20 | Dohne breed a perfect fit for farm Ballandean Dohne ram hoggets. Sue Russell MEAT & WOOL » Ballandean Ltd Ten kilometres south-west of Timaru at Southburn sits a farm that has been in the Scott family for five generations – six, counting the young children. The 204ha farm is home to Dohne and Border/ Leicester sheep studs and today is operated by Duncan and Amy Scott. About two-thirds is rolling downes with 55ha of the flat under irrigation. The Scott family have farmed in the district since 1882, with the original 1300 acre farm split between four of the five sons of founder Duncan Scott. The main activity is breeding and finishing sheep. Last year, the Scott’s hosted their inaugural Ballandean Dohne Ram Sale after the purchase of Glenloe Dohne stud, a breed Duncan’s father Owen first became interested in in the early 2000’s. Dohne are a true dual-purpose sheep, with ewes producing vigorously growing lambs and growing a wonderful wool clip averaging 21 micron, placing the wool close to Merino, much sought after in the fashion industry. The breed originates from South Africa and first arrived in New Zealand in 1998. Ballandean Dohne Stud is one of the only ones in the country. Dohne are good as a standalone breed but can be used successfully as a cross-breeding sheep. Each breeding season about 1600 ewes are mated with 400 or so hoggets carried over. A lot of ram breeders have noticed that ram sales are back on previous years which is an encouraging sign. “Things are fairly tight out there and farmers are making their rams mate for periods longer than has been the case traditionally so demand for new rams has dropped somewhat.” As a first ram sale Duncan says his biggest fear was that clients wouldn’t like what they saw, however he says feedback on the day was very positive regarding ram standard. Lambing percentages for Dohne are comparable to many other breeds, and combined with impressive lamb growth rates, Duncan says, the breed is perfect for the farm’s situation. “We need lambs to grow and grow fast. When things dry out pasture is impacted quickly, so we need the lambs grown to a size and weight for slaughter as soon as possible.” In fact, the dry conditions were very much on Duncan’s mind when he spoke with Rural South mid February. “We’re terribly dry at the moment and we’re now on 50% water restrictions for our irrigation so things are really tight. Couple this with poor product prices and high input prices beyond our control, and it’s a pretty challenging time. We’re covering costs and that’s about it.” The district is evolving its farming types with dairying moving in as well as cropping and a couple of significant pig farms. While Duncan’s father introduced the Dohne sheep he also had another ‘lightbulb’ moment when he was introduced to the idea of producing clover honey on the farm. 100 hives are located in Ranfurly, another 100 in Omarama with the balance of the total of 300 hives in all spread around the district. For six weeks, some of the hives are relocated 10km away to Pure Buckwheat NZ’s farm to help with plant pollination and collection of Buckwheat honey. Duncan returns to the topic of the dry weather, commenting that this year is the worst dry summer for some years. He very much hopes that this is not setting the scene for what may become the norm. “If we don’t get rain in the autumn to grow the crops and pasture then spring will be very tough indeed.” Having said this, Duncan says they have managed to finish their lambs well this season, sending them to slaughter at about 17.5-18kg hook weight. “This year in particular as soon as lambs reach weight they leave the farm for processing.” Compliance costs, as experienced by most farmers, also continue to rise. In Duncan’s view the situation is getting out of hand. Consents to access water from the Pareora River are currently being applied for to cover the next 10 year period. It’s a costly process with Council requiring that an intention to reapply needs to be lodged six months before the existing consent lapses. These costs also include the requirement that in some aspects of the application process consultants are involved. Regarding the river itself Duncan says he is very impressed with how the river is holding up, given the dry conditions. Farmers, by nature, have grit and are optomistic. It’s what keeps them going through the tough times. Duncan understands the cyclical nature of many elements that impact the farming operation. “We have to remain open and flexible in our thinking as to what this farming operation may need to become in the future. It’s the nature of farming that things don’t remain the same year in year out and we’ll just make the best decisions we possibly can at the right time.” Tom, Duncan, Charlie and Amy Scott. www.standrewstransport.co.nz Cell: 027 329 555 Phone: 03 612 6605 Main Road, St. Andrews PO Box 137, Timaru Email: satrans@xtra.co.nz Proud to be associated with Ballandean Ltd PROUDLY ASSOCIATED WITH BALLANDEAN LTD OFF-ROAD LIVIN’ D TO BE ASSOCIATED WITH BA LAN 03 688 7517 www.timarucanam.co.nz Buckwheat honey for Pure NZ Buckwheat.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NDc2Mzg=