November 23, 2025 • 7 mins
Nigel Johnston is pleased he has found a new water source for his farm, although the depth that it took to find it is mind boggling.
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Speaker 1 (00:09):
Nigel Johnston farms at Mabel Bush and joins us on
the muster on this afternoon, which is oh, it's a
reasonably pleasant We're privately honest here and Gore anyway, Nigel,
good afternoon, Mabel Bush.
Speaker 2 (00:20):
How are conditions good?
Speaker 3 (00:23):
Thing? Andy? Wow, it's not quite haymaking weather, but we'll
definitely motion.
Speaker 2 (00:27):
Some grass, so it's better than what it was a
couple of weeks ago. It's fair to say.
Speaker 3 (00:32):
Yep, last three weeks have been magic. We have been
growing close to one hundred a day, so we've wrapped
up a fe bit of grass on the dairy farm
and from the people we buy Beiligion for wintering, so
by Friday we'll have probably two thirds about winter feed
purchased and made and stored on fans. It's a really
(00:52):
nice feeling to hear.
Speaker 2 (00:53):
Well, that's really good going.
Speaker 1 (00:54):
I'm hearing maxed reports around feed covers in south and
at the moment it's either a feast or a famine
both by the bull accounts.
Speaker 3 (01:02):
Yeah, it's certainly been a challenge and Excels. I knew
you'd ask, so I had a look through my records
that October was really quite problematic for us. It put
us in a position we were as I think last
time we were talking it was as lower cupboards as we
were running the previous season, and because things were so wet,
we didn't have all that surface flooding, but did some
(01:23):
real damage. Past your damage. It was rough on caws
and then all of a sudden the sun came out
and we're back in the game.
Speaker 2 (01:31):
So you're pretty much pumping with production then.
Speaker 3 (01:35):
Well as much as you do on once a day. Yeah. No,
there's no well breathing perk out production, but we're ahead
on a daily basis, monthly basis end for the season,
so it's looking like it could be a really good one.
Hopefully the summer looks after us.
Speaker 1 (01:52):
Yeah, sounds that way, And a little bit of a
correction is to be honest.
Speaker 2 (01:56):
Corrections and the.
Speaker 1 (01:56):
GDT over the past couple of months, be honest, and
the payout may be reduced a bit, But then nonetheless
it's still looking pretty deeper.
Speaker 3 (02:06):
Old business philosophy. As long as over six backs, life's
pretty sweet, so we've got a reasonable buffer in there.
Speaker 2 (02:12):
Thank you, pretty safety and idel Yeah, I think.
Speaker 3 (02:15):
We're sploading here is with the correction, but I know
internationally the things you read out of iways just had
a couple of Irish Exchange students day last week and
it's pretty duller some of the things that they're facing.
It's obviously the exchange rate helping us in the biggie
for us for the high debtloading is interest rates coming
down makes it messive difference to our bottom waw So.
Speaker 1 (02:38):
Under reason you bring Ireland into the equation, what's the
big issues there at the moment?
Speaker 3 (02:42):
Well, those were young girls that had come over and
don't exchange at Lincoln and succession planning was highest on
their priority. Price a land profitably of farming. But what
you read in the media is there's some real talk
putting pushing milk prices down. And what concerns me is
(03:04):
they're actually not talking like a really significant drop in
milk price, and it's really rattling the cage. I'd be
really concerned if it was our business.
Speaker 1 (03:14):
Did they have any commings at all regarding down meat
spying into the Alliance group.
Speaker 3 (03:18):
We didn't get into that one, but I'm actually starting
to feel really quite positive about it. That's yeah, the
meat schedules high, and it seems to have changed the
real the nature of the conversation around meat companies, it'd
be nice to have a strong, strong player, and they're
keeping the price up for farm.
Speaker 2 (03:37):
The big ones we had four and a half weeks
ago there at Mabel Bush. How did you fear personally?
Speaker 3 (03:43):
On quite good. We lost a couple of trees, lost
a bit of clear light off the cow shed. Unfortunately
it was directly over the switchboard. You know, every time
there's a problem, it seems to multiply. But we were
set up when we bought the rotary cowshed. I was
always if we had a power cup, how would we
get count off the platform? So we've set up with
(04:04):
a generator and so milking times were consistent for us,
and from honest about it, Selkund actually went down and
production went up. We are and we are in pig lactation,
so that side of it was really good. It definitely
brought the community together. So we found the generator out
around a few other our neighbors and brings down the
(04:27):
road to help them get through. There's certainly some streets
in the community and it was not to be able
to be there and help right.
Speaker 1 (04:35):
So last time we spoke to you, you were looking
for water on the ground, new bores and the lights.
Speaker 2 (04:40):
How did you end up?
Speaker 3 (04:42):
Got some messive and voices hiading my way. But we've
got a good supply of water, so I'm very happy
about that. Yeah, I think last time we were talking
might have been that I was hoping to get water
at less than one hundred meters. Last time I was talking,
we were about one hundred and eighty and it was
looking dubious. At two hundred and four whit water, I'm
very happy.
