Over 300 people travelled to Seddon for the competition field day showcasing Bonavaree. The drawcard for many was to see the dryland lucerne system in action, producing whopper lambs year after year. The bonus was going home with a clear idea of how Fraser approaches not just his farm management, but family life, business relationships and change.
Fraser and Shelley Avery, together with Doug and Wendy Avery, share the generous $44,600 prize package with runners up Warwick and Lisa Lissaman from Breach Oak. The competition rewards entrants with a strong performance across five aspects, with only 25% based on financial performance and the rest on animal and land management performance, governance and social responsibility.
Since Fraser started working full-time at the family farm in 2002, the business has purchased four more parcels of land, including the 514-hectare Glenfield farm. The family have moved through a farm succession phase. Independent director Barry Brook was appointed to the board of four family members and they meet five times a year.
Fraser says he entered the competition to win, to learn and to promote the competition and “our wonderful industry”.
Ian Knowles, a former Beef & Lamb NZ (B+LNZ) extension manager in Marlborough, summed up the day by saying most farmers consider buying the neighbour as the key milestone, but Fraser would keep mentioning to him the importance of passion, continuous improvement and relationships as being more valuable.
“I thought his focus on relationships, including ‘having a bit of me time’ meant he was actually a bit of a marshmallow,” he said.
Knowles changed his mind following his own farm experience, when the family thought they had things covered with succession at home, but a family member committed suicide during the process.
“I realise now strength is showing weakness,” he said.
He applauds Fraser’s focus to look wider than just numbers, to foster trust and relationships.
Competition committee chair Simon Harvey says Fraser is a Masterchef in that he has taken the recipe of lucerne grazing and tweaked it to make it better.
Fraser acknowledged help from staff and others in the room. Bonavaree hosts numerous visitors, but Fraser says this open-door policy is worth the effort.
“When we help others, we learn about ourselves too,” he said.
“Our fortnightly work plan always includes one learning session.”
StockCare’s Peter Anderson described the ewe flock as outstanding. Ewes wean 58kg of lamb liveweight per ewe mated. This average is well above the top quartile of StockCare farms.
“They wean lambs at 110 days which is quite old, but why wean early when they are heavy and growing at over 330 grams a day?” he asked.
Ewe scanning, following an exceptionally difficult autumn, was 173% in 2020 and interim lambing figures are tracking at 148%. Including hoggets, 74% of lambs go straight to the works and in 2019-20, the average carcass weight from the ewe flock was a very impressive 20kg. Profit per lamb was $60 from a $164 gross value. Gross farm income/ha was $1145 in 2019, with sheep earning ahead of cattle at $178/sheep stock unit (su). Bonavaree spends above the B+LNZ Class 6 figure on wages ($30/su 2019, $7/su B+LNZ) with a policy on getting work completed timely and to a high standard. Return on capital is consistently over 5%.
Lincoln University professor Derrick Moot, an initial advisor to the Averys on direct lucerne grazing, says he is now redundant at field days as Fraser or Doug can answer all the lucerne questions just as he would.
He linked Bonavaree’s system to his presentation on greenhouse gases (GHG), nitrogen (N) and farming in an increasingly drier east coast. Moot outlined the reality of climate change and how New Zealand’s agricultural emissions are being watched from afar.
“Bonavaree’s story is important and it’s inspired many others, like Bog Roy Station, who’ve gone on to fantastic performances,” he said.
“We have a solution already to reduce methane – it’s to grow lambs faster through using legumes.
“A smaller rumen in younger lambs reduces their maintenance requirements.
“Lucerne fixes its own nitrogen, so you don’t have to deal with nitrous oxide.”
Only a little bit of N fertiliser is used at Bonavaree.
“I applaud what they have done,” he said.
A quick lunch on-the-run was followed by a farm tour with numbered paddocks to identify stock classes and the 80ha of spring sown lucerne. The stop-off showcased Avery’s skill in matching land use to land type; Friesian bulls on lucerne, single ewes on subterranean clover/plantain/grasses on the slope, salt bush and native trees including over-planted totara on hard eroded hill.
Fraser explained the risk, recovery, revenue phases during the year and his development approach to new blocks, saying “do it all at once”.
Land Vision’s Lachie Grant says the Averys’ farm has environmental limitations as well as strengths.
“They monitor-manage-monitor,” he said.
Fraser says he loves using technology and spends about 30% of his time in the office. The day drew farmers from Northland, lower North Island, Canterbury, West Coast and even The Catlins. Eleven post-graduates and staff from Lincoln University attended. The central location created a rare chance for inter-island catch ups.
Field day committee administrator Ellie Cranswick says feedback has been positive.
“People felt it was very different to a normal field day, as it was about mindset and relationships, not just production, and felt really challenged by it,” he said.
“Having a detailed handbook meant we didn’t have to focus on farm facts as much and we could deal with top level issues.
“One farming couple, who drove 12 hours to be there, said it had changed the way they view their farm business and were going home to make changes.”
Entries for the 2020 competition are open. The 41-page handout and videos are available from B+LNZ.
