November 30, 2025 • 9 mins
Ben Dooley looks at early season lamb prices which he says are as good as anything that he has seen.
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Speaker 1 (00:03):
The Musters on the Farm brought to you by Southland
District Council working together for a better Southland.
Speaker 2 (00:16):
A way to wind in this afternoon on the Muster
where we catch up with Ben Dooley's Sheep, Beef and
YouTube farmer. His YouTube channel Deep South Sheep and Beef
has been active for quite a while. Dell's good afternoon
house things, And you're.
Speaker 1 (00:30):
Not going too bad, how about yourself?
Speaker 2 (00:31):
Don't really complain, although we're just like summer to turn
up and just give us a nice, happy equilibrium of
wet and dry weather.
Speaker 1 (00:40):
Yeah, I've got to admit, I think the last sort
of three four weeks I've been reasonably happy with her.
It's all gone. We've sort of been wanting a little
bit of rain. We're still going trying to get crops
and there aren't wanting the rain, but the other stuff
I've got in the ground are certainly absolutely loving it,
so that we've been a rain Last night was just beautiful.
But yeah, like we've we've had quite a bit of
(01:00):
sunshine out this way and it's been good. Possibly one
a little bit more, But gott to be very careful
what we ask for there, because we don't want those
taps to turn off for a few months.
Speaker 2 (01:11):
Yeah, it's underesting speaking to people around the province. Andy
Dennis on the show before saying the Fiordland basin was
just sucked and he's after a week of dry weather.
But then you see certain parts of the region again
in northern South and they're crying out for a bit
of moisture or a lot of a fair dose of moisture.
Speaker 1 (01:28):
Yeah, well, someone must have got a fair bit of
rain up that way at some point, because we're up
the lake, up on Lake Dunston the other day and yeah,
the filth coming out of the Colorra River was just huge.
I'm presuming it was sentiment and not just surge overflow,
but yeah, there must have been plenty of rain up
that way. But yeah, I have heard there's people in
Norton South and looking for a bit and youf you
(01:48):
are now, as we know, has had plenty of The
poor old fishing competition got canceled because a huge rain
and then when they did run it a month later,
there was an inch a day for both days forecasts
and whether they've got it or not, but yeah, it's
certainly been plenty of that way. But Yeah, we're probably
just sitting about right where we want to be here,
so yeah, long long may that continue.
Speaker 2 (02:07):
You're talking about your loving the weather from your perspective.
At the moment, grass growth looking pretty good.
Speaker 1 (02:12):
Yeah, reasonable, really good quality. We're sort of probably pretty
on top of it. Normally i'd be you know, i'd
have the twenty hitnies young grass being grazed by now
pretty much all of it. But we haven't even started
on the first one yet. It's it's just right on
the edge of being ready, but there's just still a
few too many plants pulling out. So another four or
five days, I reckon, we'll be end of that and
then that's that'll be fifteen hit there is online by
(02:33):
the time each padd gets finished, So that'll that'll change
the cover situation a bit because it's just that overlap
with single cropping from when you pull your ground out
for swedes, when you get on that young grass, it's
it's forty hit viers on a two fifty hatvieer farm
that's out, so it's a bit more than that with
all the buffers and everything. But now we're we're sitting
pretty okay. At the moment, we weaned the earlier the
other day and got rid of one hundred ninety years
(02:55):
and forty seven lambs, so that was nice that. E's
a bit of feed pressure, all we it. Yeah, so
it's just a matter now trying to hope we get
a bit of a surraplus at some point so we
can we can lock some panics up for some all
under feed. But no, we're we're sitting comfortable enough at
the moment.
Speaker 2 (03:09):
Were you happy with your lamb bites?
Speaker 1 (03:12):
Yeah, so we're not big weaving draft people. We went
down to thirty four kilos, like, there was only three
hundred lambs in the mobs, so for us to get
forty seven away out of that and there are only
eighty one to eighty two days on none, it's all
about getting rid of those used before that U space
tightens up. So they went sixteen point nine I think
sixteen eight, sixteen nine and one hundred and eighty one bucks.
Speaker 2 (03:31):
So that's pretty good.
