| 55 Ram hoggets on ush spring pasture last year. MEAT & WOOL » Ahuriri Farm: Ben Butterick Hampshires, dog trials a buzz for Ben Embryo transfer Hampshire lambs on there receipt mother Sue Russell Ben Butterick is responsible for the day to day operation of Ahuriri Farm for the Graham family. The 1400ha hill country Banks Peninsula sheep and beef farm is 10 minutes or so south-east of Tai Tapu in Canterbury. The farm is home to 3600 ewes, 1200 hoggets with 750 going to the ram, 160 beef cows and 30 replacement heifers. The farm also has some substantial blocks of pine forest, totalling approximately 300ha. “We enjoyed a great summer best I’ve ever known on the peninsula. We grew a lot of feed which was great for the cows and calves and meant the ewes were in great order going to the ram. Scanning has been well up” Along with Ben, on a day to day basis there’s a small team of workers, including a tractor driver, a general handyman and another part-timer who takes care of the irrigation work. Ben also has his own Hampshire Stud called La-Mac. Spurring him on to go further into breeding was Ben’s dad David Butterick who has had a South Suffolk stud all his life. “I was fortunate that Dad and my Grandparents gave me the opportunity to run a few sheep on the home farm for many years.” These days Ben runs his sheep at Ahuriri making life a lot more simple for him. Asked why Hampshire is his chosen breed Ben says they have great presence about them with a strong looking head and bone. “I suppose there big thick ears were something a bit different back then compared to the south Suffolks Dad had. He rst saw the breed at the Christchurch show and knew that was what he wanted.” Ben established the stud in 2006 when he was in his last year of primary school, He admits back then he didn’t know all the ins and outs of breeding. Three years ago Ben also went into partnership with Warwick Boon and re-established the Lochiare Poll Dorset stud. Each year an on-farm sale is held early December with usually 70-80 rams from the three breeds. “I’m very excited about the future with the Poll Dorset’s. For a terminal breed they are amazing mothers. They really know how to keep their lambs alive and the lambs are also extremely tough with exceptional growth rates. They cross very well with other breeds. At the next sale the plan is to put up a dozen rams for auction; just taking things quietly.” Asked what traits in particular Ben has been focussing on with his stud, he says rstly the priority is to breed a sheep that is t for purpose. “I am trying to be mindful where the rams are going which is onto mainly hill country.” Over the years Ben says he has probably got a bit tougher in his thinking, making the ewes work a bit harder on the hill. “Two years ago we had a terrible season here so you soon see which sheep can handle the situation. We’re looking for an easier doing sheep with a good constitution and back end. We still put a lot of emphasis on structure and meat. All rams are eye muscle scanned in the autumn.” When it comes to the stud and breeding Ben says the relatively small gene pool in this country brings challenges to breeders. “There’s only a dozen or so Hampshire Studs in this country and only a couple of us in Canterbury.” Asked why Hampshire make up such a small percentage of the national ock Ben says he thinks they are wrongly underrated within the industry. “A lot of my clients are getting very good results from them. As a breed we are making some progress in terms of recognition.” Another interest for Ben is in sheep dog trialling. Three of his dogs quali ed for the South Island competition, while the NZ event was held in Taumarunui in May. He says his dogs performed well but weren’t good enough on the day. “There are some exceptionally skilled dogs and owners out there but its something I do enjoy doing when time allows.” • Concrete • Fertiliser Spreading - Farm Mapping - GPS Tracking - Variable Rate Spreading • Livestock Cartage • Grain Cartage • Shingle Supplies • Daily Freight Leeston: 03 3248 070 Dunsandel: 03 3254 039 reception@ellesmere.co.nz Clean • Accurate • Reliable Contact: Dan Broughton 021 0296 0830 | danscan19@gmail.com DAN SCAN LTD Sheep Pregnancy Scanning
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