Mike Porter @mikeonthehills Twitter profile

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Mike Porter

5 years

Watch “On Farm Story | Mike Porter, Lyalldale” on #Vimeo This went better than I thought it would.Thanks Ash @FarmersWeeklyNZ & @GordySmith5 for the opportunity to tell our #onfarmstory You guys are legends!

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Mike Porter

@mikeonthehills

3 months

One of my favourite views of our farm, made sweeter knowing that my family is now finally paid off,so we own it

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Mike Porter

@mikeonthehills

2 years

Just waiting for that drone above the garage to get a little closer…

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Mike Porter

@mikeonthehills

2 years

Keeping busy harvesting wheat on the dry land hills of South Canterbury,New Zealand. Some of our steeper country. The harvester needs long legs to do this hill. Making a great job of spreading the straw!

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Mike Porter

@mikeonthehills

3 years

My son’s partner’s nephew. Town kid,7 years old,unstable family life. Tells me his dream job is to be a farmer. What do you do? Give him a chance to drive the combine of course! The smile says it all. John Deere,keeping kids farming dreams alive since 1837

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Mike Porter

@mikeonthehills

3 years

The earths soil contains 3x as much carbon as there is in all the above ground plant biomass on earth combined. The future is in soil health,not pine trees. 100% soil cover 100% of the time. Sequester carbon through living roots

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Mike Porter

@mikeonthehills

3 years

Perfect weather to start our harvest. Pushed oilseed rape on the hills of South Canterbury, New Zealand

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Mike Porter

@mikeonthehills

7 years

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Mike Porter

@mikeonthehills

9 months

Farm succession is just a bastard. That is all 😔

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Mike Porter

@mikeonthehills

5 years

My 21 species cover crop is going flat out in a very dry start to the year. Sunflowers attracting more bumblebees than I’ve ever seen in one place. Where the hell would I be without this green soil friendly oasis?

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Mike Porter

@mikeonthehills

6 years

If only there was a textile/insulation product that’s natural,renewable,biodegradable,easy to dye to any colour,warm when wet,fire retardant,benefits sheep comfort when removed,& doesn’t sacrifice the animals life to harvest...oh wait,there is. Wool!!

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Mike Porter

@mikeonthehills

2 years

Update. My next door neighbour had all the gates stolen off a farm fence he just recently replaced.The theft happened on Sunday night,24 hours after this drone flew over our district....

Mike Porter

@mikeonthehills

2 years

Just waiting for that drone above the garage to get a little closer…

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Mike Porter

@mikeonthehills

11 months

Watch this and learn. When you understand this perfect explanation of the carbon cycle, you’ll understand my frustration and utter contempt for politicians and climate activists

Charles Goadby

@thisfarmlife

11 months

This 👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻. 1000%

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Mike Porter

@mikeonthehills

5 years

Oilseed rape harvest finally done. Pushing,yes or no?Cons;Very hard on the combine,huge fuel usage & $5k+ on repairs/mods.Very slow (3-3.5km/h) & frustrating.Pros;best yields I’ve ever grown with 4.8-5.3t/ha yields (usually 4-4.2t/ha.Will try again next year with a few changes👍

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Mike Porter

@mikeonthehills

2 years

This is one of my favourite views of the farm this year. This view is nothing but good crops. Makes life quite tolerable….🙂 oilseed rape,ryegrass, beans,wheat,peas,sunflower,linseed & barley all visible. Vetch & radish out of view.

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Mike Porter

@mikeonthehills

1 year

I have never,ever seen a soil penetrometer sink down as easily as this! Brendon Patersons canola crop at Marrar,NSW

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Mike Porter

@mikeonthehills

1 year

Every so often I get the comment “but you’re going to have to cultivate at some point to deal with compaction.” Here’s my response. This is a ryegrass seed crop in a paddock that hasn’t been cultivated since 1998. Prone is 600mm (24”) long

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Mike Porter

@mikeonthehills

3 years

Drilling vetch into full wheat residue. Not so long ago I considered wheat residue as a problem that needed to be burnt,buried or baled. Oh how far we’ve come! Behold the perfect seedbed.100% soil cover,a microbe food source & weed suppression. Winning!

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Mike Porter

@mikeonthehills

8 months

On a very windy day in a very dry season. No tillage versus tillage. You be the judge!

