Farmer of the Year winner opens his gates

7 May 2009

Property of South Island Farmer of the Year winner open for field day

One of the South Island’s best farms will open its gates for inspection later this month.

Braemorn Farm at Rosebery, near Oamaru, is a 625 hectare irrigated sheep and beef unit operated by father and son partnership Colin and Stefan Mavor. Winners of the 2008 Lincoln University Foundation South Island Farmer of the Year title, the Mavors will host a field day on Tuesday 19 May.

Colin and Stefan Mavor farm approximately 3,300 Coopworth/Coopdale sheep and 300 hoggets. They over-winter around 750 steer calves, predominantly Angus, and 80 two year old steers.

Neil Gow was on last year’s judging panel that awarded the Mavors the Farmer of the Year title. He says they won the award for their efficiency in converting grass into meat.

“The Mavors’ farm was prone to drought and suffered from variable rainfall. Along with several neighbouring farmers, they invested in the Lower Waitaki irrigation scheme, which came on line in 2004. This now irrigates nearly half the farm through a k-line system, which has doubled the dry matter production of the irrigated land.

“Since doubling dry matter the Mavors have been able to convert from mainly farming sheep, to focusing primarily on cattle. Thanks to this foresight and investment, the farm now supports three families.

“By diversifying their land use and their contracts, Colin and Stefan Mavor have minimised the potential risk facing their farming business. They are very focused on the benefits of contracted supply and understand how to make the most of this system. Apart from Landcorp, they are the largest individual supplier to Five Star Beef. This alliance is key to the success of their beef operation.

“On the lamb side, they are contracted suppliers to Canterbury Meat Packers. Sheep production is concentrated on the dry half of the farm. Over 75 per cent of their lambs are sold prime by the end of February.

“Since winning the title last year, the Mavors have leased a neighbouring farm, approximately doubling the amount of irrigated land available to them,” Neil Gow said.

The 2008 Lincoln University Foundation South Island Farmer of the Year competition was judged under the category of meat production. Part of the Mavors’ prize is a $15,000 travel award, which Colin Mavor says they will use travelling to the UK Europe in June, for a mix of sight-seeing and farm inspections.

“As a result of our title win, two groups of Irish farmers have visited the farm in the past few months. They were impressed with the scale of our farming programme compared with their own small farms.

“We were shocked and humbled by the win but pleased to prove North Otago is capable of footing it in intensive sheep and beef, when dairying is more the norm for the area,” he said.

Colin Mavor expects visitors to the field day to be most interested in the scale and profitability they have achieved from the farm as a result of intensification based on irrigation.

The Mavor’s field day commences, wet or fine at 12.30pm with cup of tea at well-known local landmark the Rosebery Woolshed, which will be signposted from the Pukeuri – Kurow (SH83) highway at Horse Gully Road and also from the Weston – Airedale Road at Tufus Camp Road.

The formal part of the day kicks off at 1.00pm, then proceeds around the farm. Visitors should attend in 4WDs if possible. The day ends with a barbecue courtesy of Five Star Beef.

A senior analyst with Rabobank Food and Agribusiness Research, Hayley Moynihan, will attend and address the field day.

Rabobank and Ravensdown are sponsors of the Lincoln University Foundation.

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