A natural farming method used in Korea is spicing up the soil at Ellis Creek Farm in Golden Bay.
Sustainability, animal welfare and forging a connection between producer and consumer are at the core of how things are done on the farm situated near Abel Tasman National Park.
The off-grid property grows, processes and sells Angus beef, lamb and farm produce direct to the public.
Managed by Rose and Andy Williams with support from Rose’s brother, Jonathan Thorpe, the family have been farming the fertile land since 1937.
Initially, Rose and Jonathan’s grandfather farmed dairy cows, then their parents went more into sheep farming.
“When Rose and Andy took over they wanted to go more with the lowline Angus and we decided to establish the Ellis Creek Farm brand, as a way of seeking to maintain the farm and keep it in the family,” Jonathan said.
The animals feed on a salad bowl of regenerative pasture mixes and Rose is working on further improving the nutrients in the sward (an area of land covered with grass).
She’s using the Korean Natural Farming system, which takes advantage of microorganisms already in the soil in order to enrich the land.
Rose was inspired by Tom Stack, a farmer who has taken it up on his dairy farm in Ireland and is really sold on it.
“You go out into your environment and find a wild place where the soil is very rich with fungi and microorganisms and you collect them, then you increase the volume of them and then you take that back out on to your paddocks.”
The historic property that once was home to the South Island’s first winery has been completely off-grid for years.
An old pelton wheel generates electricity from Ellis Creek, which flows briskly through the middle of the farm.
In a yard across the track from the hydro scheme, is a newly installed micro-abattoir where the farm’s cattle and sheep are killed.
The focus is to make the experience as stress and adrenaline-free for the animals as possible.
The sheep graze happily on the late spring grass.
“We care for them and to put them on a truck and have the stress of travelling hours to get to an abattoir, we really didn’t want to continue on in that way,” Jonathan said.
Every week, Georgie Moleta, a butcher and home-kill specialist, processes the Ellis Creek meat at her butchery down the road on her parents’ farm.
“I really like the paddock-to-plate style so that’s why I like to do the whole lot,” she said.
Most of the Ellis Creek Farm produce is sold at local farmers’ markets and online via the farm’s website.
“When we know what sizes we’ve got I’ll send out an email, so our customers will know the meat’s on our webpage and then they get in to try and get all the bits that they love the best,” Rose said.
An on-farm retail shop for selling the meat, eggs and avocados that are also grown on-farm is also in the pipeline.
Rose’s long-term goal for Ellis Creek Farm is to have a business structure that allows for more ventures to be built on top.
She wants the next generation who want to live on the farm, to come along and say:
“All right, well I’d actually like to use the skins from the animals and get into leather, or I would like to use the fat and make skin creams, or I’d like to bring in bees and make honey.
“You know, if we can build a foundation that is successful, then there’s more ability for other people to come in and be a part of the community.”
