The Proprietors of Rakaia Incorporation Field Day
MEDIA RELEASE
18 March 2016
Great turn-out for Ahuwhenua Trophy field day
It was another wonderful field day with about 200 people attending the Proprietors of Rakaia Incorporation’s farm Tahu a Tao near Ashburton. Each of the three finalists for the 2016 dairy competition have to stage a field day as part of the judging process. The whānau who own this farm have a long and proud history dating back to 1886. The present 216 ha property near Ashburton runs around 830 Kiwi cross cows.
Kingi Smiler, Ahuwhenua Trophy Management Committee Chairman, says Rakaia Incorporation have huge local support behind them and they had a wonderful story to tell about the history of the farm and told it beautifully. He says the story relates to how they had taken back control of their lands after suffering through the colonisation process. He says the decision to convert the land to dairying was a brave one at the time and there is now a great sense of pride amongst the whānau about what they have achieved and the way they have done this.
Kingi Smiler says Tahu a Tao is like many Māori farms which are managing the volatility in the dairy industry and still making a profit while most other dairy farms will be making losses this season.
“There are a couple of key reasons for that. Māori farming is focused on intergenerational outcomes so they are not farming for capital gains and are not looking at the property market. Instead they are there working and sustaining the land and deriving a yield so that they can support each generation of shareholders in such a way they all get some benefit from the property. So it’s a completely differently philosophy and therefore their on-farm focus around performance is there every year and not just now and again when prices pick up,” he says.
Kingi Smiler says Rakaia Incorporation has been tight on farm working expenses and have done a wonderful job getting a high yield of productivity for a really low cost level which is far superior to most farms both in this region and across the country. He says with low debt levels they are able to manage well.
Kingi Smiler says generally Māori farms have got good sustainable farming systems which clearly work and he says in these tough times he expects other farmers to start adopting some of these practices.
In the last two weeks more than 800 people have attended the field days of the three Ahuwhenua Trophy finalists and Kingi Smiler says this is an excellent turnout. He says it’s clear that the Ahuwhenua Trophy competition gives those whānau directly involved and Māori generally, a great sense of pride and mana. He says he hopes this will help motivate them to pass this on to successive generations.
With the field days over the focus on the competition is the awards dinner which will be held on Friday 20 May in Hamilton. A crowd of more than 800 people is expected to attend this black tie dinner and ceremony.
For more information contact Peter Burke, 021 224 2184.
Photographs are free for use in relation to the competition. Visit alphapix.photoshelter.com/gallery/AHU16-Rakaia-Inc-FieldDay or contact photographer John Cowpland 027 253 3464.
Our thanks to our valued Ahuwhenua Trophy sponsors: BNZ, DairyNZ, Ministry for Primary Industries, Te Puni Kōkiri, Te Tumu Paeroa, Fonterra, Primary ITO, AgResearch, PGG Wrightson, Ballance Agri-Nutrients, LIC, Federation of Māori Authorities, AFFCO, Allflex, BDO, Polaris, Ecolab, Landcorp, Tohu Wine and WorkSafe. A big thanks also to sponsors of the Ahuwhenua Young Māori Farmer Award: Te Puni Kōkiri, Te Tumu Paeroa, Primary ITO and Allflex.
ABOUT THE FARM
The Proprietors of Rakaia Incorporation’s Tahu a Tao farm has a long and proud history dating back to 1886. The present 216 ha property near Ashburton runs around 830 Kiwi cross cows that produced 371,294 kgMS last season and is located 8 km from the Rakaia river mouth.
Tahu a Tao was converted to dairying in 1996 with highly reputable dairy consultant, John Donkers playing a major role in the development of the property which has always operated in conjunction with 50/50 Sharemilkers. The current Sharemilkers Mark and Julie Cressey are into their ninth season.
When the farm was initially converted old pastures were sprayed out and new ones planted and since then the Incorporation has made concerted efforts to re-pasture with the latest cultivars of seed as a key means to boost production.
With the conversion came new fences, stock water and irrigation and of course a 50 bale rotary dairy shed. Two bores supply the four irrigators that run on the property. Irrigation is at the foundation of the overall dairy farm system. It is tightly managed using soil and water measuring technologies. Water metering and moisture monitoring technologies help identify the optimal time to irrigate.
In addition to the cows in milk, a further 200 replacement calves are reared each year. There is a strong farm culture with particular emphasis on animal welfare especially with the treatment of bobby calves which are fed good quality colostrum milk for four days before being sold. Health and safety is also given high priority status on Tahu a Tao.
Since the conversion there have been ongoing capital works the most notable being additional staff accommodation designed by Julie Cressey.
Being close to the Rakaia River, the soils on the farm are free draining and ideal for dairying. Soil tests are taken annually and close attention is paid to recording data on the property. Weekly farm walks are undertaken and feed budgeting is a key part of the management of the property.
Not surprisingly matters relating to the environment, kaitiakitanga and iwi values are a focus on the farm. An example of this is the implementation of a recycling system. This includes all farm and household waste which is stored in special containers. Silage wrap, bale string and plastics are also recycled and are stored in such a way that they cannot be blown away by the wind. The farm is provisioned with a quality dairy shed effluent handling system, which includes an effluent storage pond with about 15 day’s capacity. The storage provides flexibility in the application of effluent to the land which contributes to a reduced risk of nitrogen leaching. The Committee of Management are very conscious of their role to give value to their 300 shareholders.
Communication is key as is their whole approach to business, and forming respected relationships with key suppliers. Shareholders are given an opportunity each year to visit the Rakaia farms so that they can view their investment, meet fellow owners and understand the life and style of a working dairying farm.
Media contact: Mark Tynan, Secretary 021 375 980, 03 366 7154.