Speaker 1 (03:32):
Hard, yeah, very hard to complain of that. And yeah,
the US betweeny nine kilos at about one hundred and sixty
five or seventy or something, so once again hard to
complain about that. But yeah, just yeah, well like I
say we're comfortable for feed, but yeah, we could just yeah,
we haven't quite got that surplus yet to be thinking
about locking up any hal baylage.
Speaker 2 (03:52):
So what are you doing for a LAMB budget this year?
Speaker 1 (03:57):
Just going to take it as far as we're comfortable going.
I think we won't really worry about setting a price
we need to achieve or anything, because yeah, historically I've
done things like that and it just sets you up
for disappointment, sets you out for failure potentially, or for
leaving too much opportunity there. So we'll just monitor things
the whole way through. I think the plan is if
(04:18):
the schedule stays where it is, we'll go in pretty
deep at weaning. We are going to shift their terminal weaning.
Traditionally we do it mid December. We're going to shift
it to early January, just to see if we can
get a few more away off mum because yeah, we
do you know, if the twelfth of September start a
landing weaning in mid December, we are just just tight
enough for days on mum there. But yeah, we'll see
(04:40):
how that goes. But yeah, go and reasonably deep then,
you know, try and aim for that sixteen sixteen to
five without too many going under it leaning and then
provided the feeders around, we'll just shut up shop and
we'll just be aiming for twenties after that mid nineteen's
maybe endo January, start of February out of the romneys
that will get weaned in mid December. But yeah, we'll
(05:01):
be aiming high, go as far as we can at
that and just do what the weather.
Speaker 2 (05:04):
Allows as far as one to supplement being made. Have
you made any baylors yet?
Speaker 1 (05:09):
No, no, nothing yet, nothing liked up yet. So just yeah,
with the way September oc table, where if the opportunity
wasn't just there, possibly as a weab it now, But
like I say, with that young grass not being online yet,
just trying to keep the hoggets feed and stuff like that,
we just thought we'd better just feeding them. So yeah,
like I say, the next few days we'll get onto
(05:30):
the young grass and yeah, surely then something will pop
up somewhere we can lock up. Got a bit of
top and done, got rid of a few thistles, so
there's a few options there for paducks we could do.
But to be fair, we've got one hundred and fifty
odd bails left over from last year. So as much
as it would be nice to make the sort of
four hundred bars this year, if we can do it,
if you have that carry on for the next year.
(05:50):
If it doesn't happen, we're you know, if we can
do two hundred and fifty bails, we'll we'll have plenty
on hand to get through. And sort of thinking this
year just because of the plimbing. You know, Traditionally if
you're making baileage at this time of year, it has
to be bailage. But if we're locking it up now
and it cares on growing, we have the opportunity to
make hate say, have a bit of money there, We've
got the sheet to put it in. So yeah, hay
(06:11):
for sheep on crops everybody as good as baileage. It's
just the castle of trying to get it made. But
there is there are notable savings there to make, so
h see every one.
Speaker 2 (06:20):
Goes yeah, fascinating the old baylord versus meadow hay de
bait carries on, But so does this debate too. Talking
about the amalgamation of councils. Speaking to James Meager earlier
on the show Dolls and what's your thought process around this.
Speaker 1 (06:35):
Yes, so I'm I'm a big, big fan of something changing.
We are a province of one hundred thousand people. Most
of those are not rate payers, being you know, under
the age, you know, children, or renters or whatever else.
So there's there's plentiy of people there that aren't. You know,
what I'm saying is it's a very small number of
rate payers to support four councils. Yes, in some ways
(06:59):
the representation of having those four councils can be a benefit,
but there's a lot of duplication involved in that. There's
a lot of extra cost and I see a big
benefit in having the South and District, the Gore District
and environments South and councils all fall into the South
and District Council. I wouldn't want to see the city
council into that because I just see it as a
(07:19):
way for money to be funneled from the rural areas
to the city, and that's how the province works. Anyway,
every time we go to town, we spend money in town,
don't we say the money's going that way? Anyway, I
think it should probably stand on its own two feet.
We don't really want to be paying for the museum
or if their surge treatment systems and things like that.
So I think having an independent city council and then
(07:42):
a district council sitting separately would be quite a good
system for us moving forward.
