1 March 2002 Farmer of Year Field Day heads south

Field day time is coming up on the property of the winners of the 2001 Lincoln University Foundation/Rabobank Farmer of the Year Competition, Leon, Wendy, Peter and Marion Black of Ermedale, near Riverton in Southland.

The field day is on Thursday 7 March starting at 1.30pm and the event will be sign-posted from the Gropers Bush turn-off and the Thornbury turn-off on the main Lorneville-Riverton road. No RSVPs are needed, all interested people are simply invited to turn up on the day, which will conclude with a barbecue about 5 o'clock.

A requirement for the winner to host an instructional field day is one of the obligations of entry to the competition and its purpose is connected to the overall educational aim of the popular annual contest.

The competition category in 2001 was Application of Technology and this will be well illustrated on the Black's property.

In a 50/50 partnership, Peter and Marion Black and their son Leon operate Blackdale Stud, a 301-hectare, all-sheep property which is aimed at improving stock genetics for clients' benefit.

They farm Coopworths and Texels in a total operation of almost 4000 sheep, and they aim to provide top genetic stock to clients (over 200 of them) who are looking for well-performing, physically sound animals.

Underpinning the operation is the application and use of technology. For example the Blacks are very strong on the technology of scanning for eye muscle and the number of lambs a ewe can manage. The aim is to average about 170 percent lambing from ewes mated across all the breeds and 100 percent with the same criteria for hoggets mated.

Ian Collins, Journalist, Lincoln University, Canterbury, New Zealand.