Business Rural North Winter 2023

North Colleen and her husband Ross support about 80 head of Red Devons on their 62 hectares near Dargaville - Page 30 Childhood love of Red Devons endures Winter 2023 www.waterfordpress.co.nz

2 | Contents These conditions are prescribed for the sake of understanding between the Company and its clients. Advertising is charged for on the basis of space taken up using a standard tabloid page. Actual space may be reduced during the printing process but this will effect all advertisers equally so no credit will be given for any reduction in size due to processing. The Company reserves the right to alter, change or omit entirely any advertisement or article that it considers to be objectionable or which may contravene any law. In the event of a failure on the part of the Company to insert advertising as instructed the Company may publish the advertisement at the first available subsequent reasonable date unless the advertisement features date sensitive material. Every care shall be taken to publish the advertisement in accordance with the advertisers instructions as to page and position but the Company reserves the right for whatever reason to place advertising in a different position and in doing so shall incur no liability whatsoever. Advertisers must advise Rural North immediately of any error or omission in advertisements and shall work constructively to remedy the situation which in the first instance shall be a rerun of the corrected advertisement in the next available issue of Rural North. Where advertisement proofs have been faxed or mailed to the client 48 hours prior to the nominated printing cut off time acquiesce shall be taken as confirmation and acceptance. Corrections made by telephone shall be accepted but the Company reserves the right to decide whether a further proof should be faxed or mailed to the client. Accounts for advertising are due for payment within seven days of publication of the newspaper. Accounts not paid within this time may incur a penalty of 3% per month until the account is paid. Any debt collection costs incurred by the Company will be added to the account of the debtor. Views and opinions expressed in Rural North are not necessarily those of the editors, Waterford Press Ltd or publisher. Rural North welcomes contributions from freelance writers & journalists. All articles published at editors discretion. Rural North accepts no responsibility for loss of photos or manuscripts. #businessruralnorth #yourstory www.waterfordpress.co.nz   Dirk Sieling �� 03 Alcuin Station �� 04 Beef It Simmentals �� 05 Ben and Karen Herrick �� 06 Brewer Farms �� 07 Koanui Herefords �� 08 Glenanthony Simmentals �� 09 GJ Sole Logging �� 10 Glenburn Station �� 12 Glen Nui Station �� 14 Greg McCullough and Buddhiya �� 15 Haunui Farm �� 16 Hayden Alecia Lawrence �� 17 Iwinui Titirangi Stations �� 18 Tuaropaki Trust �� 19 Ludlow Farms �� 20 Maire Whittle �� 21 Tumeke Farming �� 22 Ngaputahi Station �� 23 Okaka Angus �� 24 Patrick Crawshaw �� 25 Pukemiro Station �� 26 Puketotara Pamu �� 27 Raetea Holsteins �� 28 Roger Ludbrook �� 29 Colleen Hunter �� 30 Te Wharua Station �� 31 Wholly Cow �� 32 Woolover Limited �� 33 Ruanui Station �� 34 Onyx Horticulture �� 35 Takapoto Angus �� 36 Te Uranga B2 Inc �� 38 Whangara Angus �� 40 Troy Pedersen and Zar Floyd �� 42 Mt Mable Angus �� 44 Kieran Clough �� 45 Smedley Station �� 46 Central Transport �� 48 Inta-Ag Limited �� 52 Irrigation NZ �� 55 Need a Shed �� 56 Sheds 4 U �� 57 McFadzean Cattle �� 58 New Zealand Veterinary Association �� 59 OTL Group Ltd �� 60 Repost �� 61 Roper Agriculture �� 62 Fryer Ag �� 63 Sheldrake Haulage �� 64 Spreadmark �� 65 26 | Competition keen for farm cadetship 42 | Young Bay of Plenty couple recognised 62 | Well earned recognition for Jack Roper 24 | Consistency is the aim at Okaka North OUR PARTNERS: Christchurch Office 112 Wrights Road, Addington, Christchurch Phone 03-983 5500 PO Box 37 346 www.waterfordpress.co.nz Queenstown Office 70 Glenda Drive, Queenstown 9300 PO Box 2581, Wakatipu MANAGING DIRECTOR James Lynch james@waterfordpress.co.nz EDITORIAL Editor Randall Johnston randall@waterfordpress.co.nz Paul Mein paulmein@waterfordpress.co.nz Journalists Ange Davidson, Kelly Deeks, Hugh de Lacy, Tracey Edwardes, Russell Fredric, Richard Loader, Kim Newth, Karen Phelps, Sue Russell, Rosa Watson, Virginia Wright. RESEARCH & MARKETING Adam Feaver, Chris Graves, Megan Hawkins Mandi King, Allan J Knowles, Lisa Moffat, Colin Morais, Catherine Norton, Chris Pearce, Leo Smith, Alasdair Thomson. sales@waterfordpress.co.nz PRODUCTION DEPARTMENT General Manager Luke Lynch luke@waterfordpress.co.nz Graphic Artists Connor Gosnell, Anton Gray, Francesca Hildawa, Sophie McCleary, Liki Udam. art@waterfordpress.co.nz CONTENT COORDINATORS Ann-Marie Frentz, Alissa Crosby, Josie Villa. OFFICE AND ACCOUNTS Helen Bourne accounts@waterfordpress.co.nz Jill Holland reception@waterfordpress.co.nz Lyn Barlow lyn@waterfordpress.co.nz