Speaker 2 (07:47):
Do you think there's going to be a concern though
about debt levels shared by previous councils.
Speaker 1 (07:53):
Yeah, well, I mean it's all it's all above my head,
my pay grade, that stuff. But it's going to have
to be sorted out. But I guess if you have
the district councils merging, then the dead all has to
become one, doesn't it. So yeah, probably another reason to
keep the city council out too, just keep things a
bit more fear and honest. But ultimately the debt has
(08:13):
to be paid back at some point, doesn't it.
Speaker 2 (08:15):
We talk about your YouTube channel. How's it been. Have
you been active on there lately?
Speaker 1 (08:19):
Yeah? I got a few videos out since the last
time I was talking to you. I'm just trying to
think what they were. The last one was crutching Hiding
the crutches and crutch the Hoggins, which men I called
the video I feel like a cheater and I did
because traditionally we do their selves and we do the
mixtair use ourselves too pre sharing. But I've bit the
bullet this year. I've got the crutches in. It feels good,
(08:41):
but it does feel a bit I don't want to
say dishonest, but you feel like you're cheating away bit.
But yeah, we used to work as heales to the barone.
We're up before Christmas to get all the used crutched
and ready for sharing and then getting shorn. And I
just decided I'm sick to death of feeling completely wrecked
by Christmas time. I'm going to enjoy it this year.
So does that one? I think there was one. That's
(09:02):
what the other two were getting the swedes in and
getting the play on done beforehand.
Speaker 2 (09:05):
Work smart or not harder? Ben Durley, we always appreciate
your time on the muster.
Speaker 1 (09:10):
No, that's the one, Andy, Thank you very much.
Speaker 2 (09:14):
Ben Deurley, Farming at Wyndham. You're listening to the muster,
remembering go to the Muster on hockey we Facebook page
for your chance to winn a five hundred dollars Prazzy
card thanks to Mainland Minerals. Remembering you need to follow
Mainland Minerals and Facebook. Tag the mate on the comments
on the Mainland Minerals post on either Hockey we Brickey
or the Muster Facebook pages. And we're going to draw
(09:34):
this with Murray Kobra and on Friday. Next on the
Muster for your Monday Afternoon is Tessa Miller out of
thriving Southland
The Musters on the Farm brought to you by Southland
District Council working together for a better Southland.
Speaker 2 (00:16):
A way to wind in this afternoon on the Muster
where we catch up with Ben Dooley's Sheep, Beef and
YouTube farmer. His YouTube channel Deep South Sheep and Beef
has been active for quite a while. Dell's good afternoon
house things, And you're.
Speaker 1 (00:30):
Not going too bad, how about yourself?
Speaker 2 (00:31):
Don't really complain, although we're just like summer to turn
up and just give us a nice, happy equilibrium of
wet and dry weather.
Speaker 1 (00:40):
Yeah, I've got to admit, I think the last sort
of three four weeks I've been reasonably happy with her.
It's all gone. We've sort of been wanting a little
bit of rain. We're still going trying to get crops
and there aren't wanting the rain, but the other stuff
I've got in the ground are certainly absolutely loving it,
so that we've been a rain Last night was just beautiful.
But yeah, like we've we've had quite a bit of
(01:00):
sunshine out this way and it's been good. Possibly one
a little bit more, But gott to be very careful
what we ask for there, because we don't want those
taps to turn off for a few months.
Speaker 2 (01:11):
Yeah, it's underesting speaking to people around the province. Andy
Dennis on the show before saying the Fiordland basin was
just sucked and he's after a week of dry weather.
But then you see certain parts of the region again
in northern South and they're crying out for a bit
of moisture or a lot of a fair dose of moisture.
Speaker 1 (01:28):
Yeah, well, someone must have got a fair bit of
rain up that way at some point, because we're up
the lake, up on Lake Dunston the other day and yeah,
the filth coming out of the Colorra River was just huge.
I'm presuming it was sentiment and not just surge overflow,
but yeah, there must have been plenty of rain up
that way. But yeah, I have heard there's people in
Norton South and looking for a bit and youf you
(01:48):
are now, as we know, has had plenty of The
poor old fishing competition got canceled because a huge rain
and then when they did run it a month later,
there was an inch a day for both days forecasts
and whether they've got it or not, but yeah, it's
certainly been plenty of that way. But Yeah, we're probably
just sitting about right where we want to be here,
so yeah, long long may that continue.
