Lone Star Farms, which was formed in 1996, is not a corporate farm in the classical sense, but a family farm run on corporate lines, currently comprising 10 properties throughout the South Island. Four of these properties are partially pastoral leasehold, five are freehold, and one is Puponga Farm Park at the base of Farewell Spit in NW Nelson, which is leased from the Department of Conservation. We are solely a sheep and beef cattle enterprise, with a geographic range which gives a good spread of climatic and market risk. Last winter we carried approximately 128,000 sheep and beef cattle stock units, and we are budgeted to increase next year to 140,000 su. There are nine Farm Managers and generally 20 other permanent farm staff. We have a Head Office, situated in Nelson, which, on the farming side of the business, consists of one Operations Co-ordinator and the equivalent of 2.5 administrative and clerical staff, giving a ratio of one farm staff member to 4600 su, and one support staff member to 40,000 su. The first consideration once we assume ownership of a property is to address subdivision, soil fertility, pasture species, and animal genetics, and once these are taken care of, we begin utilising our management strengths. In terms of Land, Labour, and Capital, it is the Labour component (i.e. managerial expertise regarding timing, decision-making and control) which will take us forward, once the basic building blocks of productivity are in place.
