| 3 RURAL PEOPLE » Carrickmore Creating a legacy in sustainable farming Ewes crossing the head of the Styx Creek. Rosa Watson For more than 100 years the O’Malley family has been farming Carrickmore Station at Styx Valley in the Maniototo, with a legacy of innovation and sustainability. The family is now up for a Century Farm Award to be announced in May. The name Carrickmore is Gaelic for “Big Rock” reflecting the rugged schist rock landscape in which the farm lies. The property covers 4649 hectares – including the 3096ha of pastoral lease that was added to the 1553ha block in 1958. There are 3500 wintering ewes, 2000 hoggets, 140 breeding cattle, 100 calves and 40 R2 finishing heifers. It is in its second year transitioning from a merino and half-bred split flock to a full quarter-bred flock, fifth generation farmer Pete O’Malley tells Rural South. The farm also carries Earnscleugh Composite cattle. The station was founded by James and Elizabeth O’Malley who emigrated from Limerick, Ireland, in 1903, and in 1920 purchased the 1,553-hectare run that is now Carrickmore. Records from 1921 show that the run originally carried 1,345 sheep under James and Elizabeth’s stewardship. At the time, the property included a three- bedroom mudbrick home that was gradually extended as the family expanded. New homesteads were later built in the late 1950s and early 1960s and remain occupied today. James and Elizabeth’s eldest son, Paul became the second generation to manage the farm. Wounded in the 1917 Battle of Passchendaele during WWI, he recovered and returned home. His early years in charge were extremely challenging, marked by widespread rabbit infestations compounded by the physical and mental toll left by the war. Paul’s eldest son, Peter, was just 14 when he effectively assumed control, and his influence on Carrickmore was transformative. He introduced a full irrigation scheme, converted large areas of low-producing hill country into productive pasture, and purchased three additional farms to help establish his siblings. In 1959, he secured the lease of Run 248L, adding a further 3,096 hectares of summer grazing land. Following Peter’s death in 1985 at just 53 years of age, his 19-year-old son Paul assumed management, guiding the farm toward a more sustainable, lower-input system after the highproduction era of the 1980s. Breeding ewe numbers were reduced from 7,000 to 4,500, while cattle numbers remained steady at about 250 with a stronger focus on finishing stock. Major developments under his management include installing K-Line irrigation on what was then thought to be unsuitable hill country in 2004, and commissioning a 100 kW solar irrigation system in 2019. Today, Pete and his father Paul work together to run the farm, alongside Pete’s wife Annie and girls Eva (4) and Bonnie (2), as well as Paul’s partner Jo. “We also utilise some great business brains amongst the wider family to help drive direction, strategy and succession planning,” Pete says. The operation includes supplying fine wool to NZ merino company, store and finishing lambs and store and finishing cattle with a small amount of solar generation. Paul has been looking into natural inputs and soil health for over 30 years with a goal to get the soil functioning as efficiently as possible with balanced inputs. “It’s really an expansion of the phrase ‘grass grows grass’ in terms of what we’re doing,” Pete says. The most recent succession took place when Paul successfully paid out his siblings and implemented a succession arrangement to transfer into fourth generation ownership. They are currently working through succession plans from Paul to Pete and Annie. Looking forward, Pete hopes to keep adding to the family legacy by building a resilient and profitable business model. “Farming to our environment and building in the flexibility of stocking rates for both favourable and poor seasons is a key part of our plan.” He says increased solar development is the next major project for Carrickmore in 2026. He says it’s a huge privilege to be fifth generation on Carrickmore after over 105 years of O’Malley ownership. A recent book published by the family provides great insight into the history of the property, centring around the transformational impact Paul’s father Peter had on the farm. michael.d@fishit.co.nz www.fishit.co.nz Suppliers to Carrickmore A tool for sustainable biological farming Stronger stock. Smoother ow. Better results. From expert tailing and premium electrodip dipping to e cient sheep conveyor services, our two companies deliver trusted solutions that keep your operation moving with con dence. LAKE GRAY AGR I SERV ICES AND VALLEY SHEEP HANDL ING Mitch 027 313 8802 | Liam 027514 4014 If you’re in Central Otago, get in touch with Mitch or Liam today. “To understand the struggles that generations of the past have been through and overcome with innovation is incredible and provides great perspective, especially over the challenges the sheep and beef industry has been presented with in recent times.”
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