2007 Waikato BFEA winners

Waikiwi Ltd, Bob and David Jefferis are successfully working with a nod to both the past and the future as they go about their daily business at the helm of the family farm.

The father and son team, along with David’s wife Lyndi, run a multi-faceted livestock and cropping farm operation on 485ha just east of Te Kauwhata.

This is, according to the feedback report of the award judges, “a well managed, intensively run family farm, with excellent succession plans in place”.

The farm annually trades approximately 800 cattle and up to 3200 lambs. Maize is contract grown – this season 70ha for maize silage and 100ha for maize grain. In addition 32ha of the farm is leased out for market gardening, growing onions and potatoes.

The property is flat to easy rolling and the country tends to be summer dry. The beef, lamb and cropping operations are carefully interwoven in a system that considers inputs, returns and sustainable farming practises as one goal. No breeding stock is carried.

Says David: “Our goal is the best net return off the land while maintaining a balanced lifestyle. We’re always considering what works for the farm, but at the same time we also look at what works for the people.”

A simplified summary of their operation for the past four years looks like this:

• -summer/autumn the farm carries 1/3 crop and 2/3 cattle and
• winter/spring the farm carries ½ lambs and ½ cattle.

Noted the judges: “The pasture and crop programme is on a five year turnover of pasture, resulting in a very healthy, thick sward of pasture. The soil structure is also very good, with root depth up to 30 cm.”

David credits the environmental emphasis on the property to his father.

“He has set an amazing example,” David says; though he admits he and his sisters didn’t always think so. “When we were younger, we spent a lot of our school holidays planting trees and flaxes on this place”

“I have watched Dad turn some of the worst parts of the farm, boggy wet areas, into spectacular ponds with all the complementary vegetation and wildlife.” The ponds also act as silt traps for any run-off with sediment staying in the ponds and clean water coming from the overflow.”

In 2003 the business was restructured forming Waikiwi Ltd, an operating company, which owns the stock and plant on the property. “Succession is possibly an area where there doesn’t tend to be a lot of open discussion,” says David, “but we’ve gone there and have arrived at what is a very satisfactory and fair structure for us.”

Waikiwi also won the Ballance Nutrient Management Award,
Hill Laboratories Harvest Award,
PGG Wrightson Habitat Improvement Award
Environment Waikato Water Protection Award

View the video interview with the Bob & David:

Other winners were:

Gallagher Innovation Award
Reymer Farms

PPCS Livestock Farm
Lochiel Farmlands, Manager Kim Robinson

LIC Dairy Farm
Mara Roa
Joan De Renzy
Craig Fulton

Special Awards
Markus Ruegger
For outstanding work ethic and commitment to sustainable farming.

Waikato Forest & Bird Native Forest Restoration Award
Leslie and Evelyn Shaw

To read more about the Waikato winners, a WINNERS BRO 2007.pdf is available.