People are being offered the opportunity to visit Nick and Michelle Ward’s award winning arable farm in South Canterbury this month.
The Wards’, who farm 224ha of irrigated crop and lamb finishing country at Milford and 230ha of dryland at Geraldine, won the Supreme Award at this year’s Ballance Farm Environment Awards for the Canterbury region. Along with the Supreme Award, the couple also took out the Gallagher Innovation Award, Ballance Nutrient Management Award and the Hill Laboratories Harvest Award.
In winning the Supreme Award, the judges described the Wards’ operation as a complex and intensive farm that is among the top 5 per cent of arable producers while “providing a practical demonstration that intensive agriculture need not have adverse impacts on the environment.” The judges were impressed with the Ward’s teamwork and high level of day to day planning. They also noted their excellent nutrient budgeting, irrigation monitoring and preservation of soil structure through using a mix of direct drilling, straw incorporation, minimal burning and tillage and sub-soiling.
A field day will be held on Friday, October 16 at Rhys Farm at 693 Milford Clandeboye Road, Temuka, from 10.30am until 3.30pm. Ross Hayes, regional judging co-ordinator for Canterbury, said “topics such as tillage systems, developing new crops, financial management and the benefits of soil structure will make up the day along with a barbecue lunch.”
Nick and Michelle Ward grow a wide range of crops including grass seed, feed wheat and barley, brassica and vegetable seeds, onions, shallots, linseed and pasture. The Wards’ focus on small scale specialist production while achieving economics of scale and have reached their aim of developing a reputation as good growers.
Ballance Agri-Nutrients is the principal national sponsor for the awards programme, with Environment Canterbury as a regional partner. Other sponsors include PGG Wrightson, Hill Laboratories, Massey University and LIC.
Entries for the 2010 Ballance farm environment awards close on October 23.
Visit the website at www.nzfeatrust.org.nz.
Further information: Ross Hayes, Canterbury Regional Judging Coordinator: r.hayes@slingshot.co.nz or phone (03) 318 1707.
For more information about the 2010 Ballance Farm Awards:
Nicola Hunt, Canterbury Regional Coordinator: bfea@ecan.govt.nz or phone (03) 353 9711.