Speaker 2 (02:07):
You're talking about your loving the weather from your perspective.
At the moment, grass growth looking pretty good.
Speaker 1 (02:12):
Yeah, reasonable, really good quality. We're sort of probably pretty
on top of it. Normally i'd be you know, i'd
have the twenty hitnies young grass being grazed by now
pretty much all of it. But we haven't even started
on the first one yet. It's it's just right on
the edge of being ready, but there's just still a
few too many plants pulling out. So another four or
five days, I reckon, we'll be end of that and
then that's that'll be fifteen hit there is online by
(02:33):
the time each padd gets finished, So that'll that'll change
the cover situation a bit because it's just that overlap
with single cropping from when you pull your ground out
for swedes, when you get on that young grass, it's
it's forty hit viers on a two fifty hatvieer farm
that's out, so it's a bit more than that with
all the buffers and everything. But now we're we're sitting
pretty okay. At the moment, we weaned the earlier the
other day and got rid of one hundred ninety years
(02:55):
and forty seven lambs, so that was nice that. E's
a bit of feed pressure, all we it. Yeah, so
it's just a matter now trying to hope we get
a bit of a surraplus at some point so we
can we can lock some panics up for some all
under feed. But no, we're we're sitting comfortable enough at
the moment.
Speaker 2 (03:09):
Were you happy with your lamb bites?
Speaker 1 (03:12):
Yeah, so we're not big weaving draft people. We went
down to thirty four kilos, like, there was only three
hundred lambs in the mobs, so for us to get
forty seven away out of that and there are only
eighty one to eighty two days on none, it's all
about getting rid of those used before that U space
tightens up. So they went sixteen point nine I think
sixteen eight, sixteen nine and one hundred and eighty one bucks.
Speaker 2 (03:31):
So that's pretty good.
Speaker 1 (03:32):
Hard, yeah, very hard to complain of that. And yeah,
the US betweeny nine kilos at about one hundred and sixty
five or seventy or something, so once again hard to
complain about that. But yeah, just yeah, well like I
say we're comfortable for feed, but yeah, we could just yeah,
we haven't quite got that surplus yet to be thinking
about locking up any hal baylage.
Speaker 2 (03:52):
So what are you doing for a LAMB budget this year?
Speaker 1 (03:57):
Just going to take it as far as we're comfortable going.
I think we won't really worry about setting a price
we need to achieve or anything, because yeah, historically I've
done things like that and it just sets you up
for disappointment, sets you out for failure potentially, or for
leaving too much opportunity there. So we'll just monitor things
the whole way through. I think the plan is if
(04:18):
the schedule stays where it is, we'll go in pretty
deep at weaning. We are going to shift their terminal weaning.
Traditionally we do it mid December. We're going to shift
it to early January, just to see if we can
get a few more away off mum because yeah, we
do you know, if the twelfth of September start a
landing weaning in mid December, we are just just tight
enough for days on mum there. But yeah, we'll see
(04:40):
how that goes. But yeah, go and reasonably deep then,
you know, try and aim for that sixteen sixteen to
five without too many going under it leaning and then
provided the feeders around, we'll just shut up shop and
we'll just be aiming for twenties after that mid nineteen's
maybe endo January, start of February out of the romneys
that will get weaned in mid December. But yeah, we'll
(05:01):
be aiming high, go as far as we can at
that and just do what the weather.
Speaker 2 (05:04):
Allows as far as one to supplement being made. Have
you made any baylors yet?
Speaker 1 (05:09):
No, no, nothing yet, nothing liked up yet. So just yeah,
with the way September oc table, where if the opportunity
wasn't just there, possibly as a weab it now, But
like I say, with that young grass not being online yet,
just trying to keep the hoggets feed and stuff like that,
we just thought we'd better just feeding them. So yeah,
like I say, the next few days we'll get onto
(05:30):
the young grass and yeah, surely then something will pop
up somewhere we can lock up. Got a bit of
top and done, got rid of a few thistles, so
there's a few options there for paducks we could do.
