Ashburton father and son Phillip and Paul Everest are the new National Ambassadors for Sustainable Farming.
The pair received the accolade at the 2022 Ballance Farm Environment Awards at the National Sustainability Showcase at Te Pae in Christchurch, an annual celebration and promotion of sustainable farming and growing practices hosted by the New Zealand Environment Farm Trust.
The two received the Gordon Stephenson Trophy as part of the award.
The Everests run Flemington Farm in Ashburton, a 255ha property they have expanded into a sustainable dairy and beef farm. They were named the 2022 Regional Supreme winners in the Canterbury Balance Farm Environment awards in July this year.
Having owned Flemington Farm since 1989, the pair – supported by partners Jocelyn Everest and Sarah Hayman – introduced dairy into the mix in 2010 and currently milk 750 cows on a predominantly pasture-based system. When they set up the milking platform that year, the best technology of the day was incorporated, as the Everests were committed to investing in looking after their labour and the environment.
The Everests have developed a sustainable dairy and beef farm that balances the needs of people, animals, economics and the environment.
“Phillip and Paul combined their experience and energy to provide clear and informative responses addressing the problems facing their business and those of our primary sector,” say the National Judging Panel. “Their understanding of their current GHG emissions and metrics were impressive, stepping through their calculations around various scenarios and demonstrating a clear understanding of their requirements and options to address this. Climate change is accepted as mainstream.”
The Everests aimed to have one person in the shed each milking, to minimise water use, and effluent is treated as fertiliser. Another focus has been to create a good working and home environment for their employees, resulting in a stable workforce that enjoys training and development opportunities.
Environmental sustainability is at the core of how the family run their business. Among a raft of other initiatives, the Everests have established more than 20km of shelter and riparian plantings, creating a comfortable environment for their animals and enhancing the property’s beauty. They also monitor all their streams on a regular basis.
A large part of reason for their regional win was the Everests’ connection with the local community. They are involved in several catchment and district initiatives focused on improving the environment, and they continue to trial and monitor new technologies as they work to develop a farm that is environmentally sound while also being profitable and beautiful.
