairoa@evs.co.nz www.evs.co.nz Proud to be supporting Parikanapa Station M: 027 483 0644