Friday, March 29, 2024

Balancing act wins for Canterbury dairy farm

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Large-scale dairy farmers Mark and Devon Slee have won the Supreme Award in the 2014 Canterbury Ballance Farm Environment Awards (BFEA).
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They won the award on March 20 for balancing high productivity and excellent environmental management, the judges said.

BFEA judges praised the Slees’ careful management of resources.

The Slees recognised the benefits of spray irrigation many years ago, making an early switch from flood irrigation to a much more efficient centre-pivot system.

Existing shelterbelts had been retained where possible.

In areas where trees had been removed to accommodate the irrigation system, these trees had been replaced with low-growing native species.

Judges said the couple’s management of land, labour and capital was exceptional.

The Slee’s business, Melrose Dairy Limited, was one of four top privately-run Canterbury farms against which Lincoln University measured the performance of its dairying operations.

During the 2012-13 season Melrose Dairy topped the benchmark group by achieving a profitability margin of $5200/hectare.

Lincoln achieved $4600/ha.

Melrose Dairy covers 1014 hectares in the Ealing district, south of Ashburton with a milking platform of 660ha, milking more than 2600 cows on three dairy units.

Last year the operation produced 1834kg milksolids/ha, which was well above the region’s average.

Mark’s parents Syd and Morrell converted the original 365ha sheep and beef farm in 1987.

Mark and Devon, who have two young sons, started managing the property in 1991.

They later bought the home farm, adding two neighbouring properties and a run-off.

The operation now runs two 60-bail farm dairies and one 50-bail unit.

Melrose Dairy employs 13 fulltime employees and two part-time.

Two of the dairy units are run by managers, with a contract milker on the other.

A field day will be held on their farm, with the date to be advised.

Winners in the 2014 Canterbury Ballance Farm Environment Awards were;

Supreme award, LIC Dairy Farm Award, PGG Wrightson Land and Life Award, WaterForce Integrated Management Award; Mark and Devon Slee, Melrose Farm, Ealing.

Beef+Lamb New Zealand Livestock Award; Mike and Nicky Salvesen, Wakare Ltd, Surrey Hills, Ashburton.

Meridian Energy Excellence Award, Hills Laboratories Harvest Award, Massey University Innovation Award; Paul and Lyn Loader (and family), K&L Nurseries, Springston, Selwyn.

Donaghys Farm Stewardship Award; Jeff and Kelly Gould, Wyvern and Beth Jones, Aberystwyth Dairies Ltd, Ealing, Ashburton.

Ballance Agri-Nutrients Soil Management Award and Environment Canterbury Water Quality Award; Phil Columbus, Shaun and Jo Back and Andrew Clayton, Ngai Tahu Farming – Dairy Farm One, Oxford.

For more information on the 2014 Canterbury Ballance Farm Environment Awards, visit www.bfea.org.nz.

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