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Maddi Palmer says she likely does not fit the stereotypical mould of a sheep crutcher, and while it is an occupation she does not plan to make a career out of, she is enjoying the journey and saving hard while she is at it.
Miss Palmer (21) started working on Tim Anderson’s mobile crutching trailer a year ago.
"I started out just keeping sheep up [to the crutchers]. I did that for six months before having a go on the handpiece."
Learning how to use a handpiece and tidying up the business end of a sheep did not take too long to master.
"It’s just a matter of learning how to do it fast enough to warrant being up there in the first place," she said.
The crew recently had 8000 sheep to button hole crutch and Miss Palmer crutched 1750 in one day, a new personal best for her.
"It’s definitely not something I plan to stay doing for too long, but for now it’s been a great way to save some money and you get a pretty good look around some awesome countryside."
As well as the crutching trailer, the crew also do sheep conveyor work. Based in Ranfurly, they can travel up to two hours one way for work and recently did a week in Ashburton to help the company catch up on the workload.
Miss Palmer’s partner, Caleb Flett, also works on the crutching trailer as crew leader.
"I sort of moved into the staff house when I got the job and I pretty quickly got myself a boyfriend as well," Miss Palmer laughed.
Working alongside each other on the trailer does not tend to bring home too many arguments but when the day has not gone to plan the couple tend to try and leave work at the gate.
"We do enjoy having a good laugh on the way home if there have been some funny things that have gone on in the day."
Growing up on a dairy farm in South Canterbury, Miss Palmer had a love for animals from a young age.
"I was spraying teats when I was about 4 and putting cups on as soon as I could reach."
When her parents sold out of dairying, her father became a casual farm worker and manages farms when owners are away. It was through this experience that Miss Palmer found a deep passion for sheep and beef farming.
A competitive rower at high school, Miss Palmer loves the physical nature of farm work and takes pride in having a strong work ethic — something she feels some people her age can lack.
"You hear them whingeing about having had a big day or trying to do something that was physically tough. I often need to just hold my tongue because I do think a lot of them don’t actually know what hard work is."
Before joining the team, she had been working as a shepherd and did a stint owning a business condition-scoring dairy cows "which wasn’t for me".
She is keen to get back into a shepherding role.
"I just need to get a few working dogs and keep learning a thing or two".
