Our Farmers

Paul and Marie Renton are focussed on adding value. They’re investing in Glenmore, their 566ha property at Mangatahi, west of Hastings, by planting trees and making their farm business more profitable by being involved in First Light.

The Rentons currently finish about 500 weaner deer, run 1,800 Romney ewes and finish about 200 bulls on their 500ha of effective land. The balance of the property is in renewable forestry — pine trees, and regenerating native bush. With funding from their local Hawke’s Bay Regional Council they are continuously fencing off erodible land and creating shelter belts. “We’re trying to head in the direction of sustainability. We’re planting more trees, adding value to the asset we have.

“Beautifying the place is really Marie’s passion. We’ve planted cedars, acacias, poplars and eucalypts as shade for the stock but also to improve how the farm looks. We’ve recently planted the last 5km of the road leading up to our place. It will be great, very park-like, in a few years time when the trees all grow,” says Paul.

The Rentons buy in about 500 weaner stags in April and May from a breeder on the East Coast from whom they have purchased stock for years. They know the quality of the stock and have built an ongoing relationship with the farmer. The stock are finished over six months and slaughtered from October onwards. They began deer farming in the early 1980s but changed from a breeding and finishing system to finishing only four years ago in an effort to simplify their operation.

They joined First Light because they wanted to be involved in adding value to what they produce. “And we liked being part of a producer group with other likeminded farmers. There is a lot of transfer of ideas within the group. It’s good to be part of a group of farmers all heading in the same direction.”

While Paul enjoys a steak, he says you can’t go past a good venison sausage cooked just right on the barbecue.

Haunui is situated 32kms southeast of Waipukurau, in the Wanstead/Flemington district of Central Hawke’s Bay. James and Sue have owned the intensive deer and bull finishing property for seven years and both take an active part in the day-to-day running of it.

They were attracted to First Light by the forward thinking commitment to improving the whole supply chain — from genetics and production, right through to the promotion of venison as a niche product with a point of difference. The “all round year” supply concept was also attractive as it allows them to better finish stock according to their farming type and systems.

Haunui is extensively planted with shelter belts and trees, giving shade and shelter, and providing a good environment for the animals. As with all First Light products the animals from Haunui are raised outdoors in a healthy environment. “The venison we produce is a high quality, wholesome product that has been sent to the customer with their needs in mind”.

In the Hewitt household the favourite way to eat venison is sliced, marinaded delicately and cooked hot on a barbeque.

Riverslea Trust is made up of three blocks. The breeding unit (260ha) is under the Ruahine Ranges where it is summer safe and the two finishing blocks (202 and 93ha) are on flat to rolling country where it is warmer in the winter. We run 700 breeding hinds and finishing all of the fawns as well as running finishing cattle and breeding ewes. On all properties trees are being planted in an ongoing programme to provide shelter, shade and erosion control.

The farm is operated on a day to day basis by Richard and Emma on the breeding unit and Nick and Jane (Richard’s parents) on the finishing units. When major tasks are being undertaken everyone helps.

We joined First Light because we like the way we, as farmers, could have input further than just the farm gate. It also gives us stable pricing that we can use for planning, and we like the more direct feedback from First Light consumers.

The Lawson’s like to cook the fillets whole.  First searing it on the hot plate and then in a super hot oven wrapped in tin foil for 10 mins and then left to rest. Serve in slices on mashed potato, with roasted winter vegetables and a hunter sauce (an old family recipe of red wine and crab apple jelly).

2 Tier Trust with a holding Co and a Farming sub committee.

Trust Chairman Rakei  Taiaroa

Farm Sub Committee Chairman- John Kahu

Farm Manager – Colin Gates

Maori Owned since 1200AD

Consists of 4000ha with 3000ha farmed with livestock. 13000 ewes plus replacements, 550 cows plus replacements, 2200 hinds plus replacements

Breed, finish and trade in all classes except deer. Deer breed and finish only.

Being part of a small group of like minded people striving to be continually better than the average in the production of a quality food product.

The ability to have some surety of pricing and supply make reporting to a trust committee a lot more accurate.

Provenance relates to the fact the land has been owned and farmed in one way or another for 800 years and is owned by a large number of people to be farmed sustainably for the benefit of future generations. To sustainably farm Waihi Pukawa in an environmental way means it has to be profitable as well without compromising animal welfare.

Regional winner Maori Farmer of the Year and National finalist Maori Farmer of the Year.

The owners and management of Waihi Pukawa farm the property because it is what we do well we aim tp produce a quality product from an area that leads New Zealand in environmental practices.

Tony & Lynda Gray, together with their daughters Rebecca and Catherine, farm at the top of the scenic Pohangina Valley nestled under the Ruahine Ranges in the northern Manawatu.

They own 408 hectares (approx 1,000 acres) of easy hill country of which about 140ha is regenerating native trees protected by a QEII covenant. 140 ha of the farm is fenced for deer and they farm about 300 hinds, 1,200 ewes and 75 beef breeding cows taking younger cattle through to their second winter.

First Light Venison is the reason that they are still farming deer. Being part of a vertically integrated company marketing venison to the world is a great opportunity. They are breeders and their goal is to produce well grown weaner deer for other members of the group to finish using Wapiti and Eastern Red sire stags. Their favourite venison is a sliced fillet lightly barbecued and served with a fresh salad.

