March 15, 2026 • 8 mins
Ben Dooley reckons forecasting the Spring red meat contracts won't be that easy to do!
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
The muster on the farm with Southland District Council wicking
together for a Beta South London.
Speaker 2 (00:08):
Ben Dooley farms just out of windom with his wife
Sarah Sheep Beef and YouTube farmer deal is good, afternoon.
Speaker 1 (00:15):
Good Andy, how's it going pretty good?
Speaker 3 (00:16):
How's everything around windom Way?
Speaker 1 (00:19):
Yeah, she's pretty green to be fair. I don't think
there's too many complaints about the level of grass around
the place. And prices are still and they might be
falling back a little bit, but they're still holding reasonably
well and they're still absolutely spectacular, and yeah, money seems
to be flying, and yeah, I think everyone's pretty happy.
Speaker 3 (00:35):
So grass growth hasn't been an issue.
Speaker 1 (00:38):
It's definitely slowed down a wee, but I mean we
are getting to that hard to know too. Yeah, it's
not peaking, but it's still going pretty bloody well for
the time of year. We're still getting plenty of reasonable
warmth and certainly no lack of moisture around and with
covers already being there as you well know, you know,
a paddic with cover on it, good quality cover is
going to grow far better than those all dicked out paddocks.
(00:59):
And yeah, there's not a lot of that around, So yeah,
i'd say there's plenty of good fit views around the country,
probably plenty of a good fit dery house as well.
And yeah, we're in a pretty strong position to keep
moving forward.
Speaker 2 (01:10):
Yeah, I've just had visions of Ben Dooley skipping around
the sheep as he goes round them at the moment,
you're sounding very chipper.
Speaker 1 (01:16):
Oh, there'll be no skipping happening. I can assure you
that I wouldn't want to start an earthquake. But yeah, no,
we're pretty positive. Let's put it that way.
Speaker 2 (01:24):
So as far as lamb's left works wise, because the
boys are going out shortly for the next cycle, which
starts sooner than later.
Speaker 3 (01:32):
What have you got left?
Speaker 1 (01:33):
Yes, awhere is everyone well, no one now where. We're
pretty big on big autum lambs, so we've still got
seventeen fifty ish on at the moment. We've just sorted
up some store lambs. At the moment they're thirty fourish
kilos average. Well, they're not quite there yet, but they're
not going for a wee will yet, so I'll probably
hit that and sort of looking one hundred and sixty
five hundred and seventy bucks and you sort of start
(01:55):
doing the math on that there. They're close to ten
weeks away from being worth that, you know, at the
current schedule. So we decided we'll just take the hit
on that, take them at the bottom end, and if
we decided it was a bad idea, we'll just hold
some bigger ones longer. There's a bit of a risk
in that, obviously with what the schedule's going to do,
with what's happening overseas, but sort of thinking that's pretty
(02:16):
good money for some pretty small lambs at the moment,
so we'll take that, and yeah, that'll leave as sort
of bit fifteen fifty to kill. I think there's about
two hundred will what'll be two twenty in the store mobs,
So fifteen thirty fifteen fifty to kill, which is, if anything,
actually a bit light for us. And we've killed over
half the kettle so far. There'll we few in the
(02:36):
last lot that went just under the top price range.
But yeah, so we'll hold onto the mental may and
we'll evaluate what we do then, whether we kill a few,
whether we went to the whole lot, or whether we
take a store price. But yeah, still putting your stock
on to kill. But yeah, as you say, ram time
is coming and there's still a few lot yews out there.
Most of them are looking pretty good, but there's still
a bit of work to do with some of them.
So yeah, but.
Speaker 2 (02:57):
You openly proclay that your lambs they don't do till
later on in the season, so you're pretty relaxed.
