January 14, 2026 • 8 mins
Brenton Howden talks about the season on his Benmore farm and how January's weather is simply going through the motions.
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
Slipsland.
Speaker 2 (00:03):
This interview is brought to you by agri Center South
branches in Lawnville, Gore, Cromwell, Milton and Ranfurly. Drop by
your local agri Center South branch today.
Speaker 1 (00:13):
Slips Yea Brenton Held and Farms near ben Moore and
joins us this afternoon on the Master Haldi, Good afternoon
and welcome to twenty twenty six. Have you good?
Speaker 2 (00:26):
Good to hear from you again? Yeah?
Speaker 1 (00:28):
How's the holiday season been for you? Or has it
just been a bit too hectic to contemplate?
Speaker 2 (00:32):
No? By got away for a week to st after
Christmas when I had a walker and Cromwell for a
New Year, so tried to spot a bit of sun
but it was weebit chilly up there too, so but no,
it was good. Then I had a weekend away last weekend,
just shot up for Cromwell to mate up to a
stationed up the London's Valley there and did a bit
of hunting and a for the hydration as well. So
(00:54):
that was good.
Speaker 1 (00:55):
Did you get a feed for the freezer?
Speaker 2 (00:57):
Yeah, we we managed to spot one just on a
way back to the Bloody Shearers quarters. On our way
home there was one standing about at one silly bugger,
So here we took them.
Speaker 1 (01:05):
So like some numbers of what you're seeing when you're
going away having a bit of doing a bit of
deer talking, Are you seeing much at the moment?
Speaker 2 (01:11):
Yeah, there's there's plenty about, Like Uplumbus Valley, they're just
chopper like they're taking out hundreds a year on with
the chopper. It's yeah, only really stretching the surface. So
like these ones were standing round the between the armstead
and the sharing quarters. So these ones were standing, so
you know there's plenty about.
Speaker 1 (01:30):
Yeah, it's a real concern when you go ahead, I
suppose and that this tree situation isn't going to help
things either.
Speaker 2 (01:36):
No, no, whyran't You'll be You'll be plenty of stores
of people got be running into them on the backgroads.
I'd say.
Speaker 1 (01:42):
Now where you're based there, you're just beside the main
drag there through the lumpstone from winter and the lights
and traffic. At the moment you reckon, it's as heavy
as what has been for about six weeks.
Speaker 2 (01:53):
Yeah, yeah, I know there's plenty of barks and caravans
and trailers all still heading away up in the country.
For Holladay, and it's probably more going away than coming back.
So yeah, stand in the yards the last few days.
You still see what's going past. That's got coodn't he?
Speaker 1 (02:07):
Do you have to move to many stock movements across
the road as such? Is its something your farm has
to put up with? Yeah?
Speaker 2 (02:13):
I do. Yeah, Yeah, we're gonna We're just take them
all the U lambs across the road, take up to
the main yards and yeah it's it's not too badly.
We've got signs we put up and we go across
the air and.
Speaker 1 (02:24):
Yeah, well I suppose of management when it comes to
moving stock. You haven't had to go to road cones yet.
That's a bonus.
Speaker 2 (02:30):
No, No, I don't want to have to go to
p flashing lights and all and yellow jackets and that.
So we try to get them across click as possible.
I still run a handful of car using with the
ulambs and stuff to get them across the road for
a couple of times. And then yeah, after two or
three times across the road, and it's pretty good.
Speaker 1 (02:48):
Yeah, that's really good thinking. And even when I wend
the lambs once upon a time, you always leave a
couple of us in there just to lead them through
gateways and there. I mean it's like when you're dipping
and you've got younger stock going through a shell dip,
they're not keen on. I had a few older heads
in there. Makes a big difference, right.
Speaker 2 (03:02):
Yeah, that's you just need those couple of leaders and
then yeah, where you go it's because God, So.
Speaker 1 (03:07):
How are things looking over the feed wise anyway, because
depending on who you speak to around the province, they're
after a bit of moisture.
