Business Rural North Summer 2021

| 33 Shift towards deer pays off big time Pukemiro Docking 2021. Sue Russell • From page 32 T hese past 10 years, Colin Gates has been in charge of Waihi Pukawa Trust Farm, a mixed livestock operation straddling a 2750ha effec- tive footprint, located on the south-western shores of Lake Taupo. A team of 8 people are involved in the day to day activity on the farm while, since 2019 the Trust op- erates another lease property, Taurewa, consisting of 2600ha effective at Tongariro, not far from the ski fields at Whakapapa. The farm at National Park is mainly a breeding unit with stock transferred on to the Lake Taupo farm for finishing. It also grows and supplies addi- tional grass to Waihi Pukawa as needed late winter. With taking up the lease farm at National Park, the Trust took on employment of four additional staff. “We finish as much stock as possible from the other farm, weather permitting,” says Colin, who oversees management of both properties. Waihi Pukawa Farm sits on pumice soil and oper- ates well under a set Nitrogen cap. Undepinning how the farm operates is a strong empathy with farming sustainably and taking care of staff. The Trust has been recognised for these practices as the regional winner of Maori Farmer of the Year in 2005, leading to being selected as a national finalist. “Because we’re on pumice country the farm can dry out really fast, however the farm is in pretty good condition. We still have some stumps to push over and paddocks to make. A lot of the fence lines need double fencing and trees planted. This farm sits at 500-650m above sea-level.” Taurewa farm sits at elevations between 650m – 950m above sea level. RURAL PEOPLE » Pukemiro Station & Waihi Pukawa Trust Colin engages with the Trust’s farm sub-com- mittee on planning matters and when significant decisions are required. With 7,300 hinds, the Trust is one of the biggest commercial deer owners in the North Island. Waihi Pukawa Farm supplies ‘Taupo Beef and Lamb’ who, since early 2018, have been exporting high-grade product to Japan. “We also supply ‘First Light’, because of their innovative approach and their values relating to the environment, sustainability and integrity align with ours.” Colin says that supplying Taupo Beef and Lamb provides the certainty of a consistent meat schedule from season to season. The schedule punches well above returns from other meat processing and marketing companies for most of the year. Waihi Pukawa Trust Farm operates under a resource consent placing limits on N discharge to Lake Taupo for 999 years. “We’re fortunate that given we’re predominantly pumice we don’t get a lot of mud. Our stock haven’t been able to get near our creeks for 40 plus years as they are all fenced off; something the Trust attended to years before it became a compliance responsibility.” When Rural North spoke with Colin late Septem- ber, tailing the early lambs had just been completed. The main line ewes were three-quarters through lambing while the hoggets were just getting un- derway. A velvet herd was introduced three years ago. Since then income from velvet has increased exponentially. Cattle were being spread out over the property and Colin was hoping to see the warmer tem- peratures promoting substantial grass growth. He had just sent 950 Hinds over to the breeding block at National Park and velvet coming off wasn’t far away. “Sheep have been this farm’s main income stream, however that has shifted with substantial returns now generated from venison. The strength of this farm is that we have stock numbers across beef, sheep and deer that give relative certainty to our balance sheet, enabling solid financial decisions to be made.” “Our stock haven’t been able to get near our creeks for 40 plus years.” Waihi Pukawa Farm first introduced a velvet herd three years ago. The Pukemiro Cadetship Scheme was established in 2018 with the first three cadets and the second tranche joining them the following year; it requires undertaking a level three and four New Zealand Certificate in Agriculture over two years. Mark has worked in his role for two years and was attracted to it because of people who had helped him develop his own career. “I had a lot of people that were really gener- ous with their time helping me get into agriculture through training and the opportunity to work and pass on their skill-set. “That’s something that I enjoy doing too.” Consequently he enjoys seeing the cadets pro- gress through the programme. “That’s the rewarding part, it’s cool seeing the cadets getting the results, seeing them grow. It’s also been challenging, we have some challeng- ing seasons, but still we’ve got some reasonable results.” Cadets are each given a heading dog pup in their first year and in the second year receive a grant to buy a trained Huntaway. “They love it, that’s probably one of their high- lights,” Mark says. Typically summer dry, Pukemiro is a mixed breeding and finishing property which supports 5,500 Romney breeding ewes and 125 Hereford/ Friesian cross breeding cows, finishing 300 cattle and around10,000 lambs. By contrast Otawa Station, 30 minutes South East of Pukemiro, is summer safe and supports 2100 Romney breeding ewes, 2000 replacement Romney ewe hoggets, 180 Angus cross breeding cows and 50 replacement Angus weaner heifers. Replacement ewe lambs are transferred from Pukemiro to Otawa in late January where they are grown out to produce a lamb as a hogget and return to Pukemiro as a two tooth the following autumn. The majority of lambs and calves bred at Otawa are sent to Pukemiro for finishing. Information about Pukemiro’s cadetships can be found at www.pukemiro.co.nz “That’s the rewarding part, it’s cool seeing the cadets getting the results, seeing them grow.” Pat Lacy Livestock Ltd Pat Lacy 027 495 35 64 nyanza@xtra.co.nz . . Buyer and seller of store stock & fat stock Sheep, Cattle & Deer Proudly supportingWaihi Pukawa Trust ll , l l i i i Aotearoa Shearing 0274 820 142 rogerneil88@icloud.com il i l . Proudly supporting Waihi Pukawa Trust l i