Speaker 1 (03:03):
Yeah, Well, whether they don't do, whether it's just that
we're chasing those bigger weights, like we're sitting at a
nineteen point four average at the moment there you go, Yeah,
and I'm hoping to get that up over twenty even
including these stall lambs. It'd be nice to see a
season average that that, you know, reflex twenty kilo carcas wait,
so hopefully we've got some twenty one and twenty two
kilo sheets to come. Yeah. So, whether whether they don't
(03:24):
do early or whether it's just the air system, I've
always said we have ship springs and awesome waterms, So
as a general rule, yeah, that's sort of what air
air system is trying to hold those lambs as later
as we're gained to basically without stuffing ourselves for next spring.
Speaker 3 (03:40):
It's a good saying that one.
Speaker 1 (03:42):
Well it stands pretty true down here in the East
and South, and I reckon, well.
Speaker 2 (03:46):
Okay that aside, you're pretty connected in the social media
world as well as a farming world.
Speaker 3 (03:51):
What are you thinking the spring contracts?
Speaker 1 (03:53):
Oh, that is a that is a real.
Speaker 2 (03:56):
Long Yeah, it's a long piece of string, but still
going to be interesting. Remembering in June last year up
at Mystery Creek and FCO were openly proclaiming ten dollars fifteen.
Everybody thought year nah, but then there's a year progress.
It was a case of na, yeah exactly.
Speaker 1 (04:13):
That's where we were sitting there, going how bad is
it going to be at winning time? And it just
never came down. It still really hasn't come down. So no, look,
I don't want to put a figure on it, but
I would like to think everything for next season is
not reasonably positive. Obviously, we've got what's happening in the
Middle East is causing a bit of upset at the moment,
but I'm still hoping that it's not going to be
(04:34):
overly long lived. And it's only really the fuel thing, right,
that's that's causing panic there at the moment, So it's
not like a whole huge amount of their product goes
through that straight. But yeah, they decide everything's looking pretty positive.
It might not be quite what it is this year,
but it can't be far off the mark because there's
nothing and there's something drastic changes worldwide, there's just nothing
(04:55):
out there pointing to it. Having to go lower would
be more I take on it.
Speaker 3 (05:00):
So this situation in the Middle East, you were saying.
Speaker 2 (05:03):
Just before that you're pretty relaxed about what's going on,
just explain that.
Speaker 1 (05:07):
Yeah, well, I'm not panicking just yet. I mean, obviously
we're in a bit of a tough situation here with
no longer having a refinery in the country that I
think somewhere between seventy and ninety percent of the fuel
that we get here in New Zealand that is refined
in either Singapore or South Korea does come through that straight.
But the result in the rest of the world. But
(05:29):
the bigger point I think there is that like Iran,
they can't have much left. They didn't have a huge
amount to begin with. The Americans had gone on and
taking out a huge amount of their firepair. I think
that they'd be starting to realize that they'd be pretty
stupid to cause too much trouble in there, it's not
going to end well for them either way. So yeah,
(05:50):
i'd like to think, you know, within a month of
six weeks, we'll see some normality. And just remember the
reason prices are going up now was purely an increase
in demand everyone wanting to stock up. It's not as
though the fuel isn't coming. The fuel is still coming.
The fuel you know that is on its way, that's
nearly here, was already on its way here when this
all started. So yeah, as everyone feels their tanks, that's
(06:13):
like all commercial operators, farmers, fishermen, construction, Everyone's going to
be filling their tanks as full as they can be,
have as much on hand as possible as their eases
because you know, once you feel you're not going to
try and fill up again. I can see demand sort
of easing off for you. But whether it has effect
on prices we want it to have or not, I
don't know. But the bigger concern to me right now
(06:35):
is supply. But I just don't see supply long term
being a big issue. Like I say, they can get
oil from elsewhere in the world. And also as everyone
fills up, demand has to ease off all you bit.
So yeah, certainly not saying there's nothing to worry about,
but certainly not panicing just yet.
Speaker 2 (06:52):
Well, everybody's become a petroleum expert at overnight dolls, and
I think the issue seems to be that the fuel
prices we're paying for the moment as for fuel already
in the country and for stuff on water.