Speaker 2 (03:15):
Yeah, we could do what we could do with a
with a good probably inch rain. We haven't had a
decent range since so those thunderstorms or the twenty seventh
of December, so he had probably five or six milkles
and then so there's a few crops there that are
looking to leave it thirsty and but fee covers are
still pretty good. Like there's some pretty good quality lamb
tucker about. So she's not pane stations yet, but yeah,
(03:36):
as long as we hit some rain the next week
or ten days, we'll be looking pretty good.
Speaker 1 (03:41):
Have you had issues at all over the years with
the clover root weavil?
Speaker 2 (03:45):
Yeah, we went that first year it was sort of
seas that was here where we got it pretty hard
that year. That was Yeah, that was pretty tough going.
And then yeah, once we got those wasts and that
sort of knocked them back and we sort of really
you still see the odd knock out of a cloverleath,
but it's not not not the extent it was that
that first year it was sort of here.
Speaker 1 (04:05):
Yeah, you do hear about parts of northern South and
in particular it still exists, but certainly at the time
it just came in and luckily getting these wasps established,
it was it was like the panteen effect wasn't overnight,
but eventually it happened.
Speaker 2 (04:17):
Right, Yeah, yeah, definitely, and like it took a significant
effect on the lambs, like it was, it was pretty
slow going getting lambs away that year. It was. Yeah,
she was a real sort of drag getting them, getting
them up to white. It just shows you that the
impact that clover had on their diet and they have
to put condition on.
Speaker 1 (04:35):
So you're getting lambs away or right at the moment
works wise, Yeah, No, he.
Speaker 2 (04:38):
Had a really good weaning draft in December and then
we had another good wining draft off the hoggots and
I've just had another hundred away yesterday, so it's looking
pretty good. There's there's to be some big lambs in
another two or three weeks once they get shorn, and yeah, yeah, no,
I'm pretty pretty happy with how we're looking now.
Speaker 1 (04:59):
So as far as off hogitts as opposed to lands
off the older years, do you notice much of a difference.
Speaker 2 (05:05):
No, they are just as good the waits were. Yeah,
the whites were about the same, the ones that hung
up and then yeah, there will be The average weights
of the rest of them were probably about pretty similar.
Actually they might ownly being half a killer or killer behind.
Speaker 1 (05:20):
That's pretty much.
Speaker 2 (05:21):
The hogs get pretty well looked after. So yeah, hell heavy.
Speaker 1 (05:25):
Do you have the hoggits when they go to the ram?
Speaker 2 (05:28):
Ideally I like to have them about forty eight to
fifty kilo, but they were a wee bit lighter this year.
They're about forty four I think they were.
Speaker 1 (05:37):
They're still pretty good for a hoggit, none the least two.
Speaker 2 (05:39):
Yeah, yeah, but you're obvious the opinion. If you're going
to do it, you got to do it really well,
otherwise you must not bother. Yeah, I'll try to make
them as big as they can.
Speaker 1 (05:49):
Now you're saying before that you're yes, your crops they're
a little bit on the thirsty side. Would you say
that January is just being January and we're just looking
at a bit of a movement in the seasons.
Speaker 2 (06:00):
Yeah, possibly, Like, yeah, January is normally pretty Yeah, it's
not normally that when decem is normally your week one,
Well what I notice anyway, and just dry out a
weave in January. But yeah, some of the crops, summer
crops are all right. The ones that were direct drilled
are pretty good, like they hold their moisture pretty well.
Sort are the ones that were work ground crops though, Yeah,
(06:20):
they dry out a bit more so they could definitely
do with a good good share of rain on them.
Speaker 1 (06:25):
What would be your ever rainfall there?
Speaker 2 (06:27):
You reckon when you have sat there? Had a couple
other times and I wasn't true sure, so I went
back and actually locked and it's about about seven fifty.
Speaker 1 (06:36):
Seven fifty three times in child we got an answer,
But fear Jews, there's there's not a lot of rainfall,
to be honest with.
Speaker 2 (06:41):
You're located unless my rain gauge is wrong. It's an
electronic one, but yeah, it probably is a little bit low.
Speaker 1 (06:49):
But I was going to say, you're.
Speaker 2 (06:50):
Not what we've had in the last twelve months when
I look and as.
