4 | MEAT & WOOL » Ben and Sarah Dooley Ben seeing a small profit from wool Ben thinks the outlook for farming is bright, so long as the industry doesn’t get too unstable politically. Aimee Wilson In 2024, Wyndham farmers Ben and Sarah Dooley were facing their second year of solid losses, but this season it’s quite a different story. While their 2350 Turanganui Romney flock had a tough season lambing in the harsh wet Southland conditions, the 10-year high for sheep and wool prices definitely lifted their game. “It feels so good to be a farmer right now in sheep and beef,” Ben said. Their 260ha Southland farm has been in the family for generations, and includes 60 dairy beef - hand-reared by his wife, and a 20ha crop of swedes. Two years ago Ben’s wool clip only covered half the shearing costs, but this season he is seeing a small profit from wool. But it has still been tough going, and the high prices has just boosted farmers when they really needed it most. “We didn’t have the best lambing because of the weather, so it was probably on par with last year.” The past two wet seasons followed two drought years back in 2021-22, when the farm was running close to the edge - many would’ve been pushed to breaking point. “We were in absolute dire straits,” he said. Ben said the long dry summers followed by long, harsh winters took their toll, and it was a lot for them and the animals to get through. But this summer has been quite different - definitely a lot cooler, but Ben said they have plenty of feed for the animals. He remains cautiously optimistic for the future, especially with on farm costs still high, and the Government’s RMA reform underway. In his role as Deputy Chair (Meal and Wool) for Federated Farmers Southland, he reminds farmers why it’s important not to let those costs get out of control. “There are a lot of farmers that are finally set to make a bit of money, and they’ll have some tax due,” he said. Ben thinks the outlook for farming is bright, so long as the industry doesn’t get too unstable politically. He’s been involved with Fed Farmers for three years, which enables him to have an independent Turanganui Romneys Mike Warren 027 446 5312 or 06 307 7841 Guy Warren 027 848 0164 WilliamWarren 027 824 9327 Proud supplier of Maternal Genetics to Ben and Sarah Dooley Ben Dooley Proud to supply veterinary services & Animal Remedies for Ben & Sarah Dooley voice in the South, and since the Land and Water Plan and grazing reforms began, he was asked to step up. But a lot of the work is behind the scenes, with the information then fed back into the national board for feedback. Ben and Sarah love farming and have been involved with Turanganui Romneys for 15 years. Bred in Southern Wairarapa, he said the sheep suit what they do very well. “They are a good fertility sheep and they have good survivability - a good hardy sheep, but a larger sheep, giving bigger carcass weights.” He said they don’t have to do a lot of work with them during lambing. This season was the first in his working history (five on their own and six in partnership), that they weren’t under any financial cashflow pressure. “Since the end of October, you couldn’t have asked for a better season. Lamb, beef and wool prices are all strong and we have grass coming out our ears.”
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