| 3 RURAL PEOPLE » Dirk Sieling Rare Red Devons prove their worth Russell Fredric Red Devon, one of New Zealand’s rarest breeds of cattle, have well and truly proven their value to Whitianga farmers Dirk and Kathy Sieling. The couple have a diverse 710 hectare property bordering Whitianga which milks 450 crossbred dairy cows as well as running Ohuka Polled Devon Stud. Dirk says about 10 years ago he and Kathy were wanting a better solution than having to kill dairy beef ‘bobby’ calves, a practice he felt was not socially acceptable or sustainable in the long term. “I was never very happy to get to get all these bobbly calves slaughtered at three or four days of age and I thought there really needs to be a dairy beef industry. “There was in some ways, there always has been, but more and more we need to focus on dairy beef and away from traditional beef, and in order to do that we need quality dairy beef and easy calving.” This led Dirk to buying a few polled Red Devon bulls to put over his dairy stock. He was particularly attracted to their docility, as well as being a medium framed early maturing breed which eliminated the need to carry them over a second winter. “That went really well.” “Once we started running and breeding them, we found them so easy to manage; they were so quiet and amenable cattle, and they didn’t give us any calving problems so we expanded the herd and started supplying other farmers with bulls.” The stud’s mature Red Devon bulls typically weigh 900kg to 1000kg and the cows around 650kg to 710kg. Dirk is vice president of the New Zealand Red Devon Cattle Breeders Association which has 37 members who farm a total of just over 900 registered animals. Ohuka Red Devons carries 26 breeding cows, 10 heifers, 14 young stock, and four stud bulls which is a high ratio to ensure genetic diversity in the herd. The stud only breeds from cows whose calves can be safely picked up in the paddock to weigh and tag because “my legs aren’t as fast as they once were, and I have no need for broken ribs” Dirk says. “For the heifers that we don’t keep ourselves, we always have demand from other breeders and we keep all the bulls entire and retain the best one or two for our heifer mating and other top bulls are sold to other breeders.” The balance, which is the majority of the bulls, are sold for mating in dairy herds, mostly to the South Island. The Red Devon herd was previously double its current size but keeping it at this level allows Dirk and Kathy to pursue their other passion, deep sea fishing. The Sieling’s farm totals 710 hectares which comprises 380ha effective, of which 350ha is the dedicated to dairy stock. Most of the balance is hill country with about a third covered in plantation forestry, and native bush which is under a QEII National Trust covenant. “We have two QEII covenants on the block and a further three applied for.” The dairy platform has a 44 a-side herringbone shed and a 50/50 sharemilker, with Dirk and Kathy plus casual staff providing the balance of the labour. Cyclone Gabrielle impacted some of the land as well as hundreds of harvest-ready pine trees which were blown over. “We also had a massive land slump where thousands of tonnes of soil slipped out of a gully; it was a deep subsidence and we’re still dealing with the aftermath of that. Unfortunately, the material that slumped is red volcanic ash that’s been colouring Mercury Bay a little bit red and even now after rain it still turns red.” “Once we started running and breeding them, we found them so easy to manage; they were so quiet and amenable cattle, and they didn’t give us any calving problems so we expanded the herd and started supplying other farmers with bulls.” Red Devon cow with new born calf. Dirk (below) with one of the stud bulls, BA Ryda. Upton Lands Contracting Ltd Covering all Ag Contracting work in Whitianga and surrounding areas. Proud to be associated with Dirk Sieling Contact: Ross 027 443 0272 | ulcontracting@xtra.co.nz PROUDLY SUPPORTING DIRK SIELING

