| 43 RURAL PEOPLE » Woodward Farms Leading the way on NZ mohair Michael with a young goat. Kim Newth Michael and Susie Woodward have stepped up as industry leaders in Angora goat farming, mohair production and marketing since making the transition to farm ownership in the King Country. The couple, together with their four children Kylie, John, Jack and Charlie, left behind sharemilking in Canterbury to take up Cowgora Hills in mid-2019, a 170ha fully self-contained hill property in the Otorohanga District where they run a dairy herd and farm Angora goats. Currently, they milk 300 A2 cows full season once-a-day (OAD) and run 250 Angora Goats as well as young stock for the dairy platform. Michael and Susie were named as regional nalists in the 2021 Ballance Farm Environment Awards, winning praise for their excellent record keeping and use of technology that was enabling them to make informed decisions for herd management, production and future planning. Michael grew up on a farm just south of Pukekohe, where his father John developed an interest in Angora goats that, in turn, planted the seed for today’s sustainability focussed goat and dairy operation. He and Susie started out with just 10 in-kid does in the spring of 2016. Susie hails from the USA and has a background in dairying but is relishing the opportunities and learning experiences that come with Angora goats in the mix. “Even though Michael has memories of Angora goats from childhood, effectively we’ve both been learning from scratch and it has been a good journey so far,” says Susie, who is now a director of Mohair Producers NZ. The couple also own and operate Mohair Fibres NZ Ltd - continuing the bre marketing business founded by John - and have built a new warehouse on their Otorohanga property. “My father helps with classing and guidance; Mohair Fibres NZ Ltd takes around 60 per cent of the country’s high quality mohair bre,” says Michael. “Around 20 per cent of that is sold into the New Zealand market for balls of yarn and blankets and the rest is exported to South Africa.” New Zealand and Australia combined only make up around one per cent of the worldwide mohair bre market. “We’re a very small player on the world scale,” explains Susie. A small player we may be, but the returns on mohair – known as the diamond bre – are very good. At the time of writing, the couple was anticipating a bumper summer shearing in mid-January. “It should be a good clip for us and the bre of adult goats is worth around $25 to $30 a kilo,” says Michael. Mohair bre is sought after as a lightweight, durable natural bre with a ne lustre. With an international supply shortage for mohair, there are excellent opportunities for those wishing to enter the industry. Michael and Susie are promoting Angora goats as a great choice for diversi cation, backing that up with a breeding programme geared towards lifting the breed’s pro le. “We have 230 mixed age does and kids and 20 breeding bucks. We’re trying to grow bucks that survive well in a slightly wetter climate than is usual for this breed, as want to be able to produce an animal that can go out and be transported anywhere around the country.” www.pumpn.co.nz 40 Turongo St, Otorohanga • 07 873 8973 • www.pumpn.co.nz OTOROHANGA 9 Wahanui Crescent | 07 873 7089 24 / 7 EMERGENCY - PHONE 0800 843 838 OPENING HOURS: Mon - Fri 8am to 5pm Sat 9am to Midday +64 7 870 4011 office@pml.co.nz We offer all types of milking solutions designed to give excellent milking hygiene, improve udder health, reduce you labour costs and allow for future expansion. MILKING MACHINES - WATER STAINLESS STEEL - EFFLUENT Croys provides business advisory, accounting, technology and taxation services to help transform your business. We have specialists in both the rural and commercial sectors ready to support you business objectives. Croys are proud to support Woodward Farms. Email us at richard@croys.co.nz or marcus@croys.co.nz How can Croys grow your business?
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NDc2Mzg=