November 4, 2025 • 8 mins
Brenton Howden is a sheep and beef farmer near Benmore and reckons you can't beat experience when it comes to the farm!
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Speaker 1 (00:12):
Welcome back to the muster on Hakanui. Brenton Helden is
our next guest, a new voice to the muster farming
between Winton and Dipton, although he describes himself more as
ben Moore the old ben Moore Pub, they're not far
from there, and joins us this afternoon. Brenton, welcome to
the muster. Good to chat.
Speaker 2 (00:30):
Hey, Andy, he thinks.
Speaker 1 (00:31):
You're pretty good now. I caught up with you a
couple of weeks ago and you were complaining that we
didn't have a correspondent from over your neck of the woods.
So you're prepared to put your hand up, so full
credit on that one.
Speaker 2 (00:42):
Yeah, I suppose what you say when you're drinking you
should back up when.
Speaker 1 (00:47):
That's for sure, Hey, Brenton, just give people a bit
of an idea about your farming operation.
Speaker 2 (00:53):
So we're such wide idea, as you said, just below
the ben More Hotel on the Fern Hill. So we
held us on your way to Queenstown from Winton. We've
got about five hundred and eighty hect years here. We
do sheep and beef and of fevered of dairy support. Yeah,
sort of easy hill sort of stuff down to flats,
(01:15):
that's all. Yeah, it's all pretty easy country and can
get a tractor over ninety. My grandfather has been farming
here since nineteen fifty seven. He's ninety six now and
he's still ticking around the farm, just keeping an eye
on things. Yeah he is.
Speaker 1 (01:33):
He on the track. They're doing a case.
Speaker 2 (01:35):
Still hasn't been so far this year, but he still
moves the odd mob for me. And yeah, he can
still get on a power of hair and whatnot. I
think I think this year might have been his eighty
eighty third landing.
Speaker 1 (01:47):
I think eighty third.
Speaker 2 (01:49):
Yeah, the first one when he was fourteen, he said
back during the war, he said anyone could get a job.
So left school at fourteen and on his birthday. And
when I've got a lambing beat.
Speaker 1 (01:59):
So and I suppose when he sits there and talks
about beck in my day, you've kind of got to
stand up and or sit up and listen because eighty
three landings, well you kind of can't argue with experience.
Speaker 2 (02:09):
Yeah, he's seen it all. Really, it's all the different
feds and ways of doing it. I suppose he's tried it,
and yeah, seen what's worked.
Speaker 1 (02:18):
And what hasn't now as far as the weather events
over the past couple of weeks, it's been Southland Drive.
We spoke to Simon Hotcroft before about it from south
and real support Truss Brenton. But in your neck of
the words, how did things go?
Speaker 2 (02:32):
We're actually very fortunate here just where we're placed with
the Fern Hill and we've got the train of tours
to our west, which I think softened the blow coot
of that. So we only had probably eight or ten
trees down and probably only a couple over fences and
there are only two wire offenses, so we're able to
lift them off the tractor and carry on pretty easily.
So yeah, but just down the road from us at
(02:55):
Sena Bush, there's a few trees down there, and yeah,
so very fortunate to yeah, have very minimal damage.
Speaker 1 (03:01):
Do you sound what you sound like you got off
pretty lightly in the scheme of things, Yeah, very very lightly.
Speaker 2 (03:06):
Yeah, So yeah, we' pretty much got everything tidy up now,
and yeah, but I definitely feel for the guys that
have still got a mountain of work in front of them. Definitely,
like that deer farmer at Lockheel, they've got a hell
of a job in front of them by the sounds things.
Speaker 1 (03:21):
Yeah, absolutely, and as a matter of finding a starting
point and going from there and just looking after the
top three inches. But the season in general, we talk
about how good the winter was down here where you're
over there Brington. How do things pan out? Did you
have a decent winter to set you up for the spring? Yeah?
Speaker 2 (03:37):
Really really good winter, really dry. I was just looking
at with my father looking at the rainfall. Tellyes, and
we got about twenty three mil for July, just sort
of I think it was sort of back to old winters.
I can remember as the kid being really cold and dry,
so that was good. And then yeah into September October
(03:58):
where we're fairly wet. But yeah, the good winter had
set us up to stop. We're in good condition coming
off crop. And yeah, if it had been a wet
winter and a wet spring, things not have been looking
so good at the moment.
