60 | Rosedale celebrate a remarkable 150 years Russell Fredric MEAT & WOOL » Rosedale Rosedale Stud’s Morrison family are celebrating a remarkable 150 years this year since their forebears drove the farm’s first fence post into the ground in Waikaka Valley. One of the current generation, Don Morrison, says the need to adapt and evolve is the key to building resilience as the family farms into their second century on their property near Gore. “Resilience builds opportunity; ‘manaakitia te whenua, mana koe e Manaaki.’ Look after the land and it will look after the people.” “As we’ve celebrated this year by sharing events and stories with family and friends, it has been really interesting to track the change and evolution over six generations of farming Rosedale.” The family has transitioned through the early challenges of being pioneer farmers and establishing their farm and family in 1875, to a period of gold dredging through the early 1900s, and rail access being established in the valley in 1908 providing transport for both fertiliser and livestock. Don’s grandfather Les, along with his brother Stan, took over the farm at the age of 13 on the death of their father in 1919 and Les established Rosedale stud in 1925. The brothers farmed Romney’s during the prime years of sheep meat and wool, with Dons’ father George farming through subsequent good years when wool formed a significant percentage of a sheep farm’s annual income and then during the challenging years from the 1980s. “We have seen the evolution in the farm, the sheep breeds and farming systems,” Don says. “During the 150 years there have been extreme floods and droughts, winter snows and spring storms to match the good years. Boom years for the wool, freezing worker strikes, wool and meat markets that emerged while others disappeared, and yet the Rosedale farm has endured.” During the 1980s Don enjoyed a period where Les, George and Don farmed together as three generations and he is now enjoying that again as he, George and his son Lochie manage the property and stud. Hearing the stories of commitment, vision and endurance from previous generations, and to be part of that story and legacy, is incredibly satisfying, Don says. “Also to know we are farming the land and rivers where our tupuna wahine (female ancestor), a Patahi and her whanau walked adds to that connection. I think the intergenerational opportunity that the land has given us has been a great motivation to return to Rosedale and we’ve seen that again in Lochie’s return.” Systems and breeds have changed during the past 150 years and while the Romney stud continues, Rosedale also breeds its core Growbulk sheep, Suffolk and Suffolk/Beletex , Beltex and now a Wiltshire option. “We have backed our own vision on what is relevant with the focus always on a highly productive commercial sheep.” “The Growbulk and Romney breed now comprise the core of our operation but the Suffolk, Beltex and Wiltshire add specialist opportunities as terminal, hogget mating or simply non-shear possibilities.” Recent evolution within the breeding has been to elevate the productive opportunity though DNA technology where the Myomax and Loinmax genes accelerate growth and muscling, while the GDF9 twinning gene increases performance as the percentage of twin bearing ewes increases, Don says. Today Rosedale’s activities are diverse, with the stud and commercial sheep, cereal cropping, dairy grazing, horticulture and tourism all part of the operation. What hasn’t changed over the 150 years at Rosedale is sheep breeding and open hospitality to Cody Waihape 027 849 7314 03 208 1315 platinumshearing@gmail.com “Where quality speaks for itself” For experienced professional legal assistance with • Buying and Selling of Farms • Farm Succession • Finance and Re-Finance Phone: 03 208 9385 Email: admin@abgraylaw.co.nz www.abgraylaw.co.nz PO Box 293 33B Main Street, Gore, 9710, NZ DX YB92511 A.B. Gray & Associates BARRISTERS & SOLICITORS PROUDLY SERVICING FARMS ACROSS SOUTHLAND/OTAGO Southern Vegetation Control Limted Agricultural Spraying www.southernvegetationcontrol.co.nz (+64) 027 4 713 705 Stock Cartage, General Cartage & Fert Spreading Get in touch! admin@waikakatransport.com 032072885 all visitors has been at the heart of our family farm, Don says. “It is really important to hold onto those traditions where the smokos with friends and family at the Rosedale and Glenellen homesteads are part of the heritage. Dinner is always ready for a myriad of visiting whanau and the simplest thing can sometimes be the most meaningful.” Don remembers in his grandfather Les’ later years asking what was the single biggest thing in his farming career had been that made his life easier or better. Les offered a simple one word reply. “Gumboots.” What hasn’t changed over the 150 years at Rosedale is sheep breeding and open hospitality to all visitors.
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