The public will have the chance to see what it takes to return a farm to production after a disaster when the award winning McFetridge family of Omanawa Road, near Tauranga open their gates to visitors on Tuesday.

Gordon McFetridge, with his parents Judith and Dennis, will hold an open day on their award winning Omanawa Farm on Tuesday March 26.

It is 31 years since the canal for the Ruahihi power scheme collapsed, pouring millions of tonnes of sludge, weeds and debris onto the family dairy farm and while it's largely recovered, the impacts are still being felt.

On a fine spring afternoon, September 20, 1981, Dennis McFetridge, who owns the property with his wife Judith, saw the canal banks give way, and watched in disbelief as much of the lower farmland was engulfed.

The canal had been built to deliver water to the Ruahihi Hydro station on the banks of the Wairoa River which had been opened the day before by the then Prime Minister Rob Muldoon. What ended up on the McFetridge farm was a mix of water, tonnes of clay from the canal banks and weeds, including kikuyu grass.

Even today, despite three decades of careful pasture management, low lying parts of the farm are not as fertile as they should be and kikuyu control is a constant issue.

The collapse of the Ruahihi Canal sent a sludge of clay and weeds through the McFetridge dairy farm in September 1981.

However, Judith and Dennis, together with their son Gordon have made such dramatic improvements to that farm and a second one up the road, they won the supreme winners of the 2013 Bay of Plenty Ballance Farm Environment Awards. As part of their win, they will host the open day on Tuesday from 9.45 am.

McFetridge Farms Ltd milks 260 cows on the 70ha (effective) ‘Top Farm' and 180 cows on 60ha effective ‘Lower Farm'. The rolling to steep contour on Lower Farm is well suited to younger cows while the Top Farm, which has flat to rolling contour, is better suited to older cows (four years and older).

Judges said the properties are 'aesthetically pleasing and highly productive” and the challenging topography has been wisely developed for dairy farming. Difficult sidlings and gullies have been either left in native bush or planted in woodlots.Not child's play – a young Sharon McFetridge attempts to walk through the ‘porridge-like' flood which went through her parent's farm in September 1981.

BFEA judges were impressed with the McFetridges' approach to farm management. Instead of increasing cow numbers they aim to run a lower stocking rate while lifting per cow production. This has been achieved through improved feeding, better grazing management and a strong focus on animal health. About 8-10 per cent of the farm is re-grassed annually with improved pasture species. Poorer performing paddocks are successfully cropped with turnips. Judges also noted the McFetridges' excellent financial control, well-kept herd records and sound relationships with staff.

They said the family's experience and acquired skills in areas like rural banking and water management had been of great benefit to the farming operation.

For more information about the open day at 788 Omanawa Rd visit www.bfa.org.nz

To register for the farm day please call Kirsten Winter on 07 573 5238.