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• High<br />
John and Jenny van Woerden<br />
PGG WRIGHTSON LAND AND LIFE AWARD<br />
The van Woerdens display “team work that inspires others” in the opinion of the award<br />
judges, who also commended the couple’s strong sense of community and “wonderful<br />
biodiversity work throughout the property”.<br />
John and Jenny milk 220 cows on their 120ha dairy platform,<br />
part of a much-loved 397ha property in the Waitekauri Valley<br />
northwest of Waihi. Contour is rolling to steep, annual rainfall is<br />
between 2000 to 2500mls and the property goes to the top of<br />
the Coromandel Range. Alongside the dairy operation they have<br />
approximately 100ha in mixed age mainly pines (first planted in<br />
1984) and the balance is native and regenerating bush.<br />
Their property is the result of the purchase of three adjoining<br />
blocks, the first in 1978 and the last 14 years ago. John was just 21<br />
when he bought the original 202ha block - a rough drystock farm<br />
- and converted it to dairy, originally milking just 80 cows. John<br />
was working on dairy farms and seeking a sharemilking position<br />
“without much success because I wasn’t married!” when he saw<br />
the farm advertised with vendor finance.<br />
JUDGES’ COMMENTS<br />
“I suppose it was a bit audacious,” he says with a typically quiet<br />
sense of satisfaction. “I got money from the vendor for the land,<br />
from the bank for the cows and from the dairy company for<br />
the cowshed.” John’s parents helped him with the conversion,<br />
including a 10-aside herringbone cobbled together with secondhand<br />
materials. These days there is a 20-aside herringbone, the<br />
cows are milked once a day. Production last year, the first on<br />
OAD was 58,000 kg MS, this season they are heading for 65,000<br />
kg MS.<br />
Ironically, within months of buying the farm John and Jenny met.<br />
They made a conscious choice to stay in their beloved valley,<br />
bringing up their now adult children Tim and Irene. “I know we<br />
could have made a lot more money sharemilking in the Waikato<br />
but looking back, we are so happy we made the commitment<br />
here.”<br />
Their land has Coromandel State Forest on two sides. The<br />
Waitekauri River is on one boundary, the Mangakara on the<br />
other and springs and gullies run through the property. Historic<br />
gold mining sites are still evident. They have propagated and<br />
planted thousands of natives and enjoy the native bird life.<br />
Hunters and trampers regularly enter the bush through their<br />
property; motor bikers ride there. Active in their community<br />
either currently or in the past in a range of church, music and<br />
school activities, the couple warmly welcome others to share<br />
their place. “It’s not just a farm, people love to come here, and<br />
we love that,” says Jenny.<br />
The van Woerdens were joint runners-up in the original Farm<br />
Environment Awards in 1993.<br />
•<br />
net profit generated from low input farming; developed business viable to hand over to next generation of farmers.<br />
•<br />
Wonderful biodiversity work throughout; huge achievement tackling weeds like gorse and ragwort.<br />
•<br />
Strategic decisions made to get balance right between farming, forestry and native bush.<br />
Strong sense of community, enjoy others coming onto the farm to enjoy it as well.