Since farming in Pongaroa the Baxters have achieved a consistently high financial performance on a farm challenged by a difficult climate.
Their return on capital over the past four years averaged 7% and the gross farm revenue averaged $802/ha – their economic farm surplus averaged $374/ha over the same period.
Judges highlighted their simple livestock policy aligned with the farm’s capability delivering sound performances every year.
A second farm – The Range – bought last year, compliments the home block and the Baxters use the strengths of both.
The home farm has an earlier spring and is summer dry, but warmer.
The Range block is 360ha (280ha effective) and is summer safe with a later spring but more feed from December to March. This allows them to finish all stock, even in drier years.
There is 100ha of cultivatable country, facilitating
the finishing of stock, and for the past four years they have annually planted 20ha in crops.
They subdivided the hill country early on, taking
the home farm from 25 paddocks to 54.
Shaun knows what he’s doing, why he’s doing it,
and has the numbers to back it up.
Hard work and family labour enables the business to run
on just 1.3 labour units for 7209 stock units. Tracie has
worked in the scanning and shearing industries.
Nicole and Andrew Baxter with the mixed age ewes.
