| 7 RURAL PEOPLE » Cashmore Farms Ltd Fifth generation farming the same land The 1200-hectare operation spans an altitude range from 200 to 600 metres above sea level. Karen Phelps Practical farming solutions have also benefitted the environment for Cashmore Farms, run by Rob and Rachel Cashmore. The couple were winners of the WaterForce Farm Stewardship Award at the 2022 Ballance Farm Environment Awards. “On the property we have 400ha of virgin native bush. We have fenced off the majority of it,” explains Rob, who manages the day-to-day farming operations. “We started to fence it off in the 1970s due to it being a stock mustering nightmare but we also wanted to intentionally leave it there as bush.” The Cashmore family has been on their farm since the early 1900s, when they purchased four 1000-acre blocks from the Government for native timber milling. Over time they transitioned to sheep and cattle farming. The 1200-hectare operation spans an altitude range from 200 to 600 metres above sea level, with varying soil types including volcanic soil on the higher ground and alluvial silt loams on the river flats. Of the total area, 840 hectares is farmable. Environmental considerations also guide how the farm manages its more challenging terrain. “In our steeper country where we have water run and eroding hillsides we let the scrub regenerate to hold the hillside and protect the water course,” says Rob. “It also helps discourage stock from those areas and is less work for us in terms of cutting scrub back.” Cashmore Farms also favours variable rate application of fertiliser. “It helps ensure the fertiliser is utilised better and avoids run off issues. It helps us grow more grass in the right places,” says Rob. The farm’s livestock operation comprises 2800 ewes, 3920 lambs, 800 hoggets, approximately 200 cows, 190 calves, along with various replacement and finishing cattle. Managing this scale of operation while maintaining environmental standards requires careful planning, particularly given the financial challenges faced by many New Zealand farmers. “Cashflow is always a struggle. We get all our income October to February. Then we have to budget that for the remaining months of the year,” explains Rob. To address this challenge, the farm has implemented a winter trading strategy, purchasing around 3000 lambs which remain on the property for three to six months before being sold in October/ November. “Storing our own lambs on the farm helps with the winter trading. It removes mouths from the farm, taking the pressure off the farm for a couple of months to grow feed to be able to purchase winter trading lambs,” says Rob. Climate change presents perhaps the most significant challenge to the farm’s continued environmental stewardship. Like many agricultural operations across New Zealand, Cashmore Farms is experiencing more volatile weather patterns. “Our changing weather patterns - getting all the rain in one condensed time period, and then being dry for another extended time period - is forcing us all to change,” says Rob. Despite these challenges, the Cashmore family, now in its fifth generation of farming the same land, remains committed to its dual focus on productivity and sustainability. With Rob managing the farming operations, his wife Rachel handling accounts, one full-time staff member, and parents Bill and Lynette still helping out, they continue the proud family farming tradition. Turanganui Romneys Mike Warren 027 446 5312 or 06 307 7841 Guy Warren 027 848 0164 WilliamWarren 027 824 9327 Proud to be the supplier of sheep genetics to Cashmore Farms Ltd
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