The Hills are Alive!
by Ken & Brenda Partridge of Parhaven Sheep Farms

Ken and Brenda Partridge of Parhaven Sheep Farms in Warkworth ON recently journeyed south of the equator to a land that boasts of the world’s highest sheep to human ratio - 10:1 (40 million sheep and only 4 million residents). In comparison, in 2002, Stats Canada reported a ratio of 1:25 (1 sheep for every 25 Canadians).

The Partridge’s adventure began with an invitation from Warkworth, NZ for residents of Warkworth, ON to join them for their 150th Anniversary celebrations. A trip to NZ was on the travel ‘wish list’ for Ken and Brenda and they decided to join the NZ festivities. A team of six Warkworth, ON residents, including the mayor and his wife, agreed to meet in Warkworth, NZ on November 12th to be a part of the official twinning of the two communities. In the 5 days to follow, official proclamations were signed and much time was spent with celebrations and getting to know the people and to understand the heritage and culture of the twin community.

Then a trip to the north of the North Island and a 12-day scenic tour culminating with a 2-day farm stay meant that the Ontario sheep farmers would be away from the farm for almost one month. They traveled (only observing and never driving) more than 1700 kilometres in their journeys and had some of the most informed guides and farmers to explain agriculture, especially sheep farming, in an area that is 3000 kilometres south of the equator and 3000 kilometres north of the South Pole. Would there be major differences from Canadian ways of sheep farming, especially those of Ontario & Quebec, or was it just a difference of 18 hours and more than 13 000 kilometres that separated the countries? And how was it that a land one-tenth of the area of our own could have such a high ratio of sheep to humans?

One must keep in mind that New Zealand has a temperate/sub-tropical climate, with topography created by volcanic action and plate tectonics. In other words one is hard pressed to find any farming country, except the Cantebury Plains and Mackenzie Valley that is flat or resembles that of Ontario. Sheep exist and persist on mountain land where humans would not survive. The geographical positioning and climate allows New Zealand to have pasture all year round. Only a few of the larger dairy farms bother to do haylage or large bales. Crops such as wheat, barley and peas are only grown in a few areas - the rest of the land is for pasture, most of which is at least 200 metres above sea-level.

There is much less need for tractors, combines, and haying equipment as many of the pastures require no attention from one year to the next. Large numbers of sheep graze together in one paddock (field) and get moved to a different paddock every few days. Cows with calves are brought in to get things picked right down before any rejuvenation occurs. Fences are highly visible and traverse the countryside in straight lines right up the mountains. In fact it was noted that the most prevalent equipment on the sheep farm was a powerful 4WD 4-wheeler for visiting/rounding up the sheep and a bulldozer for constructing fences and leveling mountain paths.

From the large station on the North Island that managed 6000 breeding ewes to the smaller farm (1400 acres) on the Banks Peninsula of the South Island with only 900 ewes one large difference from farming in Ontario was always constant - no barns and no out-buildings. There were sheep-shearing sheds and collector/loading pens - but no barns! There are no predators on the islands and when there is snow on the mountains the sheep are moved to the valleys.

Several sheep farming demonstrations indicated that there are over thirty various breeds raised - some specializing in wool (Merino, Lincoln) some in meat (Texel, Oxford, Suffolk) and some dual purpose (Perendale, Drysdale, Corriedale). Annual wool production is over 200 000 tonnes, with 90% of it being exported to Northern Hemisphere countries. In 1997, twenty three million lambs (less than half of those produced) were exported.

Considering the market for wool and the reduction in overhead from our ways of farming, one might expect the New Zealand sheep farmer’s profits to be higher. However, other factors come to play. The NZ dollar is not as strong as ours and farmers receive much less for their animals when they go to market, a case of supply and demand. It is cheaper to purchase lamb and beef in their grocery stores and restaurants than chicken. The major differing expense incurred in production is irrigation. Much of NZ agricultural land is very dry and receives not enough rain for their year-round pasturing. In the valleys, very large irrigation equipment operates night and day. Much of it is computer driven. The largest span of watering hardware that was visible from the road was just over one kilometre in length and covered immense flatlands, automatically shutting down as it cruised over a few outbuildings. Mountainous areas have to be content with gravity fed systems or simply depend on the scant rainfall. The drier the year, the more acres required per sheep.

In the North, the station with 6000 breeding ewes was one of four that was leased from the government. The Maori (indigenous tribes of NZ) guide explained that his people often run the stations and in some cases are allowed to purchase tracts of land to start their own farms. However, the farm managers have to prove themselves to be capable of such a venture before plans are ever put in place.

Just outside Dunedin, a Scottish settlement in the South Island, sheep are milked on a rotating platform, accommodating several hundred within a short period of time. Most platforms rotate slowly on a track, however. new ventures experiment with floating platforms on water. The Partridges observed a dairy herd of cattle at milking time and the operators worked out of a trench well beneath the udders of the cows - 38 cows on one side of the trench were milked and 38 on the other side were waiting. Two people handled the herd of 350 and it all happened on a cement pad in an open shed with a little room for the bulk tank and a roof on poles protecting the operation from inclement weather.

The Partridge’s 2-day farmstay on the Banks Peninsula was a perfect example of the contrasting methods of production. One and a half hours south of Christchurch, nestled in the valley, was a 4th generation sheep farm, divided into two 700 acre parcels that went straight up the mountain side and eventually jutted into the Pacific Ocean. The only equipment on the farm is a sturdy 4 wheeler and a bulldozer. No fertilizer is ever used and paddocks are not reseeded (no equipment could survive on the steep slopes). A team of border collies and a farming family of four handle 2000 sheep and 900 beef cows - not to mention a complete bed and breakfast farmstay that takes up to 8 guests at a time and runs garden luncheon tours on request. Ken helped to move sheep on the final day of his stay. He observed the farm from the highest point of the highest hill after working gates for at least ten paddocks straight up - an experience never to be forgotten. It became very obvious why New Zealand is able to have such a high ratio of sheep to people.

The people of New Zealand are so friendly and willing to share their ways of life. They welcome you into their homes and treat you with great respect because you also have a culture to share with them. Their genuine caring attitude shines through on the dullest of days. The millions of white specks that dot the countryside are a major part of their country’s agricultural economy. Yes, the hills are alive with the sound of sheep and a great adventure awaits you three thousand kilometres south of the equator.