54 | Major fencing, planting drive at Manunui Manunui is building up its flock of FE resistant ewes. Virginia Wright Ten minutes drive east from Taumaranui, Manunui Station is one of two blocks totalling 4500 hectares that together make up the Tuatahi Farming Limited Partnership. As Mananui’s Farm Manager Carlos Segura is responsible for running 5500 ewes, 1500 hoggets,1300 head of cattle and finishing between 7000 and 10,000 lambs per year. The last season has seen a change in Manunui’s approach to purchasing their cattle replacements. Instead of buying as usual when everyone’s offloading stock to preserve their feed, and prices are correspondingly low, they’ve given precedence to their ewes’ requirements to produce and nourish healthy, fat lambs. Not having additional cattle replacements to feed meant plenty of grazing for the ewes even if it then means having to pay a premium for replacements when the time comes. “We didn’t start replacing until August, and we’re yet to buy another 300. But we’ve started killing to meet the early market with prime beef cattle that are looking really good, plus the farm’s looking really good, and the lamb weights are up. It’s the first year we’ve weighed the lambs at docking so we’ll know more next year but it looks really promising,” says Carlos. Historically the lower-lying Manunui has been purely a finishing block, with all replacement ewes coming from the neighbouring Moerangi block. After a particularly nasty season for facial eczema, which Manunui is more prone to than the higher-lying Moerangi, they’ve been building up a flock of FE resistant ewes which, once the latest replacements come through, they will have achieved. Given the right genetics from the higher meatyielding terminal rams once more going across the flock, the sheep should have a better chance of withstanding even a particularly bad facial eczema season while still achieving a desirable weaning weight. Recently Manunui, together with the adjoining block, has completed a major fencing and riparian planting scheme undertaken with the help of the Provincial Growth Fund. “Between Moerangi and Manunui we’ve completed 52 kilometres of fencing and planting as well as retiring some of the steeper country into manuka RURAL PEOPLE » Tuatahi Farming Partnership rather than pine trees,” says Carlos. Excluding stock from the natural waterways meant reticulated water had to be installed instead to provide for their needs, with all the pipes and troughs that entails. That’s ongoing with more work needed but Carlos doesn’t begrudge any of it. “Yes it’s hard work but at the end of the day we should preserve our most natural resource which is water. We’re happy to lead by example rather than wonder why we should do it if no-one else is doing it, and hopefully everyone else will do it too at least to some extent. “In Mexico, where I come from, you can’t see any transparent creeks like you can here, they’re completely green and brown. Any natural source of water, even the ones that are remote, are contaminated by people or stock, they don’t have policies like we do here. For us it’s about keeping the waterways clean. The riparian planting will set up an ecosystem around these open creeks which also helps to retain moisture and give shade when it gets really hot.” At Manunui it’s work Carlos is happy to do,seeing it not only as a gain for the farm itself but also as protecting the resource for future generations. Limited 168 Totara St, Manunui 3924 Ph 07 895 8492 • Mobile 027 418 670 Fax 07 895 7687 •ongaruetransport@xtra.co.nz Proud to be associated with Tuatahi Farming Partnership t i i Tuatahi Farming Partnership 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 Buyer and seller of store stock & fat sto , l & Deer Proudly supporting Tuatahi Farming Partnership Specialising in: Bulk grass & maize silage, maize planting, ground cultivation, making and supply of round and square grass silage & hay bales. Taumarunui Harrison Contracting harrisonharvesting@outlook.com HONDA FIRST TAUMARUNUI 4 Katarina Street, Taumarunui 3920 07 895 8110 | alanb@hondafirst.co.nz TAIHAPE 91 Hautapu Street, Taihape 4720 06 388 1211 | sales@taihapehonda.co.nz Proven on NZ Farms Proudly supporting Tuatahi Farming Partnership l i i i i
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