Ruby Mulinder and Sean Nixon, Waihora View

Waihora View, on the northwestern shore of Lake Taupō, is Ruby Mulinder and Sean Nixon's first farm. They have taken it from an all-beef finishing operation to a mixed system built around sheep milking, and in this case study they describe farming within a strict nitrogen discharge allocation for the Taupō catchment while running lambs, milking ewes and a smaller cattle herd.

Ruby and Sean explain how selecting the right sheep genetics and growing more clover has lifted pasture quality and cut methane emissions since they bought the farm in 2019. They describe building a viable business on a smaller block through careful nitrogen management and off-farm income.