Rural

Secrets of Sevenoaks Revealed: Animals, Crops, and a Surprising Addition

Cath Baker shares the secrets of running a 175-year-old farm, keeping it fresh and reveals her favourite 'super crop'.

175 years ago Cath Baker's Great-great-great Grandfather arrived in Marlborough as a surveyor, bought some land, and started breeding Merinos - including the famous Bulldog Merino stud.

Since then Cath and her husband Paul have changed a few things at Sevenoaks but have carried on the legacy of protecting the land.

She told REX hosts Rebecca Greaves and Hamish McKay that Seven Oaks is home to a wide variety of animals, crops and everything in between.

"We've got Sheep, longdowns, Murray Grey Cows, seed production, grapes and arbol," Baker said.

The red clover is by far the best-performing crop at Seven Oaks, not only for its use in seed production but for its many other uses as well.

"We'll get a cut of baleage off it, we graze our ewes and triplet lambs on it and then we sell the straw to gardeners as mulch."

Baker and Seven Oaks recently won the farming section of the Marlborough Environment Awards and told McKay she and her husband were reluctant to even enter the awards.

"I 100% would encourage other farmers [to enter].

"There are so many farmers in Marlborough who punch above their weight in terms of production but also in terms of protecting and enhancing what they've got."

They recently added an observatory to their farm and as a self-proclaimed "science geek", Baker said she loves trying to get kids involved with science and learning more about the wider world they live in.

"It's a charitable trust so we don't make any money from it.

The three talked more about Cath's new Meat + Wool role with her local Federated Farmers, the history of Sevenoaks, what it was like while Cath was away from the time and how she knew when it was time to come back.