8
December 2011
Waikato Farming Lifestyles
From dairy to berries
— a good life Around 30 years ago Cambridge asparagus and berry grower Bob Teal of Bruntwood Gardens decided to throw in his dairy farming lifestyle for a cropping one by Annette Lambly-Robinson
H
is move from Morrinsville to the Hamilton area meant the convenience of a nearby airport and the good Waikato soil leant favourably to diversified horticulture. It was the 1980s and berry growing, particularly blueberries, and asparagus were offering good returns to growers. The decision was made to try his hand
at these crops and Bruntwood Gardens began. Bruntwood’s business grew to include along with the asparagus and blueberries a number of other berry varieties. Exports were sent out from Auckland. At it’s peak Bruntwood Gardens employed a casual staff of up to 80
The grand daddy of the wool producers He’s inquisitive, enjoys a bit of a yarn, calls a spade a spade and thoroughly enjoys his vocation. Bruce Worsnop has spent decades combining his skill and knowledge with science to select sheep with worm tolerance so that ‘dagginess’ is fast becoming history. Bruce, along with son Patrick and partner Wendy, operate a ram stud and commercial flock of 2,000 pure bred Lincoln ewes and also breed Belgian Blue cattle. Their Makaroro Road property in the lee of the Ruahine Ranges covers some 1,900 acres of rolling and flat pasture. “We’ve been selecting our Lincoln Ram stud sires and the females we put into the stud flock for their tolerance to worms for the last 33 years and have found this to be a very heritable trait,” said Bruce. Bruce’s primary focus is wool production and, as a breeder, the last three decades have been successful because of the demand for lustrous
wool, mohair blends and the hand knotted rug market. Lincoln sheep, the heaviest woolproducing breed, were the first English long wool breed to become established in New Zealand but more recently they have been used as a first crossing sire to lift wool production in a flock. One example is the Lincoln Perendale cross, which produces 23 percent more wool than a pure Perendale. With his finger on the pulse when it comes to the wool industry, Bruce is hopeful the Campaign for Wool, launched by Prince Charles earlier this year, will promote the benefits of wool and see an increase in demand. The campaign, which Bruce describes as ‘a breath of fresh air’ is a great opportunity for wool growers to consolidate, unite and support the project. As for the future Bruce is still experimenting but is rather tight lipped about his work.
Cambridge asparagus and berry grower Bob Teal
people, supplying not only the export market, but the local market as well. The son of successful orchid growers and keen gardeners, Bob had the background which has made him successful in this industry. “We eventually got out of blueberries about 15 years ago,” said Bob.
Asparagus has continued and other berries like blackberries, boysenberries and raspberries are now grown. “Dark skinned berries are known for their health benefits — you often hear about red wine being better than white for people’s health.” Staff has now whittled down to
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