Speaker 1 (07:04):
Ye, one hundred percent. It's purely whether you say it's
price gouging, whether you say it's just a supply and
demand thing. I'm not going to get into that. Like,
they are private companies at the end of the day,
if people are willing to pay the price, I guess
they're able to check them up as far as they want.
But yes, we're not seeing shortages yet because of what's
happening in the Middle East.
Speaker 2 (07:20):
So what's on the agenda for the rest of the
week then, I mean, you're pretty happy about the situation.
Going to a few more YouTube videos and shows that
vagan versus the rural disconnect that it doesn't exist.
Speaker 1 (07:31):
Yeah, pretty much where were sort of. I wouldn't say
we're caught up at the moment. There's still a bit
of toping to do. I've got to get lime and
super because I need to start getting that on before
things get too wet. Sure wire jobs are on the
farm to start catching up on. But yeah, we're at
that point now where a lot of the big jobs
are ticked off and it's just oh, there'll be a
bit of fencing to do, but of maintenance on fences,
maintenance on machinery. And yeah, as you say, get back
(07:53):
into the YouTube thing because I've been a bit slack
on that in the last week while just being so busy.
But yeah, one ready to go out tonight, which is
just actually sewing a pedico grass from on the road
and a bit of other stuff. But yeah, get back
a little bit of that and try and get that
moving again. And yeah, just start getting ready for winter.
Speaker 3 (08:12):
I guess, good on your bend. Always appreciate your time.
Speaker 1 (08:15):
Not cheez Anny, Ben.
Speaker 2 (08:18):
Dooley, Sheep Beef and YouTube farmer Deep South Sheep and
Beef as his YouTube chenewa something else was going to
say a show, but a new clip coming out this evening.
By the sounds of it, you're listening to the muster
before the end of the hour, Senior Sergeant Gary Eddington,
the Gore Police next We're going to catch up with
Greg Garrison, formerly of boy Mumu these days, our Canadian
(08:39):
correspondent
The muster on the farm with Southland District Council wicking
together for a Beta South London.
Speaker 2 (00:08):
Ben Dooley farms just out of windom with his wife
Sarah Sheep Beef and YouTube farmer deal is good, afternoon.
Speaker 1 (00:15):
Good Andy, how's it going pretty good?
Speaker 3 (00:16):
How's everything around windom Way?
Speaker 1 (00:19):
Yeah, she's pretty green to be fair. I don't think
there's too many complaints about the level of grass around
the place. And prices are still and they might be
falling back a little bit, but they're still holding reasonably
well and they're still absolutely spectacular, and yeah, money seems
to be flying, and yeah, I think everyone's pretty happy.
Speaker 3 (00:35):
So grass growth hasn't been an issue.
Speaker 1 (00:38):
It's definitely slowed down a wee, but I mean we
are getting to that hard to know too. Yeah, it's
not peaking, but it's still going pretty bloody well for
the time of year. We're still getting plenty of reasonable
warmth and certainly no lack of moisture around and with
covers already being there as you well know, you know,
a paddic with cover on it, good quality cover is
going to grow far better than those all dicked out paddocks.
(00:59):
And yeah, there's not a lot of that around, So yeah,
i'd say there's plenty of good fit views around the country,
probably plenty of a good fit dery house as well.
And yeah, we're in a pretty strong position to keep
moving forward.
Speaker 2 (01:10):
Yeah, I've just had visions of Ben Dooley skipping around
the sheep as he goes round them at the moment,
you're sounding very chipper.
Speaker 1 (01:16):
Oh, there'll be no skipping happening. I can assure you
that I wouldn't want to start an earthquake. But yeah, no,
we're pretty positive. Let's put it that way.
Speaker 2 (01:24):
So as far as lamb's left works wise, because the
boys are going out shortly for the next cycle, which
starts sooner than later.
Speaker 3 (01:32):
What have you got left?