4 | RURAL PEOPLE » Alcuin Station ‘Swamp’ now an award-winning farm Jane Johnson on farm (top). Getting Alcuin up to speed involved installing seemingly endless kilometres of Novaflo for drainage, along with extensive contouring using their own digger and a hired bulldozer. Hugh de Lacy A fistful of environmental awards, including last year’s East Coast Balance Supreme winner, is testament to Jane and Mark Johnson’s development since 2008 of Alcuin Station straddling the Motu River near Matawai, about 100km inland from Gisborne. Alcuin was “essentially a swamp” carrying just 7500 stock units when he and Jane took it over, Mark says, and it has required a huge developmental investment and the addition of a neighbouring 1000ha farm to get it up to the 15,000 units it carries today. Of its present 2400ha of medium to steep hill country, about 1600ha are effective, with the best land comprising 600ha of river flats along both sides of the Motu. Today, on a ratio of 60% cattle to 40% sheep, Alcuin carries 4400 ewes, 2200 trade lambs and 1800 cattle, the latter mostly comprising Angus and Charolais bred on the farm, but including 430 rising two-year-old Friesian bulls and 450 yearlings, plus 149 Wagyu steers and heifers. “The pastures at Alcuin were very sour when we took over, and there were lots of rushes and old logs and stumps left over from its native forestry days,” Mark says. At the time the Johnsons acquired Alcuin they were also farming a 500ha sheep and cattle farm of 5000 stock units at Otoko, and they stayed there with a manager on Alcuin until they moved to the larger farm and disposed of Otoko about 13 years ago. Getting Alcuin up to speed involved installing seemingly endless kilometres of Novaflo for drainage, along with extensive contouring using their own digger and a hired bulldozer. Developing the pastures involved sowing a swede/kale crop of winter break-feed for each of the first two years, followed by a ceres one50 ryegrass and clover mix, followed by intensive liming that lifted the pH level from 5.2 to 6. Then there was the fencing, miles of it, not only for sub-division but also to protect both sides of the 14km of river flowing through it, and similar treatment of a road doing the same. That was followed by the water reticulation of the 600ha of river terraces, the formation and metalling of laneways throughout the farm, and building a 34m concrete bridge over the river for what seems like the modest cost today of $250,000. This laneway metalling was made economic by a quarry, just over the road from the farm, of hard blue rock, some of which had been used for roundabouts in Auckland. Three years ago the Johnsons set about upgrading their flock of sheep by introducing Kelso bloodlines for their robustness and conformation, and their ability to maintain body-condition year-round. “It’s too early yet to see the full benefits of the Kelsos come through the main flock, but the positive signs are certainly there,” Mark says. Winning the East Coast Balance Supreme Award last year came from the couple “wanting to put our hand up for all farmers and show the good things that farmers are doing everywhere for the environment,” Jane says. Proud to be working alongside Alcuin Station. Listening. Thinking. Innovating. 0800 4 KELSO Power Farming Gisborne | 06 868 8908

| 5 RURAL PEOPLE » Beef It Simmentals Simmental bulls in great nick for sale Around 26 prime Simmental bulls will be on offer at Beefit Simmental’s annual bull sale at the Kaikohe Saleyards on June 7. Richard Loader The placid Simmental breed has been a major part of Aaron and Bernadette Gubb’s lives. Quietly establishing reputation as stud breeders with their Beefit Simmental Stud, the couple’s annual bull sale is now approaching its fourth year. Dairy and beef farmers in the Far North, the couple had used unregistered bulls bred from their purebred Simmentals over their dairy herd for about fifteen years, but four years ago took the opportunity to take things to another level. “We bought an entire stud consisting of fifty cows and heifers from Peter Hill in Whangarei, along with other stud cows from disbursement sales, “ says Aaron. “We’re up to about 200 pedigree cows calving this year. We breed for a structurally correct, docile animals, that are suitable for both beef and dairy.” As in previous years, Beefit Simmental’s annual bull sale will be held at the Kaikohe Saleyards on the second Wednesday in June, which this year falls on the 7th. On offer will be around 26 two-year-old bulls, between 600-700 kilos, along with about five autumn born yearlings weighing in around 500 kilos. The next few weeks will be busy structurally assessing the bulls and muscle scanning, selecting the bulls that will be on offer in June. Aaron says he and Bernadette are very happy with this year’s line-up, which are in great condition and ahead of last year’s growth rates. “The guys with the bigger herds come back every year to top up, but some of the farmers running fifty to one hundred cows only need two bulls and the Simmental bulls have longevity and high libido with the ability to handle a high mating load. So you only see some of the buyers every second or third year. “Most of the bulls will go over commercial cross bred beef herds, for hybrid vigour and the progeny finished very fast. In the Beef + Lamb Progeny Testing trials Simmentals have proven to be unbeatable with an extra 8.5% to 23.3% extra liveweight gain at weaning, and extra 10% live-weight gain at finishing and a 3% extra return on finished carcass weight.” Aaron and Bernadette select genetics from Kerrah Simmentals. Located north of Wairoa, on the boundary of the Hawke’s Bay and Gisborne districts, Kerrah is Australasia’s largest Simmental herd and one of the leading gene pools of fully recorded Simmentals. “We buy a mix of bulls and semen from Kerrah and I’ve bought a number of females from there in the past too. It’s pretty hard terrain there, and a test of extremes, so we know those bulls will transfer well to our farm, and that is ultimately good for our customers.” Both from farming backgrounds, the Gubbs milk 400 predominantly Friesian cows on their 230 hectare effective dairy unit half way between Kaikohe and Kaitaia in Umawera, near the Mangamukas. The 198 hectare beef farm sits 38 kilometres away in Kaikohe, though some of the Simmentals are on a lease block at the back of the dairy farm. Of the bulls that don’t go into the sale in June, a few are used as tail off the dairy cows, while others are finished or sold in the paddock during the year. “Most of the bulls will go over commercial cross bred beef herds, for hybrid vigour and the progeny finished very fast.” • Round & Square Hay and Silage • Cultivation, Cropping & Drilling • Maize Planting & Harvesting • Bulk Haulage • Conventional Hay • Weighbridge Services • Lime and Fert Spreading Ryan and the team at RTA Contracting are proud to support Beef it Simmentals 160 Hariru Rd, Ohaeawai RD2 Kaikohe office@tractorthomas.co.nz 021 813 421

