2006 Canterbury BFEA Winners
Top quality cows on high-performance pasture without damaging the environment
David Jones is sustainable, he is all about achieving the balance. He is not a man just chasing top milk production. He also aims for sustainable land management, strong animal welfare practices, sound employment conditions, and an attractive property to live and work on.
It is this strong performance by David over the three key factors of the awards - environmental responsibility, social accountability and good business performance - that made him this year’s Ballance Farm Environment Awards supreme winner.
The judges were impressed with David’s passion for pastures and livestock, which is strongly reflected in production.
David and his late wife Cathy started developing the property in 1999. Gradually they changed the border dyke irrigation system to more efficient spray irrigation. Gun irrigators are used rather than a centre pivot so that shelterbelts can be retained. Much of the farm has been regrassed using AR 1 ryegrass.
‘We used ARI because we became increasingly aware high-endophytic grass was damaging the per cow performance, and that was putting a ceiling on our summer performance,’ he says.
David’s off-farm involvement in best scientific research and his practical application of it on his property impressed the judges. Effluent is seen as a resource on the farm, and is strategically applied to poorer land and to shelterbelts to stimulate growth.
Huge importance is placed on attracting and retaining staff not only to his farm but also to the area.
David says, ‘My real interest is high-performance cows on high-performance pasture. It’s possible to do without damaging the environment simply by following good practice.’
David says that he has always enjoyed farming, but his wife’s illness and death was a big setback. ‘Entering the award helped me rediscover what an enjoyable and rewarding business farming can be.’
David Jones’ dairy farm, Strathcro Farm, at Rotherham in North Canterbury, milks 500 cows and produces 230,000kg of milksolids a year off 178ha of land, of which 160ha is effective.
As well as winning the Supreme Award, David also won the Livestock Improvement Best Dairy Farm Award.
Other winners were:
Rabobank Land and Life Award
Mark and Simon Wilson, Strathallan, Hawarden
Environment Canterbury Water Efficiency Award
Sarah and Jean-Luc Dufour, Canterbury House Vineyard, Waipara
PGG Wrightson Habitat Improvement Award
Peter Handyside, Conway Flats, Cheviot
Hill Laboratories Harvest Award
Graham and Eleanor Marr, Longfield Farm, Mt Hutt
Ballance Nutrient Management Award
Sarah and Jean-Luc Dufour, Canterbury House Vineyard, Waipara
PPCS Livestock Farm Award
John and Cara Gregan, Brookdale Farm, Waimate
Gallagher Innovation Award
Jens and Anne Ravn, and Josie and Steve Stern, Patoa and Forest View Farm, Hawarden