Working on Donald’s Farm is a little different from the norm. Not only must farm manager Sam Waugh take care of all the usual farm tasks his job role also extends to running education programmes and working with industry to find sponsorship to fund them. “It’s a pretty unique business to be involved with and unlike any other job I’ve had. It keeps me fairly busy,” he says with a laugh.
Donald’s Farm was gifted by the late Donald Pearson to New Zealand Young Farmers in 2018 to be a not-for-profit operation and provide initiatives to connect young people to farming. The 74 hectares total/63 hectares effective property is located on the outskirts of Auckland. It milks a herd of around 120 jersey cows and 10 milking shorthorns through an 11 a-side herringbone shed and rears jersey bull calves to sell as 100-kilogramme weaners. This year’s production was 46,010 kilogrammes MS peak milking 125 cows.
Sam, who was named Young Farmer of the Year runner-up for the Northern Region, has heralded a number of management changes to the farm, which resulted in it winning four merit awards at the 2024 Ballance Farm Environment Awards: Ballance Agri-Nutrients Soil Management Award, Bayleys People in Primary Sector Award, Dairy NZ Sustainability and Stewardship Award and the Norwood Farming Efficiency Award.
With regard to soil management, soil testing is undertaken each year to generate the fertilizer programme. Lifting the pH by applying lime has made a difference to clovers and organisms in the soil along with a move towards minimum tillage with cropping and re-grassing to minimize sediment loss and erosion.
Chicory is used as a summer feed crop, which is good for stock but with a deep taproot, it also opens up and aerates the heavy clay soil. The deep taproot also takes carbon from the atmosphere and puts it down deep into the soil. A covered shelter on the farm is used strategically to minimise pugging and damage.
“You can see a light bulb go off for some students as they gain a better understanding of how food is produced and also career opportunities in the ag sector.”
Connecting the community with the ag sector is a big part of the reason Donald’s Farm exists. This sees it work closely with a number of schools, bringing primary and secondary students to the farm to learn about farming and the wide agri sector.
Last year, the farm hosted 900 visitors, and Sam says the ultimate goal is 5,000 per year. “You can see a light bulb go off for some students as they gain a better understanding of how food is produced and also career opportunities in the ag sector.”
Sustainability is another major focus and has resulted in a number of initiatives including a plant nursery on the farm in conjunction with Conservation Volunteers New Zealand. “They are involved with the Papakura Stream Restoration project, and our waterways feed into this stream. We are doing native planting on the farm, and we are also building the native tree nursery with them to plant along the stream. It’s still in development but the goal is to produce 50,000 plants per year.”
By the end of winter in 2024, 28,000 natives will have been planted on Donald’s farm and the overall aim is likewise ambitious – to plant 120,000 and retire some of the steeper land. Sam says that Donald’s Farm is a good example of how combining commerce and education can help showcase agriculture as a viable career path and connect the wider community with farming.
© Waterford Press Ltd 2024 – Independent Print Media New Zealand