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Mike Porter

@mikeonthehills

5 years

FFS. I thought 500 pigeons on my peas was a bastard

𝙎𝙇𝙀 𝘼𝙂𝙍𝙊 🇧🇷

@StaLuziaEsteio

5 years

The boar plague #agro #brazil 🇧🇷

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Mike Porter

@mikeonthehills

4 years

An unusual view of the 8400! Engine out to replace every gasket on it.Sick of the oil leaks& at 10,500 hours it’s earned a bit of TLC

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Mike Porter

@mikeonthehills

2 years

@BlisterHC Our farm is 1200 acres, shotgun, into the air, is absolutely safe. *What is the male equivalent of a Karen I wonder?

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Mike Porter

@mikeonthehills

3 years

Today’s job. My fuel supplier has told me that due to staff shortages they can’t deliver fuel until at least the 28th. 8 loads from our nearest truck stop will get us to weeks end. The country really has gone to hell. Thanks Ardern!

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Mike Porter

@mikeonthehills

2 years

2 different farming styles,both ex wheat. Left=ours. 25 yrs no-till +residue retained & 8-way cover crop.R=neighbour. Ready to burn residue & cultivate for next crop. Neighbours system is regarded as best management practice in this area,regardless of contour. 🤔

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Mike Porter

@mikeonthehills

2 years

Into the autumn barley. Yields are frighteningly good. There’s money in them thar hills!

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Mike Porter

@mikeonthehills

9 months

2024 harvest well underway. Yesterday was finishing the flat land oilseed rape. Today weather permitting we will get into the ryegrass

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Mike Porter

@mikeonthehills

4 years

Every year I write a small passage at the back of my diary describing‘life’s Ag lesson’ for that year. Past lessons include “If you can’t close the slots,get out of the paddock” & “Hardware before software”,in reference to GPS. Here’s 2020.Happy New Year everyone!

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Mike Porter

@mikeonthehills

7 years

This is what makes me Angry. Hippy snowflakes don't protest against capitalism on an empty stomach

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Mike Porter

@mikeonthehills

5 years

Just the right combination of sunlight, humidity & temperature has caused the linseed to put on a spectacular show of blue flowers today. Long may it continue!

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Mike Porter

@mikeonthehills

2 years

One of my favourite jobs,post harvest drilling of multi species cover crops. Feeding the soil,feeding the livestock,100% soil cover 100% of the time. This is what farming in New Zealand should look like!

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Mike Porter

@mikeonthehills

4 years

I love drilling in summer. Cover crop to fill the gap between winter barley & a ryegrass seed crop. Cover crop is buckwheat,vetch,oats,crimson clover,peas,sunflower & phacelia.

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Mike Porter

@mikeonthehills

3 years

Is it too soon after the flood to talk about how we farm slopes? This is just one of my neighbours paddocks nursing the absolute devastation of another ‘one off’ rainstorm. This is 100% preventable. When will we finally say ‘enough!’ 😔😔😢😢

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Mike Porter

@mikeonthehills

3 years

The downside of being part of the #groundswell protest it’s hard to get a view of the size of it. There are 4 meeting points for Timaru all merging together. 25 mins of movement & I’ve nearly reached our meeting point. Thousands of vehicles!

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Mike Porter

@mikeonthehills

5 years

I’ve decided I hate bare soil so I’m not planting kale in here for a 2nd year. Instead,this complex multi species grazing crop that will be 1/3 grazed.1/3 trampled,1/3 residual th harvest sunlight. Exciting stuff!

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Mike Porter

@mikeonthehills

7 years

Our app says 31deg.Fert bag on crane 2 keep drill in the ground.Ex kale drilling into kale then sown down.Very hard & dry

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Mike Porter

@mikeonthehills

2 years

Black gold. Harvesting the common vetch today and it’s a good crop

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Mike Porter

@mikeonthehills

4 years

As the price paid to farmers drops below the true cost of production, this gift from the farmer to the consumer has forced farmers to externalise one of the biggest costs of food production, namely the cost to the environment,which now carries the true cost of production.

Human Progress

@HumanProgress

4 years

Since 1950, the cost of food has been declining as a share of the U.S. disposable income, thus increasing food security and freeing U.S. families to use the money saved on other things. Explore the data here:

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Mike Porter

@mikeonthehills

8 months

Second last wheat paddock for this year. The end is nigh!

