Sheep and beef farmers James and Abby Peddie bought about 60 mixed-age Poll Dorset ewes and about 30 Poll Dorset ewe lambs from the Cairnlea Poll Dorsets dispersal sale in Poolburn in February this year.
The Peddie family run sheep and beef across 3500ha of two farms they lease, Redbank farm in Macraes Flat and Longdale farm between Macraes and Hyde, which feature rolling to steep terrain, northeast of Palmerston.
As they leased both farms, they focused more on investing in genetics rather than non-essential farm improvements, Mr Peddie said.
"So we can take something with us."
Farm ownership was a dream, he said.
"That’s the ultimate goal for a farmer is to own land."
Their children, Isla, 16, Evie, 14, Graye, 11, Hazel, 9, and Willa 6, had shown interest in farming.
Cairnlea Poll Dorsets co-owner Sam Stevens and his father-in-law George Paterson, who registered the stud in the Macraes Flat area in 1974, floated the idea of the Peddie family continuing the stud name.
Mr Peddie said continuing the Cairnlea stud was a much easier option than registering a new stud.
Another benefit of keeping the Cairnlea name was maintaining its position of 127 in the stud book rather than being placed at the back of it.
A condition of Mr Stevens gifting the stud name was the Peddie family had to enter sheep in the Central Otago A&P Show and defend his title.
Mr Stevens and Mr Paterson visited Redbank to help sort the right ram to put to the right ewe.
Mr Peddie said the visit alleviated any of his concerns of crossing bloodlines in the flock.
Mr Paterson was fresh out of hospital after a surgery and was working while on crutches, Mr Peddie said.
"It was bloody good."
Payment for the work was a couple of beers at nearby pub Stanley’s Hotel.
The Peddie family had been using a Poll Dorset as a terminal sire for about 40 years.
Mr Peddie’s late father Graham Peddie bought Poll Dorset rams from Mr Paterson.
"We know they do very well here."
The Peddie family had been using a Poll Dorset as its terminal sire for decades on Longdale.
Now about 5000 half-bred ewes were run on the farm and about half were mated to a Poll Dorset ram.
The Peddie family had tried other breeds but Poll Dorsets had better survival rates and weaning weights.
"We just kept going back to the Poll Dorsets."
James was raised on Longdale, which the family sold in 2015 and he now leased.
His father died on Longdale in a workplace accident in 2003, age 50.
At the time, James was 18 and working at Lindis Peaks Station near Tarras.
"I have always wanted to be a farmer, my father knew that too."
To increase sheep numbers in the stud, the Peddie family bought eight two-tooth ewes from Neville and Dianne Greenwood at the Adelong Poll Dorset dispersal sale in Canterbury in February.
"We are building up numbers quite drastically this year," Mr Peddie said.
Poll Dorset ewe hoggets had been mated, something Mr Stevens had never done before.
Mr Peddie said the hoggets were in great nick so he was hopeful for a positive result.
He felt confident the rams had done their job.
Any female sheep which did not produce a lamb as a hogget or a two-tooth got put on a truck, he said.
If lambing went well this year, the plan was to hold a Poll Dorset ram sale at the end of next year.
Neighbours had borrowed some Poll Dorset ram lambs this year and asked to buy some next year.
Rams would be available for sale by private treaty from January next year.
"We won’t have a lot."
He felt the flock size would increase as the ewes had handled the shift from Poolburn and hoped many would produce twin lambs.
The ram was put out on May 8 to raise the chances of grass growing when lambs arrive.
An aim on the farm was to buy in livestock proven to perform on harder country but it was a challenge to find any place which tougher conditions.
About 280 beef cows would produce calves on the farms this spring, he said.
The beef genetics on the farms consist of Angus, Charolais and Hereford.
"We have that three-way hybrid vigour."
A farmer in Goodwood buys the steers and grows them to 400kg.
The Peddie family bought 12 cows and six heifers from the Glacier Horned Herefords dispersal sale in Fox Glacier in 2023.
"We’ve got them right out the back in the real steep country cleaning it up for the ewes."
They planned to register a horned Hereford stud and name it Highlay, a nod to an area between the farms they lease.
The newest genetics to the beef herd were bull Locharburn Champ 240119, which they bought for $7500 from Locharburn Herefords near Cromwell in May.
"He’s turned out bloody good. For seven and half grand, it’s only three heifers. We killed our dry heifers and that paid for him."
The season had been one of the best they had experienced as sheep and beef prices were up and farming conditions had been exceptional including for growing swedes, due to moisture arriving at the right times.
"I think we have an about-16-ton crop, which is exceptionally good for us."
The kids had been selling swedes for $2 at the intersection near the pub.
"They do it every year and made $160 last year. They were pretty chuffed: they like the feel of the cash."
