It was with his encouragement that Lakeview entered the Ballance FEA and the award was in recognition of Lakeview's efforts over the years.
Milne said he was always mindful of the importance of sustainable farming and its relationship with the environment, but was uncomfortable taking all the kudos from the award.
"My name is on the form, but Peter and his family have been doing this sort of thing for years," he said.
Peter Everton, 77, still works full-time on the farm that had been in the family now for three generations.
The farming operation began almost 80 years ago when his late father Brian Leslie Everton, returning from World War I, turned to farming in a Government scheme for rehabilitating soldiers.
Brian Everton began to farm a piece of land near Levin with cattle and progressed the business over time to include a wholesale butchery, which grew over the years to become the Lakeview abattoir, now known as Alliance Meats.
The farm itself had been a family operation ever since, with Everton working alongside his brother Dennis and brother-in-law Des Rolfe and sister Jeanette, and with Everton's son Nigel now on deck, too.
About two-thirds of the 1580ha property west of Levin is devoted to sheep and beef breeding and finishing, with 130ha used for dairy farming, and the balance consisting of forestry, wetlands and native bush.
Sustainability had always been a focus. Everton said his father always had a strong relationship with local iwi and was conscious of fencing off waterways and drains, even in the early days.
Pockets of forest land were protected and wetlands fenced off, and sand dunes were planted to prevent erosion - all work that continued today, he said.
Everton said he remembered his father battling gorse and a rabbit plague in the early days.
"Gorse on the farm is like a mortgage," he said.
The battle is ongoing. Pests and weeds including gorse, rabbits, possums and Canada geese are still controlled on the property, and a more formal animal health plan has been developed by Milne in recent years in association with the local vet clinic.
In more recent times, pine trees have been planted, mainly on sandy ridges prone to erosion, while the farm continues to work with local iwi and councils to fence off areas of native bush and Lake Horowhenua.
Everton said his father always had a strong relationship with local iwi and landowners Mua-opoko and Ngāti Raukawa in the early days, and those close ties have been maintained.
They had always worked closely with iwi, regional council Horizons and Horowhenua District Council, which had resulted in widespread planting of riparian areas.
Everton said he hoped the award would go some way to highlighting the work that farmers do to preserve and sustain the environment.
"Some people have no idea," he said.
He said Milne and all members of staff over the years deserved credit for the award.
