Friday, March 29, 2024

Taranaki farm uses technology to take out top title in environment awards

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A high-achieving Tikorangi dairy farming operation, described by judges as an outstanding example of best dairying practise, is the inaugural winner of the 2014 Taranaki Ballance Farm Environment Awards.
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The region’s first Supreme title was presented to Gavin and Oliver Faull of Faull Farms and their sharemilkers, Tony and Loie Penwarden, on April 3.

Cows were milked through a high-tech 60-bail rotary dairy which was fully automated to enable the collection and analysis of a comprehensive range of performance data.

A former farm dairy has been converted into a calf-rearing complex with a computer-controlled feeding system.

Judges were impressed with that adoption of technology and innovation, excellent per hectare and per cow production levels and an admirable focus on people.

The 371ha property near Waitara, which has been sharemilked by the Penwardens since 2004, currently milked 850 spring-calving cows and 300 autumn-calving cows on a 282ha milking platform.

Last year the operation produced almost 488,000kg of milksolids (MS) and this season it was on target to achieve 540,000kg MS.

Judges said a long-term approach has been taken to minimising the farm’s environmental impact.

Good progress had been made on riparian planting, with a sound management plan in place.

Judges also praised the partnership’s very good understanding of soils and how soils impact on the business and the integrated approach to effluent management.

All paddocks were soil tested and 136ha of the milking platform was piped, allowing carefully timed effluent applications to be delivered through two smart hydrants, each with six guns.

The farm has a team of four full-time and six part-time staff.

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

The partnership also collected the Ballance Agri-Nutrients Soil Management Award, the LIC Dairy Farm Award, the Massey University Innovation Award and the PGG Wrightson Land and Life Award.

The other winners were:

Beef + Lamb New Zealand Livestock Award, Hill Laboratories Harvest Award, Donaghys Farm Stewardship Award and Taranaki Regional Council Sustainability Award; Robin and Jacqueline Blackwell, Mangaotea.

WaterForce Integrated Management Award; Kenneth and Rachel Short, Shortland Farm Partnership, Opunake.

Meridian Energy Excellence Award; Tim and Sue Hardwick-Smith, Kohunui.

This was the first year the Ballance Farm Environment Awards ran in Taranaki, after the awards’ facilitator, the New Zealand Farm Environment (NZFE) Trust, formed a partnership with the Taranaki Regional Council.

The awards complemented the Council’s own long-established Environmental Awards, now into their third decade.

“The Ballance Farm Environment Awards are a bonus,” Taranaki Regional Council chairman, David MacLeod, said.

“They give the region’s agricultural achievers an opportunity to benchmark themselves against the best in the nation.”

The Supreme winner of the 2014 Taranaki BFEA will be honoured at NZFE’s annual Sustainability Showcase.

A national winner is announced at this event, and will receive the prestigious Gordon Stephenson trophy.

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