Farmers: Roger & Jude Henderson, Lyndhurst Road, RD6, Ashburton

Facilitator: Phil Everest, Everest Farm Consultancy, phone 03  302 6823, email p.everest@xtra.co.nz

"The Monitor Farm Programme has been an excellent way to analyse our business and give us confidence to make changes. It is a fantastic way of sharing ideas between farmers, farm advisors and related people. Particularly when times are tough, the support network is excellent." Roger and Jude Henderson

About the Farm

Location	Lyndhurst, Mid-Canterbury
Area	356ha approx, 195ha pivot irrigated, 112ha borderdyke irrigation.
Average Rainfall	800mm
Altitude	230m asl
Soils	Lyndhurst (approx 120ha) and Lismore stony silt loams (approx 200ha).
Sheep Policy	Has been 2000-2300 ewes purchasing replacements, numbers dropped to 850 ewes (purchasing replacements when required). Selling all lambs prime (16.37kg carc) and trading 500+ store lambs (lambing early August 124 – 142% - early for area)
Cattle Policies	150-180 R1yr finishing cattle (heifers, steers, or bulls) and approximately the same number of R2yr finishing cattle. Policy is flexible depending on margins and has grazed dairy cows.
Pasture Renewal	As part of cropping programme.
Production Levels	1339kg LWt wintered/ha, 17.4 stock units/grazable ha. Increasing reliance on a arable crop production moving from 146ha to 217ha over the last 3 years. Lower returns from livestock have encouraged the increase in crop area.
Stock Numbers at 2009-10	850 MA ewes 185 R1yr steers and bulls 185 R2yr steers and bulls 77ha Wheat 21ha Barley  43ha Grass seed 10ha Clover 23ha Maize 43ha other crop