Award winning farmers Greg and Gail Mitchell have a simple mantra behind their farming success.
“Look after your cows, look after your staff, look after your land, and everything else takes care of itself,” they say.
The couple farm two properties in Patoka, Hawke’s Bay – milking 1,500 cows on the 525ha main farm, 900 on a second 340ha farm, as well as a 230ha support block.
Greg and Gail started farming in 1996. Previously Greg was a butcher in Hamilton while Gail was a nurse at Waikato Hospital. Greg grew up on a farm “and I always wanted to go farming” he says. “We could see a real career pathway, from farm assistants to sharemilking and then farm ownership.”
The couple previously owned a farm in Atiamuri but when the opportunity in Patoka came up in 2014, the size and production potential lured them to move down.
“The scale and the quality of the land appealed to us and farms are reasonably priced in the Hawke’s Bay compared to the Central Plateau and South Waikato,” they say. “We also find the soil types are better so we’re able to grow better grass and crops.”
But the move wasn’t without its challenges. The main farm was quite rundown so Greg and Gail worked hard to develop it into the high-performing dairy unit it is today, putting the animals, the environment and their people at the core of the farming operation.
The transformation saw the Mitchells win the 2023 Hawke’s Bay Regional Supreme Ballance Farm Environment award. Being proactive on the environmental front is important to Greg and Gail.
“We always want to do the right things by the land,” says Gail. “Each year we plant around 10,000 native trees and we have installed a new effluent system, five times larger than Regional Council requirements, with two weeping walls to take solids out. Every paddock gets regularly soil tested so we know how much nutrients to put on.”
Reducing sediment loss is a key part of the plan so the couple have retired 8ha of gullies and land unsuitable for farming to reduce erosion, with extensive riparian planting. “It’s about adapting to change,” says Greg. “We are always looking for improvements we can make in our farming business to become more efficient and productive. If you take out some of your worst parts and plant trees it actually makes your farm more productive.”
And that production is clear to see, with stock numbers reduced but production remaining constant. The main High Road farm used to milk 1,000 more cows for the same amount of milk, and the couple say this is a result of simple selectively breeding to get quality cows. “A lot of people with large numbers of cows don’t focus on quality breeding. But better cows can achieve more production and milking fewer cows is better for the environment,” says Greg.
Better stock also allows Greg and Gail to maintain a profitable side business, selling around 300 four-day old calves each year. The third part of the trinity is staff and the Mitchells put a lot of time and effort into looking after their wellbeing.
“We treat them as we would like to be treated,” they say. “They all get a clothing pack each year. All wearing the same gear generates the feeling of all being one team. All their accommodation has been upgraded to Healthy Homes standard and they are all on a roster for milking so they don’t get burned out.” That approach certainly seems to be working in terms of staff retention and stability. The Mitchells have eight full-timers on staff, with one being with them for 12 years, another for 10, and others coming up to five years.
“That also adds to your bottom line,” says Greg. “If you’re not turning over staff every season or two then you don’t have to spend time training them up on our system. Having such reliable staff also gives everyone a bit of a break, which is important.”
The couple are quick to add that sustainability can add value to your business rather than just being a compliance burden.
“We get a bit sick of hearing the negative publicity around farming and we want to show that you can be look after the environment, be sustainable and be profitable at the same time,” says Gail.
“It’s also important to take some time to stop to smell the roses and look back to see what you’ve achieved. We’re really proud of our farms and the work that has gone into them to make them what they are.”