Friday, March 29, 2024

In the big league

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A central Canterbury cropping farmer was named winner of Syngenta’s Grower Sustainability Award late last year, ahead of dozens of other high-calibre nominees. Andrew Swallow reports. “Big is good” is often the mantra when it comes to cropping farms with economies of scale considered essential to run a viable operation. So when Syngenta gave their annual trans-Tasman sustainability award to a 180ha arable farm in central Canterbury some may have questioned the decision. But talk to 44-year-old award recipient David Birkett and his sustainability credentials become clear – a range of high-value seed crops interspersed with cereals and herbage seeds with world-class yields and modest overheads ensure economic sustainability. Environmentally, Birkett’s careful management of soil, nutrients, riparian margins and irrigation minimise the farm’s footprint and socially he’s involved in many organisations beyond the farmgate while at home farm succession from his father Paul to him is in hand. “I’ve purchased all the extra land we’ve bought since I came on board in 1991. It’s been a good way to balance the land asset out,” Birkett said. The farm was about 90ha in 1991 but it’s now 180ha in three blocks within a few kilometres of each other, with 25ha leased and the rest owned. Birkett’s wife Justine sees to farm administration and data entry, and they have three teenage children.
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“I didn’t go to Lincoln – I’ve just learnt through trial and error,” Birkett said.

He did some work for contractors before becoming full-time on the farm and his thirst for knowledge quickly got him involved with the Foundation for Arable Research (FAR), hosting trials and as a representative on and subsequently chairman of FAR’s Arable Research Group for the northern South Island. In 2009 he joined the board of the organisation itself and in 2012 became chairman.

He’s also been on his local A&P committee, school board and was vicechairman of Federated Farmers’ herbage seed section. Ten years ago Birkett helped form the Ellesmere Sustainable Agricultural Society that now represents 120 farmers and he’s been pivotal in negotiations with Environment Canterbury (ECan) and others on how the Selwyn-Waihora area manages its water and nutrients.

In his own business Birkett has also had to negotiate with ECan to deepen bores to 50m so they are no longer deemed connected to the environmentally-sensitive lowland streams and springs feeding Lake Ellesmere, also known as Te Waihora.

The farm grows up to 12 different crops a year, with irrigation essential to reduce risk and get contracts for high-value seed crops on the Paparoa sandy silt and Temuka silt loam soils.

“The available water capacity of the Paparoa soil varies from 30mm to 180mm. That’s why we’re putting a lateral irrigator in with variable-rate sprinklers in the budget of its second year.”

The lateral irrigator will replace a gun system, with a TDR soil probe used to measure soil moisture and crop demand graphs to help with irrigation scheduling.

Three permanent yards for hives, plus temporary sites in seed crops, ensure good pollination.

Bees are encouraged on David Birkett’s Leeston cropping farm to boost pollination of crops, and enhance biodiversity, with three permanent hive sites provided to the local beekeeper and extra yards set-up to boost pollination of vegetable seed crops when and where necessary during the growing season.

“The number of bees on the property also helps with the clover and we get very good pollination. Most years we get over one tonne a hectare of seed,” Birkett said.

A dry season that stresses the clover a little often produces the best crop. Birkett speculates stress may have helped this year’s wheat produce his unofficial world-record.

“We know stress at the right time plays a part in maximising yield of seed crops and while we applied 120mm of irrigation to the wheat, the soil moisture deficit would have been far greater than that.”

The Syngenta Growth Awards

Leeston cropping farmer David Birkett received his Syngenta Grower Sustainability Award in December at a gala dinner in Sydney, one of seven awards presented on the night.

He was initially nominated by a regional Syngenta representative and was up against 65 similarly high-calibre nominees from across Australia and New Zealand. A preliminary judging process produced a short-list of 25 finalists, from which an independent panel selected the seven winners. Judging was based on the following high-level criteria:

  • Productivity – use of best practice to achieve consistent productivity gains
  • Sustainability – commitment to addressing industry issues to create a long-term future for farming, and
  • People and community – contribution to the agricultural community, workers and fellow growers.

Pukekohe-based potato manager and consultant Bryan Hart won Syngenta’s Grower Productivity Award. The other five awards went to Australians. The winners will go on a European farming tour courtesy of Syngenta later this year that is expected to take in the United Kingdom’s cereals and sprays and sprayers events, among others.

Syngenta said the Growth Awards supported its Good Growth Plan goals of producing more with less, protecting the viability of farmland and promoting prosperous rural communities. For more on the awards including background on other nominees, go to www.growthawards.com.au.

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