14 | Weather extremes a challenge in Southland The Stodarts remain committed to premium genetics and sustainability programmes. Karen Phelps Snow blankets the ground at Crown Lea farm near Manapouri, a stark reminder of the weather extremes challenging Southland’s agricultural sector. For Jackie and David Stodart this spring marks the second consecutive year of severe conditions that have forced significant changes to their 750-hectare (695 ha effective) operation, which sits between the Takitimu Range and Lake Manapouri. “It’s been a very trying year,” says David. “We had a bit of a drier autumn, then a good winter, and this spring’s been worse than last year’s spring. We’ve had two wet springs. We’re just really wet and short of feed.” The weather has held the operation back by a full month, forcing the couple to send their hoggets away for grazing and purchase supplementary feed for the 100 dairy heifers they graze. The 686 hinds have just been set stocked, spread out across individual paddocks, ahead of fawning in early November, with limited grass growth. “The weather’s just so unpredictable now, and when we do get these changes in the weather, they’re pretty severe,” explains Jackie. “Everyone in the basin and around, even out of the area, they’re all feeling it. We’re all in the same boat, which is pretty tough.” The practical implications are significant. Crown Lea will likely sell store stock rather than finishing animals this year, as the shortened season makes fattening impossible. Winter deer that would normally provide income aren’t up to weight due to the flow-on effects of feed shortages. The financial juggling act requires communication with the bank, accountant and financial planning with regular meetings. Perhaps most challenging for the long-term breeding operation is the effect on next year’s crop of capital stock. “When we wean the ewes, we’ve got to bring those ewes back up for mating,” says Jackie. RURAL PEOPLE » Crown Lea Farm “We’ll end up selling stores to put the feed back into the ewes to get the weight back on the ewes so that they scan in lamb again.” Despite these challenges, the Stodarts remain committed to the premium genetics and sustainability programmes that earned them Silver Fern Farms’ 2024 Plate to Pasture supplier award. Since son Shaun returned to work on the farm two years ago after his stint as a livestock rep for Silver Fern Farms, the operation has embraced technology, farm data and supply contracts with good results. The family now achieves 100 per cent compliance with venison, lamb and beef programmes and 65 per cent of cattle meeting EQ Standard criteria through NZFAP Gold certification. The premium payments for meeting strict weight, grading, environmental and animal health targets have made a real difference, say David and Jackie. The Stodarts source Angus bulls from Meadowleas GEOFF & BARB CROKER Longbush, RD 4, Masterton E: bob_barb@slingshot.co.nz P: 06 372 7820 www.glenviewromneys.co.nz Proud to supply theStodartswithRomney rams. Bred for high performance and ‘cast iron’ constitution GlenviewRomneys We deliberately challenge our Romneys by farming them on unfertilised native hill country in order to provide the maximum selection pressure and expose ‘soft’ sheep. GlenviewRomneys & South Suffolks FERTILITY GROWTH RATE & SURVIVAL Over the last 20 years ewes (including 2ths) have scanned between 185% and 210% despite droughts. Over the same period weaning weights (adj.100 days) have exceeded 36kg from a lambing % consistently above 150%. • All sheep DNA and SIL recorded. • Ram hoggets eye muscle scanned since 1996. IMF scanned since 2023. • Ewe hoggets have been mated (to Romney sires) for over 20 years. • Breeding programme puts an emphasis on worm resilience - lambs drenched • Scored for dags and feet shape. Sires DNA rated for footrot and cold tolerance. • We are ‘hands on’ breeders with a focus on detail and quality. • We take an uncompromising approach - sheep must constantly measure up. only once prior to autumn. FE tolerance introduced more recently. SILRecorded • EMAScanned Romneys, DorsetDowns, Romney-Texels, DorsetDownBeltex Easycare, high fertility &earlymaturingRams at Fairlie for their beef breeding herd, Romney rams from Duncraigan at Wyndham and Glenview Stud at Masterton, and use genetics from the Melior Stud for their red deer meat line. David’s passion for deer farming shows in the carefully bred hinds for producing meat weaners. However, the velvet market has been dealt a blow. Oversupply has seen prices plummet from $120 per kilogram to around $70, with recovery predicted to take two years. “We’re going to be culling anything that’s untidy, or not cutting good weights,” says David. “It’s a good time to have a tidy up in the herd, but we won’t go out of it, because we’ve invested too much in it over the years.” The farm’s overall stock numbers include 2800 ewes, 750 hoggets, 120 beef cattle, 120 calves,100 dairy heifers, 686 hinds and 220 velveting stags. The family business extends beyond David, Jackie, and Shaun to include daughters Hayley and Aimee with their husbands Glenn Isteed and Graham Levett, who run dairy heifers and velveting stags at Crown Lea respectively. It’s this family focused farm system that gives the Stodarts confidence to weather any storms and continue with their forward-thinking ethos of passionately developing and improving their land and livestock to secure their family’s future.
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