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Mike Porter

@mikeonthehills

2 years

Finally, plant based mashed potato. Which begs the question....what have I been eating for all these years?

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Mike Porter

@mikeonthehills

5 years

Remember that’76 Holden Ute that my son was building? Here it is. Running,stripped & ready for paint,exhausts go on tonight. Sounds a bit raw out of the headers.350 Chev + 400 trans,MSD ignition & Edelbrock induction.

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Mike Porter

@mikeonthehills

3 years

He idolises my son Sam who’s a JD mechanic. Sam gave him a 2022 JD calendar. By coincidence February is the little nephews birth month and features a photo Sam took of our combine,that the little nephew drove. Makes a little guy feel pretty special!

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Mike Porter

@mikeonthehills

5 years

Autumn sown wheat starting to go in today. This is Ignite feed wheat going into oilseed rape stubble. Near perfect conditions. We get these steeper back faces in first before they get too wet & gluggy as the season gets cooler & wetter. I love this time of year

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Mike Porter

@mikeonthehills

2 years

I just got a call from Stats NZ asking me to fill out the ag survey. Same story,I told her I refuse to fill it out whilst farmers are the only ones not getting paid in the process. I only got 3/4 of the way thru my rant & she hung up on me. The cheek!!

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Mike Porter

@mikeonthehills

3 years

My first attempt at growing sunflowers,this crop is is for the high oleic cooking oil market. All done by agronomist recommendations except only 75% of recommended N and no insecticide,I value the beneficials. Very pleased with how they look

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Mike Porter

@mikeonthehills

3 years

Look at him go. I absolutely love this!

Channa Prakash

@AgBioWorld

3 years

Biological control at work. Friendly lady bird beetle munching on aphids, crop pests

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Mike Porter

@mikeonthehills

4 years

It would take New Zealand 2 and a half years just to sign off the resource consent. Then we’d need approval from the local Iwi.....

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Mike Porter

@mikeonthehills

5 years

Finally dry enough to start the spring drilling. White peas today

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Mike Porter

@mikeonthehills

3 years

Project Holden is complete. It has passed certification and will be given a WOF once paperwork is done in Wellington. Just in time for summer. I must take you for a drive sometime!

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Mike Porter

@mikeonthehills

9 months

From now on I’m not a farmer, I’m an Ecosystem Service Facilitator. A job description like that has got to be good for a 6 figure salary don’t you think?

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Mike Porter

@mikeonthehills

2 years

This farm came up on the market. Maybe one of you guys younger than me might be interested. May involve weekend work. Offers over $240m

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Mike Porter

@mikeonthehills

6 years

Choose biodegradable,choose warm when wet,choose natural,choose flame retardant........

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Mike Porter

@mikeonthehills

4 years

The defence case for conventional cultivation just goes from bad to worse.... Maybe water randomly falling out of the sky could loosely be described as an act of God, but I’m pretty sure that soil movement on this scale is not Gods will.

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Mike Porter

@mikeonthehills

4 years

All things considered in the driest season I’ve ever seen,this is an extremely pleasing result. A very poor pic but this Planet barley is running at about 7.6t/ha ave. Ex w/wheat,residue chopped & spread,6 way cover crop for 7 weeks prior to drilling barley. Dryland hills baby!

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Mike Porter

@mikeonthehills

4 years

Harvest time in Prescott, Washington. Nice!

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Mike Porter

@mikeonthehills

2 years

This will be impressive! How many people in the world get to witness a traction engine race?

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Mike Porter

@mikeonthehills

10 months

Shifting the lambs onto another break. Don’t just grow rape,mix it up a little. This is rape at 2.5kg/ha, vetch at 5, berseem clover at 2, plantain at 1, sunflower at 1, chicory at 0.5 and phacellia at 0.5. Diversity with no production loss. The lambs will thank you for it!

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Mike Porter

@mikeonthehills

4 years

@TruckDriversUSA Farming in South Canterbury, New Zealand

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Mike Porter

@mikeonthehills

22 days

We’re finally underway! Starting the spring drilling with 15ha of white feed peas. Good conditions but we’ve had to wait a while

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Mike Porter

@mikeonthehills

1 year

I’ve been a bit preoccupied lately but now I can confirm…I have news! This is Henry and I’m a pretty bloody proud granddad.

