Unsung heroes under the soil
Much of the scientific work being carried out at the Massey University led regenerative agriculture project, Whenua Haumanu, is below the ground.
He's been named as the 2023 recipient of the prestigious McMeekan Memoiral Award presented by the NZ Society of Animal Production. The award recognises Kenyon's outstanding contribution to animal production within the past five years.
It is named after one of NZ's most influential agriculture scientists Dr Campbell Percy (Mac) McMeekan who was instrumental in the development of a world-renowned agricultural research centre in Hamilton. The McMeekan Centre at Ruakura is named after him.
Kenyon was nominated for the award because of his sustained level of research excellence over a prolonged period - "research that is making an impact and has resulted in practice change in the New Zealand sheep industry".
The citation says this has been achieved through research which has "directly addresssed important industry questions and being active in various forms of technology transfer".
"This has allowed him (Kenyon) to convey his findings to end users in a form that allows them to make impactful changes on their farms," the citation states. "He has gained an international reputation as an expert in sheep husbandry, under pastoral grazing conditions, who adds value to international projects and has an ability to transfer his New Zealand-gained knowledge in an international context."
Kenyon says receiving an award like this was not possible without being part of successful research teams.
"I wish to acknowledge my colleagues and postgraduate students from Massey University's agricultural and veterinary-based schools," he told Rural News. "They have helped create a positive, productive and enjoyable environment. I have also been fortunate to have worked with collaborators from universities in New Zealand and internationally, and with CRI's and equivalent organisations in Australia, Ireland and Uruguay."
Kenyon also acknowledges the farmers who work with his research teams. He adds that the work of the Massey team has helped increase the productivity and profitablility of sheep and beef cattle farming systems in New Zealand.
Kenyon was first appointed to Massey in 1997 as a research and teaching technician after completing his masters. He was then promoted to lecturer while he did his PhD and was promoted to professor in 2011. He became the head of School of Agriculture and Environment in 2018 and won a University Research Medal in 2022.
About McMeekan
Campbell McMeekan - or Mac as he was commonly known - is one of the most influential agricultural leaders this country has ever produced.
McMeekan studied at Massey University and took up a lectureship there. He then went to Cambridge in England to do his PhD on the growth and development of pigs. On his return to NZ in 1939, he was appointed to the chair of Animal Husbandry at Canterbury Agricultural College, and in 1943 he became superintendent, later director, of the Ruakura Animal Research Station.
When he arrived at Ruakura it was little more than a 365ha farm with minimal farm and office buildings. However, McMeekan quickly developed the farm into a world-class research station attracting top scientists and researchers.
McMeekan had numerous squabbles with the Wellington bureaucracy and was never afraid to forcefully speak his mind or go behind the backs of some of his bosses to get a job done. In fact, No. 4 Dairy was operational before permission to build it was granted.
He also started up the annual farmers' conference at Ruakura and was a strong advocate for better pay for scientists. McMeekan's career at Ruakura came to an end in 1962 when he was unsuccessful in applying for the position of director general of agriculture. He then went on to work for the World Bank returning to NZ in 1970. Sadly, he drowned in Auckland in 1972.
