September 10, 2025 • 9 mins
Matt Ward farms at Morton Mains and says hogget lambing has a set criteria that he sticks to.
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Speaker 1 (00:15):
Matt Ward Farms at Moreton, Mainz and joins us this
afternoon on the muster and now Matt was the twenty
twenty four Beef and Lamb Young Development Young Farm and
Development Scholarship winner. He chose to follow a Path Ship
a path along the Calogg Rural Leadership and we had
him on the show well about a month ago. I
suppose it's some really interesting insights, especially we got in
(00:37):
New Zealand agriculture overseas. And he joins us this afternoon
down on the cold face on the Lemming beat. Matt,
good afternoons. How's everything a more to Mainz?
Speaker 2 (00:46):
You're good a Andy? Hell? Are you?
Speaker 1 (00:48):
Yeah? Pretty good?
Speaker 2 (00:49):
This story, this story that I were chipping away, not
too bad down here. It's cold, but sunshine and when
starting to blow to dry things out. But I'll tell
you what those heated hand grips this morning we're getting
on double time. Then they're working. Wonders.
Speaker 1 (01:02):
Heated hand grips, but probably the best, one of the
best inventions for for a motibike, especially with the hand mites.
Speaker 2 (01:08):
Oh with the mets on as well. Oh yeah, yeah, yeah.
There's nothing better, nothing better than catching the year and
getting cold hands and put them straight back in the
midst to forget about it again.
Speaker 1 (01:18):
And if you're lucky, you had a screen as well.
But nonetheless, mate, how's thing's been anywhere over the last
couple of weeks.
Speaker 2 (01:25):
She's been wet. Yeah, she's definitely been wet. But it's
sort of like we've had such a good run through winter.
It will always go happen, so you need to get
that rain eventually, and it's just a shame it happens
during lemen. But in my opinion, that's why that's why
you plant shelter, and especially here in more to mains, like,
there's not much stopping it unless you've got a mat,
(01:46):
a carp ahead or something to go hide behind. So
it's yeah, so that is just what it is. You
just got to keep working with today.
Speaker 1 (01:53):
So shelter for the years isn't a problem on your phone.
Speaker 2 (01:56):
No, No, it's not. I've only probably got maybe one
two three pedis left and are planted a bit of
showder since I've been home, and luckily managers before me
and my father before me as well, I had good
foresight to potch well a step like maker carphitches and
then I sort of think there's a bit of a
cost and the upkeep of them, but God, when you
(02:16):
see you standing standing there this morning, I would have
had five or six years lamb under a hedge with
sets of twins on each of them happy airs, and
then one youth standing over it dead, sit in the
middle of the peddock, sort of like the hedge just
pays for it. South pretty quickly, really.
Speaker 1 (02:32):
So how far through lambing would you be?
Speaker 2 (02:33):
Mattuh, you were over halfway now? Yeah, mixtagues are over
halfway and the hoggots start next Friday. They'll start chipping
into it, so that would pretty yeah, cruising through pretty quick? Really?
Speaker 1 (02:46):
Are you pretty intensive on the lambing beat?
Speaker 2 (02:48):
I try not to be. Yeah, I know there's definitely
people a lot more intensive than me. I still mother
the odd lamb on and muck around, but I'm trying
to avoid it as much as I can. I'm I'm
pretty I take my black taggs with me everywhere, and
anything that I need to give a hand to or
mother wrong gets a black tag. And if I see
her again while she goes straight into my baby move
(03:09):
and if I see her again and she's on the bus,
so yeah, but then it's actually quite cool this year.
It is the first year you can see it's paying dividends,
like on my younger sheep, like I really have to
touch any of them, whereas my older sheep. While there's
still a few issues. And but yeah, gradually killing all
that that stuff.
Speaker 1 (03:27):
So hang heads and the lights hasn't been in. The
lights hasn't been too much of an issue so far.
Speaker 2 (03:32):
Nah, he hasn't been too bad. He hasn't been too
always like already this morning, like the odd one. Oh,
I had a couple coming backwards, and there's all this
sort of stuff. You can't really do much better. But
now they're not not too bad, still having some big lambs,
but I've got big us too, so you sort of
what you sort of hurt big news are going to
(03:52):
produce big lambs and go wrong, get stuck. It sort
of is what it is, Pard and Tassel of it.
Speaker 1 (03:57):
So obviously your arms back up and running. Last time
we spoke, you're in a car, so things are back
to normal.
Speaker 2 (04:04):
It's not any I got my past off Friday week
ago and with lambs on the ground next Saturday the
next day. No, I've been Yeah, but it's been lucky.
I've had someone working with me for the past couple
of weeks giving me a hand, which has been good.