6 | RURAL PEOPLE » Ben and Karen Herrick Conventional farming a thing of the past Soil tests on the Herrick farm show that the fertility levels in the soils have actually risen because of organic farming methods. Ben and Karen Herrick (bottom) with family Ella (11), Jono (13) and Pippa (9). Richard Loader Wairarapa dairy farmers, Ben and Karen Herrick are in the business of farming organically and say they would never go back to conventional farming methods. Finalists in the region’s 2020 Balance Farm Environment awards, the couple own and operate Kowhai Bush Organics – Dairy, and farm 85 hectares effective just south of Carterton with the Waiohine River on its boundary. A hectare block of native bush has been fenced off and at the bottom end of the farm there are a lot of kowhai trees, along with plum trees that may be the remnant of a one hundred year old orchard on the land. Ben says the fruit is now a favourite of the 210 cows that are milked once-a-day all year round. Ben and Karen have also converted a nearby 54-hectare lease block to organic over the last few years, and utilise that farm to grow hay and balage, winter their cows and graze young stock. The couple have been fully organic certified by AsureQuality for four years now, with certification taking a three-year period. “I had stopped using synthetic fertiliser and moved to a fertiliser through Quantum Laboratories that only had two chemical components. So that didn’t require too much of a change to make it fully organic,” says Ben. “The other thing was even though we made good milk production and our costs were very low you still hit those low payout times in conventional farming, where you weren’t making any money or repaying debt – you were just breaking even. Supplying organic milk provided a good, stable payout, which enabled us to get ahead.” Ben says the main change on farm was not being able to use chemical weed sprays, antibiotics on the cows, or chemical drenches on the young stock. “That was a little bit of a worry. But since going organic we’ve learned other remedies which work just as good, though we do quite a bit of grubbing for thistles. But animal health, we’re getting the homeopathic remedies in the cows and they work really well. “I have found a good herbal drench that works really well in the stock. Since going organic we’ve learned so much about farming, and it has really changed our mindset about soil, soil health and different species of grasses, herbs, longer rounds, and higher residuals. The land is responding so well.” Verdi NZ, which helps farmers manage carbon sequestration, recently visited the Herrick’s farm and took deep soil tests. Ben says they were impressed to find grass roots down to a metre, putting that down to the organic farming methods. In fact, we don’t apply fertiliser of any kind anymore, apart from a bit of lime, and we have grown more grass than we’ve ever grown. Soil tests show that the fertility levels in the soils have actually risen because of the organic way we are farming. “I do enjoy farming. We’ve developed a very simple system of farming now, with the organics and a low stocking rate. We’re not pushing the farm or the animals hard any more. The payout of organic milk is really good and consistent, and we’re making good farm profit that we are using to pay down debt.” 07 858 4233 farmservices.nz homeopathicfarmservices info@farmservices.nz homeopathicfarmservices TALK TO THE EXPERTS FOR FARMING SUPPORT COME AND SEE US AT FIELDAYS SITE PB50 HOMEOPATHIC FARM SERVICES