Speaker 1 (04:11):
What would you say your average rainfall would be.
Speaker 2 (04:16):
Here? It'd probably be around about six or seven hundred,
maybe eight hundred. I'm not think it really checking rainfall,
so but i'd say be around that mark.
Speaker 1 (04:28):
You just wake up in the morning and see what
nature's providing you.
Speaker 2 (04:31):
Right, Yeah, yeah, I've got a digital one that records that.
It's just a matter of ye keeping an eye on
it and looking at what it's doing.
Speaker 1 (04:40):
But well, like your granddad would say, analog would be best, right.
Speaker 2 (04:44):
Yeah, I think he still keeps a manual record on
his calendar with his with the old tip out collector. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (04:53):
So you got through tailing and the likes all right,
your percentage? It could have been worse.
Speaker 2 (04:58):
Yeah, I think this year it's been the best of
tailed here and sobbing back, but a little bit disappointed
was I think therese first two weekends in September a
sort of knocked me for sick. So I thought with
the scanning percentage in the grass cover and the condition
of yous, I thought I could have set a record.
(05:18):
But however, I'm still still happy enough of what I got.
Speaker 1 (05:21):
So yeah, well you won't be the only one thinking
along those lines.
Speaker 2 (05:25):
Now.
Speaker 1 (05:25):
I spoke to you before off air and saying what
would you like to see the fed about today? And
somebody comes on talks about what's happening in their neck
of the words. But you've got something that's really relevant
as well. I mean, stage frightened the dog and not
being able to pee. You've got a real interesting story
to share.
Speaker 2 (05:42):
Yeah, so I had a heading dove tight there and
probably guilty of not really taking a good eye on
his toilet habits. But there was one night there he
was really struggling to pee and at least doesn't look
too good. So ended up taking him down to the
vets and yeah, he had a real swollen up ladder
(06:03):
and hadn't been able to pee for a day or two.
And they did a lot of tests and left him there,
and it come to the conclusion that he had had
a prostrate infection which was causing all sorts of habit
and he ended up staying in the vets for about
about eleven or twelve nights, quite a hefty vet bill.
So they got him been able to pee on them
(06:24):
by himself again, and yeah, something you sort of need
to keep a good eye on, actually now that good
close watch of how much toilet's activities my dogs are doing. So, yeah,
it was very close to him being put down there
for a while if he wasn't able to get back
the teen on his own.
Speaker 1 (06:44):
So how long did it take you to notice before
he headed this infection?
Speaker 2 (06:48):
He may have had it. They reckon. They may have
had it for a week or two, but it must
have really come to a head there that It was
a Sunday night, I think an afternoon there he was
squatting trying to pee and I thought, this isn't right.
So probably hadn't been able to pee for two or
three days. Maybe.
Speaker 1 (07:07):
Yeah, it's intriguing to bring that up because watching the
toilet try habits of your dogs normally let them off
the kent out of the kennels, they run around, they
do their markings like they normally do. But I suppose
you've got a gang of dogs, right and they're just
running around happy as there, then it's easy for it
to go unnoticed.
Speaker 2 (07:23):
Yeah, definitely, definitely. Yeah, when you let let looks right
off at the time, it's hard to keep track of
each one, that's what they're doing. But yeah, af to
try and just keep an eye on definitely on him
and yeah see that you see see everyone pee at
least once. I suppose during the day you have.
Speaker 1 (07:41):
A pretty headed team of dogs, i'd imagine as well.
Speaker 2 (07:45):
Yeah, not too bad. Yeah, I wouldn't say I'm a
dog trial us by any means, but they definitely get
the job done for me here on our place.
Speaker 1 (07:52):
Yeah, yeah, that's pretty much about it. How do hey,
thanks for your time when the muster of this afternoon
solid devot and we'll catch up in due course. Appreciate
out of the chat.
Speaker 2 (08:01):
No very good ending. That's all right, thank you bad damn.
