| 13 Farming still a great family lifestyle Tim Neeson at work in the yards. Tim and Monique with children Ef e, Zadee and Heath. Monique crafting a Shear Warmth blanket, using wool from the Romney ock. Kim Newth RURAL PEOPLE » Awarima Station King Country couple Tim and Monique Neeson say farming today is a tough industry, both physically and mentally. Yet they are in no doubt that their rugged hill country farm, west of Taumaranui, is still one of the best places in the world to be raising a family. The couple’s three children – Heath, 9, Ef e, 8, and Zadee, 6 – are immersed in the daily rhythm of rural life on Awarima Station, located at the junction of the Whanganui and Ohura Rivers. “They are heavily involved with us on the farm,” says Monique. “Wherever we go, they go. There’s a lot for them to see and learn about and they nd it all quite exciting. When we really stop to think about ‘the why’ of farming, it’s because we love the lifestyle for our family.” Tim’s parents Lyn and Alex Neeson purchased their rst 350ha block at Tokirima in 1987. Over the years, the operation has grown considerably to include three separate blocks, plus a couple of lease blocks. Originally from New Plymouth, Monique married into the farm life some 15 years ago. She and Tim began leasing the family farm blocks in 2017 before stepping up to full ownership in 2020. They run 13,000 stock units, evenly split between cattle and sheep, though sheep still predominate on the hilly home farm. The farm’s annual wool clip is around 17 tonnes. “Compared to town this is paradise, but the environment is challenging,” she says. “It’s steep hill country and this summer has been hot and dry. Fortunately, we had 100mm of rain in February and that has seen us through.” The latest dry spell has provided a timely reminder on the importance of good water infrastructure. “We’re in the process of putting in water troughs and other things like that to ensure we will be more resilient in future,” says Tim. While the current global sheepmeat and beef trade is strong, Tim and Monique note that costs are rising fast and compliance issues are weighing heavily on farmers too. They say encroachment of carbon forestry businesses is also having a massive impact on local rural schools and communities, as well as driving up land prices and undermining employment in the farm service sector. “We’re also concerned at the potential impact of rubbish forestry on our rivers and creek systems,” says Tim. Within the changing rural landscape, this family farm remains a leader on diversi cation. In 2011, Lyn and Monique came up with a clever answer to add value to the farm’s wool clip. Together they launched Shear Warmth Blankets, using Romney lamb wool harvested from their own ock to create beautiful New Zealand-made wool blankets. “Tim and I have now bought Lyn out of it. We’re currently working on refreshing the brand. Our goal is to tell our story, why we do what we do and highlighting the raw quality of wool. We love being able to show our kids the whole process, from the lambs coming off the hill through to shearing and then how the wool is used to make the blankets.” They are pleased that a new industry group is being set up for the strong wool sector and hope it will lead to more proactive, smart marketing initiatives. “When we really stop to think about ‘the why’ of farming, it’s because we love the lifestyle for our family.” Totally Vets Taumarunui, proudly supporting Awarima Station by providing all aspects of animal health care taumarunui@totallyvets.co.nz www.totallyvets.co.nz Offices in Otorohanga, Te Awamutu & Taumarunui info@baileyingham.co.nz | www.baileyingham.co.nz PHONE: 07 873 7325 | FREEPHONE: 0800 482 928 Quality Service to Farmers & Businesses
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