28 Jun 2011

Southland couple win first-ever environment award

7:53 am on 28 June 2011

A Southland sheep and beef farming couple have won the inaugural Ballance National Farm Environment Award.

Grant and Bernadette Weller, who manage the family's 890ha property north west of Gore, took out the title in Hastings on Saturday night from eight other supreme regional winners.

The couple run 2600 Texel ewes and replacement stock, and just over 300 Hereford Angus cattle.

The judges found that as well as running a successful property, the Wellers put a considerable amount of effort into enhancing water quality and protecting native vegetation, which includes tussock and more than 200 cabbage trees.