6 December 2006 Wakanui couple take Farmer of Year Title for Excellence in Irrigation

Mid-Canterbury arable farmers Eric and Maxine Watson have won the Rabobank Lincoln University Foundation Farmer of the Year title in a close-fought final at Lincoln University today. 

This year's theme for the annual competition, now in its 24th year, was Excellence in Irrigation and five finalists went through two days of on-campus judging at Lincoln University culminating in a public presentation round today. Earlier in the competition there had also been a judging round on each of the finalist's properties.

Eric and Maxine, who farm 490 hectares at Wakanui, Ashburton, won a $15,000 international travel award.

The runners-up, who received a $7500 award, were Andrew and Rachele Morris of Ealing Pastures, Ashburton.

The Watsons' operation is intensive arable production, with a considerable area of high value crops, and their aim is for a high gross income per hectare. They have 28 hectares under a centre pivot system and 455 hectares under a lateral system, with water supplied by wells on the property. The couple describe their irrigation systems as labour efficient and user friendly.

Their effective irrigation area is 472 hectares, 96 percent of the farm. With an average annual rainfall of 600mm their consented water take is 202 litres/second, giving 3.7 mm per effective hectare per day for a maximum of 70 days – a total allocation of 259 mm per effective hectare.

The water take is from three wells, at rates of 80, 80 and 42 litres per second respectively and applied at a cost of $1.37 - $1.45 per mm, depending on the season. 

“Irrigation should work for you, not you for the irrigation,” says Eric, who grew up with the development of irrigation in Canterbury. His father Lucas Watson began to introduce border dykes to the home farm at Ealing in the early 1950s under the Hinds-Mayfield irrigation scheme.

“We have tried to design the upgrading of the irrigation system around this philosophy, within the constraints of machine design and technology, farm layout and crops grown. This hopefully minimises labour input into irrigation and makes the most efficient use of the water available.

“Future developments on our property will include looking at water requirements for different crops, and testing each individual irrigator to ensure maximum efficiency of water use.”

Runners-up Andrew and Rachele Morris have a total farm area of 1285 hectares mostly in pasture irrigated from the Hinds Irrigation Scheme. One hundred and twenty-five hectares is border dyked, 856 hectares is under centre pivots, 6 ha is under k-line, 45 ha is under big gun watering, 90 ha is under overhead spray, and 163 ha is left as dryland. They produce milk solids and dairy beef.

Winners of the prize for the Best Presentation in the public session were Craige and Roz Mackenzie of “Greenvale” farm, Ashburton.

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