Business Rural Winter 2021

34 | Couple taking pride in their wool CAMPAIGN FOR WOOL » Ben Annand Farm: Amy & Victor Blaikie Kim Newth N o matter what the wool price, Amy and Victor Blaikie are proud of the wool clip quality being produced off their farm, Ben Annand in South Otago. “Our perspective is that the wool is going to come off anyway, so we may as well try to get as best a fleece as we can,” says Amy, who has been proactive in lobbying to boost demand forNew Zea- land wool in recent months. Last year she launched a petition calling for New Zealand wool carpet and wool insulation to be used in all publicly funded buildings and KiwiBuild homes. She remains optimistic of a positive outcome from the petition, particularly in light of the natural fibre’s inherent high performance attributes. “It would be fantastic to have New Zealand wool on the floors, rather than plastics. Wool is an amaz- ing product: it’s renewable, biodegradable and can absorb toxins. It’s warm, a natural insulator and is flame retardant. It has so many great properties. Coming out of Covid, people are talking a lot more about looking after the environment and living more sustainably. Wool products are better for the environment and are durable too.” The idea for the petition grew out of a local red meat profit partnership discussion group, aimed at generating ideas on how to lift performance. “We talked about how the wool side of production on the farm is letting us down. Here we have this amazing product and yet the value of it is ridiculously low.” Amy has also led a project this year seeking wool donations to support the Southland Charity Hospital being built in Invercargill. More than 400 bales have been donated, with around half made into insulation for the hospital. The remainder was scoured free of charge by NZ Wool Scouring and then sold, with $78,000 raised for the hospital. “The support from farmers has been wonderful.” Ben Annand has been in the Blaikie family since 1960 and is a rolling to steep hill country farm of 1468ha. Close to 500ha of that is in native forest, bush and exotic forestry with the remainder grazed. Critical areas are being fenced off, with more planting also a priority. “Of course, taking care of the environment is a continual project because you can’t plant and then walk away. You’ve got to look after what you’ve established and stay on top of weeds and pest control.” Victor and Amy run 4800 Perendale ewes and 1400 hoggets - along with 240 predominantly Her- eford cows - and produce around 19,000kg of wool per year. The couple share a clear focus on farming sustainably. At shearing time, the dags are gathered up and recycled as mulch and compost for the farm’s raspberry paddock. Amy has a background in market gardening and loves growing berries as part of the farm operation. Free moving, independent and stepping lightly on the land, Perendales are a perfect choice for their long hilly farm and the ewes also make great mothers. Shearing is carried out by a team of nine or 10, including shearers, rousies and a presser. Each fleece weighs around 4.5kg on average and the clip goes to Otago Wool Brokers in Mosgiel. Amy says that low prices for wool are driving diversification on farms, which can no longer rely on wool as an income stream, but she is hopeful that investment in innovation may eventually lead to greater value-added opportunities for wool. Amy Blaikie is proud of the quality of the wool clip produced at Ben Annand. Inset: Amy with the wool petition outside Parliament. Photo: Blair Colyle  Bulk Fuel & Lubricants  WOF  Tyres  Pipe Fittings Century Batteries  Full Workshop Facilities  Bulk Oil also available at JD Souness Ltd W & J DUNLOP (CLYDEVALE) 1998 Ltd FARM SPECIALISTS YOUR LOCAL PHONE PAUL & ROSIE (03) 415 9254 / (03) 415 9077 18 Dunlop Road Clydevale, Balclutha AdBlue ® Farmers, when you’re shearing... Fax 03 489 3308 | taieriwool@xtra.co.nz | Bush Road, Mosgiel AH Rodney McLennan 03 489 3499 / 0274 355 953 Taieri Wool & Skin (1998) Ltd Ph 03 489 4408 & 0274 355 953 • Competitive prices on main lines • Truck available for shed clean-outs • Provide & replace wool packs • Fast, efficient service • FREE quotes Photo: Ben Annand wool clip loaded up and ready to be transported. Proud wool producers Amy and Victor Blaikie.