Green hues advancing in high country

Dave Ellis

That was the comment of High Country Accord chairman Jonathan Wallis, after viewing the result of irrigation development on Tara Hills at Omarama.

The contrast between the green, irrigated flats of the property and the surrounding brown hills was vivid.

The 3400ha station, best known as a research property, was bought by Dave Ellis two years ago.

As he has dairy farm operations in the Rangitata and Waimate areas and milks 1500 cows at Omarama, he needed support ground for young stock and rising 2-year-old heifers.

Land around Canterbury was too expensive and he chose to invest in the Omarama area.

Originally, there was 170ha with border-dyke irrigation and the previous owners, the Patterson family, had put in two pivot irrigators.

He decided to take the border-dykes out, apply for consent to extend the irrigation, and now had 600ha under pivot irrigation.

On the flat, there were now 2000 rising 1-year-olds, and 1500 rising 2-year-old heifers, with 3000 merino sheep on the hill.

He was drawn to the Omarama area after seeing what pioneering dairy farmer Doug McIntyre was doing on his property, between Omarama and Twizel.

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Green hues advancing in high country