| 7 RURAL PEOPLE » Brewer Farms No till farming a successful way to go Rosa Watson Shaun Fowlie 027 511 9009 shaunfowlie2018@gmail.com TransAg Centre are proud to support Brewer Farms A Taranaki couple are showcasing how a no-till approach to farming can have huge benefits, both environmentally and efficiently. Richard and Jenni Brewer, along with Richard’s brother William Brewer and wife Lisa, took out the Beef + Lamb New Zealand Livestock Farm Award and Hill Laboratories Agri-Science Award at the annual Taranaki Ballance Farm Environment Awards. The partnership farms two properties – the 250-hectare family farm at Hawera and another 210-hectare block 19 kilometres away at Manutahi. The operation includes a dairy unit with 230 cows, 300 Angus/Hereford cattle, 2300 Romney ewes, 600 hoggets, and maize silage production. It also runs a second dairy unit on 90ha, with 225 cows, in an equity partnership with our previous 50:50 sharemilker. It is also one of 15 shareholders in export company Coastal Spring Lamb that promotes the sustainable production of the lamb it sells. The property at Hawera is third generation, first farmed by the family in 1908. The Manutahi property was purchased in 1987 and a 64ha neighbouring dairy unit was purchased in 2021, which is now used for maize silage, beef and lamb finishing. “It was a lovely piece of soil and we just put it back into finishing crops and maize sileage.” Maize silage is fed to the dairy herd. Lambs are finished on 30ha of chicory. “The diverse operation fits together like a big jigsaw with crops going in as the cattle are finished during the winter and early spring. Annual ryegrass follows the maize and chicory crops in the autumn. “Our focus has been on having really productive stock and fast growing animals. The less number of days you can have the animals … that cuts our emissions down.” Richard has always had an interest in soils, and studied it while at university. “I guess it’s a passion of mine.” It was how he came to introduce a no till approach to his operations. Richard Brewer inspecting soil. The farm owns a cross slot drill - the only one in the Taranaki area – that was developed here in New Zealand. “It’s a technology that’s really underutilised.” It was developed by Massey University agronomists in the 1980s and went on to be manufactured in Fielding. Richard happened to be a student of the engineers Dr John Baker and Bill Ritchie in 1982. It is an impressive non-precision drill that sows seed straight into sprayed out pasture or crop residue. “Yields are very consistent in a range of conditions. Turnip crops of 17 to 21 TDM (tonnes dry matter) are particularly impressive.” The maize silage is also sown with the Cross Slot in 30cm rows. An auto-downforce system meant the seed was always placed at the correct depth. “It was certainly an investment, but it certainly paid it’s way.” The no till method had made his farm very sustainable. “At the end of the day the no till works. We never get to the point of ruining our soils. “We’re leaving cover on the soils all the time. It can be less than 24-hours between grass and maize.” New Zealand had been slow in introducing no-till farming, and Richard said he was enjoying mentoring other farmers into introducing the method. “No till is so gentle on the land.” One of the motivations for entering the awards was to showcase sustainable farming to consumers, he said. All farmers wanted to farm sustainably, he said. “Sustainable farming takes time. Improvements in plant and animal genetics and farm systems cannot happen overnight.” TBSL TARANAKI BULK SPREADING LTD

8 | RURAL PEOPLE » Koanui Polled Herefords Impressive history of breeding on offer A standout in this years sale, Koanui S472. A combined bull sale event being hosted on June 15 and 16 by two Hawkes Bay cattle studs mid-June is being promoted as “bigger than Bola”. Dubbed Bay Bulls, the two-day event is being held at Koanui Polled Herefords and Hallmark Angus which are about 70 kilometres apart in Maraetotara and Tutira respectively. Between them, the studs and the cattle being offered represent an impressive history of breeding and a desirable pool of balanced traits. Koanui Polled Herefords is a generational farm owned and run by the Chesterman family, while Hallmark Angus is run by Max Tweedie and his wife Lucy McLean. Hallmark Angus was started with half of the Cricklewood herd, an historic East Coast stud with more than 80 years of breeding. In 2017 the complementary Heather Dell herd at Rotorua was purchased to take Hallmark to a total of 170 calving females and to provide yearling bull options. The inclusion of the historic Waiterenui Angus Stud in 2022 increased the herd to more than 500 calving females, putting it among the largest, highly recorded Angus stud herds in New Zealand. The stud is run across Mokara and Pa Hill farms in Tutira totalling 990 ha of medium to steep pumice hill country. Koanui Polled Herefords was founded in 1972 by Fred Chesterman and his wife the late Annette Chesterman and is now run by Chris and Jennifer (Jen) Chesterman who have four children, Hugh, Glen, Gerard and Allie, and it was Glen who had the inspiration to run the combined Bay Bulls event. Bay Bulls includes a full day of hosting on both days, with food and beverages provided in true country hospitality while creating a great opportunity for attendees to socialise and network. Phone 0800 668 342 / 24 Hours FOR ALL YOUR RURAL TRANSPORT REQUIREMENTS We provide Livestock, General/Bulk, Logging and Ground Spreading services WE COVER ALL ASPECTS OF REPRODUCTION KŶ ĞŶƚƌĞ ĂŶĚ ŽŶ ĨĂƌŵ ƐĞŵĞŶ ĐŽůůĞĐƟŽŶ Ƶůů ĨĞƌƟůŝƚǇ ĞǀĂůƵĂƟŽŶƐ ĂŶĚ ĨƌĞƐŚ ĐŽůůĞĐƟŽŶƐ ĨŽƌ / / ĂŶĚ d ƐĞƌǀŝĐĞƐ /ŵƉŽƌƚͬ ǆƉŽƌƚ ŽĨ ƐĞŵĞŶͬĞŵďƌǇŽƐ WƌĞͲĞǆƉŽƌƚ ŝƐŽůĂƟŽŶ CONTACT US: 06 376 4955 @ breedingcentre@tvg.co.nz tararuabreedingcentre.nz PROUDLY SUPPORTING KOANUI POLLED HEREFORDS Tararua Breeding Centre Part of Totally Vets Ltd Cattle, sheep and goat reproductive specialists Russell Fredric Koanui is now the largest registered Polled Hereford herd in New Zealand and last year calved 800 registered females, Chis says. “We sell around 300 bulls for breeding each year into the beef and dairy industries and sell semen and embryos around the world.” Both studs have had stellar results in previous bull sales, achieving between them top average prices and the record individual price in given years. Chris Chesterman says Koanui’s stock are bred for balanced estimated breeding values. “You are providing a client with a lot of information and the best recording that you can”. Koanui uses FarmIQ management software to keep track of all operations on the farm. It is used daily to diarize the data recording and FarmIQ has a clear map view and a vast array of tracking options including animal and land treatments plus a mobile app. “We keep track of our cattle on an individual basis. The staff can all access FarmIQ on their phones via the APP and they all record treatments, weights and mobs as they are done. This makes everyone’s lives so much easier. I can go back into the Farm IQ diary and find the data I need to load up for our genetic evaluations and stud management very easily,” Jennifer says. “We even used Farm IQ to measure the fence lines taken out by flooding during the cyclone; it has made our recording so much easier.” Koanui is offering a total of 55 bulls on-farm on June 15, 1pm at Maraetotara, while Hallmark has 70 bulls up for auction on its Tutira property on June 16 at 3pm. “The idea of working with Hallmark Angus is to provide cattle breeders an excellent opportunity to purchase top genetics from either breed over two days of sales. We hope it will also bring some much-needed tourism back as we encourage out of town guests to make the most of Hawkes Bay on their business trip.”

