"We are ready for a change."
Poll Dorset breeder Sam Stevens says a change to what remains an unknown for him and his wife Deb.
The couple are selling their 240ha farm, a mix of irrigated flats and downs, developed dry land hill and a little bit of undeveloped hill country, in Poolburn, about 10km east of Omakau.
About 250 two-tooth and mixed-age Poll Dorset ewes, 85 Poll Dorset ram lambs, 30 Poll Dorset cross ram lambs and 30 Poll Dorset cross ewe lambs sold at an on-farm sale last month.
"It was 50 years of breeding gone in one afternoon," Mr Stevens said.
The average price was $608 per sheep.
When Southern Rural Life visited Cairnlea last week, the only sheep remaining on-farm were some Poll Dorsets, waiting to be transported to the North Island, including to Whangārei.
A reason for selling the farm was none of their three children, Josh, 22, Harry, 20, and Lucy, 17, signalled a desire to go farming.
Another reason for selling the stud was it being in good heart and a buoyant sheep market.
"We are getting out while the going is good," Mr Stevens said.
The emotions were mixed at the sale but the time was right to try something else while they were healthy enough to make a change.
The sale of stock gave them greater flexibility on when they could hand it over to a new owner.
"It is a little bit scary not having your own capital stock on the place but it gives us that option to get off when we can."
Beef cattle had been bought to fatten and they were considering buying some fine-wool lambs to winter on a lucerne crop.
The plan was to trade sheep and beef until the farm sells.
Mr Stevens was leasing Halter collars for the beef herd to wear from late May.
The collars would improve feed utilisation and get cattle to heavier weights sooner.
Virtual fencing would allow him to graze cattle in paddocks without damaging water races.
Mr Stevens, a full-time teacher at Maniototo Area School for 19 years, had no plans to return to teaching.
Mr Stevens had agreed to teach Dunstan High School pupils tractor skills on Cairnlea this week.
Maybe the next chapter in his career would include facilitation work which he enjoyed.
He hoped his agricultural and teaching skills would help him secure facilitation work in Central Otago.
He facilitates the Teviot Valley Discussion Group and would remain the chairman of the Ida Valley Catchment Group.
"I’m pretty passionate about that. It is a great initiative."
He was a member of the Beef + Lamb New Zealand Central South Island Farmer Council and the Beef + Lamb New Zealand Environment Reference Group.
When the farm sells, he plans to leave the council but stay on as a group member.
"I enjoy the policy side."
He believed farmers would continue to face many interesting challenges, such as Resource Management Act reforms and freshwater farm plans.
"I find it interesting to be able to give feedback on that process and how it will affect us as farmers."
Once the farm sold, he hoped his past farming experience would help him remain relevant.
Mr Stevens was raised on a sheep and beef farm in Five Rivers, Northern Southland and his parents were now selling the family farm.
"Nothing lasts forever," Mr Stevens said.
He thanked his father-in-law George Paterson for breeding Poll Dorsets with good longevity and constitution.
Mr Paterson founded the Poll Dorset stud Armidale in 1972, after buying 10 ewes, bred by T.P.Lowe and Co, near Ashburton.
The stud name was changed to Cairnlea in 1974 and run by Mr Paterson in Omakau and Middlemarch up to 2000.
The Stevens bought their farm in Poolburn in 2003 and the stud flock was transferred to Mr Paterson and Mr and Mrs Stevens in 2004.
The flock was moved to solely the Stevens in 2006.
Poll Dorset sheep thrived on the farm because they liked hot and dry conditions.
The stud had targeted breeding "a natural sheep".
Poll Dorset ram semen was imported from Australia to increase eye muscle and intramuscular fat in the Cairnlea flock from 2020.
He was hoping by targeting eating quality traits that when meat companies started paying premiums, his clients would benefit.
"We are trying to be ahead of the curve."
He shore the sheep himself to save money.
"It is hard yakka and I’m not going to miss it."
Most of the Poll Dorset stud flock was sold to farmers in Otago including James Peddie, of Macraes Flat.
Mr Stevens was "stoked" the Peddie family had bought the sheep and plan to register a stud.
Mr Peddie said he bought about 60 mixed-age Poll Dorset ewes and about 30 Poll Dorset ewe lambs.
He and his wife Abby and five children, four daughters and a son, run a sheep and beef farm at their Longdale properties, which they leased from Oceana Gold.
As they lease land, they invested in genetics to improve their livestock, Mr Peddie said.
Neighbours had already expressed interest in buying rams from their new stud, he said.
Mr Peddie and his father had bought Poll Dorset rams from Cairnlea for years to use as a terminal sire across their halfbred ewes.
"We’ve had a good run with them. They can prime off mum at 19kg or you can grow them out to 22kg easily if you have the feed."
He registered a horned Hereford stud, Highlay, a couple of years ago.
"We like the horned Herefords, they are a bit bonier, a bit tougher than the polled."
The studs were being established, as their children had shown an interest in farming, Mr Peddie said.
"We are doing it for them. I’ve got a few farmers among my five."
