26 | ARABLE » Easington Farm Award surprise after tough harvest Easington Farm is a mixed arable cropping operation near Hinds. Store lambs play an important role on the farm, not just as an income stream but also keeping on top of the grasses to increase the seed yield. Richard Loader Winning the Milling Wheat award at this year’s United Wheat Growers awards was a nice surprise for Philip Keir and his family, after what he says was a very tough MidCanterbury harvest. “This year was probably one of the worst harvests in fifty years because it was so wet. We had 120mm of rain, right when we were supposed to be harvesting. “I was about two weeks late getting to the harvest, and didn’t think it was going to go very well at all. Then one day, I got a call from PGG Wrightson saying my wheat had been nominated for the Milling Wheat award.” The United Wheat Growers Awards was part of this year’s inaugural Arable Awards, held in the newly built Te Pae Christchurch Convention Centre. “To have won the award is really nice recognition. Sometimes you wonder if you’re doing things right, and then to have won an award like this you think, maybe I’m not doing too bad at all.” With lots of dairy farms around the area Philip says the family farm normally just grows feed wheat, but he planted the milling wheat variety Sensas from PGG Wrighton because it was quite a fast-maturing wheat, and he wanted to get it through and next crop in. “The person who got runner up grew the same variety of wheat as me and so I think the variety held up in the tough conditions.” Philip farms in partnership with his brother Andrew and father Murray, on their 600-hectare Lowcliffe’s property just below Hinds. “We farm collectively as Easington Farm, but Andrew and I have our own separate blocks that we look after. Murray works between the two farms. The wheat that won the award was on my block, and so I picked up the award.” Classifying themselves as a mixed arable cropping operation, Philip, Andrew and Murray grow a large variety of cereals in rotation, with about a third of the farm in cereals at any one time. “In the spring there are brassica options. We also grow a lot of rye grass for grass seed and fatten store lambs on that crop. “We have increased the size of the farm in recent times, and this year we got up to 6000 store lambs. The lambs play an important role on the farm, not just as an income stream but also keeping on top of the grasses to increase the seed yield. Once the store lambs are sold to the works, we let the ryegrass take off and that will turn to seed before we mow it into rows for harvesting. “We do most cultivation, drilling and harvesting operations ourselves. A portion of the farm is ideal soil for winter grazing, and so we have a wee bit of winter dairy grazing.” Following a finance degree, and period of time working in an office, Philip returned to the farm in 2012 and says it is the variety of work that he loves the most. “There’s tractor work, there’s working with machinery, there’s working with stock, there’s earthworks and there’s seeing the crops grow to harvest.” www.grseeds.co.nz • Mowing • Tedding • Raking • Square & Round Baling • Tube & Individual Wrapping • Cultivation ROSS BROS TRANSPORT Proud to be the preferred grain carriers for Easinton Farm. +64 27 259 4644 CONTACT US:
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