Business Rural North Summer 2021

12 | RURAL PEOPLE » Kinross Partnership: Lynda & Tony Gray Diverse business ‘spreads our risk’ Lynda and Tony Gray run 325 predominantly Red breeding hinds. The Grays’ 410ha farm Utuwai is at the top of the Manawatu’s Pohangina Valley. Hugh de Lacy P atching up the sodden farm after the storm that hit the lower North Island in 2004 led to Lynda and Tony Gray’s Kinross Partnership being the first in the Horizons Regional Council to obtain a Whole Farm Plan. And 12 ago months the partnership was instru- mental in the formation of the Pohangina Catch- ment Care Group which is currently water-quality testing 11 sites monthly, and supporting projects like the reintroduction of kiwi. The 2004 storm, which occurred just as the Grays were about to take possession of the farm, caused moderate damage but prompted them to set about future-proofing their investment. This included planting poplar poles to stabilise the hills and provide shade and fodder during the increasingly frequent droughts. The Grays’ 410ha farm Utuwai is at the top of the Manawatu’s beautiful Pohangina Valley, 55km north of Palmerston North, and 123ha of it is held under a QEII covenant that is regenerating the native podocarp forest, leaving an effective farming area of 270ha. Tony and Lynda are the sole workforce aside from seasonal contractors, and they run 900 Rom- ney ewes plus 270 mated ewe hoggets, 60 in-calf Angus cows and 16 RI Angus heifer replacements, while 24 R2 and 22 RI Wagyu-Angus cross cattle are finished for FirstLight Wagyu. The couple have been involved with FirstLight Venison for more than 15 years, running 325 predominantly Red breeding hinds, and all but 50 of the weaner deer are sold to a finisher within the group. “Because we are a small farming business we have to make as much profit per hectare as possi- ble, and having a diverse range of policies spreads our risk,” Tony says. Aside from the livestock, the Kinross Partner- ship has lately expanded into bees, and also into a bed-and-breakfast service for people riding the Tour Aotearoa cycling route that passes their gate. “We are also striving to protect and enhance our environment so that when the farm passes to a new guardian it will be in better shape environmentally than when we purchased it,” Lynda says. The Romneys lamb at 150%, weaning at 33kg, while the Angus cows calve at 95%, with steers weaned at 217kg and heifers at 207kg. The deer fawn at 90%, weaning at 64kg, and meat and fibre production per hectare runs at 200- 220kg/ha. Aside from the drying climate – “We used to get a reasonable spread of rainfall but we now appear to be getting extended periods of dry weather followed by shorter periods of wet,” Lynda says – challenges that the Kinross Partnership face include the rising cost of farm inputs with which returns have not kept up. “What is also proving a challenge is the increased regulations being imposed on the agricultural industry, whether it’s to do with climate change, improving water quality or intensive winter grazing restrictions - to the point where we’re increasingly spending time on compliance instead of actively farming,” Lynda says. And on the Government’s Three Waters policy, the Grays, fearing a watering down of local representa- tion, have the message that “Bigger does not mean better.” TRANSPORT EARTHWORKS & FORAGE SERVICES You want it shifted, we can shift it! GENERAL FREIGHT EARTHWORKS FORAGE Dropsiders Farm Tracks • Laneways • Dams • Drainage Driveways • Contouring Mowing • Raking • Chopping • Carting Stacking & Covering of Grass, Cereal & Maize Silage Covering the wider Manawatu & Rangitikei Region Ken: 021 482 912 searletransport@gmail.com searletransport 06 323 2944 027 2760963 t.kendrick@kinect.co.nz . . . Call us today! Manawatu Shearing TopService CompetitiveRates Covering Manawatu, Rangitikei &Wairarapa areas Proud to support the Kinross Partnership Tony or Monika Kendrick