| 7 ARABLE » Seaton Farming Century Farm award a ‘special moment’ Harvesting. Randall Johnston Ash Seaton, of Seaton Farming in Canterbury, says it will be a special moment for him and his family when they receive their Century Farm Award in Lawrence, Otago this year. “There will be about 10 of us at the event, including my wife and kids and my brother and his family. We’re all really looking forward to it, it’s a nice thing for our kids to witness,” Ash said of the occasion. “I started working on the farm when I left school in the early 2000’s, my brother Warwick and I leased a bit of land off my uncle in 2003. Unfortunately my dad passed away in 2007 and that’s when we took over his half of the farm (400ha), got rid of most of the breeding ewes and started growing a few vegetable seeds. My uncle passed away in 2012 and since then we’ve been running the whole place with assistance in book work from my mother Leslie (an additional 360ha).” Two thirds of this land is irrigated now and cropped in peas (mostly for seed and exported to Europe and Asia), vegetable seeds, cereals, grass seed, clover seed, quinoa and buckwheat, while the rest is in pasture and used to fatten lambs and cattle. “The irrigation helps give you a bit of certainty that you’re going to get a crop at the end of it. This is the driest autumn we’ve had in a long time too, so I’m glad we’ve put that in. We’ve planted more quinoa and buckwheat this time around and that’s going well for us, as a fairly new crop. It’s changed a bit from the early days here, where they were just growing oats for the horses, wheat and peas. • to page 9 Proven results Better soil, better plants, better stock Proudly supporting Seaton Farming 0800 222 203 www.mainfert.co.nz 03 308 6022 30 JB Cullen Drive Ashburton Business Estate RIÀFH#UD\PD\QH FR Q] ZZZ UD\PD\QH FR Q] Ray Mayne Hose and Fittings, in the irrigation business for 32 years, has sold Reinke Manufacturing products since 2000. Providing Seaton Farming with Reinke Center pivots and CropX technology. Reinke pivots, known for durability and performance, feature high-strength steel and innovative design elements like the Hook & Receiver Joint. With a weather-resistant control panel, Reinke systems set the industry standard for quality and longevity. We’re also the CropX distributor for the South Island, offering cutting-edge technology WR RXU FXVWRPHUV &URS; LV D OHDGHU LQ WKLV ÀHOG DQG ZH·UH SURXG WR VXSSRUW WKHLU PLVVLRQ to stay at the forefront of innovation. :H DUH SURXG VXSSRUWHUV RI WKH 6HDWRQ )DPLO\ UHSUHVHQWHG E\ /HVOLH $VKOH\ DQG :DUULFN DW 6HDWRQ )DUPLQJ 5D\ 0D\QH +RVH )LWWLQJV 5HLQNH ([SHUWV &URS; 'LVWULEXWRUV 6HDWRQ )DUPLQJ 6XSSRUWHUV
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