Mangarara Farm
Greg and Rachel Hart
July, 2018.
Mangarara farm is 610 ha of which we have a 30 hectare lake on the property and 15 hectares of old native forest. We’ve added another 20 hectares of native plantings. It’s a pretty even mixture of rolling Hill Country with 40 hectares of flats and the remainder steep Hill Country. We have a flock of breeding ewes (600) and a 100 Angus beef cows, but probably the bulk of our income does come from grazing cattle. Our angus beef is sold processed directly to butchers in HB and Auckland. We also have 35 dairy cows that we milk for calf rearing and milk for pig food.
We love the relationship that we have with nature and the influence that we can have on the land Also knowing that food that we produce is feeding people and that as Farmers we have the ability to regenerate the Earth and grow healthy soils and this creates more by diversity with plants and trees and clean water.
We’ve had cattle from New Zealand Grazing Co Ltd since 2013, so over 5 years now.
We found NZ grazing just to be incredibly professional and organised. It has a program that is put in place for us to follow and everything is very clear. It is about having good people and good relationships as problems do pop up. They are always positive and looking for solutions to these situations.
We love farming and so we also try to be very observant of what’s going on on the land and with the animals. Always trying to plan in advance with a feed available and have programs in place to make sure we achieve targets.
It’s always easier when you’re doing something that you love so if you have a passion for the land then go for it, get some good basic skills and some good experience and I guess there’s a number of pathways that can give you access to land and farming and so be prepared to do the hard yards and enjoy the journey.
The future depends on farmers doing the right thing.
Final Comment – “NZG beanies aren’t wool, but thanks anyway!”