Since buying the Maraeweka block next door to the home block, Kauru Hill, Dallas and his dad Alex have been hard-out developing close to 200ha.
The block was the ideal add-on with deer fencing and established shelter belts. Sixty hectares was well set-up for dairy grazing and the rest had great grazing potential for hinds.
Development in high gear
The 125ha of hills, subdivided into five blocks has been the focus of much of the development. The Newlands, who are well set-up with machinery from the contracting business that Dallas owns have tackled the hills with very little outside help.
“We’ve got our own gear so we’ve ripped in and done it ourselves,” he says.
The first stage has been gorse clearing – on the easier country that’s involved ground spraying, root-raking and mulching over autumn and winter. In spring it’s been cultivated and sown in rape and Italian ryegrass for summer grazing by hinds.
In autumn it’s been disc’d over to get rid of any gorse regrowth then sown with a two-year Feast Italian ryegrass-and-clover mix.
So far 48ha has been through the intermediary crop and pastures, and is due for sowing out in a ryegrass, clover and plantain mix. Until now the pasture of choice has been Sextet but that’s changing to Samson on the basis of a trial last year.
The 13ha of the steepest hill has been aerial sprayed but Dallas is unsure of the next step. Burning the dead gorse isn’t possible because of a neighbouring forestry block so the most likely option will be grazing and knocking it back with bulls over autumn and winter, oversowing with a cheaper ryegrass such as Nuie and after two years spraying it out and establishing permanent grass.
Aside from cultivation and seed there’s been a huge input of fertiliser. Over three years one tonne of Sulphur Super 30 and two tonnes of lime have been spread, lifting phosphate levels from 12-15 to 25-30.
“I’ll be happy if we can keep fertility there with maintenance levels,” Dallas says.
Dallas Newlands, right, and his dad Alex have been steadily developing nearly 200ha of a hill-country block bought in 2013.
Development of the Maraeweka block hill country is high on Dallas’ priority list, but so too is irrigation.
A year ago the Newlands paid a 40% deposit of $72,000 for 40 shares in the North Otago Irrigation Company’s (NOIC) Stage 2 development.
Getting water to the gate will cost $184,500. Onfarm development costs will probably work out at about $2800/ha.
So far a 30,000-square metre dam, at a cost of $60,000 has been built. Stored water will be gravity fed to 50ha of flats and pressure fed to another 40ha and delivered by K-Line.
WaterForce has designed the irrigation system and will do the above-ground work leaving the Newlands to spend the winter laying pipes.
“It’s exciting because come December I could be drilling a paddock that in the past I’d never be able to guarantee. Long term, it’s definitely for the best.”
A rethink and a plan for pasture and crop development post-irrigation will get under way soon. Dallas’ connections with the Stage 2 development extend beyond the farm.
His contracting business has up to four days of refencing that follows installation of the main pipeline.
Interestingly none of NOIC’s 8000ha Stage 2 development is destined for dairy conversion, an almost complete reversal of the Stage 1 development.
“Some initially thought of doing that but changed their minds – really for most farmers it’s all about summer-proofing their farms.”
Hill development tips
- Fast track gorse removal – There’s no money in gorse so best to deal to it sooner rather than later.
- Get good help – Employing a knowledgeable root-raker minimises the unnecessary moving of soil.
- Hold-off subdivision – If it’s a new and unfamiliar block get to know the lie of the land before fencing. Work out the sunny faces and look at how stock moves, where they camp and subdivide accordingly.
FARM FACTS
Dallas and Sarah Newlands – Kauru Hill, north Otago
- Home block – 210ha (leased from Dallas’ parents)
- Maraeweka block – 398ha
- Easy to rolling hill deer, cropping, calf raising and heifer grazing. The Newlands have been developing the hill paddocks of the Maraeweka block bought in 2013. They have started irrigation development that will lead to K-Line watering of 80-plus hectares.
WINTERED STOCK
Deer
- 770 Red and hybrid hinds (includes R1 hinds)
- 650 weaners
- 250 Silver Fern Farms-contracted grazing weaners
- 17 B11 stags
Cattle
- 100 R1 Jersey bulls
- 30 R1 Hereford-Friesian bulls
- 125 R1 bulls
- 220 R2 Friesian bulls
- 150 R1 dairy heifers