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Mike Porter

@mikeonthehills

2 years

Common vetch added to the mix at 5kg/ha is thriving in a 9 month old 9 species pasture. Lasts about 18 months. Low C/N ratio,compliments clovers well,fixes heaps of N,very palatable,lambs finish well on it. A win win. Highly recommended!

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Mike Porter

@mikeonthehills

2 years

This should be us…but it’s not. Today is day 6 of waiting for a header part in from Melbourne in perfect harvesting weather.3rd year in a row we’ve waited longer than 5 days. @JohnDeereAUNZ & DHL, this whole situation is a disgrace!

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Mike Porter

@mikeonthehills

2 years

Every year I use the last page in my diary to write this year’s ‘life’s lesson’ intended to offer advice to the next generation of farmers & family who may read it. This is the 2022 message.

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Mike Porter

@mikeonthehills

8 years

The steeper side of the farm.68% slope.Late forage brassica to finish lambs

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Mike Porter

@mikeonthehills

3 years

Took my lace in line at 1 of the 4 meeting points for the Timaru protest. This is very big.

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Mike Porter

@mikeonthehills

1 year

Woolshed envy! Look at this @BenDooley8 latest Aussie woolshed tech. 3000 merino ewes. It’s all here,even a dog drinker & dog doors in the yards so no jumping. Makes a guy wanna buy more sheep!

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Mike Porter

@mikeonthehills

2 years

Employee of the month

Mrgunsngear

@Mrgunsngear

2 years

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Mike Porter

@mikeonthehills

7 years

If you’re going to plough & cultivate in a wet year like my neighbor to ‘dry it out’, don’t get stuck in the roadside paddock

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Mike Porter

@mikeonthehills

5 years

There’s something weirdly exciting about this. One of my old 3130’s is about to do its second odo reset. 19,999 hours. Quality lasts a lifetime 😎👌

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Mike Porter

@mikeonthehills

6 years

Every 2nd person who talks to me about cover crops thinks they’re doing me a favour by warning me that it won’t work because “too much trash”. First,it’s residue coz if it was trash it’d have no value & 2nd,look how much soil surface residue has gone already..vanished! #gonotill

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Mike Porter

@mikeonthehills

5 years

What being a farm kid is all about. Learning about skid control in a crappy old Camry paddock basher. While I’m owner/manager here, I will never say no to this.

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Mike Porter

@mikeonthehills

7 years

Lifestylers dogs caught & waiting 4 Animal Control after taking out 1 of my rams. Bastards!Wounds down 2 the bone.Awful.I feel sick actually

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Mike Porter

@mikeonthehills

5 years

#harvest20 is underway here. Starting with a 2nd year ryegrass that was hit badly with the wind. At least we’re not wasting time emptying the grain tank I suppose....

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Mike Porter

@mikeonthehills

3 years

And the award for best placard at #groundswell Timaru goes to….

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Mike Porter

@mikeonthehills

2 years

Good evening from our rolling hills of South Canterbury, New Zealand

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Mike Porter

@mikeonthehills

5 months

Finishing the autumn drilling

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Mike Porter

@mikeonthehills

6 years

Priceless is an understatement

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Mike Porter

@mikeonthehills

6 years

There is nothing better to improve soil quality than living plants

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Mike Porter

@mikeonthehills

2 years

Aaaahhh, so that explains why the blocked opener monitor kept going off….

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Mike Porter

@mikeonthehills

11 months

@Feijoa_Chutney In my opinion,NZ has just suffered the most divisive,bitter,confrontational and authoritarian 6 years in our history. The majority voted for change before it was too late

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Mike Porter

@mikeonthehills

4 years

Here we go again! The perfect oilseed rape seedbed. Full wheat residue,100% soil cover. In the very dry 2020/21 season,this gave us a 25% yield advantage compared to bare soil at drilling. Less weeds,more moisture,healthier soil. To burn would be to remove 20% of the soils energy

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Mike Porter

@mikeonthehills

5 years

It’s a‘nervously exciting’ time as some of our oilseed rape emerges through full chopped wheat residue. This drives my oilseed rape agronomist mental as his advice to all his other farmers (who’re not off their nut like me)😎😜is that if there’s any ‘trash’,nuke it with slug bait

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Mike Porter

@mikeonthehills

2 years

I’ve never had white peas grow higher than the fence before. A spectacular crop and still flat out flowering!