| 9 RURAL PEOPLE » Glenanthony Simmentals Future of bull breeding looking bright Tony Thompson of Glenanthony Simmentals with his top bull Glenanthony Y-arta. North Island Simmental breeder Tony Thompson is excited by the genetics he has on offer now and in the future. The first round of bulls bred from Grinaltas HP Sensation, which is an extremely robust Canadian sire, will be available at this year’s sale on June 8 and available in New Zealand for the first time. “I’m very happy with the look of his yearling bulls, ensuring we have plenty to offer Glenanthony buyers,” Thompson says. He now has five decades of breeding experience. His interest in the Simmintal breed emerged in the 1960’s with a visit to the Sim Valley in Switzerland. First imported in the mid-1970’s they, among other exotic breeds, would go on to change the face of beef farming in New Zealand. After finishing his Vets degree at Massey, Thompson travelled the world aboard a cruise liner. He was furthering his studies at Cambridge University when he and his wife took a break and drove through Europe including Switzerland. As fate would have it, they came across a beef breeders auction and it was there that Thompson was first exposed to the Simmental breed. He was among the first to bring the breed into the North Island in the mid-1970 and looking back now, is very pleased he did. He has won numerous regional and royal show awards and has now notched up more than three decades of two-year-old bull sales and earned an enviable reputation. The 2022 sale was highly successful, with numerous studs keen to tap into the Glenanthony BEEF FARMERS: Join the rush, buy a GLENANTHONY SIMMENTAL BULL this year for: • Extra live weight at weaning • Extra live weight at finishing • Less feed, less cost, less fuss! New Ref. Sire: Grinaltas HP Sensation (Imp Can) Bull Sale Thursday 8th June Farm Rd Waipukurau Enquiries to Tony Thompson 027 280 6148 www.timcoombsdeerandstock.co.nz • P: 027 444 1937 • E: coombs@vetta.net.nz NZ Wide Accredited Transport - Proud to Support Glenanthony Simmentals i i - l i l Simmentals most desirable traits. Weighing in at 100kg over the size of comparable bulls at his two-year rising weight, Glenanthony Executive had ‘impressive carcass data’. Breeding him with Tony’s Y-arta cows paid off, and the rest as they say is history. Thompson has been bringing in semen from two USA-based polled bulls to great effect as part of his breeding program. Yearling progeny bred from semen from USA bull ‘Saint John Gatton’, will be offered at his sale next year.

