4 | Boomer growing season at Te Pa Jim has a team of 5 permanents, along with cadetship students who spend a year on the farm experiencing all the station’s activities as well as a live-in cook. Sue Russell RURAL PEOPLE » Atihau-Te Pa Station Taihape Honda Proud Supplier to Atihau - Te Pa Station 06 388 1211 89 Hautapu Street, Taihape sales@taihapehonda.co.nz w w w . t a i h a p e h o n d a . c o . n z WE ALSO SUPPY BUILDERS MIX, BARK & STONE. CALL THE OFFICE FOR A PRICE. ROBBIE: 027 442 8686 (ENQUIRIES) EMAIL: ROBBIE@LILTRANS.CO.NZ 15 RAILWAY ROAD, RAETIHI 4632 • WOOL • TIMBER • FERTILIZER • GRAIN • METAL • POSTS • LIME • STOCK FEED SUPPLEMENTS PROUD TO SUPPORT ATIHAU - TE PA STATION DA WINDLE LTD Raetihi for all your livestock transport needs phone kerry on 027 222 3431 Jimmy Doolan has been happily managing Atihau Whanganui Incorporations sprawling sheep and beef finishing farm in the centre of the North Island, 10 km from Ohakune. Located at the Karioi end of the Oruakukuru Road, Te Pa Station is a beautiful property. Jimmy says this is one of the reasons he intends to remain in the role a very long time. Te Pa Station includes the land that made up Pah Hill Station, which back in 2007 won the BNZ Maori Farming Excellence Award, and Omerei Station. The award was recognition for the team effort that underpinned the farm’s success and today, Jimmy says, the same ethos exists. “I have a team of 5 permanents, along with cadetship students who spend a year on the farm experiencing all the station’s activities as well as a live-in cook. All staff are housed on the property and there’s a strong sense of mutual support between them to get the jobs done,” Jimmy explains. Since Rural North last spoke with Jimmy about a year ago, he says the station has experienced the best year yet in his tenure there. While it did get a little dry towards the end of January, subsequent precipitation has balanced pasture condition out. At times, that pasture disappears under snow, so feeding out to the stock becomes an important winter activity. Te Pa Station measures an impressive 5,700 ha (4,200 ha effective). It’s contour reflects the size of the property straddling flat, easy hill to steep ground. Soil underfoot is volcanic/ash and drains well, while water is supplied through reticulation, creeks and dams. The farm’s elevation is impressive as well, from 400m to 800m. Jimmy says dogs play an important role in managing the movement of stock. A station of this size and situation is capable of supporting a large number of stock – 40,000 su in total. “We have 18,000 ewes and 1,200 cattle. With all our cows we are chasing 100% Angus genetics.” All stock at Te Pa are finished before processing. Heifers reach a weight of 520 kg live weight (260kg carcass) and Steers reach an impressive 620kg (320kg carcass). This is an increase of about 20kg per stock unit and has been achieved through paying attention to supplying more feed and keeping the cattle in good condition. Late July, the team were flat-out break-feeding and three-quarter of the ewe flock were enjoying crops grown on the farm, to sustain them through the colder months of winter. Calving gets underway on 1st September, with the first calving by heifers over a 37 day period, while the mixed age cows calving window extends 53 days. “We generally leave the mixed age cows to just get on and calve but at the start of the breeding season, we keep an eye twice a day on the heifers.” Te Pa Station has good infrastructure, with a managers home and shepherds cottages, along with five wool sheds, sheep and cattle pens and 350 subdivided paddocks. The cadet scheme is a way for Atihau Whanganui Incorporation to encourage their shareholders to consider farming as a career. It’s in its third year of operation and is so far going well. “After they have a year with us, they move for another two years on to another of the Incorporation’s farms, where they can focus more specifically on a type of farming they are most interested in. It’s been a good thing to do, because while they are learning, they also get paid.” Te Pa Station includes the land that made up Pah Hill Station, which back in 2007 won the BNZ Maori Farming Excellence Award, and Omerei Station.
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