Just over a year into Beef + Lamb New Zealand's (B+LNZ) Western North Island (WNI) Hub Farm programme, Ohineiti Station is beginning to see measurable results from changes implemented on-farm.
Recent mature ewe scanning results are up 15 percent, while overall production has increased by 10kg carcase weight per hectare despite a reduction in stocking rate. The farm has adjusted its livestock mix over the past year and, alongside improvements in water infrastructure and a focus on getting lambs sold earlier, has maintained sheep meat production while increasing beef production.
As a B+LNZ Hub Farm, the overarching theme for Ohineiti Station is maximising hill country productivity through strategic fertiliser use, with three key goals over the three-year programme: increase meat production, lift lamb performance at weaning, and improve ewe body condition across the flock.
B+LNZ Extension Manager for WNI, Christine Christensen, said it was encouraging to see improvements emerging after the first full production year.
"We're starting to see some results from the changes that Bevan and Mary have implemented, but it's still early days," she said.
"The ewe body condition target was achieved and scanning results were significantly higher, showing the farm is moving in the right direction.”
Those early gains have been supported by a focus on body condition scoring, targeting a higher percentage of lambs sold earlier in the year, and a continued emphasis on soil fertility and strategic fertiliser use to grow and utilise more feed.
Hosted by Bevan and Mary Proffit, the Hub Farm has become a learning platform for both the farm business and the wider farming community.
Bevan said his motivation for becoming a Hub Farm was the opportunity to take the farm's performance to the next level while openly sharing both successes and challenges with other farmers. He also values creating opportunities for other farmers, particularly younger farmers, to learn from what is happening on-farm and be part of wider conversations around farming systems and productivity.
"If we're learning something, we'll be sharing it – whether it's positive or negative. Sometimes the biggest lessons come from the things that don't go to plan, and I think it's important we share those as well," he said.
One of the key learnings has been understanding the impact of carrying lambs for longer than planned.
"We probably thought we were doing a good job, but we've learned we weren't getting lambs away quickly enough," Bevan said.
That has prompted changes aimed at getting lambs sold earlier, reducing feed demand later in the season and helping maintain ewe condition heading into the next production cycle.
The farm has also continued investing in understanding its soils and pasture performance. Several years of soil testing and monitoring are helping build a clearer picture of where fertiliser and management inputs can deliver the greatest return.
Around 50 farmers and rural professionals attended the latest Hub Farm event, with more than three-quarters having attended previous Hub Farm days, highlighting the strong interest in following the farm's progress.
The field day focused on electronic identification (EID) in sheep, with farmers at different stages of adoption sharing their experiences. Farmer panellists James Rogers, George Hardwick-Smith, David Turner and Bevan Proffit discussed how they are using (or planning to use) EID data to support decision-making on farm.
Christensen said the discussion was less about the technology itself and more about the value of using data to answer practical farming questions.
"The theme was better questions, better decisions, better outcomes," she said.
"EID is one tool that can help farmers capture data and answer the questions they want to ask of their farming system."
Bevan said one of the most valuable aspects of the panel was seeing how different farmers were using the same technology in different ways.
"Everyone was using it differently. That's probably the exciting part – you can start small and use it in a way that suits your own farming system."
The Proffits have already begun introducing EID tags into their flock and see opportunities to use the technology to better understand animal performance and support future decisions. Bevan said the farm would continue introducing EID through replacement stock over time, allowing them to build data gradually and work out how best to use it within their own system.
Looking ahead
With the first year of data and results now emerging, attention is turning to the next stage of the Hub Farm journey: understanding how strategic fertiliser use, legumes and pasture management can help unlock further gains in hill country productivity.
The next Western North Island Hub Farm event will be held on 11 November and will focus on legumes, pasture production and the on-farm trials currently underway at Ohineiti Station. Plant scientist Professor Derrick Moot will join the event, providing farmers with an opportunity to explore how pasture performance can be lifted and how the lessons from Ohineiti Station can be applied on their own farms.
Keep a lookout on B+LNZ’s Event page for registrations opening.
Farmers wanting to learn more about Ohineiti Station's journey can look out for an in-depth feature on the WNI Hub Farm programme in Ballance Agri-Nutrients' Grow magazine, distributed with selected editions of Farmers Weekly in August.
Thank you
B+LNZ thanks to the Proffits for being B+LNZ’s WNI Hub Farm, and field day sponsors Iplex, Farmlands and BNZ.