The Post December 2023

From the Ground Up

Welcome to the December edition of The Post. This month, we take a look at the arable sector and ways that farms diversify their properties by adding various crops and improving their soil conditions. We visited Marlborough, where we met Cath and Paul Baker at their 121-hectare Sevenoaks property, dedicated to sheep, beef and cropping. Their diverse farm features a vineyard, a stargazing observatory, and the Omaka Maze, a popular destination for families.

Not far from the Sevenoaks property, we caught up with Billy Hebberd of Hebberd and Mckay Partnership in Spring Creek, as he was working on wire and irrigation work on a local vineyard. He was kind enough to show us a tip on running out wires in a vineyard.

Auld Farm Distillery is the southernmost on-farm distillery in the world. Owned by Rob and Toni Auld, they founded their whisky business in 2017 using grain from their farm. Spread across 200 hectares, most of their property, which has been in the family for nearly 100 years, is dedicated to growing nine varieties of grains. The rest consists of pastures for their sheep.

Across the country, the Rural Support Trust hosted their ‘Time Out Tour’ with farmer and TV personality Matt Chisholm, who shared his own mental health challenges and provided tools on how to support yourself and others within the rural community.

Our State of the Industry article for this month focuses on cropping. We talk to key leaders and individuals within the industry as they share their insights and experiences.

We intend to continue supplying you with the best stories, activities and techniques in agriculture. If you have anything that you would like us to share, please get in touch.