Friday, March 29, 2024

Wine man complements three red meat producers in final

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A central Otago wine business is to face off against three red meat producers in the final of the Lincoln University Foundation 2016 South Island Farmer of the Year.
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The four finalists will have their last chance to impress the judges at the final to be held at Lincoln University on November 16.

The finals dinner was always a highlight of the competition and this year would be no exception, Foundation chairman Ben Todhunter said.

It would be a chance to hear directly from the finalists about what made their business succeed – their innovations and inventions, vital points of difference and generally just what made a farm business good enough to make the finals of the prestigious competition tick, he said.

“This event is a key part of the foundation’s work to encourage and develop excellence and leadership in primary industries.

“We’re looking for leadership, innovation and farming excellence, which can be found equally in small family-owned farm businesses and within large, commercial agricultural entities.”

The competition was open to all primary production farm business including agriculture, horticulture, viticulture and aquaculture.

Viticulturist James Dicey, owner of Grape Vision at Bannockburn, Central Otago, was up against Otago sheep and beef farmers Lauren and Geoff Shaw of Ranfurly, South Canterbury sheep, beef, deer and arable farmers Lyn and Neil Campbell, Fairlie, and Mendip Hills Station, North Canterbury, farm manager Simon Lee.

Dicey managed 35 vineyards throughout Central Otago and, as well as growing grapes for other wineries, had his own label, Ceres Wine, which was sold domestically and internationally. 

Additional to the vineyards were a tasting room, cellar door sales, a wine distribution company and his consultancy business.

As the nature of his industry constantly changed, Dicey hoped in future to be farming more on his own account.

Some of his biggest challenges were dealing with the environment and the competition in the grape and wine industry.

“The competitive nature of the industry is a driver toward quality.

“My biggest and most important goals are to deliver a high-quality product for my clients, to get the best out of the staff and to do well by them, to continually financially improve my business and to achieve a better work and life balance,” he said.

The Shaws farm two dryland blocks totalling 840 hectares.

Their land is a mixture of medium rolling to rolling flat dryland lucerne pasture running crossbred ewes and finishing beef.

The dry lands together with the often harsh winters and, at the opposite end of the scale, extremely hot summers, created ongoing challenges.

“I think we have something to bring to this competition simply because we’re applying the basics of farming to the best of our abilities – it’s not rocket science,” Geoff Shaw said.

Campbell Farms in Middle Valley north of Fairlie ran sheep, beef bulls and deer and grew arable crops.

The 760ha rolling downs included 60ha planted in exotic trees and 20ha set aside as regenerating native bush.

The Campbells had also planted wetland areas to catch sediment run-off from the deer pasture.

“We go from summer-dry valley floor to higher altitude moist hill country,” Neil Campbell said.

“Some of the things we are doing at altitude are more common at sea level, like growing crops.

“The diversity of our business, we believe, gives strong balance environmentally and financially,” he said.

Simon Lee’s property comprises 6100 hectares ranging from flat to rolling, hill and high country, with a 180-hectare irrigated block in Spotswood and a 150-hectdare irrigated block at Ashburton.

A large family business that has been around since the mid-1950s, Mendip Hills had a culture of always trying out new ways of doing things, Lee said.

A past deer industry focus farm, the station had also hosted beef and lamb genetic trials and was involved with various Massey University trials.

“My most important goals for the farm are to be up in the top 10% of farmers from our class of country to be innovative and to have good staff and teach them as much as I can so that they are well skilled and have good opportunities in the industry to further their careers,” Lee said. 

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