Speaker 2 (05:01):
No, there's better than two hundred and five. I suppose, Well, we.
Speaker 3 (05:06):
Actually kept drilling to two fifty five and we haven't.
We haven't found some decent gravel. So I think if
we just pump it slowly, we won't stuck too much.
To end up and it's there's that much water, I
think it's going to really right side our business. I'm
looking forward to going on summer holiday and not even
thinking about that.
Speaker 2 (05:24):
Absolutely, that's a long way to go to find water.
Speaker 3 (05:27):
At the same time, start asking the question. Lots of
people have had to do it go deep, and it's yes,
and it comes with its own challenges. We're just trying
to work out how to pump it most effectively, the
water table actually came back up to forty five meters,
so we were very lucky there. So we're yeah, trust
(05:49):
world problems. How we get there on the ground now, Yeah,
it is.
Speaker 1 (05:52):
But you took like I say, those numbers are well
their mind bothering almost how far down the under the
water under the ground as such, having to go nie'll jeepers.
Speaker 3 (06:01):
Yeah, in context, it's an eighty thousand dollars hole. So
I'm pleased that actually had water in the bottom of it,
because that's the other thing is it may not have
when we got down that Pharon, that wouldn't have been
good for my personality.
Speaker 1 (06:15):
Well, you would have been pretty nervous. You'll be like
out on the bearing sea hoping the crabs coming up
in the pots.
Speaker 3 (06:20):
That is career.
Speaker 1 (06:21):
It's a coin of phrase as such. So but like
you say, it's just about infrastructure and just solidifying things
for the summer, because we all know what the seasons
can be like.
Speaker 3 (06:30):
Right, And I think it protects the capital value of
the business as well. If we were ever to put
her on the market, it'd be nice to hand on
heart say she's all set ready to go, And it
certainly feels like that now.
Speaker 2 (06:43):
So what was your water systems like prior to this?
Speaker 3 (06:46):
Good but lacking in capacity, so we had to pump
our ball very slowly. So we had enough wader on
a daily basis, but if we had a water leak
it could take three or four days for everything to
catch back up again. In that just unnecessary streets. On
the other found tea. Yeah, this would be quite nice
(07:06):
to be able to fix problems quickly.
Speaker 1 (07:08):
Absolutely, and there's nothing to stress about when you've got
a bit of a mild Monday afternoon to contemplate. Nigel Johnston.
Always appreciate your time on the muster. You enjoy the afternoon.
Nigel Johnston of Mabel Bush. He found water having to
go feel underground, but got to do what you've got
to do. I suppose right up next Simon Hotcraft on
(07:30):
behalf of Southland Rural Support Trust
Nigel Johnston farms at Mabel Bush and joins us on
the muster on this afternoon, which is oh, it's a
reasonably pleasant We're privately honest here and Gore anyway, Nigel,
good afternoon, Mabel Bush.
Speaker 2 (00:20):
How are conditions good?
Speaker 3 (00:23):
Thing? Andy? Wow, it's not quite haymaking weather, but we'll
definitely motion.
Speaker 2 (00:27):
Some grass, so it's better than what it was a
couple of weeks ago. It's fair to say.
Speaker 3 (00:32):
Yep, last three weeks have been magic. We have been
growing close to one hundred a day, so we've wrapped
up a fe bit of grass on the dairy farm
and from the people we buy Beiligion for wintering, so
by Friday we'll have probably two thirds about winter feed
purchased and made and stored on fans. It's a really
(00:52):
nice feeling to hear.
Speaker 2 (00:53):
Well, that's really good going.
Speaker 1 (00:54):
I'm hearing maxed reports around feed covers in south and
at the moment it's either a feast or a famine
both by the bull accounts.
Speaker 3 (01:02):
Yeah, it's certainly been a challenge and Excels. I knew
you'd ask, so I had a look through my records
that October was really quite problematic for us. It put
us in a position we were as I think last
time we were talking it was as lower cupboards as we
were running the previous season, and because things were so wet,
we didn't have all that surface flooding, but did some
(01:23):
real damage. Past your damage. It was rough on caws
and then all of a sudden the sun came out
and we're back in the game.
Speaker 2 (01:31):
So you're pretty much pumping with production then.
Speaker 3 (01:35):
Well as much as you do on once a day. Yeah. No,
there's no well breathing perk out production, but we're ahead
on a daily basis, monthly basis end for the season,
so it's looking like it could be a really good one.
Hopefully the summer looks after us.
Speaker 1 (01:52):
Yeah, sounds that way, And a little bit of a
correction is to be honest.
Speaker 2 (01:56):
Corrections and the.
Speaker 1 (01:56):
GDT over the past couple of months, be honest, and
the payout may be reduced a bit, But then nonetheless
it's still looking pretty deeper.
Speaker 3 (02:06):
Old business philosophy. As long as over six backs, life's
pretty sweet, so we've got a reasonable buffer in there.
Speaker 2 (02:12):
Thank you, pretty safety and idel Yeah, I think.
