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March 2017
MANAWATU FARMING LIFESTYLES
GROWING GREAT GRASS BY DENISE GUNN Since starting out growing and processing grass on his Opiki farm in 2002, Perry Moleta is now producing top quality feed supplements through his business, Phoenix Park Feed, for customers all across the North Island.
T
he farm, which has been in the Moleta family since 1939, was originally full of tree stumps and has undergone intensive drainage through the years. The Moleta family used to solely operate a cropping company, growing “When magnesium inputs are required, Golden Bay Dolomite provides the simplest and most effective option.” call 0800 4 Dolomite
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mostly potatoes. Perry’s father, Tony, grew potatoes for at least 50 years and supplied all the North Island markets. During its peak in the 1980s, the farm had 200 hectares in potatoes. Tony was also formerly a chairman of the New Zealand Potato Growers Federation. Perry is the third generation of the family on the farm. Tony is now semi-retired but is partowner of Phoenix Park Feed alongside Perry. Perry manages the business. With around 100 hectares of grass, Perry can cut 12 months of the year. “Now we grow mostly grass all year round, cutting when grass is at optimum height, and we can bale any month of
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the year,” said Perry. Phoenix Park Feed provides quality bales and focusses on delivering the highest standard of grass possible. Perry initially began processing grass with his first New Holland square baler.
“I still have it today and it works as good as new but doesn’t get used much now,” he said. The baler has a bale count of around 65,000 on it but since the purchase of a round-baler four years ago, only does
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