And it's slowly years, slowly getting better and better. But yeah,
the old krooking, the heading dog's been working overtime, catching
(04:27):
cheap and mucking around. But we're getting there.
Speaker 1 (04:28):
And I suppose the best thing about when you're starting
to get midway through lambing, you can start doing shitting
out and just rebuilding things down the streamlining what you're doing.
Speaker 2 (04:37):
Yeah, yeah, it's this afternoon's job. I'll start getting around,
hitting the odd more about that's got not much left
dinnered and start boxing a few mobs using lembs up
the start of next week, and then all of a
sudden you're gone. You go from guard around every peddict
to four or five peedicks and then the hog it's
the only take up a handful of peddocks. That's just
gets quicker and quicker and easier. So yeah, definitely over
(04:59):
there over the worst of it now, I think.
Speaker 1 (05:01):
Anyway, So lambing hoggits, you've always done that.
Speaker 2 (05:06):
I've always done it at home here well they yeah,
for the last I don't know how long I've been
doing it here when I first moved back home three
years ago, I had and lamb a hogit in my life,
so I've definitely learned a bit about it socially around
the whole mating and the whole the whole process, and
I still haven't quite got it mastered, but I sort
(05:26):
of have the opinion blade of grass and more to
maating is quite an extensive blade in every mouse that's
eating it has to do something. So if the hoggits
are here, they've got to be producing the lamb. Otherwise
what's the real point of having them.
Speaker 1 (05:39):
Well, it goes back, it goes back to tapping. I
suppose what forty five forty eight kg for a hogot
going to the ram will take it?
Speaker 2 (05:46):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, I try. I try to work on
about is something like sixty percent of the adult weight,
so mine really needs to be up around sixty around
fifty kilos sorry, And this year they went to the
RAM about four eight so they're not far off. But
I don't pamper them either. I sort of don't believe
(06:06):
I should be pampering you lambs, like they need to
be able to survive and they need to Yeah, I
find if you pemper them and get them all in
lamb and they scan really well. And then if they
have a tough winter or a tough spring or something
and they all start and fall, the bits of never
had that pressure butt on them. So I try to
put my m under pressure and if they get a
lamb and survive, then you don't really run into any
(06:28):
issues from now on.
Speaker 1 (06:30):
That's a massive animal going to the ram. Fifty kilos, yeah, yeah,
yeah they are.
Speaker 2 (06:35):
They are big like they yeah, and shit they'll be God,
there'll be sixty five kilo now lamb and big hoggas.
But they need but they will go. And well they've
killed forty percent of the lambs off mum Las winging
at nineteen and a half kilos, so they're producing good
lambs for me. But yeah, they do. They mow through
(06:57):
some fee they're there.
Speaker 1 (06:59):
So the case of you playing grugby is more or
less training for lambing, I suppose for catching yous.
Speaker 2 (07:04):
Yeah, well that's why probably been a bit a bit harder.
I've been a wee bit under done coming into Lemming
this year, definitely carrying a few extra skin folds and
what I normally would be. But but we're yeah, we'll get.
Speaker 1 (07:15):
In there nothing wrong with installation at this time of year.
On the body man hey, just before we go as well,
talking to a lot of farmers over the week last
week or two, just little tip bets they do, as
far as little life hacks for the month of September
and the likes. When you're doing the lambing beat, what
do you do to try and deviate away from the mainstream?
Speaker 2 (07:34):
What I do? It's good question. I'm a big fit,
I'm a big game six. We're hearing the trenches and
it's pretty hard, especially on a weekday. I'm I quite
enjoyed getting in my truck at lunch time and going
for a bit of a drive. It's pretty hard to
find the time. But where I am here in Morder Mains,
we've got a real good shot down in Woodland's there
(07:54):
the grocer, So I normally sneak down there, grab a
pie and a softy roll and take the long way
home and just have a look around and what eyron
else is up to. And sometimes you see, even especially
around the dairy farmers around us here, let you see
how hard it is that you're doing it. Some people
are sometimes unfortunately doing it tougher, and just that bit
of a break from your own peddics and stuff. Yeah
(08:16):
it works, wonders. And you get home at night and
my partner I saw a busy day. You haven't been
influncial me, yes to you. I being flared out all.
Speaker 1 (08:25):
Day and that is the one farming prerogative. No matter
where you go, more often than not, the other half
has to drive because you're too busy looking at the
landscape and they're getting grumpy because you're doing about sixty
clicks right.
Speaker 2 (08:37):
Yeah, yeah, it's all part and parcel.
Speaker 1 (08:41):
Wasn't it Good on you, Matt. We'll leave it there.
All the best of shitting out this afternoon. Appreciate your time,
you do, good man, Andy, thank you very much for that.
Matt Ward of Morton mains our next case as well.
He's all about inclusive and being inclusive on the farm.
