Spearheading the asparagus lobby

BY JON MORGAN

Asparagus grower George Turney doesn't miss a trick. At the launch of 5+ A Day Fruit and Vegetable Month at Parliament recently, Speaker Lockwood Smith momentarily lost the thread of his speech and wondered aloud what he was going to say next. In jumped Mr Turney: "Eat more asparagus," he called out. And the solemn occasion collapsed into laughter and applause.

"It just popped into my head and out of my mouth before I could stop it," the bespectacled Mangaweka grower says with a cheeky grin.

As chairman of the Asparagus Council, representing 100 New Zealand growers, he is known as an irrepressible promoter of asparagus. On that occasion, his comic timing paid off. Vegetable wholesalers sought him out to ask about supplying them with asparagus and he returned home with fresh orders.

A relatively recent entrant in the vegetable business, he and wife Diana have 30 hectares in asparagus on their 140-hectare farm in the picturesque Kawhatau Valley.

Mrs Turney looks after the bookwork and son Simon organises the pickers, who come from Vanuatu for 3 1/2 months each year, and runs the rest of the farm.

Mrs Turney acknowledges she is the quieter of the two and after 44 years of marriage knows her husband well.

"Diana keeps me in line," he says. "Just a touch from her and I know to rein myself in." He traces his quick wit back to his school days in Northamptonshire, in England's East Midlands. Poor eyesight that caused learning difficulties was not picked up till his early teens.

"As my reading and writing slipped behind, my other senses grew stronger. My thoughts were quickly put into words and I had a great time as the joker of the class."

He did an agriculture course and at the age of 19 decided he wanted to see New Zealand. Lack of money was no object. He and two friends bought a Morris 1000 and drove across Europe and Asia, through countries that are war zones today, ending up in Singapore. They sold the car, crossed by boat to north Australia, hitchhiked to Sydney and caught another boat to New Zealand.

It was 1962. He worked on the Benmore power project and as a shepherd on a farm in the Kawhatau Valley. In 1964, he returned to Northampton, met Diana, married her after a whirlwind romance, and returned with her to Kawhatau.

He worked as a shepherd around the district till 1971. "Then we caught a lucky break - we lost all our possessions in a house fire," he says. "That sounds strange, but it was lucky for us. It was a lesson that material things are not important if you still have your family - we had three children and one more on the way."

Through the generosity of the people of Taihape, they were given a financial stake that was the foundation for the life they have today. The district rallied around, finding replacement furniture and clothing, including a dinner suit and gown for the upcoming Pukeokahu Ball, and raised $8000 in cash.

The $8000 was a princely sum - 3 1/2 years' earnings for a shepherd - and helped them realise their dream of land ownership. It became the downpayment on a $30,000, 40ha rundown farm at Kaitaia. They converted an old shed into living quarters and began trading cattle.

They also started their own tourism business, the Far North Explorer, which took people around the old gum fields.

Eight years later they sold up and, with their $8000 turned into $128,000, bought a 232ha sheep and beef farm at Waiotira, between Dargaville and Whangarei.

"And that's when we lost all our money," Mr Turney says wryly.

They struck the 1980s farming slump. To get by, he joined a shearing gang and sold home brew on the sly.

When interest rates reached 17 per cent, he told the Rural Bank he would not pay. They found the bank unhelpful and condescending. When they mentioned to a loans officer they had been to a cafe for a coffee before seeing him, he admonished them for their extravagance. They managed to farm their way out of it. In 1985, Mr Turney leased a farm and a harvester at Kawhatau and grew grain while Mrs Turney kept the Waiotira farm going. They sold up in 1989 and bought 280ha of hills in the valley. Mr Turney then took a gamble that buoyed their spirits and their bank balance.

"I had a feeling about the beef price, it was due for a move. So I bought as many heifers as I could find, hundreds of them, and waited. To my great relief, the price boomed."

