Wellington region winners

"Happy stock are profitable stock," say Environment Award Winners

Masterton farmers Trevor and Jo Lucas have been named the 2005 Greater Wellington region Ballance Farm Environment Awards Supreme Winner at a function in Masterton.

The Lucas’s also won the Richmond Best Livestock, ANZ Grow and BFEA Heritage Restoration Awards.

When Trevor and Jo bought their 485 ha sheep and beef property near Masterton in 1987 they were firm on their priorities and clear in their vision for it.

They are, according to this year’s award judges, ‘assertive decision-makers using knowledge, experience and foresight to advantage, who’ve kept moving forward, growing equity and making good constructive choices’.

The couple believe beautification and environmentally sensitive development is logical when your stock is top priority, ‘because a happy stock unit is a profitable one’.

‘If you want to make a go of farming you have to make it profitable,’ says Trevor. This is precisely what Trevor and Jo have done, despite what they recall as ‘all the doom and gloom in farming’ when they took the plunge and purchased their Wainuioru farm, Kenmore, about 15 minutes drive east of Masterton.

The contour of the farm is mostly medium hill. At the time of purchase pasture species were predominantly poor, there was serious scrub reversion and an immediate need for erosion control.

‘It was hard to start with,’ recalls Jo. ‘The place was covered in scrub and we had a humdinger of a drought the second year.’ Big changes were apparent in a short time with their intensive programme of scrub cutting, pasture development and fertiliser applications. This served to reinforce their policy and direction.

At first, water was a problem on the farm but Trevor had the answer by buying a digger and putting in dams ‘all over the place’. Now, the dams provide virtually all stock water. The stock spread out around the farm, instead of just camping near water.

Now the economic viability of the Lucas farming operation is solid, Trevor and Jo are shifting their considerable focus to further improving all environmental aspects of the land in their care.

Footnote: Sadly, Trevor Lucas passed away on Saturday 4 June 2005 after a long battle with illness.

Other winners were:

Ballance Nutrient Management Award
Peter, Penny and David Gawith, Longbush, Martinborough

Livestock Improvement Best Dairy Farm Entrant Award
Miles and Janet King, Kingsmeade, Masterton

Hills Laboratories Best Harvest Award
Bill Benfield and Sue Delamare, Martinborough

Akura Conservation Centre Lifestyle/Small Farm Award
Howard Egan, Carterton

Gallagher Innovation Awards
Ed and Marilyn Beetham, Highcliffs
Miles and Janet King, Kingsmeade