Hawarden dairy farm Ballance award winner

Medbury farm produced more than 540,000kg of milk solids (MS) a year

A Hawarden dairy farming company has won the Canterbury Ballance Farm Environment Awards.

David and Brenda Hislop, Mark Daly and Janet Girvan are partners in Medbury Farm Ltd, milking 1240 cows on 442ha. The awards judges said they had strong awareness of how farming practices affected the environment.

''They show excellent attention to detail to business planning, governance and policies and how that influences and drives the business, as well as great staff and people management.''

The Medbury Farm board members had completed a governance course before the sudden death of founding farm partner Eric Jacomb, Ms Girvan's husband, in January 2016.

As resident equity partners, the Hislops wanted to enter the awards to fulfil Mr Jacomb's wish, demonstrate good practice, take pride in what they were doing, and counter negative press about the dairy industry.

During the past 15 years, and with Mr Daly's equity involvement from 2008, the business has developed to two farm dairies and housing for six staff on the property. There is carrying capacity of 1240 cows with 300 replacement heifers.

The farm produced more than 540,000kg of milk solids (MS) a year, with yield figures of 1550kgMS/ha and 445kgMS/cow.

The original border-dyke irrigation using Hurunui River water has been upgraded to a centre-pivot and supplementary sprinkler system.

Spray irrigation across the whole property draws water from Medbury Irrigation Co Ltd. Aquaflex soil moisture sensors are installed and stock water meters feed information to the farm computers.

The judges commended Medbury Farm's outstanding documentation, health and safety programme, Farm Environment Plan, and five-year Environmental Action Plan. Its effluent systems have been showcased by Fonterra to sustainable dairying advisers, and soil structure is protected with stand-off areas in a quarry and in forest areas.

Boundaries to the Waitohi and Hurunui Rivers have been fenced and planted, both dairies are surrounded by native plantings, and wetlands have been fenced off.

Medbury Farm helps employees on work visas to gain residency and has a touch rugby team entered in the local competition.

A field day will be held there in Mid-June.

Other results:

Medbury Farm also won the Ballance Agri-Nutrients Soil Management Award, CB Norwood Distributors Ltd Agri-Business Management Award, DairyNZ Sustainability and Stewardship Award, Environment Canterbury Water Quality Award, and Bayleys Canterbury People in Primary Sector Award.

Culverden sheep, beef and dairy support farmers Mark and Jane Schwass, from Kaiora Downs, won the Beef + Lamb New Zealand Livestock Award. Nick Gill, from Greystone Wines and Muddy Water organic vineyards at Waipara, won the Hill Laboratories Agri-Science Award.

The Massey University Innovation Award went to farm manager Hayden George, from Ngai Tahu Farming Ltd's Kohakaumu dairy farm at Eyrewell Forest. Farm manager Sam Mallard, from Ealing dairy farm Align Emilius Ltd won the WaterForce Integrated Management Award, and David Bielski, from Craigmore Station, won the Predator Free Farm Award.

Central Rural Life