| 25 MEAT & WOOL » Hokotehi Moriori Trust Russell Fredric Chatham’s farming a different ball game The trust’s farming operation comprises two stations; Kaingaroa Station covering 4800 hectares on the north east of Rekohu, supported by 1000 acres which is a fattening and nishing block at Henga. ‘Right tree for the right place’ • from page 24 Farming on Chatham Island requires a very different mindset to mainland operations which usually have a lot more leeway when drafting stock, Hokotehi Moriori Trust farm manager Levi Lanauze says. While feeding, breeding and the weather are common factors, most other aspects of farming on Rekohu (Chatham Island) are dictated by shipping schedules, Levi says. The trust’s farming operation comprises two stations; Kaingaroa Station covering 4800 hectares on the north east of Rekohu was bought in 2004 and is supported by 1000 acres which is a fattening and nishing block at Henga. It is also used to hold stock before the are shipped. NIWA describes the island’s rainfall as moderate and reliable and there are very few days on Rekohu when the temperature falls below zero degrees while it is seldom above 25 degrees. “In the winter months we run a bit tight on feed as everything cools down. That’s why we lamb a bit earlier, we aim to get rid of 1000 lambs before Christmas and just keep lling the boat, so come Easter we’re relatively empty to give the pastures a break.” “My rst year here, we still had 2,500 lambs in July where this year I’ve only got 500 left and I’ve had those 500 since February.” April’s shipment off the farm comprised 32 cattle “Due to having to ship out livestock off island, and with other farms on the island, we compete for space so if your farm’s run to its absolute capacity you will not be able to sell your livestock because you won’t get them on the boat.” “We are a large farm, but we only have 4,500 breeding ewes and 190 breeding cows. We could probably double both of those numbers if we had the killing capacity on-island or a shipping service that could keep up with production.” The breeding ewes are Romney which are crossed with South Suffolk terminal sires, while cattle are Hereford. All the livestock genetics are sourced from Orari Gorge Station, South Canterbury. For both animal types, Levi breeds for “powerful” large-framed livestock with great survivability that can gain weight on less than ideal pasture, which is about a 60/40 mix of grass and bracken and scrub. “We move stock when we can. “When it comes to cattle ,we just send them all as stores and then we are picking our replacements on the strong Hereford traits and body condition score when coming off the tough blocks like the back country because the cows spend seven or eight months of the year on scrub.” The trust is currently undertaking a project over ve years under the Government’s One Billion Trees programme, planting 210 hectares comprising 80% natives and 20% macrocarpa. The macrocarpa will probably be a source for fence posts, building timber and rewood. “We have pockets of land that would be better put into reserve and focusing some of the asset into what the island would have looked like 300 years ago, covered in trees and bird life. In 50 years time, what an entrance to the farm; 210 hectares of native bush.” “Due to having to ship out livestock off island, and with other farms on the island, we compete for space so if your farm’s run to its absolute capacity you will not be able to sell your livestock because you won’t get them on the boat.” CARRIERS OF LIVESTOCK, GENERAL FREIGHT, BULK & FERTILISER CHEVIOT TRANSPORT 2017 LTD 99 Ward Rd, Cheviot 7310 P: 03 319 8644 A/H: 0276 776 787 climate change. The natives and poplars, planted in 2020, are all permanent with the poplars planted on a lot of the farm’s erodible, clean gullies where there is no gorse. They are there for stock shade and for soil conservation to stop erosion, and the farm will be able to also earn carbon credits from them once the initial pine tree carbon claim has been processed. “I believe in the right tree for the right place,” Hamish says. “Had we not had this gorse issue I wouldn’t have planted pine trees to the extent that we have. The pine trees smoother the gorse, but I love the poplars a lot more than pine trees, and we can still graze stock around the poplars.” The natives have been used for riparian and waterway plantings, as well as stock shelter. “A lot of this planting isn’t eligible for carbon credits because a lot of it is ax. “However ax works so well for stock shelter. It only grows to 3m high so we never need to have the hedge trimmer out.”
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