As well as hosting a judging panel for the third time at progressive levels of the process, regional winners have opened their gates to public field days, six of which have still to occur during May (see dates below).
Seven of the 11 are sheep and beef farms, two are dairy farms, one has beef cattle, deer and goats, another is a cropping and finishing property and the 11th is a diversified horticulture business.
From north to south the regional supreme award winners are:
Southland
Landcorp’s Kepler Farm at Te Anau has produced excellent result under the management of Travis Leslie and Catriona Cunningham since 2012.
Carrying 7300 sheep and 1650 cattle, Kepler is home to the FocusPrime programme to breed terminal sires, 500 of which are sold each December.
The judges were impressed by plantings of more than 10,000 trees and shrubs in the past two years in riparian zones and as livestock shelter.
“It is an amazing example of a large-scale farm where high-productivity farming and environmental sustainability have been achieved.”
Open Days:
Northland: Maungatapere Berries, May 9
Southland: Kepler Farm, Te Anau, May 9
Auckland: Webber Farm, South Kaipara Head, May 10
Canterbury: White Rock Mains, May 10
Greater Wellington: Palliser Ridge, May 14
Waikato: Dennley Farms, Tirau, May 16
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