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Mike Porter

@mikeonthehills

3 years

I was shaking. 20 minutes later and I’m still shaking! Things can dry out a bit any time they like

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Mike Porter

@mikeonthehills

7 months

Pre harvest burn down of the sunflowers. Good fun

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Mike Porter

@mikeonthehills

4 years

New Zealand is an amazingly diverse country for its size. All our mountain passes are quite different from one another.The most spectacular scenery is often on the less popular routes. This is Danseys Pass.Spectacular to see & fun to drive...especially in a Datsun 1200 rally car!

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Mike Porter

@mikeonthehills

1 year

A visit to Vic No Till President Dan Fox’s farm at Marrar NSW yesterday confirmed one thing…I suffer from shed envy!

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Mike Porter

@mikeonthehills

3 years

I wish I could tell you the harvest is progressing without a hitch but no,that’d be too easy! Major discharge auger problem but planB has allowed us to keep going in perfect harvest weather

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Mike Porter

@mikeonthehills

5 years

Thread. 1)There’s been a public playground built on parliament grounds at a cost of $640,000. Of that total,$500,000 was for the slide. Somewhere in Wellington,a person must have sat at his/her desk & decided,”yes,$500,000 sounds like a fair price for a children’s slide.”

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Mike Porter

@mikeonthehills

3 years

How it’s going today, 13 December. To successfully grow & harvest crops is satisfying for the soul, but to grow them as nature intended,with the soil fully protected from weather,suppressed from weed growth & moisture retentive is immensely satisfying & a skill in itself.Try it!

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Mike Porter

@mikeonthehills

5 years

I have decided for better or worse to push most of our oilseed rape this year as insurance against wind shake. I hope I’m doing the right thing

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Mike Porter

@mikeonthehills

5 years

One of the things I struggled with the most about our change to no till;recalibration of the mind.The ability to look at this & say “that’s a great establishment into a perfect seedbed.” It’s not trash,it’s residue & it has a value. In time you’ll learn to love it

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Mike Porter

@mikeonthehills

2 years

@wowitsdusty That’s my plan. Our local gun shop owner was very excited when I told him of my intended target! I thought buckshot,maybe a 12gauge slug. We settled for 12g number 2. Can’t wait to try it out!

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Mike Porter

@mikeonthehills

4 years

Tweet reply of the Century!

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Mike Porter

@mikeonthehills

4 years

This is very exciting (to me). After not seeing any for about 10 years, we have a breeding pair of Pukeko (Australasian Swamp Hen) who’ve decided to set up a nest in our hairy vetch crop. They’ve hatched 3 surviving chicks so far. I feel blessed!

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Mike Porter

@mikeonthehills

3 years

Drilling oilseed rape into ryegrass stubble (straw baled off) watching my neighbour over the road burning his ryegrass stubble (straw baled off) in preparation for cultivation & eventual drilling. Popular opinion is that his is good management practice & I’m a bit eccentric 🤔

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Mike Porter

@mikeonthehills

3 years

I’ve been busy! The trophy says ‘The Farmers Mill Cup. Supreme winner of the biscuit wheat class, United Wheat Growers Bayer wheat competition’.

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Mike Porter

@mikeonthehills

5 years

It’s all go!About to travel to the 30th Aapresid No Tillage association & AgTech Week in Argentina. I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to represent @FAR_Arable & NZ farmers. I’ll keep you posted

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Mike Porter

@mikeonthehills

4 years

Look what just turned up in my yard! A beautifully restored ‘72 Charger 770. Triple Weber’s and all the fruit. Nnnnnice!

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Mike Porter

@mikeonthehills

3 years

3Waters ticks 3boxes ✔️Central govt control ✔️50% of ownership of ratepayer assets to Maori interests ✔️Redistribution of wealth/assets from regions that recognised the benefits of investment in infrastructure to those that didn’t. There is absolutely nothing good about 3Waters

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Mike Porter

@mikeonthehills

4 years

This April sown winter wheat is looking the part even though it’s only had 163mm of growing season rainfall to date. The flag is a bit dirty & tippy due to the decision to cut costs, but without a finishing rain the lost potential would be heartbreaking 😔

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