Speaker 3 (02:15):
We're sploading here is with the correction, but I know
internationally the things you read out of iways just had
a couple of Irish Exchange students day last week and
it's pretty duller some of the things that they're facing.
It's obviously the exchange rate helping us in the biggie
for us for the high debtloading is interest rates coming
down makes it messive difference to our bottom waw So.
Speaker 1 (02:38):
Under reason you bring Ireland into the equation, what's the
big issues there at the moment?
Speaker 3 (02:42):
Well, those were young girls that had come over and
don't exchange at Lincoln and succession planning was highest on
their priority. Price a land profitably of farming. But what
you read in the media is there's some real talk
putting pushing milk prices down. And what concerns me is
(03:04):
they're actually not talking like a really significant drop in
milk price, and it's really rattling the cage. I'd be
really concerned if it was our business.
Speaker 1 (03:14):
Did they have any commings at all regarding down meat
spying into the Alliance group.
Speaker 3 (03:18):
We didn't get into that one, but I'm actually starting
to feel really quite positive about it. That's yeah, the
meat schedules high, and it seems to have changed the
real the nature of the conversation around meat companies, it'd
be nice to have a strong, strong player, and they're
keeping the price up for farm.
Speaker 2 (03:37):
The big ones we had four and a half weeks
ago there at Mabel Bush. How did you fear personally?
Speaker 3 (03:43):
On quite good. We lost a couple of trees, lost
a bit of clear light off the cow shed. Unfortunately
it was directly over the switchboard. You know, every time
there's a problem, it seems to multiply. But we were
set up when we bought the rotary cowshed. I was
always if we had a power cup, how would we
get count off the platform? So we've set up with
(04:04):
a generator and so milking times were consistent for us,
and from honest about it, Selkund actually went down and
production went up. We are and we are in pig lactation,
so that side of it was really good. It definitely
brought the community together. So we found the generator out
around a few other our neighbors and brings down the
(04:27):
road to help them get through. There's certainly some streets
in the community and it was not to be able
to be there and help right.
Speaker 1 (04:35):
So last time we spoke to you, you were looking
for water on the ground, new bores and the lights.
Speaker 2 (04:40):
How did you end up?
Speaker 3 (04:42):
Got some messive and voices hiading my way. But we've
got a good supply of water, so I'm very happy
about that. Yeah, I think last time we were talking
might have been that I was hoping to get water
at less than one hundred meters. Last time I was talking,
we were about one hundred and eighty and it was
looking dubious. At two hundred and four whit water, I'm
very happy.
Speaker 2 (05:01):
No, there's better than two hundred and five. I suppose, Well, we.
Speaker 3 (05:06):
Actually kept drilling to two fifty five and we haven't.
We haven't found some decent gravel. So I think if
we just pump it slowly, we won't stuck too much.
To end up and it's there's that much water, I
think it's going to really right side our business. I'm
looking forward to going on summer holiday and not even
thinking about that.
Speaker 2 (05:24):
Absolutely, that's a long way to go to find water.
Speaker 3 (05:27):
At the same time, start asking the question. Lots of
people have had to do it go deep, and it's yes,
and it comes with its own challenges. We're just trying
to work out how to pump it most effectively, the
water table actually came back up to forty five meters,
so we were very lucky there. So we're yeah, trust
(05:49):
world problems. How we get there on the ground now, Yeah,
it is.
Speaker 1 (05:52):
But you took like I say, those numbers are well
their mind bothering almost how far down the under the
water under the ground as such, having to go nie'll jeepers.
Speaker 3 (06:01):
Yeah, in context, it's an eighty thousand dollars hole. So
I'm pleased that actually had water in the bottom of it,
because that's the other thing is it may not have
when we got down that Pharon, that wouldn't have been
good for my personality.
Speaker 1 (06:15):
Well, you would have been pretty nervous. You'll be like
out on the bearing sea hoping the crabs coming up
in the pots.
Speaker 3 (06:20):
That is career.
Speaker 1 (06:21):
It's a coin of phrase as such. So but like
you say, it's just about infrastructure and just solidifying things
for the summer, because we all know what the seasons
can be like.
Speaker 3 (06:30):
Right, And I think it protects the capital value of
the business as well. If we were ever to put
her on the market, it'd be nice to hand on
heart say she's all set ready to go, And it
certainly feels like that now.
Speaker 2 (06:43):
So what was your water systems like prior to this?
Speaker 3 (06:46):
Good but lacking in capacity, so we had to pump
our ball very slowly. So we had enough wader on
a daily basis, but if we had a water leak
it could take three or four days for everything to
catch back up again. In that just unnecessary streets. On
the other found tea. Yeah, this would be quite nice
(07:06):
to be able to fix problems quickly.
Speaker 1 (07:08):
Absolutely, and there's nothing to stress about when you've got
a bit of a mild Monday afternoon to contemplate. Nigel Johnston.
Always appreciate your time on the muster. You enjoy the afternoon.
Nigel Johnston of Mabel Bush. He found water having to
go feel underground, but got to do what you've got
to do. I suppose right up next Simon Hotcraft on
(07:30):
behalf of Southland Rural Support Trust
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