2015 newsletter

As you may have noticed, each of our Newsletters carry a theme or message, and this one is about us, and maybe you too,  accepting that good things can take a little more time, a little more effort, a little more focus than first expected.

Being in the breeding and genetic industry, this is so true for us. We make decisions and choices years in advance and deliberately and consistently hold that focus, measuring the results, adjusting and making new choices…and then starting the cycle again.

This is why we are so good at what we do… and why you can rely on us to deliver outstanding Rams with proven genetic traits. We focus intently on the details and the results.

In fact we have done so well with our flock we now need to focus on LAND. We are in the market to lease approximately  400  Ha in the Mid - Lower North Island areas. We will consider smaller blocks though our dream is to consoldiate our operations into a couple of blocks…Can YOU help us in any way?

Please contact Simon on 027 2262262

In recent years we have realised that success for us is a complex relationship of many factors…we really value our sheep and feel that they are part of our family, we see that our clients are part of our business and their success is part of ours.

For us success also includes our life style, our family and our interaction with our community. And for us that extends outwards to the communities in which our clients live.

This year we have extended our community involvement with our “Give back to You” Programme and WOW!... what an amazing success it has been this year.

We have run programmes in Pahiatua, Hunterville, Taumarunui, Taihape, Feilding and Heriot in the South Island. Alongside our presentations on faeces and worm measurement  and the Dynamics of Energy within farming we also offered free life or business coaching. We have also stepped up and offered free Conscious Parenting talks through schools and the local communities. We have had so much fun with this…including slipping in a wee ride in a race Lamborghini at Highlands in Cromwell!

Way cool!

Looking solely at the number of people attended we found ourselves questioning if the campaign was successful … and then as we changed our focus away from the actual number of people attending …and focused on the value that people took away with them, we saw that it was extremely successful.

99% of people who attended our workshops took the opportunity of a free 1:1 session with Keith J Mason, our friend, coach and mentor, with several of them already seeing different results in their personal and business lives.

Everyone who attended came out with a different appreciation and more gratitude for the Energy Dynamics behind everything happening in their lives … and all of them where amazed that a NZ faeces measuring system (Fecpak G2) that is now being used as a health tool in Africa supported by the Bill Gates Foundation. Go Jimmy!

It made us realise once more, that by simply shifting focus, you will shift how you perceive events and how you respond to them.

This is so critical for farming today. We are seeing so many people moving into stress and in some cases drastic emotional responses to the changing farming environment… and all over money.

Yes … money, growth and success are important …though only to a degree! Success and wealth is so much more than just money. As most of you know we have had our own steep learning curve in this area and we now define success so much wider and from a more holistic perspective.

All business is cyclical to some level and farming responds to the same supply/demand and expansion/contraction cycles as other businesses. Add in the weather and we have some unique challenges that make farming a volatile operation.

We belieive it is very important to bring farmers into a wider and more diverse connection with other businesses and to open up and communicate wider success factors such as community, family, health etc. Farming can be an isolated business and we all can get trapped in our own very narrow focus.

Now onto some more traditional newsletter stuff…

We’re cranking into lambing as we write this newsletter and just hear on the radio that there will be snow down to 400m (that’s most of our farm!). Damm… and really there’s nothing we can do. We have our best management  systems in place, our ewes are good order and on reasonable covers. It’s all down to their genetics now…

After a couple of days, having left our sheep totally un-sheperded and not being around them at all we’re wondering how things are looking, sometimes curiosity kills the cat and you can’t help to have a nosy, knowing that you probably do more harm than good.

So, even knowing this we go out and after the last few shitty days, it’s kind of heartening to go and see that getting our management and genetics right, we can circumvent the weather component.

This year we have 16 Quads and 1 Quintuplet, a pain in the backside really, for everyone involved! God gave them two teats and here they are having to feed 4 or more lambs … how do you manage that? Do you leave them or not?

We’ve put them on a hill block by themselves and have just invested in an advantage feeder because research and trial work is coming through saying that we can supplement them. So we thought we would give that a whirl, but no,  they’ve got the choice of different nuts on either side and they’re not touching them!

They are actually really content and happy, self managing themselves on this hill block and feeling very much in control of their own destiny! And we don’t want to “molly cuddle” our sheep!

The aim is not to have too many triplets, quads (or more) … it’s just too hard on the animals and our farm management … and it’s really good to see how happy these animals are being left alone on this hill block. Our genetic planning is working !

So we’ve got a bit of a trial work going this year with triplets … it’s a common question “how do we handle triplets” and we haven’t got the answers yet. We are trying a few different things this year, with some triplets on the flats, some on the hills on different covers and we’ll watch them closely.

The nuts seem to have been feeding the deer…Ben at least is excited about that!

We believe the main kicker definitely is to have the ewes in good order prior to lambing and then leave them to it. Trust in their breeding and natural maternal instinct, so far we’re not getting any deaths, any bearings or other problems – Phew!

Just another we reminder…We are in the market to lease approximately  400 Ha in the Mid – Lower North Island areas. We will consider smaller blocks though our dream is to consoldiate our operations into a couple of blocks… Can YOU help us in any way?

Please contact Simon on 027 2262262

PLACE YOUR ORDERS SOON PLEASE!

Every year we struggle to meet demand and this year we have planned to have more stock available, However it always seems to be a juggle with the really good animals.

We know now its all about lambing and we are moving into the busy time, AND that its always a bit of a challenge to decide exactly what items you need.

We want to support you and your business.

However you decide we will support you with our best Rams at the best price. We are seeing great interest from Europe on how meat is farmed…and the story and information on our happy sheep is a marketing advantage for those of you who are exploring gourmet marketing.

In finishing, don't take your eyes of the emerging market of Milking Sheep. We are building stud and experince in this area.

Happy farming…

Simon, Pascale & team

Here is our thought for the month…it will never be the way it was…Look forward to what it can become…