ENVIRONMENT WATER QUALITY
Acid test for water testing A Winton farm has conducted tests on water leaving the farm as part of a slew of environmental initiatives on a farm surrounding a lime quarry. Story and photos by Karen Trebilcock.
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hen Steve Smith, general manager of AB Lime near Winton in Southland, makes a mistake on the company’s dairy farm he wants to tell everyone about it. “Someone has to try things and it might as well be me. When it goes wrong, I have to suck it up, but I also want other farmers to know so they don’t do it too.” With catchment groups, dairy discussion groups and schools visiting the farm he gets to show the good and the bad. “We’ve been testing the water leaving the farm ever since we started dairying eight years ago and all it’s done for us is show the results of Environment Southland’s water testing is correct. “It’s cost us $60,000 so far to do it. “Farmers tell me they’re thinking about water testing and I say don’t bother, spend the money on something else, something that will actually improve water quality.” He became general manager of the lime 64
works in 2008 and, with lifestyle blocks beginning to encroach on the quarry, the company started buying land. Then there was the $8-plus payout year and by August, in five months, Steve had an 80-bale rotary up and running with 930 crossbred cows milking on 374 hectares. “We never got the $8.65 payout. We got the $4.30 payout.” For the first two years they had a lower order sharemilker then Jaime McCrostie came onboard and won the Southland-Otago Dairy Industry Farm Manager award in 2018 on the farm. Mitchell Smith is now manager with five other staff running the 950 peakcows. Steve never set out to be a dairy farmer and is still to put a set of cups on. From a sheep and beef farm at Waikaka in Southland, he graduated from the University of Otago with an accounting degree and started work at Ravensdown in both IT and accountancy. From there he worked in project management, implementing computer
‘We’ve got State Highway 96 running right through the centre of the farm and I’ll get random texts from people driving past saying the farm is looking good or not so good. We’re in a real fishbowl here.’ Above: AB Lime’s crossbred herd keeping their feet dry on the feed pad by the dairy. Right: AB Lime general manager Steve Smith.
Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | September 2021