Jane and Jacquetta are a mother and daughter team who joined First Light when the company was first formed. Their property, Tarndale, in Colyton, Feilding, and the Pohangina Valley includes a deer breeding and finishing property along with sheep and beef. They were  attracted to First Light because of the consistency it offered to suppliers, the excitement the group has about what it’s doing and the direct-to-consumer marketing.

After Derrick Ward, Jane’s husband, passed away suddenly, their daughter Jacquetta, working in Sydney at the time, made the decision to come home and manage the farm on behalf of the estate (which includes her three sisters). As female farmers, Jane and Jacquetta believe the First Light principles are second nature — animal husbandry especially comes naturally. They see a brilliant future for venison and say they will continue to be part of it for a long time yet.  “We are encouraging more friends and family to eat this delicious and healthy meat,” says Jane.

At Tarndale they choose to serve venison as a steak marinated in a little oil, soya sauce and sweet chill and served with a boysenberry sauce.

Kaitaringa Farms Ltd is a family Northland sheep and beef farming business that involves Marshall and Angela along with their two children, Niamh and Archer.

We currently farm ~390ha (in 3 blocks) in the mid Northland region with a mix of soil types and topography.  The livestock enterprises consist of sheep breeding and finishing, beef breeding cows and Wagyu finishing.  The focus of these enterprises is to optimise individual animal performance in a sustainable way while maintaining a high level of animal welfare.

This philosophy combined with a desire to be part of an integrated supply chain makes an association with First Light Foods and the Grass fed Wagyu programme a natural fit.

Poronui is a 6,500 hectare property in the central high country of the North Island, 40 minutes from Taupo. The property is owned by Westervelt, a land resource organisation with a very strong appreciation for the environment and its conservation. In recent years considerable effort has been made to fence off waterways and return land used for eucalypt forestry to its natural state of open pastureland or native bush.

The vision for Poronui is to build a herd of 1,000 cows and work on development of value-added primary products, hence the partnership with First Light to take Wagyu to the consumer market. As a business with firsthand experience in international marketing and distribution, Westervelt knows well how much value First Light adds to the mix.

Greenlink Farm consists of four blocks of land within a 40-minute radius around the Manawatu. The deer finishing block is situated in Halcombe and the day-to-day running is done by Rex Williams, Stock Manager. Greenlink Farm also has a free draining river block, which is used for wintering cattle and cropping, and two blocks on the outskirts of Palmerston North, used for sheep, beef and cropping.

A strength of Greenlink Farm is the ability to increase land sustainability through utilising land to the best of its ability and matching stock policies to land type depending on weather e.g. in wet weather heavy stock is moved to the free draining river block to avoid pugging.

Integral to the whole operation is Scott Linklater, who three years ago returned from his OE. Since then he has taken over the reins as Operational Manager for Greenlink Farm, allowing his father Ross to dedicate more time to his busy schedule as a Palmerston City Councillor and Director of Farmlands (a New Zealand rural supplies business).

First Light appealed to Greenlink Farm due to being a co-ordinated marketing approach that then links well with the production. They like the team effort and feel the gains far outweigh what an individual can achieve “A team approach irons out the highs and lows”. They also appreciate the supply and pricing structure that First Light offers as it allows them to take a more planned and strategic approach to the business. “We know what we’re going to get, which allows us to better produce well farmed, high quality meat.”

For Ross nothing beats a “beautifully cooked venison steak on the BBQ”. For Scott this means “just seared — not too cooked”. Either way you’ll know the venison you’re eating will have “quality assurance of a very high standard throughout the whole operation”.

The Didsbury family first bought the property in 1877. Guy is the fifth generation on Pirinoa Station. Guy came home to the family farm in 1997 and became manager in 2004. In 2009 he became majority shareholder.

The property is predominantly lamb finishing, with some breeding cows and trading and finishing cattle including Wagyu. There is also some cash and forage cropping.

Guy sees a large upside in First Light compared to the normal beef market. The decision to become part of First Light was predominately an economic decision and Guy sees more potential through the First Light system that traditional prime finishing.

Animal welfare is an integral part of everyday business on Pirinoa, and Guys says that this should be second nature to every farmer. All animals should be well fed and looked after in the best way possible. Provenance and Pirinoa go hand in hand. Guy believes that sustainability is also something very important on Pirinoa. The land should be left in a better condition that when we took it over for our future generations to use. He also sees economic sustainability as a critical part of the business. “We wouldn’t be doing it if it was not economically sustainable.”

“If Wagyu is not the healthiest beef in the world, what is?”

The Brownrigg Agriculture livestock business is built on the natural pasture production strengths of the group’s farming operations in Hawke’s Bay, covering 12 farm properties.

To complement these strengths and enable the year-round servicing of market partners, Brownrigg Agriculture coordinates supply from contracted share farmers and a wider select farmer group throughout the North Island.

All livestock produced for Brownrigg Agriculture programmes is farmed to exacting standards in terms of animal husbandry and traceability.

Throughout our livestock business we have a strong focus on the marketplace, and this has resulted in durable integrated market partnerships in each enterprise.

Pakihiroa Farms Limited – a subsidiary of the runanga – leases and manages Pakihiroa, the farm on Hikurangi maunga that is owned by the runanga for and on behalf of all Ngati Porou people. Pakihiroa Farms Ltd owns and manages Puanga, a farm on the outskirts of Gisborne that is run as a complementary farming operation to Pakihiroa.