2004 Winners

2004 Canterbury Region Supreme Winners

Also winners of PPCS Best Livestock Award and the Ballance Nutrient Award

John and Betty Greenslade, Mayfield, Ashburton

The combination of high production, effective use of shelter belts and a long-term commitment to the practise of direct drilling has made John and Betty Greenslade's mixed livestock farm an outstanding example of sustainable agriculture.

New Techniques

The Greenslades farm 345 ha of mixed livestock near Mayfield, 45 km west from Ashburton.
"John and Betty have shown that by constantly seeking out new techniques and using them where appropriate, they have developed a very strong operation that thrives in what can be a pretty harsh environment," said Ballance Farm Environment Awards' judge Doug Archbold. "Their farm is a credit to low-energy, low-environmental impact systems and doing the basics well."
The Greenslades were judged supreme winner of the awards, as well as winners of the PPCS Best Livestock Farm Award and the Ballance Nutrient Management Award.

High Production Levels

John was born on the property and since 1965 has farmed on his own account with the support of his wife Betty. Now they are passing on the baton to their son, Mark. John acknowledged the many hours put in by his wife. "With Mark coming home Betty doesn't have to get up at half past six anymore."
The home block is 228 ha, predominantly Ruapuna stony silt loam, stocked with 1600 breeding ewes and deer. Another block of 117 ha towards the Rangitata running grazing steers and replacement ewe lambs.
The judges were impressed with the farm's high production levels. The ewe flock is lambing over 150% and the hoggets' 100%. "John was one of the first farmers to concentrate on lambing his hoggets and is using composite sheep breeds to produce more meat per hectare," they noted.
"We've achieved very high genetic gains using Kelso bloodlines with rams purchased from Michael Talbot of Temuka," John said. He achieves excellent weights for lamb and velvet with a regime of faecal egg count to minimise drenching and trace element compensation for pasture and soils. All lambs are finished on the farm.

John has been direct-drilling since 1982, one of the first in the district to do so. "In the late-70s we had a number of dry years in a row, the pastures opened and we needed to undertake a regrassing programmed. Direct drilling was coming in as a new technique and an alternative to ploughing. We tried it and have never looked back."

The judges noted the quality of the pastures. Nodding thistle has almost been eliminated and the Greenslades are using AR1 ryegrass species and experimenting with chicory and plantains in the grass mixtures.

John uses a solar panel electric fence system and developed his own "drive over" electric gate for use during lambing. "With solar power, I can be confident my electric fences are still going up there on the block towards the Rangitata."

John has planted extensive gardens around both houses on the property, and established an arboretum as well as planting shelter belts to minimise stock stress.
"I'm aiming to have some form of shelter or amenity planting over every fence line - I'm about two-thirds there. With these hot nor'westers it's good to see the sheep sheltering behind the trees."

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© 2007 Environment Canterbury