6 | ARABLE » Sam Young and Emma Shaw Sam as a child with his late father who inspired him to get the stud going again. ‘Always liked the Hampshire sheep’ Karen Phelps The Bushy Park Hampshire Stud, once de- registered, has been rejuvenated in recent years, earning recognition at agricultural shows and developing a growing clientele impressed by the stud’s performance. “I’d always liked the Hampshire sheep, they’re a bit different with the black face and left good finishing lambs. There is a lack of Hampshire breeders in New Zealand so I decided to get it up and running again,” says Sam Young, who alongside his wife Emma has revitalised the stud his parents Debbie and Lindsay Young started. Sam grew up on Bushy Park and is the fourth generation to farm the land. To restart the stud, Sam acquired a ram from the La Mac Hampshire Stud near Akaroa on Banks Peninsula. “Ben Butterick from the stud has been a real help in getting us re-registered,” says Sam. Set on 45 hectares in Outram, part of the original family farm, Bushy Park functions primarily as a sheep and beef fattening unit. The Youngs farm 150 commercial Romney cross ewes with Hampshire terminals, producing between 300-350 lambs annually. Complementing this the farm also fattens approximately 20 cattle each year. The Hampshire stud itself comprises around 40 ewes run alongside the commercial mob, with Sam employing strict selection criteria to maintain quality. “We’re keeping it small to keep quality high. If a ewe doesn’t produce a lamb it’s out the door. Also if they are not producing good weighted lambs we get rid of them. We select our ewe lambs from the early heavy weighted lambs for replacements,” explains Sam. He says advantages of Hampshire sheep, particularly in New Zealand’s farming context, are becoming increasingly apparent. The breed is renowned for producing well-marked lambs with heavy yields, characteristics highly valued in today’s market. “I’ve looked at the UK and they are now recognising the Hampshires on grass-fed as the fastest finishing. It’s interesting to see them taking over from other breeds on a grass-fed system, which suits the New Zealand farming system,” says Sam. This is particularly evident at Bushy Park, which operates on a 100% grass system. Perhaps most significantly though the breed demonstrates remarkable resilience in challenging conditions. “We’ve noticed on our farm, and also our clients’ farms, that in years where the sheep might be under pressure they still put on weight,” says Sam. The stud’s quality was recently validated at the Taieri A & P Show where one of their Hampshire ewes was awarded Champion Ewe of the Show across all breeds. While the overall championship went to Rob Hall’s Southdown ram from Gore, the recognition was a significant achievement for the relatively young stud. “It was amazing to take that out. I said to Emma when we were getting the sheep in for the show ‘what beats that sheep?’ I don’t want to sound cocky but I knew there wasn’t a lot I could do to make that sheep any better,” says Sam. With a 40-acre run-off block used for grazing replacement ewe lambs, the farm has established solid foundations for future growth. Bushy Park is already selling select two tooth rams and customer feedback has been consistently positive, with both returning clients from his father’s era and new farmers expressing satisfaction with the Hampshire sheep’s performance. “It’s all promising,” says Sam. “There is a lot we want to do to keep improving the breed as a whole.” Sam Young & Emma Shaw Show Champion ewe from Taieri A and P Show.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NDc2Mzg=