Kevin spent eight years as a professional rugby player with the Crusaders, Chiefs and Melbourne Rebels as well as earning himself an All Blacks cap against the Springboks in 2008.
Sara is also a keen sportswoman, and has been among the top 10 women in the Speights Coast to Coast multi-sport event.
They’re now directing much of that sporting energy and competitive spirit into their farming business, having joined Sara’s Rutherford family enterprise at Leslie Hills, near Culverden two seasons ago.
Kevin’s professional rugby background isn’t a typical pathway to farming but the couple, who both hold bachelors degrees from Lincoln University, were diligent savers and always had farming in their sights. Since leaving Lincoln Sara has worked as a valuer and continues to do so on a part-time basis.
The opportunity to partner with Sara’s siblings within the wider family business came at the right time, but they see it as a starting point not the ultimate prize.
They entered the competition as a challenge for themselves and a means to benchmark.
“It was a way for us to look into our business and see what we can improve on,” Kevin said.
The couple are focused on maximising profitability by paying attention to the details and keeping costs down. Ensuring cows are always going into high quality pasture is key. Kevin’s determined to drive up the amount of quality pasture eaten and uses supplements judiciously to manage residuals.
They walk the farm every five days and use Pasture Coach software to produce a wedge and set grazing plans. Everyone on the farm team keeps an eagle eye on residuals. They also use use MINDA Land and Feed and Dairy Systems Monitoring through their consultant Jeremy Savage to manage information so it can effectively be used for decision-making as well as benchmarking.
They share a flexible boundary with Duncan and Olivia’s farm but the two farms are highly competitive and every kg of drymatter is accounted for and transacted at market rates.
So too is any feed or grazing bought from Leslie Hills. The couple also won the Westpac Business Performance Award, the Triplejump Risk Management Award and the Honda Farm Safety and Health Award.
Second place went to equity sharemilkers, James and Ceri Bourke, also from Culverden who also won the Federated Farmers Leadership Award and the Meridian Energy Farm Environment Award.
Ashburton 20% sharemilker Liam Kelly was third, taking out the DairyNZ Human Resources Award and the Ecolab Farm Dairy Hygiene Award. Mark and Vanessa Shefford from Ashburton won the Riverside Vets Animal Health Award and the LIC Recording and Productivity Award while Cole Harris of Temuka won the Ravensdown Pasture Performance Award.
