Business Rural North Summer 2021

4 | 16 acre dowry now Richard Loader W hen Blanche Rolfe married neighbour Lewis Faull in the 1860s she brought with her a dowry of 16 acres, and the begin- ning of an intergenerational legacy that is now part of Faull Farms in North Taranaki. Quietly nestled a few kilometres inland from the Tasman Sea, and a 15-minute drive from New Plymouth, the farm that proudly spans six genera- tions now has a milking platform of 320 hectares of fertile volcanic ash soils. The welcome home to 1150 Friesian and Friesian cross breeds, the farm is supported by five run-offs totaling 90 hectares, all within walking distance of the main farm, and providing winter grazing and crops to support the farm’s primarily grass-based operation. Production currently sits at 580,000kgMS, plac- ing Faull Farm in the top dairy production per cow/ hectare in New Zealand. Integral to the farm’s operation are 50/50 sharemilkers James and Melissa Barbour and their brother in-law Jason Groot, who are supported by three staff. Fifth generation family member Gavin Faull, along with his wife Carol, and their three sons Matthew, Oliver and Edward, lead management of Faull Farms in consultation with Gavin’s four brothers Allan, Sir Richard, Bernard and Nigel. “My father started a small country grocery store on the corner of the farm,” says Gavin. “In those days you had grocery support businesses in every little village. I grew up with my four brothers in a small house attached to the shop and went to local primary and high schools. “Two of my brothers became academics, one became an Arch Deacon, another entered retire- ment village management and I had the business head. Because the farm had been in our family for so many years and my father said we could never sell it my goal was to develop an economically and environmentally sustainable farming business that we could all take an active share in.” Gavin took the running of the farm over in the 1980s and led the farms expansion and the devel- opment of key infrastructure to support the farm’s goals of economic and environmental sustainability. “Continuation is the whole goal of intergenera- The Faull family (from left): Oliver, Gavin, Matthew and Edward. Visitors to the farm include Prince Charles, who spent several hours talking to the farm team. tional and sustainable farming, but it’s becoming increasingly difficult to achieve in New Zealand due to the costs involved and the financial structures required. Succession is very difficult and it results in beautiful farms being bought up by corporates and overseas investors, which breaks my heart.” Gavin’s goal of sustainability was also about the local community and allowing it to use the farm. “One of the things we have to look at is sustain- ability of people, which is what urbanisation has broken down immensely. Fifteen years ago we built a modern Dairymaster sixty-bail rotary shed. I called it the Supershed after I had built it due to its size and its cost. But it also has a conference room that seats one hundred people and can be set up like a viewing theatre with a glass wall that overlooks the whole milking operation. That is used by local organisations and the dairy company for education and training.” Schools as far away as Wellington use the farm in their curriculum and frequently visit the pristinely beautiful farm with 25 years of riparian fencing and planting, QEII blocks of native bush and a sophisti- cated effluent system. Visitors to the farm have extended to esteemed guests including prime ministers and other politicians, church groups and Prince Charles who accepted an invitation to visit the farm and spent several hours talking to Gavin, the farm team and school children. “He was interested in our riparian planting, how we had planted our forests and trees and preserved existing trees. We’re just twenty minutes from New Plymouth Airport so we’re very convenient and it’s a very easy farm to visit because of the farm roading, general presentation of the property and infrastruc- ture. Five or six years ago we won the Supreme Ballance Environmental award for Taranaki, so it does have a high profile.” While Faull Farms does all it can to remain envi- ronmentally sustainable, the family looks nervously at the way the urban environment views farming. “People need to learn and understand how hugely responsible New Zealand farmers are. Farming and dairy farming in particular can become part of the environmental solution. Dairy farming in New Zealand has the lowest carbon footprint in the world. Eighty percent of the so-called negativity of carbon is cov- ered by the way it is regenerated and handled.” “One of the things we have to look at is sustainability of people, which is what urbanisation has broken down immensely. Fifteen years ago we built a modern Dairymaster sixty-bail rotary shed. I called it the Supershed after I had built it due to its size and its cost. But it also has a conference room that seats one hundred people and can be set up like a viewing theatre with a glass wall that overlooks the whole milking operation. That is used by local organisations and the dairy company for education and training.” Dairymaster Milking Systems NZ Ltd. Tel: 0800 765 6075 Email: info@dairymaster.co.nz • www.dairymaster.com “Ongoing research & development results in superior products & performance advantages including; more yield, faster milking, no slip and no teat end damage.” RURAL PEOPLE » Faull Farms