Regional Supreme Winners 2021: Johan and Kylie van Ras from Waiorongomai Valley Farms

It’s a family affair at this Morrinsville Dairy Farm with two generations living on the land that the van Ras family purchased along with Johan’s parents in 2010 after previously leasing the farm for 6 years.

The 76 ha farm has 8 ha of maize and runs 215 cows and have stock health as a main priority. The family are proud of the farm they call home and are constantly looking to improve their environmental impact, to balance sustainability with profitability.

The van Ras’ are driven by the desire to have a successful family business and enjoy working together across the generations. They are good adopters of technology and have invested in a unique water treatment system for iron and manganese which has had a big impact on their farm. They also recycle their plastics and scrap metal. They are in the process of implementing their Farm Environment Plan which includes 8000 natives being planted on 4.5ha of riparian planting.

Always hungry for information and new ideas, they entered the Ballance Environment Farm Awards in the hope of learning about new initiatives from the awards experience, as well as using this opportunity to be advocates for sharing positive stories from the farming industry.

Judges Comments

· The van Ras family have come a long way on their journey, pacing themselves with well researched decisions achieving a high standard of development.

· There is a great thirst for information and knowledge on how to improve on current practices and plans.

· A humble understated family that are high achievers who value their community.

· They are very aware of their farm limitations and stock accordingly to maintain good stock performance and wellbeing.

As well as receiving this year’s Regional Supreme Award, they also received the:

• Ballance Agri-Nutrients Soil Management Award
• DairyNZ Sustainability and Stewardship Award
• WaterForce Integrated Management Award
• Synlait Future Leaders Award