The key to successful farm management, Stu Jamieson says, is to "surround yourself with good people".
Stu and Sarah Jamieson, along with their two young sons, Hamish and Charlie, manage Lake McKay Station — a 6000ha (3000ha effective) mid–to–high country farm located on the outskirts of Luggate in Central Otago.
The couple were nominated for Year of the Farmer for their contribution to the community in the environmental space.
"They have done a lot of work with Wai Wānaka and are very proactive with enhancing the biodiversity on Lake McKay. Sarah also gives a lot back to the farming community by doing work with Beef + Lamb New Zealand and Otago Catchments Community at governance level," the nomination said.
Stu grew up farming in the Maniototo and had a "high country mustering dream". He didn’t attend university, instead choosing to work his way up through the ranks on farms, taking his lessons from the "university of life." He is also a qualified tree feller and worked for a time in a logging gang before going back farming.
Stu credits his previous stock management role at Caberfeidh Station in the Hakataramea Valley as a pivotal time of career progression where he was given the opportunity to grow his management skills, particularly around feed budgeting and production management.
"In an intense farming system, you gain new skills very quickly and it’s good to be in that mindset that if you don’t measure something, how can you manage it," he said.
Stu and Sarah have been passionate about maintaining and enhancing the biodiversity around Lake McKay. They have done large scale planting projects with locally-sourced natives, fenced off gullies with rabbit proof fencing and they undertake water testing every three months.
Stu said that, being located close to Wānaka Airport, the entire property is highly visible from the air and the local swimming hole in the Luggate Stream is located immediately on the outside boundary of the farm.
"It’s our responsibility to ensure that swimming hole is 100% safe to swim in for our local community," Sarah said.
A qualified vet nurse, Sarah got into governance while living in the Hakataramea. She was invited to go on the local medical centre board and from there her skills grew. She undertook the Understanding Your Farming Business course through the Agri Women’s Development Trust and over the years she has grasped opportunities to become involved in community organisations which help enhance the area and make positive change.
She is now a farmer councillor and a member of the Environment Reference Group for Beef + Lamb NZ, is on the Otago Catchment governance committee, a farmer lead of the Luggate Catchment Group, an accredited Red Meat Profit Partnership facilitator and worked with WAI Wānaka in the Upper Clutha. She also works around 30 hours a week in the facilitation and project management space for Wānaka-based McElrea Consulting.
Sarah enjoys her work interests and the knowledge it brings to their own farming practice.
"There can sometimes be the odd debate about the why and how, but Stu is very much on board with ensuring we are ahead of the game and staying abreast of all the compliance requirements. There is a huge amount of trust in us to look after this massive asset for the owners," she said.
Looking ahead, Stu enjoys the fine wool industry and wants to stick with the half-bred sector. He also has a keen interest in cattle genetics and helping other farmers better understand the Estimated Breeding Value (EBV) system.
"I would love to be able to combine those two passions at some point in my career," he said.
— Alice Scott
