It’s the first time dairy farmers have taken out the coveted Gordon Stephenson Trophy, aimed at recognising farmers who balance farm productivity with environmental protection.
The couple entered the awards because they wanted to put their story and that of dairying out into the public arena to showcase the positives within the dairy sector and combat the negatives. At the Showcase dinner in late June, Mark said he was extremely proud of Fonterra and urged sheep and beef farmers to support their farmer-owned co-operatives.
“I feel very strongly about the value of strong co-operatives as without them we would not be sustainable as a business,” he said.
Their large scale – with 2640 cows peak milked through three farm dairies on three adjacent units – has been no impediment to keeping environmental considerations to the fore. But neither has their focus on the environment been an impediment to profitability. They are among the top performers in Canterbury producing 1834kg milksolids (MS)/ha with farm working expenses of $3.42/kg MS and an operating profit in the top 5%.
The family was early converters to dairying in Canterbury in 1987 and have been early adopters of technology. They converted borderdyke irrigation to centre pivots, built storage ponds and used moisture sensing technology to schedule irrigation applications.
Kilometres of native, low-growing plantings have been carried out to replace trees removed for the pivots. The plantings have created shelter for animals and a habitat for native birds
Mark also paid tribute to his wife Devon when they accepted the award, saying they are a real partnership.
“I couldn't have done it without Devon – she is my rock.”
The pair each have their own desks, computers, and email accounts, which reflects the well-defined role each of them has in the business.
Part of their prize is international travel and the couple, although yet to decide on their final destination, said they are interested in looking at US systems, because they’re one of this country’s main competitors, or investigating farming systems in Europe to understand more about the consequences of animal housing.
For them pasture and maximum pasture utilisation is key to being highly profitable and limiting environmental impact.
