out in the yards - Massey University grading up to shedding sheep trial.

I have always enjoyed working with sheep, even as a teenager I was allowed to have a small flock of ewes on a farm that had previously run several thousand Drysdales and also had a piggery. Back then I had romneys and was buying stud rams at 15 years old. The original farm become one of the largest dairy goat milking farms in NZ for a while with my family being founding members of the NZ Dairy goat Co-operative. This farm was sold with the family buying a "retirement" farm swapping from the 210 acre dairy goat farm to a 400acre dairy grazing unit. I had some time off the farm with an off-farm job as a specialist mechanic and I have come back to the family farming business in 2015. While the main farm is a dairy support unit I run a few sheep on my own little block, along with some cows, chickens and sometimes pigs , oh and a little fallow deer with her fawn. Choosing Wiltshire ewes for their easycare and no need to shear they made a perfect choice for small blocks and I see massive potential in larger farming systems. In 2022 I purchased an Australian white cross Wiltshire Ram to see how they are with lambs born in the Spring of 2023 I also have experience with high performance motorsport and my love for numbers and data means I have a active interest in Sheep data and using the SIL system to chose better sheep. I hope too add helpful information and try to encourage discussion within the shedding sheep arena. Maybe spark up a few debates.