A trustee of the entity that owns the 1400ha breeding and finishing property at Ongarue near Taumarunui, Maag said the trust aimed to keep things simple but was a willing adopter of any systems or tools that worked.
An Ahuwhenua Trophy finalist, the Pukepoto trust was formed in 1978 and its 1000 shareholders owned land that was originally used as a thoroughfare for Maori travelling between Taranaki and Whanganui.
The farm ran 6000 high-performing Romney ewes and 300 Angus cows on 1000ha of moderate to steep hill country that could be farmed.
Of the balance, about 100ha was covenanted under the Nga Whenua Rahui scheme, 62ha was in plantation forest and the balance scrub, much of which had been retired to prevent erosion.
Maag said the trust was creating a high-performing Angus cow herd and recently cut back cow numbers given their impact on the steep hill country.
Its goals were to have 90% of lambs off the farm prime at more than 17kg and steers and cull heifers sold after one winter, the steers killed at 280kg to 300kg carcase weight.
So far this season 4000 lambs had been sold at an average weight of 18.5kg and average price of $105.
It had been an exceptional autumn for grass growth and there were still several thousand lambs to be sold, which Maag said could reduce those averages.
With breeding cows, replacements and finishing stock, Pukepoto ran 800 cattle and through purchased heifers and its own breeding programme, the trust aimed to create a high-performance Angus herd.
The farm was run by manager Terry Head, a shepherd and casual labour as needed but one of the challenges facing was the need for extra staff as productivity grew.
Maag said the farm was profitable, which he attributed to having trustworthy people sharing the same values who could to achieve what the trustees and shareholders wanted.
“They are words that are often bandied around. They are very simple words but it is how you live up to them.”
A farm operations committee of three trustees worked almost daily with Head, an arrangement Maag said blurred the lines between governance and management but which ensured decisions were made quickly so opportunities were captured.
“We don’t sit around waiting for monthly meetings and waiting to be told where something is at.”
The trust was always looking to improve the performance of the farm but had also been selective in what modern technology it adopted.
It recently signed up to FarmIQ with Maag saying the information it captured would have many uses.
The trustees were great listeners and readers and any system or technology was tested to ensure its relevance and if they were convinced, it was adopted.
“The way we do things is the way we do things and it works for us.”
