Cropping & Grazing

Potatoes

Leighton’s father, Allan Pye began growing potatoes while still at school and now Pye Group is one of the biggest suppliers to the McCain’s Factory in nearby Timaru. Most of the potato crops are grown on our two cropping farms near Rakaia in Mid Canterbury.

The potato season begins with approximately seven weeks of planting in September and October. The harvest begins in February with an early crop but the harvest of the main crop begins in April and takes up to eight weeks.

Planting is done with a six row Grimme Planter and two Grimme De-stoners. A Lockwood Air Vac digger and Lockwood four row windrower are used for harvesting. Most of the crop is carted by Pye Group’s fleet of trucks which are also used in the Central Feeds business.

Carrots

Pye Group also grow 15,000 tonnes of carrots for Juice Products NZ. These carrots are mainly grown in Mid Canterbury. After harvesting they are washed at our Winchester Yard before being delivered to the juicing factory in Timaru.

See more about the process and JPNZ click here.

Wheat, barley, grass seed, peas and clover make up the rest of the Pye Group’s crops.

Grazing

Pye Group provide grazing for their dairy farms including the year round grazing of all replacement stock. Kale and fodderbeet crops are grown for the winter feed for over 9,000 cows and heifers.