By Cosmo Kentish-Barnes of RNZ

Methven farmer Hamish Marr is proud to showcase farmers’ and growers’ innovations to overseas governments “and anyone else who is buying our products”, he says.

The special agricultural trade envoy works alongside the Government to support key objectives and advocate for the ag sector.

“If I can make a contribution to the longevity and the success and the sustainability of our farming sector then I’ll have done my job.”

Marr has travelled extensively since taking over the envoy role from Mel Poulton last year.

“So I went to Australia first off and that was great, then I went to Europe.

“I’ve been to India and I’ve recently come back from the United States and Canada.”

A lot of his time is spent meeting with government departments and farming groups.

He also tries to schedule farm visits in each country, to find out how local farmers are making ends meet.

“It’s such a privilege to be given the opportunity to see what goes on.

“There are a lot of people working on our behalf behind the scenes both here but also offshore, working on government-to-government trade to keep our products flowing into markets.

Hamish Marr with some busts in India.

“The world’s rules on trade are very, very complicated.

“There’s a lot that goes on.”

In September, Marr is going to various parts of China to gain an understanding of the current meat market and attend a red meat conference.

“It’s the first time I’ve been to China so it’ll be really interesting to see where the land lies, where the opportunities are and where the roadblocks are as we depend on China for so much.”

The Marr family farm

The Marr men, Graham (left), Stuart, and Hamish, enjoy the vista from a paddock overlooking the Rakaia River. Photo / RNZ / Cosmo Kentish-Barnes

Marr farms with his brother Stuart and father Graham on the south side of the Rakaia River.

They produce seeds for global export and have dairy, heifer and sheep grazing operations on the 500-hectare property, which the family has been on for over a century.

Cocksfoot seed is one of their biggest earners.

Graham Marr bags up seed at the family's seed-cleaning facility. Photo / RNZ / Cosmo Kentish-Barnes

It is grown predominantly for the Australian market and also the United States, Canada, Northern Europe and South America.

The Marr family had been growing the resilient pasture grass since 1910, 74-year-old Graham said.

“That was because they had seven wagon loads of wheat and one wagon load of cocksfoot that was carted to the railhead in Methven and the cocksfoot was worth more than the seven wagon loads of wheat, so they decided to continue and it’s been that way ever since.”

January is a busy month at Longfield, the Marrs' family farm on the Canterbury Plains.

They also grow red clover seed, barley seed, barley for malt, processed peas, wheat, oats and winter feed crops.

The seeds are cleaned, bagged and shipped from a custom-built facility on the farm.

“Grandad built that and we keep adding to it over generations,” Stuart said.

Harvesting cocksfoot grass for seed at the Marr's farm.

Not having to send seed away for cleaning is an important time-saver.

“It still costs us but the advantage is we get seed cleaned when we want it, in the order we want, so then it’s just a matter [of] getting it to a container in time to go overseas so we can get paid for it!”

When Graham is not bagging seed or doing the books, he sings and is a longstanding member of the Mid Canterbury Choir in Ashburton.

The chorister’s favourite piece of music is Handel’s Messiah.

Seed bags at the Marr's farm waiting to be shipped all over the world. Photo / RNZ / Cosmo Kentish-Barnes

‘’I’m a bass and I’ve been a bass ever since high school days,” he said.

The tractor cab has become his on-farm practice room.

“I sing on the tractor, quite a lot actually. It’s great.

“Sometimes you try and tune your voice to the sound of the exhaust and away you go!”

- RNZ