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1 March 2020
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Crop Protection
Crop Production

Cropping programme and partnership delivers

Wairarapa Arable Farmer, Richard Kershaw has worked alongside PGG Wrightson for the last 20 years, growing and selling multiple crops for seed and feed. 

The Kershaw family owns Moiki Farm on the East Coast, in the flat country between Martinborough and Greytown. The homeblock is 260 ha, with another 200 ha lease block. Different members of the family manage various aspects of the farm. 

The bulk of the business is cropping for seed production. They grow approximately 20 ha of ryegrass for seed, 20 ha of red clover for seed, 35 ha of hybrid maize seed and 12 ha of Milton oats. They also produce around 50 ha of barley and 110 ha of  maize for feed grain. In addition to this, the Kershaw’s fatten lambs and graze beef cattle.

Richard notes that their challenges are much the same as everyone else operating in the dry East Coast conditions. The farm is fully irrigated, and production has risen accordingly. He adds that there’s occasional but devastating biosecurity issues to contend with, such as the introduction of pea weevil into the Wairarapa about four years ago. Not growing the crop has been the only way to eradicate the pest.  

Working alongside Richard for the past two decades has been PGG Wrightson Technical Field Representative, Geoff Horrobin. In fact, Geoff has been with PGG Wrightson for approximately 40 years, servicing Masterton south to Martinborough for all that time, bar three years in the South Island.

“Geoff is our agronomist and we have relied on his expertise for many years” confirms Richard. “His knowledge of the area is second to none, plus he knows our business so well. 

“We count him very much part of our team and our cropping success. Annually, we sit down together to review our cropping programme. Geoff then takes responsibility for organising all our seed, fertiliser and ag-chem requirements as we need them.

“Crop monitoring is Geoff’s area of expertise, I’d say he is probably on farm two or three times a week in the height of the season, checking on each of our crops and reviewing our weed spray and fungicide programmes."

Due to the nature of their business, the Kershaws work with a group of people from PGG Wrightson, including the Rural Supplies store team, as well as PGG Wrightson Seed and Corson Maize. 

“We find PGG Wrightson exceptionally supportive of our business” concludes Richard. “Not only do we rely on them for quality inputs and advice, they bring us new contracts regularly.

“I’d say a fair chunk of our income has been a result of working with PGG Wrightson.”

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