Meet Mark Lawrence, a farmer from Otago with a commitment to sustainable agriculture and a proactive approach to farm management. Mark operates a 145ha family farm in Oamaru, a property that has been in his family for 105 years.
The farm features Timaru and Totara Tar soils, enhanced by irrigation to manage pasture growth in a climate with an average rainfall of 24 inches. Mark avoids synthetic nitrogen, promoting natural fixation through clover. His grazing program includes set stocking during the summer and rotational strip grazing in winter.
Mark and his wife, Sue, live on the farm where the original homestay was, with their daughter Hayley and her partner Connor residing nearby. Another daughter, Kate, works as a teacher in Christchurch. Mark's father, even in his 90s, remains connected to the farm, and other family members frequently visit. Beyond the farm, Mark enjoys fishing and rugby, and is active in the community with the A&P Association, club Rugby, and Maheno School.
Mark has previously employed strategies such as topping, spray-out to summer crop, and the use of Versatill®, MCPA and MCPB, and Baton to manage thistles.
Mark hopes the pilot program will help him achieve tidy paddocks, with effective control of the worsening Cali thistle issue. Corteva Agriscience New Zealand supports farmers like Mark by offering innovative solutions and expertise to help overcome agricultural challenges and promote sustainable land health.
These photos show the high density of Cali thistles in the pasture. Because the thistles were all at a mix of sizes Mark has topped the paddock to get them all at a consistent size in order to hit them all at hardball stage, this is often used as part of the program as the first defense, as topping them will exhaust some of the sugars from the root system prior to application of Tordon PastureBoss.
For expert advice on Californian Thistle control or help tailoring this programme to your farm talk to your Corteva Agriscience Territory Manager or your local PGG Wrightson Technical Representative.
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