Four rural businesses in the Clutha area will front the Acres of Ingenuity campaign.
They were selected in a competition focusing on diversification in farming and land use.
Salmon farm and restairamt Hook, tourist attraction LandEscape, cherry growers and exporters New Zealand Cherry Partnership and honey production company Taylor Pass Honey feature in the campaign.
“All four enterprises are using their land in unique and varied ways in an effort to create a viable and sustainable business,” Wanaka Show event manager Jane Stalker said.
“Our goal is to give these businesses a platform to promote their incredible work and bridge the gap between urban and rural communities by showing all of our attendees how the farming industry has evolved to include some innovative, dynamic and resourceful operations.
“While this was not intentional during the selection process, all four winning businesses have a common focus on sustainability and they have thought outside the square on how best to use their land.
“Most farmers are passionate about the environment and these are some great examples of agricultural-based businesses contributing to the ecosystem.”
LandEscape is a working sheep and crop farm on 115ha at Hawea Flat but owners Rik and Juliet Deaton are in the process of diversifying it into a tourism business with hot tubs and biking tracks and are also working towards the whole operation becoming a net energy exporter.
NZ Cherry Partnership owns the largest netted cherry orchard in NZ. The company has just launched Ruby’s Gold Fortified Cherry Wine made from non-export-grade cherries normally fed to livestock. Produced with help from a local wine maker, each 375ml bottle is made from 1kg of fresh cherries, with the aim of allowing the taste of NZ to be enjoyed year-round.
Taylor Pass Honey now has 10,000 hives throughout the South Island. The company has moved from being a beekeeper/farmer operation and now sells directly to market, creating different honey products and distributing around NZ and across the globe.
“As part of this campaign, our goal is to give these businesses a platform to promote their incredible work and bridge the gap between urban and rural communities by showing all of our attendees how the farming industry has evolved to include some innovative, dynamic and resourceful operations,” Stalker said.
Traditional farming practices will also be celebrated with the World Merino Excellence Conference and World Hereford Conference at next year’s Wanaka Show.
