Lachie Grant, LandVision, praised the land management of Chris Dawkins (left) and Richard Dawkins (far right) at the field day celebrating their win in the Westpac Osgro Marlborough Sheep & Beef Farmer of the Year Competition 2021.
Chris Dawkins remembers the $50 a hectare Lucerne Establishment Grants of the late 1970s and when debt borrowed to develop his Marlborough farm was more than its capital value.
With a mind for figures and farm history, the March 25 field day at the Dawkins Waihopai Valley property was a fascinating insight into the evolution of a much-loved family business.
The field day celebrated the Dawkins family win in the Westpac and Osgro Marlborough Sheep & Beef Farmer of the Year 2021. It was also a chance to debate stock versus trees, where a $60,000/ha net profit result from wood sold, is still not enough for Chris to decide to ditch livestock.
“I have to feed the family between the thirty-six years of harvests,” Chris said.
“I like a diverse income stream.”
Chris has been on every sheep and beef committee and organisation possibly invented and hosted numerous on-farm trials. He farms the way he likes.
“I don’t chase the market,” he said.
Chris and wife Julia were at the helm of The Pyramid from 1978 to 2020, when the 400ha area farmland was leased to their son Richard and wife Jess Dawkins. The balance is in vineyard (50ha), forestry woodlots (68ha) and aesthetic plantings. Honey and firewood are on-farm ventures that involve the Dawkins’ other sons.
The property was looking green and the extensive tree planting created an inviting landscape for the 100 visitors on the tour. This second attempt at a field day was the first Marlborough farm event for many months, after a social drought due to covid restrictions.
Lachie Grant, of LandVision, judged the land resources section of the competition and said the Dawkins’ ranked number two out of all past entrants on land management.
“What puts them on a pedestal is their attitude,” Grant said.
Careful grazing of the dairy bulls, carry-over cows and sheep classes means land-use is matched to soils. Nitrogen losses are 8kg N/ha/year (considered low for sheep/beef) and the stocking rates are 8.2/ha. Despite the light footprint, this year Richard will replace intensive winter grazing on the river flats with moving cattle to the hill country block.
Richard Dawkins is known for his can-do attitude to try new things. He developed a successful and enduring system for maximising triplet survival through indoor lambing.
Richard is known for his can-do attitude to try new things. He developed a successful and enduring system for maximising triplet survival through indoor lambing. His refined system has seen lamb deaths fall from 33% to 17% scanning to weaning. The low 2% mortality in ewes (in and outdoors) is because both mobs get more attention and the singles can now get the better blocks, he said. Triplet lamb survival is 250%.
“It’s an absolute home run for us and for animal welfare,” Richard said.
“The net profit for us would be 30 to 40 thousand extra with these flow-on benefits.”
Pete Anderson, of StockCare, and judge of the animal performance section, said the composite ewe flock was outstanding.
At 60.5kg of lamb liveweight weaned/ewe mated, the flock is well above the Stock Care Top 25% of 49kg. The lambing percentage of 160-plus combines with an average weaning weight of 38kg to get this result.
Ewes might be considered heavy at 79kg, Anderson said, but they grow big lambs and the Dawkins are on top of ewe and lamb wastage. The ewes wean 77% of their body weight.
The financial performance is underpinned by sheep, with a gross farm income of around $230/sheep stock unit. EBITR has averaged over $560/ha for the past three years and the Effective Farm Surplus beats the Economic Service Class 6 model hands down – an impressive $493/ha in 2020 versus $182/ha.
The Dawkins farm systems have been profiled in a video about The Pyramid, due for release shortly.
