This business, which Beef + Lamb chairman Andrew Morrison describes as being a great example of diversity in sheep and beef farming, will be showcased on a field trip as part of B+LNZ’s annual meeting in Timaru on March 21.
Geoff Hayward says the range of different soils, rainfall and micro-climates on the different properties are complementary and where, for example, wheat might not be fit for harvest on the home farm it will be ready on the lighter, warm, lower, leased blocks.
Similarly, about 150ha of the land the family farms is irrigated while the balance is dryland, though soils on Mt Horrible are heavy Claremont silt loams that can get very wet in winter and hang on to moisture in summer.
Livestock is run on the land that best fits both the environment and production needs so the maternal ewes are run on a leased hill country block while the terminal sire ewes are run on Mt Horrible’s early country.
Between 260 and 300 Friesian bulls bought in autumn as 100kg calves are finished before their second winter on a free-draining block of flat land close to Timaru and finishing lambs, which include 4000 bought-in store lambs for winter contracts, are also on appropriate blocks.
Similarly, the family’s skills are complementary with Geoff’s expertise lying in growing crops and operating machinery while his wife Joy looks after the livestock including the breeding ewes, Friesian bulls and trading lambs.
The couple’s two sons and daughter-in-law also work in the business as do Geoff’s parents Judith and Donald, who moved their family from a Banks Peninsula sheep and beef farm to Mt Horrible in 1984. Their daughter Anna is at Lincoln University following in her parents’ footsteps by studying agricultural science.
The farm business covers 1700ha over six farms of which 660ha is in crops while the balance is dedicated to sheep and beef.
Joy looks after 4600 ewes Texel/Poll Dorset composite ewes of which 2500 are put to a Longdown terminal sire while the maternal ewes are run on a leased 580ha hill block near Cave.
The combination of genetics and management drives pre-weaning growth rates, which enables the family to sell up to 70% of the terminal lamb crop at or before weaning in December at 19.5kg CW off a lambing percentage of 160%-165%. All the lambs are sold to Anzco on Longdown contracts.
The business has been accredited through the Farm Assurance Programme so the meat is eligible to be sold under the Taste Pure Nature origin brand, being launched in the United States this month.
With their inherent fertility and Joy’s focus on feeding the ewes are scanning about 205%, which means a quarter to a third are triplet-bearing.
While she doesn’t aim for triplets, Joy welcomes them and finds lambing them separately and giving them plenty of space – no more than 30 triplet-bearing ewes a paddock – she maximises their ability to survive and thrive. She also leaves them in their lambing paddocks, which are always the best pastures on the farm, until weaning so can often sell two if not all of the triplets prime at weaning at 42kg.
“I’m proud of them. There is nothing better than having all three triplet lambs gone at weaning,” Joy said.
Two years ago, the family invested in an automatic lamb feeder and last year fed 200 lambs on the system using four tonnes of whey-based milk powder. Geoff says each lamb costs about $80 to rear so it is a profitable exercise but, more importantly, they see the feeder as the right thing to do ethically.
The replacement ewe lambs are born on the Cave block but spend their first winter on Mt Horrible before being returned to their place of birth in October. They are not mated because they are the only pressure-valve in a high-performance livestock system.
The mix of cash crops, which includes ryegrass seed, fescue, wheat, barley, peas and pak choy as well as 40ha of summer brassicas and 80ha of brassicas or swedes winter feed crops, means pastures are renewed regularly, which helps drive stock performance.
The family is self-sufficient, doing all the silage, balage, cultivation, spraying and harvesting, which means they spend about 3000 hours a year on the tractor.
Shearing is the only time they use contractors.
The couple have grown their business through taking land-leasing and buying opportunities when they became available and also making use of the range of skills in the family.
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