Speaker 1 (01:33):
Yes, awhere is everyone well, no one now where. We're
pretty big on big autum lambs, so we've still got
seventeen fifty ish on at the moment. We've just sorted
up some store lambs. At the moment they're thirty fourish
kilos average. Well, they're not quite there yet, but they're
not going for a wee will yet, so I'll probably
hit that and sort of looking one hundred and sixty
five hundred and seventy bucks and you sort of start
(01:55):
doing the math on that there. They're close to ten
weeks away from being worth that, you know, at the
current schedule. So we decided we'll just take the hit
on that, take them at the bottom end, and if
we decided it was a bad idea, we'll just hold
some bigger ones longer. There's a bit of a risk
in that, obviously with what the schedule's going to do,
with what's happening overseas, but sort of thinking that's pretty
(02:16):
good money for some pretty small lambs at the moment,
so we'll take that, and yeah, that'll leave as sort
of bit fifteen fifty to kill. I think there's about
two hundred will what'll be two twenty in the store mobs,
So fifteen thirty fifteen fifty to kill, which is, if anything,
actually a bit light for us. And we've killed over
half the kettle so far. There'll we few in the
(02:36):
last lot that went just under the top price range.
But yeah, so we'll hold onto the mental may and
we'll evaluate what we do then, whether we kill a few,
whether we went to the whole lot, or whether we
take a store price. But yeah, still putting your stock
on to kill. But yeah, as you say, ram time
is coming and there's still a few lot yews out there.
Most of them are looking pretty good, but there's still
a bit of work to do with some of them.
So yeah, but.
Speaker 2 (02:57):
You openly proclay that your lambs they don't do till
later on in the season, so you're pretty relaxed.
Speaker 1 (03:03):
Yeah, Well, whether they don't do, whether it's just that
we're chasing those bigger weights, like we're sitting at a
nineteen point four average at the moment there you go, Yeah,
and I'm hoping to get that up over twenty even
including these stall lambs. It'd be nice to see a
season average that that, you know, reflex twenty kilo carcas wait,
so hopefully we've got some twenty one and twenty two
kilo sheets to come. Yeah. So, whether whether they don't
(03:24):
do early or whether it's just the air system, I've
always said we have ship springs and awesome waterms, So
as a general rule, yeah, that's sort of what air
air system is trying to hold those lambs as later
as we're gained to basically without stuffing ourselves for next spring.
Speaker 3 (03:40):
It's a good saying that one.
Speaker 1 (03:42):
Well it stands pretty true down here in the East
and South, and I reckon, well.
Speaker 2 (03:46):
Okay that aside, you're pretty connected in the social media
world as well as a farming world.
Speaker 3 (03:51):
What are you thinking the spring contracts?
Speaker 1 (03:53):
Oh, that is a that is a real.
Speaker 2 (03:56):
Long Yeah, it's a long piece of string, but still
going to be interesting. Remembering in June last year up
at Mystery Creek and FCO were openly proclaiming ten dollars fifteen.
Everybody thought year nah, but then there's a year progress.
It was a case of na, yeah exactly.
Speaker 1 (04:13):
That's where we were sitting there, going how bad is
it going to be at winning time? And it just
never came down. It still really hasn't come down. So no, look,
I don't want to put a figure on it, but
I would like to think everything for next season is
not reasonably positive. Obviously, we've got what's happening in the
Middle East is causing a bit of upset at the moment,
but I'm still hoping that it's not going to be
(04:34):
overly long lived. And it's only really the fuel thing, right,
that's that's causing panic there at the moment, So it's
not like a whole huge amount of their product goes
through that straight. But yeah, they decide everything's looking pretty positive.
It might not be quite what it is this year,
but it can't be far off the mark because there's
nothing and there's something drastic changes worldwide, there's just nothing
(04:55):
out there pointing to it. Having to go lower would
be more I take on it.
Speaker 3 (05:00):
So this situation in the Middle East, you were saying.
