22 Mar 2013

Hawke's Bay Wairarapa dairy awards

11:44 pm on 22 March 2013

Persistence has finally paid off for Pahiatua sharemilkers Shaun and Kate Mitchell.

After seven years of trying and being placed as runners-up last year, they won the Hawkes Bay-Wairarapa Sharemilker/Equity Farmer of the Year title in the annual dairy awards.

The other regional winners were Bart and Tineke Gysbertsen, contract milkers at Masterton, who are the regional Farm Managers of the Year, and Ken Ahradsen, a Carterton herd manager, who's the Dairy Trainee of the Year.

Meanwhile, a Methven arable and dairy farming couple, Craige and Roz Mackenzie, have taken the supreme title in the Canterbury Ballance Farm Environment Awards.

Judges said the progressive couple had taken technology to the next step on their irrigated farm using every available tool to improve their production and cost efficiency".

Examples include using Electromagnetic soil mapping, to give a clear picture of water holding and productive capacity , and technologies like variable rate irrigation to ensure crops are never overwatered.