Business Rural Winter 2021

| 49 MEAT & WOOL » Rough Ridge Farm: Fraser McKnight efficient option INDIVIDUAL SPRINKLER CONTROL TO ALLOW FOR DIFFERING SOIL TYPES COMPETITIVE P/HA COSTS SALES - DESIGN - SERVICE NO TERRAIN LIMITATIONS OR NEED TO ALTER EXISTING LANDSCAPES FULL WIRELESS SYSTEM OR INDIVIDUAL SUB TIMER AVAILABLE 0508 777 465 sales@sssirrigation.co.nz www.sssirrigation.co.nz sssirrigation Fixed grid irrigation now covers 30ha of the McKnight farm with plans to expand an extra 70hs over the next five years. flooding system over time as Fraser says it does not make the best use of the water. They have just build a 19,000 cubic metre dam which feeds the sprinkler system. Fraser’s grandfather, Irv, purchased Rough Ridge in 1954. The farm is a 900ha sheep and beef unit with 60% of the farm on steep hill that rises from 480-940 metres above sea level. The farm carries 3000 Polworth ewes and 80 Angus cattle. Another technology they have adopted little by little as they are doing with the fixed grid system is EID. The farm was part of the Lucerne for Lambs project some time ago conducted by Beef+Lamb NZ and the Sustainable Farming Fund to investigate different ways to use lucerne in sheep grazing sys- tems and started introducing EID then to keep track of things. Now all the flock has EID and Fraser says it makes it a lot easier to manage stock. They also still use lucerne heavily in their system with around 160ha of the farm planted in it. “It’s been a saviour for us. It has a deep tap root so it’s good in the dry spells, it just keeps on growing. It also lasts for around 15 years before it needs replanting,” says Fraser. The cattle side of the operation complements the overall farm objectives and they are used to keep the grass down and diversify the business providing cash flow at key times of the year when they are sold as stores. The aim is to lift cow numbers to 100. The family is working on planting trees for shelter, to beautify the farm and for carbon credits. There are also plans for a pine plantation to further diversify. Fraser’s parents still live on the farm and father and son work side by side. “It’s a privilege to be third generation on this land and to continue to move the farm forward. There’s always heaps of things happening at Rough Ridge.” “It’s like a meccano set. This means you don’t have to outlay a lot of money up front if you don’t want to as you can just keep adding to it over time.” The system targets long throw radius, high water volume and soft watering of crops and pasture.