10 | Closeknit team key Skid and Madil hauler (top). Loading logs at Te Wera forest. Karen Phelps RURAL PEOPLE » GJ Sole Logging Sole Logging has consolidated its business to offer clients an even more efficient cost effective service. This has partly been in response to challenges around finding enough staff. “We are able to offer a complete service, doing everything ourselves, which makes jobs easier to manage and ensures everything goes smoothly,” explains company harvest manager and director Allan Sole. Based in Bell Block, New Plymouth, parent company G J Sole Transport was started by Allan’s father Graeme in 1965 with a bulldozer and transporter, developing land for farmers and Land Survey blocks in the Taranaki, King Country areas. Graeme was also involved with the first shipment of export logs from Westgate in 1967. In 1992 Allan started the logging side of G J Sole Transport – Sole Logging Ltd – with a small logging crew purchasing and harvesting woodlots. In 2002 the first hauler was bought to harvest logs in the Te Wera forest. At its peak five haulers were working within Taranaki and lower King Country areas employing around 50 people. The company now employs a tightknit team of around 30 including wife Liz who does a lot of the administration, organising, harvest planning and compliance. Sole Logging can take care of the entire process of forest harvesting including harvest planning, log marketing, forest roading, ground based and cable harvesting. Technology plays a big part with investment in plant helping to fill the gaps in staffing. This includes processors for trimming and cutting the logs, motorised grapple carriages for haulers and a purpose-built falling machine – all of which are good for health and safety too, says Allan. He says the strength of Sole Logging is its team: “Without our staff we couldn’t do what we do. We have a lot of experience in our team who are committed to and passionate about the industry.” Around 90% of Sole Logging’s training is on job with staff paired up with or under the supervision of experienced crew members. They are then assessed for task by internal and external assessors in conjunction with service training provider Competenz. Because G J Sole Transport offers general transport and heavy haulage services this works in well with Sole Logging transporting equipment to sites. Since 2004 GJ Sole Transport has been heavily involved with carting drilling equipment, casing pipe and the other paraphernalia of drilling rigs, which includes moving complete drilling rigs from location to location. Transportation for the logging industry is an important part of this business and G J Sole offers some 30 logging trucks in its plant. Allan says that having a transport side to the business gives Sole Logging greater control over quality and timing of projects. Allan says that because Sole Logging is family owned company this means a more personal service for clients. “At Sole Logging we are constantly striving to deliver good value for money and a personalised service. We are proud that we have worked for some clients for many years.” Proud to be the Insurance Brokers for GJ Sole Transport. JRI Insurance Brokers 0800 RING JRI (0800 746 457) | 06 758 4400 177 Courtenay Street, New Plymouth | www.jri.co.nz | admin@jri.co.nz YOUR PAINTING AND SAND BLASTING SPECIALISTS 06 755 2115 stevensolecustoms@xtra.co.nz www.stevensolecustoms.com 027 492 0395 182 Connett Road East, Bell Block, New Plymouth

| 11 to successful logging business Sole Logging can take care of the entire process of forest harvesting including harvest planning, log marketing, forest roading, ground based and cable harvesting. RURAL PEOPLE » GJ Sole Logging 730 dump truck at work (right).

12 | Wairarapa farmers Kim Newth RURAL PEOPLE » Glenburn Station Wairarapa’s eastern coastline was hit hard by Cyclone Hale in January, followed not long after by Cyclone Gabrielle. Local farmers like Lachie McFadzean, at Glenburn Station, say it will take years to get back to where they were before Cyclone Hale ripped through their land. Glenburn is one of New Zealand’s oldest sheep and beef hill country stations. For Lachie, his father John and their farm team, January is traditionally a busy month of shearing lambs and weaning young stock. Instead, Cyclone Hale blew in, cutting off access and power. “We couldn’t get out for four days as there were numerous slips over the road and trees down,” says Lachie, adding that a council loader team sent to restore access wound up getting cut off too in a fresh slip on the way back into town. With so many slips over tracks, shearing had to be postponed. “We were afraid the lambs would get bogged down while trying to get them out from the paddock. Plus, the holding paddocks around the shed couldn’t hold anything anyway because of the damage to gates and fences.” Cyclone Gabrielle followed Cyclone Hale but was fortunately not as damaging in this particular coastal area. Hale made the biggest impact. “It’s fences, tracks and culverts. Some of the road culverts are still blocked now. It has been hard to know where to start and we’re still playing catch up now.” Re-establishing key fencing lines has been a top priority, with a lot of netting installed as a temporary fix to close off missing sections. “As well, we were able to get a fencer through the East Coast Rural Support Trust. He was really good and got some of the harder fencing done through the slips, but a lot of our electric fencing infrastructure still isn’t working. “A big worry for us is that the slips will carry on slipping too, so that some of the repairs won’t last. We haven’t had a reprieve from the rain – it just keeps coming. It’s been great for grass growth but that’s the only shining light from all of this.” As Lachie observes, costs start to mount quickly when tackling damage in the hill country, with everything from diesel fuel to machinery and fencing gear escalating the bills. Ideally, he’d like to make more use of the fencer who helped do their slips, but budgets for labour only stretch so far. “I think some sort of fencing repair subsidy would make a big difference to farms in cycloneaffected areas.” Getting around the farm is still tricky, he observes. While some slips have been fairly easy to push aside with a dozer, others are so large that it has simply not been possible to do anything with them. In turn, that means some farm tracks are no longer usable. Lachie says the Rural Support Trust has done a good job of reaching out to cyclone-affected farmers but he suggests New Zealand must start doing more to lift its game on flood prevention measures and improve the management of rivers and streams to mitigate the impact of future cyclone events. “I think some sort of fencing repair subsidy would make a big difference to farms in cyclone-affected areas.” Washout at Glenburn Station following Cyclone Hale in January. Proud supplier of maternal genetics to Glenburn Station Mike Warren 027 446 5312 or 06 307 7841 Guy Warren 027 848 0164 WilliamWarren 027 824 9327 Turanganui Romneys

