Upbeat crowd, exhibitors at field days
With an enforced absence of two years, brought about by its cancellation in 2020, the Central District Field Days at Feilding heralded the first event of its type for 2021.
The turnout, which included farmers from as far south as Invercargill, up to the Wairarapa in the north, plus a visiting farmers’ tour from France, was a record attendance for the Foundation at a winner’s field day event.
Patoa Farms hosts Steve and Josie Sterne and their daughter Holly presented a comprehensive summary of the challenges and rewards of running New Zealand’s largest free-farm piggery. The farm has some 40,000 pigs, requiring daily management with 2000 pigs a week going to slaughter.
Feedback from field day participants revealed the bus tours of the farm itself and the informative presentations were equally popular. Foundation chair Ben Todhunter says all visitors would have taken something valuable away from the field day to apply to their own farm businesses.
“Steve Sterne spoke frankly, but with good humour and considerable insight into how the business came about, what makes it tick and how those lessons can be applied across almost any field, whether it be farming or another type of business,” he says.
“Takeaway messages included Steve’s comment that when someone says something can’t be done, that’s an opportunity to be exploited and turned into an advantage.
“Patoa Farm’s consistent and innovative approach to development, their eye for opportunities and willingness to take on challenges and work together to find solutions was an inspirational example for the very large gathering.”
According to Todhunter, Holly Sterne, representing the next generation, also spoke passionately and with clarity into the risks, challenges, and opportunities associated with succession planning in a farm business of this scale.
“Succession is a huge issue for many farm families and Holly revealed that it cannot happen by accident. Detailed planning, some honest conversations and collaborative thinking has to be applied.”
Todhunter was particularly pleased to see a good contingent of students from Hawarden, Rangiora, and Kaiapoi secondary schools. One of the Foundation’s objectives is to encourage emerging generations into agriculture and Todhunter says feedback from the students’ attending the field day was very positive.
The third star of the day was the focus on local food and produce. A traditional country morning tea of strong tea, coffee and creamy scones prepared by the local Hawarden College PTA set the day off to a good start.
Former London chef Jonny Schwass and the Charcoal Relief Unit featured spit roast Patoa pork and Canterbury produce for the lunch, and local celebrity Miss Lillies made a feature of Hellers preserved meats (Hellers are a major customer of Patoa Farms) for afternoon tea along with wine from last year’s winners, Yealands Wine Estate.