That's the word. I'm aster Steve Henders in Abaroa. We
(09:01):
catch up next. This is the master
Matt Ward Farms at Moreton, Mainz and joins us this
afternoon on the muster and now Matt was the twenty
twenty four Beef and Lamb Young Development Young Farm and
Development Scholarship winner. He chose to follow a Path Ship
a path along the Calogg Rural Leadership and we had
him on the show well about a month ago. I
suppose it's some really interesting insights, especially we got in
(00:37):
New Zealand agriculture overseas. And he joins us this afternoon
down on the cold face on the Lemming beat. Matt,
good afternoons. How's everything a more to Mainz?
Speaker 2 (00:46):
You're good a Andy? Hell? Are you?
Speaker 1 (00:48):
Yeah? Pretty good?
Speaker 2 (00:49):
This story, this story that I were chipping away, not
too bad down here. It's cold, but sunshine and when
starting to blow to dry things out. But I'll tell
you what those heated hand grips this morning we're getting
on double time. Then they're working. Wonders.
Speaker 1 (01:02):
Heated hand grips, but probably the best, one of the
best inventions for for a motibike, especially with the hand mites.
Speaker 2 (01:08):
Oh with the mets on as well. Oh yeah, yeah, yeah.
There's nothing better, nothing better than catching the year and
getting cold hands and put them straight back in the
midst to forget about it again.
Speaker 1 (01:18):
And if you're lucky, you had a screen as well.
But nonetheless, mate, how's thing's been anywhere over the last
couple of weeks.
Speaker 2 (01:25):
She's been wet. Yeah, she's definitely been wet. But it's
sort of like we've had such a good run through winter.
It will always go happen, so you need to get
that rain eventually, and it's just a shame it happens
during lemen. But in my opinion, that's why that's why
you plant shelter, and especially here in more to mains, like,
there's not much stopping it unless you've got a mat,
(01:46):
a carp ahead or something to go hide behind. So
it's yeah, so that is just what it is. You
just got to keep working with today.
Speaker 1 (01:53):
So shelter for the years isn't a problem on your phone.
Speaker 2 (01:56):
No, No, it's not. I've only probably got maybe one
two three pedis left and are planted a bit of
showder since I've been home, and luckily managers before me
and my father before me as well, I had good
foresight to potch well a step like maker carphitches and
then I sort of think there's a bit of a
cost and the upkeep of them, but God, when you
(02:16):
see you standing standing there this morning, I would have
had five or six years lamb under a hedge with
sets of twins on each of them happy airs, and
then one youth standing over it dead, sit in the
middle of the peddock, sort of like the hedge just
pays for it. South pretty quickly, really.
Speaker 1 (02:32):
So how far through lambing would you be?
Speaker 2 (02:33):
Mattuh, you were over halfway now? Yeah, mixtagues are over
halfway and the hoggots start next Friday. They'll start chipping
into it, so that would pretty yeah, cruising through pretty quick? Really?
Speaker 1 (02:46):
Are you pretty intensive on the lambing beat?
Speaker 2 (02:48):
I try not to be. Yeah, I know there's definitely
people a lot more intensive than me. I still mother
the odd lamb on and muck around, but I'm trying
to avoid it as much as I can. I'm I'm
pretty I take my black taggs with me everywhere, and
anything that I need to give a hand to or
mother wrong gets a black tag. And if I see
her again while she goes straight into my baby move
(03:09):
and if I see her again and she's on the bus,
so yeah, but then it's actually quite cool this year.
It is the first year you can see it's paying dividends,
like on my younger sheep, like I really have to
touch any of them, whereas my older sheep. While there's
still a few issues. And but yeah, gradually killing all
that that stuff.
Speaker 1 (03:27):
So hang heads and the lights hasn't been in. The
lights hasn't been too much of an issue so far.
Speaker 2 (03:32):
Nah, he hasn't been too bad. He hasn't been too
always like already this morning, like the odd one. Oh,
I had a couple coming backwards, and there's all this
sort of stuff. You can't really do much better. But
now they're not not too bad, still having some big lambs,
but I've got big us too, so you sort of
what you sort of hurt big news are going to
(03:52):
produce big lambs and go wrong, get stuck. It sort
of is what it is, Pard and Tassel of it.
Speaker 1 (03:57):
So obviously your arms back up and running. Last time
we spoke, you're in a car, so things are back
to normal.
Speaker 2 (04:04):
It's not any I got my past off Friday week
ago and with lambs on the ground next Saturday the
next day. No, I've been Yeah, but it's been lucky.
I've had someone working with me for the past couple
of weeks giving me a hand, which has been good.
And it's slowly years, slowly getting better and better. But yeah,
the old krooking, the heading dog's been working overtime, catching
(04:27):
cheap and mucking around. But we're getting there.