Speaker 1 (08:06):
Brenton Holden around the Benmore area. Probably doesn't need dogs,
let be honest. He's pretty handy on the rugby paddick
as well. He gets around pretty good. Jared stopping from
Diary and Zid's up next. You listen to the must
we'll be turned
Welcome back to the muster on Hakanui. Brenton Helden is
our next guest, a new voice to the muster farming
between Winton and Dipton, although he describes himself more as
ben Moore the old ben Moore Pub, they're not far
from there, and joins us this afternoon. Brenton, welcome to
the muster. Good to chat.
Speaker 2 (00:30):
Hey, Andy, he thinks.
Speaker 1 (00:31):
You're pretty good now. I caught up with you a
couple of weeks ago and you were complaining that we
didn't have a correspondent from over your neck of the woods.
So you're prepared to put your hand up, so full
credit on that one.
Speaker 2 (00:42):
Yeah, I suppose what you say when you're drinking you
should back up when.
Speaker 1 (00:47):
That's for sure, Hey, Brenton, just give people a bit
of an idea about your farming operation.
Speaker 2 (00:53):
So we're such wide idea, as you said, just below
the ben More Hotel on the Fern Hill. So we
held us on your way to Queenstown from Winton. We've
got about five hundred and eighty hect years here. We
do sheep and beef and of fevered of dairy support. Yeah,
sort of easy hill sort of stuff down to flats,
(01:15):
that's all. Yeah, it's all pretty easy country and can
get a tractor over ninety. My grandfather has been farming
here since nineteen fifty seven. He's ninety six now and
he's still ticking around the farm, just keeping an eye
on things. Yeah he is.
Speaker 1 (01:33):
He on the track. They're doing a case.
Speaker 2 (01:35):
Still hasn't been so far this year, but he still
moves the odd mob for me. And yeah, he can
still get on a power of hair and whatnot. I
think I think this year might have been his eighty
eighty third landing.
Speaker 1 (01:47):
I think eighty third.
Speaker 2 (01:49):
Yeah, the first one when he was fourteen, he said
back during the war, he said anyone could get a job.
So left school at fourteen and on his birthday. And
when I've got a lambing beat.
Speaker 1 (01:59):
So and I suppose when he sits there and talks
about beck in my day, you've kind of got to
stand up and or sit up and listen because eighty
three landings, well you kind of can't argue with experience.
Speaker 2 (02:09):
Yeah, he's seen it all. Really, it's all the different
feds and ways of doing it. I suppose he's tried it,
and yeah, seen what's worked.
Speaker 1 (02:18):
And what hasn't now as far as the weather events
over the past couple of weeks, it's been Southland Drive.
We spoke to Simon Hotcroft before about it from south
and real support Truss Brenton. But in your neck of
the words, how did things go?
Speaker 2 (02:32):
We're actually very fortunate here just where we're placed with
the Fern Hill and we've got the train of tours
to our west, which I think softened the blow coot
of that. So we only had probably eight or ten
trees down and probably only a couple over fences and
there are only two wire offenses, so we're able to
lift them off the tractor and carry on pretty easily.
So yeah, but just down the road from us at
(02:55):
Sena Bush, there's a few trees down there, and yeah,
so very fortunate to yeah, have very minimal damage.
Speaker 1 (03:01):
Do you sound what you sound like you got off
pretty lightly in the scheme of things, Yeah, very very lightly.
Speaker 2 (03:06):
Yeah, So yeah, we' pretty much got everything tidy up now,
and yeah, but I definitely feel for the guys that
have still got a mountain of work in front of them. Definitely,
like that deer farmer at Lockheel, they've got a hell
of a job in front of them by the sounds things.
Speaker 1 (03:21):
Yeah, absolutely, and as a matter of finding a starting
point and going from there and just looking after the
top three inches. But the season in general, we talk
about how good the winter was down here where you're
over there Brington. How do things pan out? Did you
have a decent winter to set you up for the spring? Yeah?
Speaker 2 (03:37):
Really really good winter, really dry. I was just looking
at with my father looking at the rainfall. Tellyes, and
we got about twenty three mil for July, just sort
of I think it was sort of back to old winters.
I can remember as the kid being really cold and dry,
so that was good. And then yeah into September October
(03:58):
where we're fairly wet. But yeah, the good winter had
set us up to stop. We're in good condition coming
off crop. And yeah, if it had been a wet
winter and a wet spring, things not have been looking
so good at the moment.
