| 41 Building resilience into stock policy With around 14,000 stock units plus a few grazers, there are a lot of mouths to feed. Kim Newth With extreme weather events becoming more frequent, farmers are increasingly faced with the consequences of climate volatility. In the Masterton District, award-winning sheep and beef farmers Andy and Gemma Phillips, of Motumatai, are taking steps to be as resilient as possible and control what they can ahead of the next big storm or drought. It has been exceptionally windy in Andy and Gemma’s part of the country over recent months. Along with the usual westerly winds, they’ve also had strong easterlies and south-westerlies that have brought down trees and damaged fences. “You have to build contingency into your budget so you can afford to bring in contractors or casual staff to help with the clean-up, because otherwise it’s almost too much pressure on your full-time staff.” Over the past five years, Andy and Gemma have grown their total area from 550ha to 1750ha effective, encompassing five different farms and a variety of land classes. It is a lot to manage but their stock policy approach has put resilience at the heart of their system. “We try to fit our stock policies around our individual farm blocks,” Andy explains. “For example, one is a super summer dry farm. All our 5 year old ewes go there and lamb a bit early, before being sent off to the works. There’s then crop left for the lambs. It’s about building a system to suit each farm.” With around 14,000 stock units plus a few grazers, there are a lot of mouths to feed but their terminal system gives them good, built-in flexibility. RURAL PEOPLE » Motumatai Pastorals They produce around 12,000 trade lambs a year along with 400 head of cattle going to the works per annum. Their blocks are “reasonably empty” by early July. “Fast growing stock are the key to profitability. Genetics are important, along with good animal management and feeding stock well.” Adding extra resilience is their proactive cropping programme with 200ha of summer crop grown every year. “We use it as a buffer to make sure we can maintain our high production levels. We also have a big silage bunker that we keep full and don’t touch unless there’s an extreme event, like a super dry summer. On average, we get one every seven years or so.” Over the last six or seven years, Andy has also noticed a shift towards longer dry spells punctuated by big rain events. A climate risk workshop hosted by Greater Wellington Regional Council last November noted how Wairarapa’s climate is expected to keep getting hotter and drier, likely leading to harsher fire seasons. “We’re fortunate to have a good local fire club in Wainuioru and one of our staff members is second in charge there. It’s a strong club for our rural area – we do get a few more call-outs nowadays.” The inflationary impact of the Middle East conflict is a current concern for farmers. Andy and Gemma have forward ordered some of their inputs for the spring cropping season and are keeping a close watch on fuel use across their operation. Andy says the good news is that returns for sheep and beef farmers have remained stable – and at a strong level. “From the perspective of returns, we’ve had an exceptional year.” Roddy 027 303 9280 Sam 027 636 2272 Enquiries & viewing contact: 213 Hakakino Rd Masterton fb.com/kayjayangus kayjayangus.co.nz Lot 2 KayJay Meatpack V841 BULLS SELLING FRIDAY 29TH of MAY - 2PM 52 PROUD TO SUPPLY THE AMAZING TEAM AT MOTUMATAI PASTORAL WITH KJ GENETICS
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