Wairarapa farmers Leo and Rebecca Vollebregt are the supreme winners of the Greater Wellington Ballance Farm Environment Awards.
Wairarapa dairy farmers Leo and Rebecca Vollebregt Photo: Supplied
The couple run 580 cows on an almost 300 hectare farm south east of Featherston.
Judges describe the farm as efficient, well-structured and impeccably tidy, with a profitability that puts the business in the top tier of the industry.
Seven years ago the pair decided to only milk once a day and while cow production has dropped slightly, per hectare production has risen.
The Judges said the farm was achieving top production at a lower cost, had a very good grass growth rate and the family had excellent knowledge of soil types and requirements.
Pockets of native bush have been fenced to regenerate, and a lagoon next to one bush area is also fenced. Riverbanks were fenced and planted 14 years ago.
Judges also noted the farm's excellent infrastructure, weed and effluent management, and pasture renewal.