Speaker 2 (05:03):
Just before that you're pretty relaxed about what's going on,
just explain that.
Speaker 1 (05:07):
Yeah, well, I'm not panicking just yet. I mean, obviously
we're in a bit of a tough situation here with
no longer having a refinery in the country that I
think somewhere between seventy and ninety percent of the fuel
that we get here in New Zealand that is refined
in either Singapore or South Korea does come through that straight.
But the result in the rest of the world. But
(05:29):
the bigger point I think there is that like Iran,
they can't have much left. They didn't have a huge
amount to begin with. The Americans had gone on and
taking out a huge amount of their firepair. I think
that they'd be starting to realize that they'd be pretty
stupid to cause too much trouble in there, it's not
going to end well for them either way. So yeah,
(05:50):
i'd like to think, you know, within a month of
six weeks, we'll see some normality. And just remember the
reason prices are going up now was purely an increase
in demand everyone wanting to stock up. It's not as
though the fuel isn't coming. The fuel is still coming.
The fuel you know that is on its way, that's
nearly here, was already on its way here when this
all started. So yeah, as everyone feels their tanks, that's
(06:13):
like all commercial operators, farmers, fishermen, construction, Everyone's going to
be filling their tanks as full as they can be,
have as much on hand as possible as their eases
because you know, once you feel you're not going to
try and fill up again. I can see demand sort
of easing off for you. But whether it has effect
on prices we want it to have or not, I
don't know. But the bigger concern to me right now
(06:35):
is supply. But I just don't see supply long term
being a big issue. Like I say, they can get
oil from elsewhere in the world. And also as everyone
fills up, demand has to ease off all you bit.
So yeah, certainly not saying there's nothing to worry about,
but certainly not panicing just yet.
Speaker 2 (06:52):
Well, everybody's become a petroleum expert at overnight dolls, and
I think the issue seems to be that the fuel
prices we're paying for the moment as for fuel already
in the country and for stuff on water.
Speaker 1 (07:04):
Ye, one hundred percent. It's purely whether you say it's
price gouging, whether you say it's just a supply and
demand thing. I'm not going to get into that. Like,
they are private companies at the end of the day,
if people are willing to pay the price, I guess
they're able to check them up as far as they want.
But yes, we're not seeing shortages yet because of what's
happening in the Middle East.
Speaker 2 (07:20):
So what's on the agenda for the rest of the
week then, I mean, you're pretty happy about the situation.
Going to a few more YouTube videos and shows that
vagan versus the rural disconnect that it doesn't exist.
Speaker 1 (07:31):
Yeah, pretty much where were sort of. I wouldn't say
we're caught up at the moment. There's still a bit
of toping to do. I've got to get lime and
super because I need to start getting that on before
things get too wet. Sure wire jobs are on the
farm to start catching up on. But yeah, we're at
that point now where a lot of the big jobs
are ticked off and it's just oh, there'll be a
bit of fencing to do, but of maintenance on fences,
maintenance on machinery. And yeah, as you say, get back
(07:53):
into the YouTube thing because I've been a bit slack
on that in the last week while just being so busy.
But yeah, one ready to go out tonight, which is
just actually sewing a pedico grass from on the road
and a bit of other stuff. But yeah, get back
a little bit of that and try and get that
moving again. And yeah, just start getting ready for winter.
Speaker 3 (08:12):
I guess, good on your bend. Always appreciate your time.
Speaker 1 (08:15):
Not cheez Anny, Ben.
Speaker 2 (08:18):
Dooley, Sheep Beef and YouTube farmer Deep South Sheep and
Beef as his YouTube chenewa something else was going to
say a show, but a new clip coming out this evening.
By the sounds of it, you're listening to the muster
before the end of the hour, Senior Sergeant Gary Eddington,
the Gore Police next We're going to catch up with
Greg Garrison, formerly of boy Mumu these days, our Canadian
(08:39):
correspondent
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