Micheal Nicholl

Based in Waitahuna I started up my gorse spraying in 2018 mainly for famers throughout Otago and Southland form Rocklands station all the way to bluff and now also working for a forestry company (IFS) based in Invercargill.

Bought and owned 335ha in 2013 of broad ridges and steep gullies which was all planted in giant kale and grazed out when purchased. From there I turned approximately half back into pasture and the remainder went back into kale for grazing stock. I ran 700 dairy cows and 2000 fattening lambs for the winter. From there I reduced the cow numbers every year and brought in more younger dairy stock as we put in more grass and eventually had no cows and were grazing dairy calves and hfrs all year round. If the year allowed I would also graze hoggets but found they didn’t really fit the mould. Also traded a few lambs here and there for the first 3-4 years. I eventually sold out to trees in 2018 with my last year farming there in 2019 which kept the house and 20ha. Summer of 2018 is when I started up my business of gorse spraying.

This land had been brought back into pastoral use from trees by Craig Pine Timber based in Winton and I was employed as the farm manager. It was run as a cattle fattening block where all stock were bought and finished aiming to have everything killed before there 2nd winter. I had moved here in 2010 from managing Mt Lintons finishing block (motu) being told from the directors of Craigpine that the job was going to be of long term employment but was sold in 2012. Here I brought calves from local weaner fairs to be fattened and killed through Alliance. Managing all there required animal health and feed budgeting and reporting back to the directors at the monthly meeting and working with local contractors for feed supplements.