Without farm inputs, one-fifth of the Wairarapa farm where scholarship winner Tegan Mitchell was raised would have been rendered ineffective after Cyclone Gabrielle hit.
Heading into winter, Kotu Station - a 1400 ha sheep and beef farm in the small rural community of Tinui east of Masterton - was looking “lush, green and promising,” says the Animal and Plant Health NZ agricultural scholarship recipient. “Overnight, the Whareama river rose higher than it has ever been known to, wiping out fences, washing away stock and burying the flats, woolshed, and yarding in a layer of silt and debris”.
“Having a surplus of feed one day and waking up the next with bare hills that had slipped right down to the parent rock was completely devastating”. Fortunately, agrichemicals can “turn a bad season, such as the one we have just experienced, into one that can still be productive and profitable”.
Climate change and an increase in freak weather events are also affecting crops. “Humidity provides the perfect growing conditions for weeds and pests which can damage yield and quality,” she says, adding that their use is “crucial for the sustainability of a farm and the livelihood of the farmer”.
The 20 year-old says that choosing to study a Bachelor of Agricultural Science at Massey University was “the best decision I ever made”. Now in her second year, Mitchell is interested in soil science and agronomy, and is keen to share her enthusiasm for the primary sector with the next generation. As the Massey Young Farmers Club second year chairperson, Mitchell visits schools to inspire kids to pursue a career in agriculture.
Mitchell is applying to go on an exchange to Wageningen University next year which is ranked #1 in the world for Agriculture. She then wants to complete postgraduate agricultural research papers or a master’s degree before returning to work in the Wairarapa. “I am super excited about the endless opportunities in the agricultural sector and can’t wait to see where it will take me,” she says. “There is so much more to agriculture than just farming”.
When she hasn’t got her head in a book, Mitchell can be found on the hockey field or volunteering for Wellmates – a Lincoln University programme that focuses on rural wellbeing - something that speaks to her having lost a childhood friend to suicide back in 2014.
Mitchell attributes her work ethic to growing up on the farm, where she helps with docking, weaning, dipping and shearing.