Speaker 1 (04:11):
What would you say your average rainfall would be.
Speaker 2 (04:16):
Here? It'd probably be around about six or seven hundred,
maybe eight hundred. I'm not think it really checking rainfall,
so but i'd say be around that mark.
Speaker 1 (04:28):
You just wake up in the morning and see what
nature's providing you.
Speaker 2 (04:31):
Right, Yeah, yeah, I've got a digital one that records that.
It's just a matter of ye keeping an eye on
it and looking at what it's doing.
Speaker 1 (04:40):
But well, like your granddad would say, analog would be best, right.
Speaker 2 (04:44):
Yeah, I think he still keeps a manual record on
his calendar with his with the old tip out collector. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (04:53):
So you got through tailing and the likes all right,
your percentage? It could have been worse.
Speaker 2 (04:58):
Yeah, I think this year it's been the best of
tailed here and sobbing back, but a little bit disappointed
was I think therese first two weekends in September a
sort of knocked me for sick. So I thought with
the scanning percentage in the grass cover and the condition
of yous, I thought I could have set a record.
(05:18):
But however, I'm still still happy enough of what I got.
Speaker 1 (05:21):
So yeah, well you won't be the only one thinking
along those lines.
Speaker 2 (05:25):
Now.
Speaker 1 (05:25):
I spoke to you before off air and saying what
would you like to see the fed about today? And
somebody comes on talks about what's happening in their neck
of the words. But you've got something that's really relevant
as well. I mean, stage frightened the dog and not
being able to pee. You've got a real interesting story
to share.
Speaker 2 (05:42):
Yeah, so I had a heading dove tight there and
probably guilty of not really taking a good eye on
his toilet habits. But there was one night there he
was really struggling to pee and at least doesn't look
too good. So ended up taking him down to the
vets and yeah, he had a real swollen up ladder
(06:03):
and hadn't been able to pee for a day or two.
And they did a lot of tests and left him there,
and it come to the conclusion that he had had
a prostrate infection which was causing all sorts of habit
and he ended up staying in the vets for about
about eleven or twelve nights, quite a hefty vet bill.
So they got him been able to pee on them
(06:24):
by himself again, and yeah, something you sort of need
to keep a good eye on, actually now that good
close watch of how much toilet's activities my dogs are doing. So, yeah,
it was very close to him being put down there
for a while if he wasn't able to get back
the teen on his own.
Speaker 1 (06:44):
So how long did it take you to notice before
he headed this infection?
Speaker 2 (06:48):
He may have had it. They reckon. They may have
had it for a week or two, but it must
have really come to a head there that It was
a Sunday night, I think an afternoon there he was
squatting trying to pee and I thought, this isn't right.
So probably hadn't been able to pee for two or
three days. Maybe.
Speaker 1 (07:07):
Yeah, it's intriguing to bring that up because watching the
toilet try habits of your dogs normally let them off
the kent out of the kennels, they run around, they
do their markings like they normally do. But I suppose
you've got a gang of dogs, right and they're just
running around happy as there, then it's easy for it
to go unnoticed.
Speaker 2 (07:23):
Yeah, definitely, definitely. Yeah, when you let let looks right
off at the time, it's hard to keep track of
each one, that's what they're doing. But yeah, af to
try and just keep an eye on definitely on him
and yeah see that you see see everyone pee at
least once. I suppose during the day you have.
Speaker 1 (07:41):
A pretty headed team of dogs, i'd imagine as well.
Speaker 2 (07:45):
Yeah, not too bad. Yeah, I wouldn't say I'm a
dog trial us by any means, but they definitely get
the job done for me here on our place.
Speaker 1 (07:52):
Yeah, yeah, that's pretty much about it. How do hey,
thanks for your time when the muster of this afternoon
solid devot and we'll catch up in due course. Appreciate
out of the chat.
Speaker 2 (08:01):
No very good ending. That's all right, thank you bad damn.
Speaker 1 (08:06):
Brenton Holden around the Benmore area. Probably doesn't need dogs,
let be honest. He's pretty handy on the rugby paddick
as well. He gets around pretty good. Jared stopping from
Diary and Zid's up next. You listen to the must
we'll be turned
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