| 35 Reshaping the future Highest value wool Karen Phelps Karen Phelps RURAL PEOPLE » Barry Roughan / Cape Campbell Barry and Trudy Roughan are deliberately reshaping the future of their 485-hectare hill country farm in the Hokonui Hills west of Gore. The Otamita Gorge farm, which carries just under 6,000 stock units, has been in Barry’s family since 1979, when his father Les bought the property. Barry returned home in 1983 after studying agriculture at Lincoln University and working elsewhere, eventually taking full ownership of the farm with Trudy in 2010 after decades of gradual succession. Sadly Les passed away around 18 months ago. “We had 37 years working together,” says Barry. It wasn’t until he left we realised what he did. He had a good team of dogs and was capable of doing stock shifts up to the age of 95. He was still competing at the New Zealand Dog Trials then too. We were really lucky to have him for so long in a larger than life capacity.” Now, as they move further into the next stage of farming life, Barry and Trudy are focused on building systems that will outlast them. A key part of that direction is hosting Growing Future Farmers students, a programme that places trainees on working farms for two years with close one-on-one mentorship. Barry says the experience has added both purpose and perspective to their operation. “I’m finding it quite rewarding showing these young, keen people what I know,” he says. “It’s quite cool seeing them grow.” The programme pairs each student with experienced farm trainers who provide daily guidance in both practical and personal development. Students live on farm while also completing off-farm coursework. Trainers support them through everything from livestock handling and machinery operation to time management, The Peters farming business is quietly redefining what success looks like in the wool sector. Rather than chasing volume, the family has set its sights firmly on producing some of the finest, highest value wool in the world, and doing so with minimal chemical input across a diverse, family-run operation. Owned and operated by Rob and Sally Peter, the business spans three Marlborough properties. The original Cape Campbell farm, a 1300-hectare coastal block, focuses on finishing cattle and composite lambs and is now largely managed by their son Thomas. A 45-hectare run-off block near Ward is used for finishing stock, running rams and making baleage, with son Jimmy overseeing it while also managing Saxon wethers on the nearby Pinoli pine nut orchard. Further inland lies the 480-hectare Isolation Run, the hub of the merino operation run by Rob, Sally and Jimmy. Isolation Run at Ure (Waima) Valley carries around 1100 ewes, 780 hoggets, 20 rams, alongside 100 cattle, all farmed full-time in steep limestone country well suited to Saxon Merinos. Producing ultrafine wool in the 15–16 micron range, the flock underpins its focus on premium fibre, including few chemical inputs. “This coming year we don’t plan on drenching ewes at all,” says Rob. “We haven’t drenched the rams for ten years but we still drench the lambs and hoggets. Drench resistance was starting to become a problem all those years ago and we saw it becoming a bigger problem which is what led us in this direction. We also have a personal goal to reduce chemical input. We’ve mainly concentrated on trying to get the rams healthier and stronger and that’s been breeding through into the ewes. We’ve also been culling the ewes and rams not holding condition and getting daggy for 30 years. We’re now culling very low numbers.” The emphasis on resilience and animal health, including structural soundness, directly supports wool quality. Its clip is supplied to premium markets, including long-standing partner Escorial, with some wool also sold to Italian processor Vitale Barberis Canonico. All production meets Responsible Wool Standard requirements, with regular audits in place. A key part of the system is blade shearing, a traditional method that leaves a protective layer of wool on the sheep. “It’s more time consuming to shear in this way and a little more expensive but not hugely,” says Rob. “It takes the risk out of shearing if cold weather comes through after. The sheep stay in very good condition and don’t get a setback going into lambing.” Shearing takes place in August and can run for up to six days, with specialist fine wool handlers ensuring the wool is presented to a very high standard. A newer opportunity for the business has been to run around 1000 Saxon wethers at Pinoli pine nut orchard, grazing beneath dense tree cover on an organic block. “The wethers do well there and the wool is very soft, bright and clean,” says Rob. “But it’s a lot of work, as the terrain is challenging with a solid tree canopy.” “We were using a drone to muster but they have cottoned onto that, finding a nice thick patch where the drone can’t see them,” says Rob with a laugh. The business remains a fully active, family-driven enterprise, with another son, Joseph, contributing with fencing and yard maintenance across the farms while also running a hunting guiding business called Hard Yards Hunting. With succession underway, the Peters are proud that the next generation is increasingly taking responsibility. Covering Otago & Southland 0800 227 226 www.advance-agriculture.co.nz Proud to support Barry Roughan Specialist Suppliers of Agricultural Chemical, Seed, Spray Equipment & GPS Precision Ag Pleased to support Barry Roughan Gore Queenstown Balclutha Wanaka Christchurch Alan Macdonald Erin Howes Caleb Macdonald Stephen Kornyei 03 209 0390 • info@mpltd.co.nz www.mpltd.co.nz teamwork, problem solving and training their own pups. Over time, the couple have also begun adjusting the farm itself to be more resilient and manageable as they age. They run around 4,000 ewes and are steadily shifting their breeding focus from Snowline maternal sheep to Wairere Nudies, selected for the fact they have no wool and worm tolerance. “I think the transition might drive me a bit nuts though, seeing scruffy sheep with half fleeces,” says Barry with a laugh. The couple are also responding to wider changes in their catchment. As part of the 17,000-hectare Otamita catchment group, they have seen significant land-use change in recent years, with thousands of hectares converted to pine forestry. “It’s devastating on the community and destroys community spirit,” says Barry. “The Gore Dog Trial Club has just lost three active members from conversion to trees as these people have left the community. Pine trees also provide a habitat for pests to survive. Deer, pigs and possums live in there and then come out at night and destroy crops and pasture and possums have potential for carrying TB. Pests aren’t an issue yet but they will be further down the track so that’s a concern.” Alongside environmental pressures, the farm has also had to adapt to increasingly difficult seasonal conditions. After three poor springs in a row, Barry says they are now managing stock more conservatively, including reducing numbers and spreading lambing to reduce risk during storms. “For example we culled our dry hoggets in October last year as it was good money and feed levels were low,” he says. “This year we have reduced our stock numbers for the spring so if it’s a cold slow spring with poor growth it’s less mouths to feed.” Barry says he and Trudy are still working through what the next phase looks like but their intention is clear: to keep the farm functional, adaptable and meaningful for the future while slowly stepping back from the day-to-day intensity. 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