| 3 Cyclone was an ‘absolute disaster’ Alcuin Station comprises 2400ha of medium-to-steep hill country. The Johnsons have carried out a huge programme of development since they took the place over in 2008. Hugh De Lacy ON FARM » Alcuin Station It’s still not clear what the long-term effects of Cyclone Gabrielle will be on the ravaged easterncentral North Island, and environmental awardwinning farmers Jane and Mark Johnson of Alcuin Station, 100km east of Gisborne, think it will be some time before a clear picture emerges. “The cyclone was an absolute disaster, and it’s going to be an ongoing thing for farmers and the waterways – for example, is planting of the main waterways the right thing to do? “In the future is it going to cause more problems by clogging the waterway and pushing the water elsewhere?” Mark asks. “In some places they’re cutting the willows out of the riverbed to make the streams run freer, but up here we’re planting – so is this right or wrong? “Cyclone Gabrielle saw a phenomenal number of planting dollars wash down the waterways. “The recommended practices of fencing off the waterways are contributing to a lot more weed control and fencing workload after rain events – especially Cyclone Gabrielle – but at the same time making farm management easier.” Alcuin Station comprises 2400ha of mediumto-steep hill country, about 1600ha of it effective, carrying 15,000 stock units at a cattle/sheep ratio of 60% to 40%. It straddles the Motu River, and the Johnsons have carried out a huge programme of development since they took the place over in 2008. That was 20 years after Cyclone Bola caused similar damage to the Gisborne hinterland but it was still fresh in everyone’s minds, and it strongly influenced the Johnsons’ efforts to get their lowfertility station up to productive scratch. While the damage from Cyclone Gabrielle was by no means confined to farms, Mark believes it had a negative effect on the public’s view of farmers as environmental guardians. The Johnsons themselves were “put on a bit of a pedestal” after last year winning the East Coast Balance Supreme Award for environmental custodianship, “but I think that’s waning a bit, and a lot of people see farmers as one of the major contributors to climate change,” he says. “That’s a perception that rankles with farmers who are investing hugely in making their businesses environmentally sustainable, and I don’t think the public fully appreciates that.” In Alcuin Station’s case, fencing both sides of the Motu River, and planting 28,000 native trees in the riverbed, actually took no less than 36ha out of production, and had a direct negative effect on the station’s bottom line. “People seem to forget that three times a day – at breakfast, lunch and dinner – they’re entirely dependent on farm production. “We get measured and are held accountable on everything.” That shows up in the increasing amount of book-work farming requires: “The paper work is killing us,” Mark says. While in two minds over the previous government’s Three Waters plan, he says it’s vital that control of waterways rest with regional authorities, and not devolved onto central government or mega-regional authorities. “We know our own waters and we know how to manage and protect them,” Mark says. People helping people achieve their dreams www.bdo.nz As a trusted adviser, BDO Gisborne have valued the opportunity to work alongside Mark and Jane Johnson of Alcuin Station, providing accounting and advisory services to support the diverse needs of their growing farming business. Ideas | People | Trust Proud to support Alcuin Station Power Farming Gisborne | 06 868 8908
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