‘Friendly’ rivalry for island siblings

The respective herds of siblings whose family have been farming on a South Otago island for more than a century were crowned the cream of crop in a local heifer competition.

Five generations of the Morrison family have been farming on the Inch Clutha since 1909.

Inch Clutha is a flat island, about 10km long and 3km wide, sitting in the delta between the northern and southern branches of the Clutha River, downstream from Balclutha.

The Morrison family own three self-contained dairy farms, including on the island — Kemra Farm, Haswell Farm and Kilfinan.

Siblings Brendan and Megan Morrison entered cattle from their respective farms, Kemra Farm and Haswell Farm, in the annual Tokomairiro, Otago-Taieri and South Otago A&P Dairy Heifer Competition.

Kemra Farms won the calves section for a herd of fewer than 100 and placed third in the in-calf heifers section for a herd of fewer than 100.

Haswell Farm won the in-calf heifer section for herds fewer than 100 and placed third in the calves section for herds of more than 100.

Kemra Farms co-owner Brendan Morrison said there was no sibling rivalry and he was pleased they shared the spoils.

"We took the calves out and she took the heifers out."

Kemra Farms was once used to run sheep and grow potatoes, including the development of the Red King variety, until the conversion to dairy in the early 1990s.

He knew from an early age he wanted to be a dairy farmer.

As a child, people often joked he was the "shadow" of his father Stewart.

The past summer was the driest in his father’s living memory, Mr Morrison said.

Farms on Inch Clutha handled dry condition better than some other parts of South Otago due to its soil type.

Ms Morrison said she was "stoked" with winning her category because the herd was "my first little offspring" since moving home to manage Haswell Farm about two years ago.

Beating her brother in the in-calf heifer section was a "bonus".

"It’s always good to have a bit of friendly competition."

She had worked on dairy farms in Canterbury and Central Otago and preferred working on Inch Clutha, where irrigation was not required.

"It’s quite nice not having to spend all day shifting K-Line or deal with Roto Rainers or pivots — it gives you more time in your day to get other stuff done."

She enjoyed the simplicity of the farm system at Haswell Farm.

"Everything is grass fed — it’s not a high-input farm."

The winning herds from both farms were judged again for the Southern Districts competition and Kemra Farm placed second and Haswell Farm fourth in their respective categories.

shawn.mcavinue@alliedpress.co.nz