Speaker 1 (04:28):
And I suppose the best thing about when you're starting
to get midway through lambing, you can start doing shitting
out and just rebuilding things down the streamlining what you're doing.
Speaker 2 (04:37):
Yeah, yeah, it's this afternoon's job. I'll start getting around,
hitting the odd more about that's got not much left
dinnered and start boxing a few mobs using lembs up
the start of next week, and then all of a
sudden you're gone. You go from guard around every peddict
to four or five peedicks and then the hog it's
the only take up a handful of peddocks. That's just
gets quicker and quicker and easier. So yeah, definitely over
(04:59):
there over the worst of it now, I think.
Speaker 1 (05:01):
Anyway, So lambing hoggits, you've always done that.
Speaker 2 (05:06):
I've always done it at home here well they yeah,
for the last I don't know how long I've been
doing it here when I first moved back home three
years ago, I had and lamb a hogit in my life,
so I've definitely learned a bit about it socially around
the whole mating and the whole the whole process, and
I still haven't quite got it mastered, but I sort
(05:26):
of have the opinion blade of grass and more to
maating is quite an extensive blade in every mouse that's
eating it has to do something. So if the hoggits
are here, they've got to be producing the lamb. Otherwise
what's the real point of having them.
Speaker 1 (05:39):
Well, it goes back, it goes back to tapping. I
suppose what forty five forty eight kg for a hogot
going to the ram will take it?
Speaker 2 (05:46):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, I try. I try to work on
about is something like sixty percent of the adult weight,
so mine really needs to be up around sixty around
fifty kilos sorry, And this year they went to the
RAM about four eight so they're not far off. But
I don't pamper them either. I sort of don't believe
(06:06):
I should be pampering you lambs, like they need to
be able to survive and they need to Yeah, I
find if you pemper them and get them all in
lamb and they scan really well. And then if they
have a tough winter or a tough spring or something
and they all start and fall, the bits of never
had that pressure butt on them. So I try to
put my m under pressure and if they get a
lamb and survive, then you don't really run into any
(06:28):
issues from now on.
Speaker 1 (06:30):
That's a massive animal going to the ram. Fifty kilos, yeah, yeah,
yeah they are.
Speaker 2 (06:35):
They are big like they yeah, and shit they'll be God,
there'll be sixty five kilo now lamb and big hoggas.
But they need but they will go. And well they've
killed forty percent of the lambs off mum Las winging
at nineteen and a half kilos, so they're producing good
lambs for me. But yeah, they do. They mow through
(06:57):
some fee they're there.
Speaker 1 (06:59):
So the case of you playing grugby is more or
less training for lambing, I suppose for catching yous.
Speaker 2 (07:04):
Yeah, well that's why probably been a bit a bit harder.
I've been a wee bit under done coming into Lemming
this year, definitely carrying a few extra skin folds and
what I normally would be. But but we're yeah, we'll get.
Speaker 1 (07:15):
In there nothing wrong with installation at this time of year.
On the body man hey, just before we go as well,
talking to a lot of farmers over the week last
week or two, just little tip bets they do, as
far as little life hacks for the month of September
and the likes. When you're doing the lambing beat, what
do you do to try and deviate away from the mainstream?
Speaker 2 (07:34):
What I do? It's good question. I'm a big fit,
I'm a big game six. We're hearing the trenches and
it's pretty hard, especially on a weekday. I'm I quite
enjoyed getting in my truck at lunch time and going
for a bit of a drive. It's pretty hard to
find the time. But where I am here in Morder Mains,
we've got a real good shot down in Woodland's there
(07:54):
the grocer, So I normally sneak down there, grab a
pie and a softy roll and take the long way
home and just have a look around and what eyron
else is up to. And sometimes you see, even especially
around the dairy farmers around us here, let you see
how hard it is that you're doing it. Some people
are sometimes unfortunately doing it tougher, and just that bit
of a break from your own peddics and stuff. Yeah
(08:16):
it works, wonders. And you get home at night and
my partner I saw a busy day. You haven't been
influncial me, yes to you. I being flared out all.
Speaker 1 (08:25):
Day and that is the one farming prerogative. No matter
where you go, more often than not, the other half
has to drive because you're too busy looking at the
landscape and they're getting grumpy because you're doing about sixty
clicks right.
Speaker 2 (08:37):
Yeah, yeah, it's all part and parcel.
Speaker 1 (08:41):
Wasn't it Good on you, Matt. We'll leave it there.
All the best of shitting out this afternoon. Appreciate your time,
you do, good man, Andy, thank you very much for that.
Matt Ward of Morton mains our next case as well.
He's all about inclusive and being inclusive on the farm.
That's the word. I'm aster Steve Henders in Abaroa. We
(09:01):
catch up next. This is the master
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