A LSO on the farm was a 4ha asparagus crop, planted by the previous owner. The couple knew nothing about the vegetable, but did not want to see the crop go to waste.

"We read all we could," Mrs Turney remembers. She holds up her arm almost vertical and gives a whistle. "The learning curve was like that."

However, the trouble was worth it.

"It turned out to be very lucrative," Mr Turney says. "We received $2.50 a kilogram from Wattie's Canneries - extremely good money." By comparison, Wattie's pays $2.75 a kilogram today, almost 20 years later.

They were keen to grow more and in 1997 when the farm they own now came on the market they snapped it up. "I'd had my eye on it for some time," Mr Turney says. "It is wonderful land, lovely free-draining soil with water only two metres down. It is stony, but the stones keep it warm and lengthen out the growing season."

The farm was said to be 162ha, but they have found only 140ha and figure the remainder has been lost into the Kawhatau River over time. They took out all the fences and planted barley, then regrassed before converting to bull beef, using the TechnoGrazing system developed by Bulls farmer Harry Wier. Six hectares were kept for asparagus and while it grew they leased their former 4ha patch from its new owners.

By 2002, they had 18ha growing and were using backpacking tourists to pick it. The backpackers had a wonderful time, cooling off in the evenings with a swim in the river and relaxing with Mr Turney's home brew. But the quality of the picking varied widely and when the Recognised Seasonal Employer scheme was introduced in 2006 they were able to secure a reliable source of labour that stayed through the season. In return, the Turneys provide pastoral care that includes cooking, washing, recreational and medical help.

Now, with Simon taking over the livestock, they are concentrating on the asparagus, with plans to expand their current 30ha. The farm is 450 metres above sea level and the crop starts a month after other areas, but in January they have the market to themselves. Half the crop is sold to wholesalers, a third to Wattie's and most of the remainder goes in export deals with other growers. They are Wattie's biggest supplier this year, with 80 tonnes going to the Hastings cannery.

Asparagus is not an easy crop to grow. A bed for the seedlings has to be specially prepared and the spears cannot be picked for three years. The season is short - 3 1/2 months - and the crop must be picked every day. Ten years ago, 2000ha of asparagus was grown in New Zealand. Now that is down to 600ha. Mr Turney thinks it will keep on dropping.

"Older people are getting out of the business and not enough young ones are coming in." However, good profits can still be made. The Turneys know of one couple who are making $64,000 a hectare selling good-quality asparagus off their lifestyle block to farmers' markets in Canterbury. "It is the attention to quality that counts," Mr Turney says. He is proud to be chairman of the Asparagus Council and will do anything to promote the tasty green spear. Breaking up a parliamentary reception is all in a day's work.

Now a new generation is getting in on the act. His grandchildren had the idea to paint a huge sign at the back of his truck: "Eat more asparagus. It's that simple."

"It works," a delighted Mr Turney reports. "I was just parked in the street and people came up to me, asking, 'Do you have asparagus in there? Can I buy some?' "

The sun glints off his milk-bottle lenses. "They can't get enough. Soon they'll be crying out to us, 'Grow more asparagus'. I like the sound of that."

Asparagus, Mushroom & Tomato Pizza

2 large wholemeal pita breads
1 bunch asparagus, woody ends snapped off
1 Tbsp prepared pesto
4 field mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 punnet cherry tomatoes
Small handful thyme sprigs
60g reduced-fat mozzarella, chopped
Green salad to serve

Preheat oven to 220C. Place the pita wraps on a baking sheet.

Cut asparagus spears in half lengthwise and plunge them in a pot of boiling water. Cook 2-3 minutes. Drain, run under cold water and pat dry with paper towels.

Spread pesto over pita, leaving a 1cm edge. Arrange asparagus, mushrooms, tomatoes and thyme on top and scatter with mozzarella.

Bake 15 minutes, or until pita are browned and crisp. Serve immediately with a green salad.

Source: The Heart Foundation

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