Crafted from local Oamaru stone and realised with the full support of her husband Neil and architect Sarah Scott, the castle fulfils a childhood dream for Dot Smith, shaped by years of gathering inspiration from historic manors and castles abroad and brought to life with great attention to detail. At the same time, it provides the setting for a dairy operation covering 810 hectares, now regarded as a reference for sustainable circular farming and a living example of the BAUER Smart-Farm concept in practice.
SmartFarm: Thinking in Connected Systems
The BAUER SmartFarm concept brings together irrigation, nutrient management, automation and intelligent control into one integrated system.
This integrated way of thinking is consistently applied at Riverstone. The Smith family operates seven farm blocks, 553 hectares of which are already irrigated using BAUER systems, relying for many years on the expertise of their trusted long-standing BAUER dealer, Kirk Irrigation Ltd.
The setup includes 12 BAUER pivot Centerstar, most of them equipped with SmartRain, four pivot corners, two innovative pivot benders and two BAUER S655 separators.
Unlocking More Land Through Smart Irrigation
With the introduction of the two pivot benders, previously featured in Growing News, Riverstone broke new ground.
Operating between 1,300 and 3,000 hours per year, the two bender systems have clearly proven their value even after their second season in use. The bender makes it possible to irrigate areas that were previously inaccessible, such as land around elevated banks topped with trees.
Thanks to the bender solution, an additional three hectares could be irrigated.
Nutrients Used Intelligently
Integrated nutrient management is a key element of the SmartFarm concept.
At Riverstone, slurry from the dairy shed is processed using two S655 separators. The liquid fraction is then applied directly to paddocks via pivot irrigation, using separate underslung effluent lines attached below the spans as a project-specific adaptation engineered on site.
This approach significantly reduces the need for mineral fertilisers, improves soil fertility and closes the nutrient cycle.
Today, Riverstone Dairy Farm supplies around 1,800 dairy cows with high quality pasture.
Riverstone demonstrates how a clear vision can grow into a Smart-Farm success story, consistent, practical and made by BAUER.
