Webster Group Animal Feeds

For nearly 40 years the Mitchell and Webster families of North Otago have combined arable farming operations, the growing of specialist grain crops and the manufacture and wholesaling of Topflite bird seed and small animal feed, which satisfies a major part of the domestic market. Topflite is the largest domestic producer of bird seed, competing mainly against imported products.

The Mitchell Webster Group encapsulates two businesses Topflite Ltd. and Mitchell and Webster Ltd, the farming operation that specialises in the production of sunflower and canary seed, along with a range of other crops including feed wheat, barley, ryegrass, hybrid rape, potatoes, lucerne, fodder beet and maize and grass silage. Ross Mitchell and Jock Webster, from two long-established North Otago farming families, began farming together in 1972. Among their early crops were sunflowers, initially grown for oil and then for birdseed from 1975. Formed as part of a diversification strategy, Topflite now sells around 1600 tonnes of birdseed mixes and associated products annually in New Zealand, with occasional exports. The headquarters of the business is at "Rosedale", an historic Mitchell family home on 400ha at Weston, near Oamaru. The family cropping farming operations date back to the 1870's, on rich limestone soils and these have been transformed in the past decade by irrigation in the Waiareka Valley, using water from the Waitaki River.

The Mitchell Webster Group was the Supreme Award winner of the Otago 2013 Ballance Farm Environment Awards and won the Hill Laboratories Harvest Award, the Massey University Discovery Award and the Ballance Agri-Nutrients: Nutrient Management Award. Representing Mitchell Webster Group were Jock Webster, his son Nick and Peter Mitchell, son of the group founder Rex Mitchell. Nick and Peter now run the farming company, as did Rex and Jock, who worked in partnership from 1972. Jock, Peter and Nick are directors of both companies and an independent advisor is involved on each board.

Jock Webster manages the Topflite operation. He is also a former chairman of the North Otago Irrigation Company, which has operated an irrigation scheme in the Waiareka Valley since 2006.

The BFEA judges were impressed with the groups remarkable in-business practice, clear lines of communication and demarcation of roles through the development of a formal business structure, maintaining a strong business partnership between the two families.

The company philosophy is:

• A family operation working together as a team.

• To focus on ensuring an effective, efficient and profitable farming and wholesale operation, never forgetting the community and environment.

• To develop strong relationships with advisors, merchants and end users.

Mitchell and Webster Ltd farms nearly 1400ha in North Otago, half of which is owned and most of which is irrigated, and the other half sharefarmed or leased. This side of the business has 5 full-time farm employees, one office worker plus Peter Mitchell and Nick Webster as directors and up to 40 people employed at the cropping peak season. Mitchell and Webster practise a long-term sustainable cropping regime through research and crop trials, wise rotations and agri-chemical use; and comprehensive recording and monitoring. Some areas have been cropped every year for 50 years, which can only be done by monitoring and recording of inputs and outputs and careful management of water and soil resource, according to the BFEA judges. Along with all the sunflower and canary grass (Phalaris canariensis) seed grown for Topflite, the cropping operations include feed wheat, barley, ryegrass, lucerne, hybrid rape, potatoes, fodder beet and maize and grass silage. The lucerne, rape, fodder beet and silage crops are grown for the expanding demand from the dairy industry in the region.

A range of irrigation delivery systems are employed using Waitaki River water delivered through the North Otago Irrigation Company, including K-lines and centre pivots. Irrigation is used on wheat, barley, ryegrass, oilseed rape and radish (a new crop this year). The sunflowers and canary grass are usually left un-irrigated.

Responsibilities are divided. Peter looks after crop growing, fertiliser, machinery replacement and repairs; and Nick looks after the work force of five, plus one in the office, the irrigation and the wintering of cows.

Mitchell and Webster has tractors, self-propelled sprayers, cultivation machinery, seed drills and one combine harvester with a 7.5m front.

The company does not follow fixed crop rotations. Peter and Nick have different rotations for the irrigated area versus non-irrigated. They try to alternate autumn and spring sowing for weed control and chemical resistance. They minimise burning and maximise long-term returns. A rotation under irrigation example would be barley to grass seed to maize and then wheat. Without irrigation a typical example would be wheat, wheat, canary seed, fodder beet, canary and then sunflower.

They rely on GPS technology for precision agriculture self-steering tractors, guidance of fertiliser spreaders and sprayers, reduction in overlap, tramlines in crops at 24m intervals, minimum till and direct drilling, PAM ultracrop and mapping software, including all boundaries, pipes, drains and irrigation lines, and to provide compliance records.

Since 1975, Topflite has been dedicated to providing bird lovers with premium bird seeds that are nutritionally complete and a well-balanced source of proteins, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, and minerals. Its goal is to provide the highest quality bird seeds at competitive prices. Topflite supplies retailers, wholesalers and bird clubs, and products are delivered nation-wide from an on-line ordering service at a reasonable freight cost. The products are processed and mixed at the Weston site using machinery adapted for the purpose. Topflite birdseed is renowned for being dust-free and products are designed for caged birds and wild birds, with a range of feeders available. Topflite also makes and sells small animal feeds for rabbits, guinea pigs, rats and mice, cats and dogs and flax seed products for all small animals.

The company grew from a desire to diversify income during the very difficult years for farming in the 1980's. and now sells around 1600 tonnes of birdseed mixes and associated products annually in Australasia.

Topflite employs 13 people at the Rosedale headquarters, where it has enough storage to handle all of the Mitchell and Webster grain and seed production, and a range of seed dressing machinery. Processing for Topflite consists of dressing, mixing, incorporating in "treats" for birds and then packaging and despatching. Some ingredients for the treats are brought in, but Topflite uses 80% of its own home-grown seeds and grains for the total output, in packaging ranging from 300g upwards.

Jock Webster says the domestic bird seed market changes with requirements for new mixes and treat forms, but it is not growing overall. More demand for poultry feeds has been a recent feature, as has an increased interest in feeding wild birds. Topflite supplies 95% of New Zealand pet shops and a number of grain and seed merchants. It manufactures "treats" and imports and re-sells wild bird energy products.