Te Puke beef farmers Blair Linton, Linda Ellison and Robert Linton of Te Ranga Farms have won the Regional Supreme Award at the Bay of Plenty Ballance Farm Environment Awards.
The 296 hectare (176ha effective) farm has been in the Linton family since 1973.
From the early 1980s it was owned and managed by Robert Linton and Linda Ellison, before son Blair Linton leased the property in 2022.
The team is rearing just over 500 Friesian bull calves and the judges were impressed with the farming system, which has been optimised over time to match land use and class.
When it comes to the environment, protecting freshwater is a high priority.
The family’s approach aligns with that of the wider catchment – reflecting their active involvement in the Paraiti Catchment Group.
The farm’s critical water source areas are being actively identified and managed.
In awarding the Regional Supreme Award, the judges noted that the successful operation is underpinned by a family approach to gaining knowledge, appreciating their environment and their sense of place within it, open and productive communication, and connection to a supportive community.
Blair Linton, Linda Ellison and Robert Linton also won the following awards:
• Bayleys People in Primary Sector Award
• Beef + Lamb New Zealand Livestock Farm Award
• Rabobank Agri-Business Management Award
• NZFET Biodiversity Award
Other Bay of Plenty Ballance Farm Environment Award winners include:
Kiri Tapsell, Pukenga Farms, Te Puke
• Ballance Agri-Nutrients Soil Management Award
• Norwood Farming Efficiency Award
• Zespri Kiwifruit Orchard Award
Mark Yortt & Greg Prince— Sunchaser Investments, Motiti Island
• Hill Laboratories Agri-Science Award
• FMG Risk Management Award
Murray and Cecilia Winters and Chris and Karly Deed — Mangorewa Farms, Te Puke
• Bruce Fraser Memorial Award
Jonathon Boyle — Four Oaks Farm, Pongakawa
• DairyNZ Sustainability and Stewardship Award
• Bay of Plenty Regional Council Farming for the Future Award
The awards also served to showcase local catchment group Paraiti Catchment Care Group, a farmer-led group working to increase native biodiversity along an established bush corridor and the wider Kaituna catchment.
Since forming in 2020, the group has largely focused on protecting the area’s significant native forests from pests and predators, ultimately aiming to boost biodiversity.