| 13 face a long road to recovery RURAL PEOPLE » Glenburn Station Cyclones Hale and Gabrielle caused extensive damage to paddocks, fences, tracks and culverts at Glenburn Station on Wairarapa’s eastern coastline. Glenburn Station Accommodation Glenburn Station offers five accommodation options in this rural coastal slice of paradise. Enjoy the tranquil country atmosphere, just 5 minutes walk from a safe swimming beach with abundant sea life and a reef to explore at low tide Contact us at: info@glenburnstation.co.nz or 063727045

14 | RURAL PEOPLE » Glen Nui Station Honey a sweetener for farming family Located in the Mangamingi Valley, inland from Eltham, Glen Nui Station has been in Matthew’s family since the early 1960s. Of the 2042 hectares, only 260 hectares is in developed grassland that is farmed off, the rest is covered in scrub and bush. Richard Loader We just like to believe we’re a hard-working Kiwi farming family trying to make the best of the piece of dirt that we’ve got,” says Taranaki sheep and beef farmer Matthew Francis. That ‘piece of dirt’ is Glen Nui Station and encompasses 2042 hectares of Taranaki hill country that rises from 90 metres above sea level up to about 380 metres at its highest point. Located in the Mangamingi Valley, inland from Eltham, Glen Nui Station has been in Matthew’s family since the early 1960s – earlier when you account for Matthew’s grandfather who managed the farm after the Great Depression of the ‘30’s. Matthew returned to the family farm some 26 years ago and, in partnership with his wife Jackie, has progressively bought the farm, proudly taking full ownership last year. Of the 2042 hectares, only 260 hectares is in developed grassland that is farmed off, with the majority of the hill country covered in scrub and bush, and fairly undeveloped in pockets. But the block of scrub is carpeted in Manuka, and for the past decade bees and honey have become a large part of the family farming business. Good MGO (methylglyoxal) – the naturally occurring compound that makes Manuka honey special – comes out of the Taranaki. “We have a firm that places hives on the farm from late December/early January through till the end of February. In a good year, manuka honey pays a large part of our farming revenue; on a bad year not so much. Two years ago, we signed into a fiveyear contract with a 30% return. Prior to that we were running a two-year contract with a set rate.” But first and foremost, Glen Nui Station is home to sheep and beef cows and this year Matthew and Jackie put 2450 Romdale ewes to the ram, with 600 replacements coming in behind that don’t go to the ram. “We’re still predominantly a store supplier, and fatten what we can. We do have a terminal sire mob and run a Dorset ram across them to lamb a little bit earlier and get the early prime trade. We’ve also lifted our cow numbers to 120 breeding cows and heifers of predominantly a Angus sire. “We farm traditionally, because it’s a developing, expansive block of land. We also run the farm along traditional family values in the way that our two children, Jack and Anna-Victoria, are involved in it, working on the farm plus having their own input into it over the last few years, with round the table discussions. Jack left school at the end of last year and is now shearing and doing casual farm work when he can. Anna-Victoria is Year 12 this year. Jackie and I are only here as temporary managers of the land. Our children are the future.” Matthew and Jackie both say that having the support of family, friends, and suppliers, along with the bank and accountant have been key players in their success as a farming business, along with hard work, diversity and a good amount of resilience during challenging times. “We just like to believe we’re a hard-working Kiwi farming family trying to make the best of the piece of dirt that we’ve got.” 027 446 0443 19a King Edward St, Eltham o ce@gernhoefercontracting.co.nz At Lloyd Gernhoefer agricultural contracting, we o er you a wide range of Agricultural services. Call Lloyd now for your 2023 season requirements. Office 06 278 0020 Steve Roylance 021 287 5335 Peter Laurence 027 252 2174 WilliamMoynihan 027 279 7099 CLAASHarvest Centre areproud tosupport GlenNui Station

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