Thursday p.m. 5th November. The drive from Palmerston North to Alistair and Bo Polson’s home in Manurewa took us once again through some beautiful and productive farming areas. I saw a farmer planting some corn in a field and took the opportunity to stop and have a chat. He was a young man who had returned to the mixed enterprise family farm, consisting of arable/beef/sheep and chickens. As with many other New Zealand farmers he had spent time abroad experiencing other cultures and farming systems. He had also picked up a wife from England on the way!
I found myself following a police car at one stage in the journey, and when he pulled into a passing place, I pulled in to park in front of him (role reversal!!) and took the opportunity to have a chat about the various offences he dealt with, and the degree of crime in New Zealand. After he had decided that I was not some nutter from Wales, he explained how drink and drugs issues were a major problem, with organised crime linked to the gang culture that exists in New Zealand encouraging the problem. An interesting observation he made, was that dealing with women who had an aggressive attitude, was becoming more of an issue than their male counterparts!
When we arrived at the Polson family home we were welcomed by Alistair, who came across as an easy going and agreeable Kiwi farmer. We were immediately struck by the new farm house which had without doubt a sense of style and presence! Alistair explained how in 2004 the valley had been struck by a violent flood, which destroyed the old farmhouse, drowned four thousand of his lambs, and from which the family had narrowly escaped drowning in the middle of the night in the family boat! The new farmhouse was rebuilt on a man made hill from the silt deposited in the nearby fields by the flood, and provided some security from a repeat experience. His brother Donald had a much closer escape during the flood. The boat which he was using to try and rescue some stock was overturned, and he and his shepherd found themselves stranded on some tree branches, cold and wet. Donald started to suffer from hypothermia, and was only kept alive until the rescue helicopter arrived, by the shepherd skinning a drowned sheep and wrapping him up in the instant sheep skin coat. Despite the severity of the flood and the consequential financial losses, no lives were lost which seemed a miracle as the story was told to us.
Once we had met Bo, had a refreshing cup of tea and found the washing machine to wash some of our clothes (inc my sheep sh***y trousers!) we went on a tour of the farm. The 1200 acre home farm would be the equivalent of our ‘Hendre’ and is made up of predominately flat ground at around 500 feet, rising to a 1000 feet on the surrounding hillside. Rainfall is in the region of 40"/annum with fairly free draining soils. Most of the paddocks were around 25 acres, stocking up to a 100 ewes with lambs at foot. The farm was down to medium term leys made up of productive rye grasses and clover. Reseeding was carried out by spraying the old pasture with roundup and direct drilling the leys.
Alistair explained that he had finished lambing in mid September and that the Primera cross Highlander lambs were about due for their first worming drench. No supplementary feeding was carried out with regards to the ewes, either pre or post lambing. The ewes and lambs looked to be in good condition and had been lambed with the minimum of fuss and intervention. The costs of production would probably be around 50% of our sheep systems in Wales, but they needed to be at that level due to the lack of financial support, exposure to market forces, and the fickle exchange rate. The strength of the dollar does not bode well for the NZ sheep industry in the coming season.
As with most sheep farms, there was the odd lame ewe, despite Alistair’s policy of culling any sheep that needed any intervention on lambing or health issues during the year. Coming from a highly regulated UK industry, it was astounding to hear that NZ sheep farmers are not obliged to keep a flock register, and are only accountable to the tax authorities in relation to stock valuations on their sheep numbers.
I thoroughly enjoyed the journey around the farm, having first hand experience of a large commercial operation, the insight into a ‘lightly’ regulated NZ sheep industry, and the financial pressures that are affecting NZ farmers due to the need to export their product within a volatile global economy. Much to learn about producing lamb within a totally different climate in relation to the weather, regulation, breeding, scale, marketing, and financial planning.
As expected my extended discussions with Alistair on many issues will provide vital information for my Nuffield Report.
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