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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