38 | RURAL PEOPLE » Pukemiro Station Focus on station’s seasonal strengths Docking at Pukemiro. A cornerstone of Pukemiro’s operation is its two-year cadetship programme. Staff and cadets crutching (below). Russell Fredric High performing Romney’s with good fertility are a staple of Pukemiro Station’s farm business. Station manager Mark Heaphy says genetics sourced from Ngaputahi Station produce mediumframed sheep that typically lamb at a respectable 150% and yield a 20 kilogram carcass from the hill country property. “We are getting good results out of our lambs and good results out of our ewes. They’re a good all round sheep.” Located near Dannevirke, the station comprises two separate blocks, Pukemiro and Otawa. Typically summer dry, Pukemiro is a 930 hectare mixed breeding and nishing property which supports 5,500 Romney breeding ewes and 125 Hereford/Friesian cross breeding cows, nishing 500 cattle and 10,000 lambs. Additional bulls and trade lambs are purchased as the season allows; these utilise a variety of forage crops grown on the property. By contrast Otawa, 30 minutes south-east of Pukemiro, is summer safe and supports 2300 Romney breeding ewes, 2000 replacement Romney ewe hoggets, 150 Angus cross breeding cows and 45 Angus replacement heifers on 740 hectares. Replacement ewe lambs are transferred from Pukemiro to Otawa 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 nishing. The station is moving towards reducing its reliance on winter brassicas to enable compliance to increasingly stringent soil and water regulations. • to page 39 Across the two farms, the contour is a “really nice” mix of gravel ats, 250ha of rolling downs and the balance of steeper hill country. Although Pukemiro is summer dry, Otawa by contrast is summer safe. This mix of contour and the variety of soils types offered provides good options through the year as well as during wet or dry periods. “It’s a really nice balance. As long as we farm to the seasonal strengths it can work out well.” This balance will be further improved by the planned installation of a reticulated water system. Pukemiro’s Hereford/Friesian cows are mated to NGĀPUTAHI “Breeders of Genetically Superior Seedstock” Proud to support Pukemiro Station with their breeding programme Forbes Cameron 06 329 4050 Angus Cameron 06 329 4711 cameronfamily@inspire.net.nz Please scan our QR Code to read our 2022 Bull Data ' TUT IRA ~ JUNE 15TH ~ 4 PM KEEP THE F IRE BURNING
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