28 | “Originally this farm ran half breeds, then Corriedales (grandfather), then Highlander (father) and now we run a Romney-based cross breed.” When Stuart took over, the farm had just been through three tough years of drought, so the decision was made to downsize the operation a bit. • from page 26 NEW ZEALAND CENTURY FARM AND STATION AWARDS » Mt Benger to make sure out pasture is a good as it can be and that helps us get a good return on what we send off farm.” “Originally this farm ran half breeds, then Corriedales (grandfather), then Highlander (father) and now we run a Romney-based cross breed.” When Stuart took over, the farm had just been through three tough years of drought, so the decision was made to downsize the operation a bit. “We were involved in an equity partnership in another farm that backed on to the home farm, so we sold our share back to the family, just to re-group – that took us from 20,000 stock units to about 14,000. Now we’ve actually started to expand again and taken on a bit more land for cropping and feel like we have a good balance now.” History James and Ella Fraser acquired a 3,368-acre estate on the southern banks of the Hurunui River in 1924. After emigrating from Scotland to New Zealand, James Watt Fraser initially managed Terako Station in Waiau before enlisting in World War I. Upon returning to New Zealand, he married Ella and purchased Mt Benger, where he farmed Halfbred ewes and cattle for four decades. The couple raised three children, with their sons, Duncan “Ross” and Neil, taking over the farm in the 1960s. During the 1970s, the farm underwent significant improvements, including subdivision fencing, land development, aerial fertilization, and irrigation. Ross and Elizabeth ‘Anne’ Fraser (née McFarlane) then assumed sole ownership and managed the farm for 30 years while raising their five children. In the late 1980s, their sons Duncan and Alexander, along with their wives, acquired Mt Benger and continued its development. In 1994, an equity partnership was established between Duncan and English investor John Sheldon. Duncan and his wife Jane (née Spark) transitioned from Corriedale sheep to a composite breed, and enhanced the irrigation system to optimise finishing. In 1998, they purchased a neighbouring 2,000acre farm, Glenburn. In 2017, Stuart and his wife Jo(née McConway) returned to the farm to uphold the family legacy and raise their three children, marking the fifth generation of Frasers on the land. Proudly supporting Mt Benger for over 35 years RICHARD & DENISE MARTIN P: 03 541 8559• M: 027 230 3098• E: richard@martinfarming.com 385 Church Valley Road, Wakefield, Nelson• MartinFarming Proudly supplying beef genetics to their program MARTIN FARMING ANGUS HEREFORD
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