Speaker 1 (06:53):
Well, are you're talking about getting kettle away? I mean, well,
if it's a bit dryer at the moment too, and
a bit of top around where you've got the prefer
a synergy go.
Speaker 2 (07:01):
Yeah, you know, the kid look pretty good. We've got
we've got them split out with the U Land well,
all the Lambs actually there's about teen or twelve in
each Land mob. So we slowly just chip away them
and yeah, twenty away today and I hopigure another twenty
away another or three weeks.
Speaker 1 (07:18):
Yeah, and what Brad are you working with?
Speaker 2 (07:20):
Predominantly we've been mostly Angus Hereford's crosses and we've got
a few here for Heffer's there. Yeah, a good.
Speaker 1 (07:30):
Old here for there's nothing wrong with that. Hey, before
you finished up to pre season training back into it
last night too. For the Mighty Barbers. It comes around
quicker than not, I suppose, Yeah.
Speaker 2 (07:40):
It does. It seemed quite early this year and I
let the coach know about that too. Yeah, So we
did a bronco and yeah, did a couple of foot,
no strills. We didn't actually see a rugby ball and
he said we weren't going to it for a couple
of weeks yet. Oh shit, I thought, however, what.
Speaker 1 (07:55):
Do you do the Bronco win.
Speaker 2 (07:58):
I snuck an under five minutes, which I was impressed with. Yeah.
There was a couple of young follows here that were
well ahead of me, and there was a few other
followers well behind me, so I thought I was pretty
happy with my time.
Speaker 1 (08:10):
That's pretty good going. I mean, you know, you're still
placing up the boots this she has to do that
around the to five minute time frame. It's it's pretty
it's exceptional to be fair.
Speaker 2 (08:19):
Yeah, yeah, I've got done for a chaplea wee three
kilometer trots around the farm last week and the week before,
but nothing too serious.
Speaker 1 (08:27):
But yeah, all you need to say is that your
farm fit. That's all you need to do, right.
Speaker 2 (08:31):
Yeah yeah, yeah, always fine?
Speaker 1 (08:35):
Hey go only how do you let your carry on?
Always good to catch up?
Speaker 2 (08:38):
Not very good tooth Andy.
Speaker 1 (08:41):
Britain, Helden Farming, just out of ben More. This is
the muster up next and the cargo MP Penny Simmons
lies
Slipsland.
Speaker 2 (00:03):
This interview is brought to you by agri Center South
branches in Lawnville, Gore, Cromwell, Milton and Ranfurly. Drop by
your local agri Center South branch today.
Speaker 1 (00:13):
Slips Yea Brenton Held and Farms near ben Moore and
joins us this afternoon on the Master Haldi, Good afternoon
and welcome to twenty twenty six. Have you good?
Speaker 2 (00:26):
Good to hear from you again? Yeah?
Speaker 1 (00:28):
How's the holiday season been for you? Or has it
just been a bit too hectic to contemplate?
Speaker 2 (00:32):
No? By got away for a week to st after
Christmas when I had a walker and Cromwell for a
New Year, so tried to spot a bit of sun
but it was weebit chilly up there too, so but no,
it was good. Then I had a weekend away last weekend,
just shot up for Cromwell to mate up to a
stationed up the London's Valley there and did a bit
of hunting and a for the hydration as well. So
(00:54):
that was good.
Speaker 1 (00:55):
Did you get a feed for the freezer?
Speaker 2 (00:57):
Yeah, we we managed to spot one just on a
way back to the Bloody Shearers quarters. On our way
home there was one standing about at one silly bugger,
So here we took them.
Speaker 1 (01:05):
So like some numbers of what you're seeing when you're
going away having a bit of doing a bit of
deer talking, Are you seeing much at the moment?
Speaker 2 (01:11):
Yeah, there's there's plenty about, Like Uplumbus Valley, they're just
chopper like they're taking out hundreds a year on with
the chopper. It's yeah, only really stretching the surface. So
like these ones were standing round the between the armstead
and the sharing quarters. So these ones were standing, so
you know there's plenty about.
Speaker 1 (01:30):
Yeah, it's a real concern when you go ahead, I
suppose and that this tree situation isn't going to help
things either.