But to be fair, we've got one hundred and fifty
odd bails left over from last year. So as much
as it would be nice to make the sort of
four hundred bars this year, if we can do it,
if you have that carry on for the next year.
(05:50):
If it doesn't happen, we're you know, if we can
do two hundred and fifty bails, we'll we'll have plenty
on hand to get through. And sort of thinking this
year just because of the plimbing. You know, Traditionally if
you're making baileage at this time of year, it has
to be bailage. But if we're locking it up now
and it cares on growing, we have the opportunity to
make hate say, have a bit of money there, We've
got the sheet to put it in. So yeah, hay
(06:11):
for sheep on crops everybody as good as baileage. It's
just the castle of trying to get it made. But
there is there are notable savings there to make, so
h see every one.
Speaker 2 (06:20):
Goes yeah, fascinating the old baylord versus meadow hay de
bait carries on, But so does this debate too. Talking
about the amalgamation of councils. Speaking to James Meager earlier
on the show Dolls and what's your thought process around this.
Speaker 1 (06:35):
Yes, so I'm I'm a big, big fan of something changing.
We are a province of one hundred thousand people. Most
of those are not rate payers, being you know, under
the age, you know, children, or renters or whatever else.
So there's there's plentiy of people there that aren't. You know,
what I'm saying is it's a very small number of
rate payers to support four councils. Yes, in some ways
(06:59):
the representation of having those four councils can be a benefit,
but there's a lot of duplication involved in that. There's
a lot of extra cost and I see a big
benefit in having the South and District, the Gore District
and environments South and councils all fall into the South
and District Council. I wouldn't want to see the city
council into that because I just see it as a
(07:19):
way for money to be funneled from the rural areas
to the city, and that's how the province works. Anyway,
every time we go to town, we spend money in town,
don't we say the money's going that way? Anyway, I
think it should probably stand on its own two feet.
We don't really want to be paying for the museum
or if their surge treatment systems and things like that.
So I think having an independent city council and then
(07:42):
a district council sitting separately would be quite a good
system for us moving forward.
Speaker 2 (07:47):
Do you think there's going to be a concern though
about debt levels shared by previous councils.
Speaker 1 (07:53):
Yeah, well, I mean it's all it's all above my head,
my pay grade, that stuff. But it's going to have
to be sorted out. But I guess if you have
the district councils merging, then the dead all has to
become one, doesn't it. So yeah, probably another reason to
keep the city council out too, just keep things a
bit more fear and honest. But ultimately the debt has
(08:13):
to be paid back at some point, doesn't it.
Speaker 2 (08:15):
We talk about your YouTube channel. How's it been. Have
you been active on there lately?
Speaker 1 (08:19):
Yeah? I got a few videos out since the last
time I was talking to you. I'm just trying to
think what they were. The last one was crutching Hiding
the crutches and crutch the Hoggins, which men I called
the video I feel like a cheater and I did
because traditionally we do their selves and we do the
mixtair use ourselves too pre sharing. But I've bit the
bullet this year. I've got the crutches in. It feels good,
(08:41):
but it does feel a bit I don't want to
say dishonest, but you feel like you're cheating away bit.
But yeah, we used to work as heales to the barone.
We're up before Christmas to get all the used crutched
and ready for sharing and then getting shorn. And I
just decided I'm sick to death of feeling completely wrecked
by Christmas time. I'm going to enjoy it this year.
So does that one? I think there was one. That's
(09:02):
what the other two were getting the swedes in and
getting the play on done beforehand.
Speaker 2 (09:05):
Work smart or not harder? Ben Durley, we always appreciate
your time on the muster.
Speaker 1 (09:10):
No, that's the one, Andy, Thank you very much.
Speaker 2 (09:14):
Ben Deurley, Farming at Wyndham. You're listening to the muster,
remembering go to the Muster on hockey we Facebook page
for your chance to winn a five hundred dollars Prazzy
card thanks to Mainland Minerals. Remembering you need to follow
Mainland Minerals and Facebook. Tag the mate on the comments
on the Mainland Minerals post on either Hockey we Brickey
or the Muster Facebook pages. And we're going to draw
(09:34):
this with Murray Kobra and on Friday. Next on the
Muster for your Monday Afternoon is Tessa Miller out of
thriving Southland
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