Development

Development of hill country a key strategy
14-11-2005

If you want to drive around Mt Linton it will take about four hours. Mt Linton has 160km (100 miles) of well-maintained tracks which make access easy through country which runs from 200m to 800m asl.

Despite the good access and relatively easy country, horses are still the preferred transport for stock work on the hill country. They are cheaper to run, go more places and help to attract staff. Eight horses are broken in each year.

Tracks cost money to maintain, though gravel is only a hillside away. There is also lots of development work, and ditches have to be dug. Boggy areas on the hill need draining and putting in drains costs $30-$35,000/year.

Last year they spent $125,000 on a contactor, and with the increased workload, the decision was made to purchase their own digger for $140,000. Matagouri covered hills are being cleared while gullies and areas with native trees are fenced off. About 330ha of hill country was cleared, re-grassed and fenced this financial year and another 425ha the next. The hill development programme involves spraying the undergrowth with a dessicant so the area can be burned. Trounce and Answer is flown on 12 months before burning and sowing. The cattle go in over the winter to tramp vegetation down and open it up over the winter. In the spring it is sprayed again with glyphosate, before it is burned and sowed.

Burning involves staff walking around with flame throwers and torching the dry vegetation. Care has to be taken near the 300ha of trees on the station and firebreaks are made with a bulldozer.

Lime is put on 12 months before sowing, up to 5t/ha. All the seed (Pacific) in the mix sown is coated. Dry hoggets are used to tramp the seed in.

Development costs about $300/ha but how much further lime and fertiliser is needed depends on Ballance’s soil tests. Phoshate and lime is all that is needed as sulphur levels are good. About 200kg/ha of super 10 is flown on as maintenance but will be replaced with RPR because of its lime content.

“It is very expensive to fly lime on so we intend to use RPR on the steeper tussock country to keep it ticking along.” Ceri says the hill country is fantastic summer country producing a sea of white clover. Rainfall is 1500-1700mm in the hill country, 1100-1300mm around the homestead.

Electric fencing is used to subdivide paddocks on the Downs and there is a solar unit out the back of the station. A lot of subdivision is with permanent material, but the cost is reduced considerably by Mt Linton’s ability to buy bulk.

The developed hill country has to be fenced by contractors, which is about 14km this year, plus there is also subdivision of the Downs as well. A fencer is employed on the station to maintain existing fences.

Rock hut at the back of the station is where staff including the cook camp during mustering, tailing,weaning, calf marking and anything that takes more than a few days. It was re-built in 1984 after the previous hut burned down (maybe the roast was left on) and provides comfortable quarters.

All the Romney-Texel ewes stay out on the hill country. The only time they go home is for the eight-month shearing. The Romney ewes are lambed on the Downs but have their turn on the hill in the summer after weaning. Pre-lamb shearing suits the system as shearers can be hard to get hold of with 12-month shearing during the summer as there are a number of other large farming operations around including Landcorp farms.

Eight-month shearing does not always work out and not cast in concrete as far as Ceri is concerned, especially with the cost of shearing. The commercial cows are left out on the hill unless needed for pasture control.

Ceri says the grazing management of the hill country has to be handled carefully.

“We have to be careful we don’t use this country as a run-off. It is quite easy to neglect it.” If there is going to be a feed surplus it is best on the easier country where it can be cut for silage and make sure stock keep on top of the feed in the hill country. After weaning the ewes are put into 600-700 mobs and rotated around the hills.

All senior shepherds are allocated areas to look after. This includes managing the stock and monitoring pasture growth. All of them use pasture rulers.

About 2000t of silage is made each year. A number of in-calf cows are sold off the station. About 800 yearling heifers are mated with 200 retained for the stud herd and another 200 for the commercial. The rest are sold.

Surplus ewe lambs and cows are sold to farmers by private treaty. More shelterbelts is part of the strategy to lift lamb survival and 42km of trees will be planted this year on 1500ha of the 4200ha Downs. It is fertile but exposed country and the wind comes straight off the Takitimu mountains. The 42km of fencing for the shelter was put up over the winter and planting is about a third of the way through.