Speaker 2 (01:36):
No, no, whyran't You'll be You'll be plenty of stores
of people got be running into them on the backgroads.
I'd say.
Speaker 1 (01:42):
Now where you're based there, you're just beside the main
drag there through the lumpstone from winter and the lights
and traffic. At the moment you reckon, it's as heavy
as what has been for about six weeks.
Speaker 2 (01:53):
Yeah, yeah, I know there's plenty of barks and caravans
and trailers all still heading away up in the country.
For Holladay, and it's probably more going away than coming back.
So yeah, stand in the yards the last few days.
You still see what's going past. That's got coodn't he?
Speaker 1 (02:07):
Do you have to move to many stock movements across
the road as such? Is its something your farm has
to put up with? Yeah?
Speaker 2 (02:13):
I do. Yeah, Yeah, we're gonna We're just take them
all the U lambs across the road, take up to
the main yards and yeah it's it's not too badly.
We've got signs we put up and we go across
the air and.
Speaker 1 (02:24):
Yeah, well I suppose of management when it comes to
moving stock. You haven't had to go to road cones yet.
That's a bonus.
Speaker 2 (02:30):
No, No, I don't want to have to go to
p flashing lights and all and yellow jackets and that.
So we try to get them across click as possible.
I still run a handful of car using with the
ulambs and stuff to get them across the road for
a couple of times. And then yeah, after two or
three times across the road, and it's pretty good.
Speaker 1 (02:48):
Yeah, that's really good thinking. And even when I wend
the lambs once upon a time, you always leave a
couple of us in there just to lead them through
gateways and there. I mean it's like when you're dipping
and you've got younger stock going through a shell dip,
they're not keen on. I had a few older heads
in there. Makes a big difference, right.
Speaker 2 (03:02):
Yeah, that's you just need those couple of leaders and
then yeah, where you go it's because God, So.
Speaker 1 (03:07):
How are things looking over the feed wise anyway, because
depending on who you speak to around the province, they're
after a bit of moisture.
Speaker 2 (03:15):
Yeah, we could do what we could do with a
with a good probably inch rain. We haven't had a
decent range since so those thunderstorms or the twenty seventh
of December, so he had probably five or six milkles
and then so there's a few crops there that are
looking to leave it thirsty and but fee covers are
still pretty good. Like there's some pretty good quality lamb
tucker about. So she's not pane stations yet, but yeah,
(03:36):
as long as we hit some rain the next week
or ten days, we'll be looking pretty good.
Speaker 1 (03:41):
Have you had issues at all over the years with
the clover root weavil?
Speaker 2 (03:45):
Yeah, we went that first year it was sort of
seas that was here where we got it pretty hard
that year. That was Yeah, that was pretty tough going.
And then yeah, once we got those wasts and that
sort of knocked them back and we sort of really
you still see the odd knock out of a cloverleath,
but it's not not not the extent it was that
that first year it was sort of here.
Speaker 1 (04:05):
Yeah, you do hear about parts of northern South and
in particular it still exists, but certainly at the time
it just came in and luckily getting these wasps established,
it was it was like the panteen effect wasn't overnight,
but eventually it happened.
Speaker 2 (04:17):
Right, Yeah, yeah, definitely, and like it took a significant
effect on the lambs, like it was, it was pretty
slow going getting lambs away that year. It was. Yeah,
she was a real sort of drag getting them, getting
them up to white. It just shows you that the
impact that clover had on their diet and they have
to put condition on.
Speaker 1 (04:35):
So you're getting lambs away or right at the moment
works wise, Yeah, No, he.
Speaker 2 (04:38):
Had a really good weaning draft in December and then
we had another good wining draft off the hoggots and
I've just had another hundred away yesterday, so it's looking
pretty good. There's there's to be some big lambs in
another two or three weeks once they get shorn, and yeah, yeah, no,
I'm pretty pretty happy with how we're looking now.
Speaker 1 (04:59):
So as far as off hogitts as opposed to lands
off the older years, do you notice much of a difference.
Speaker 2 (05:05):
No, they are just as good the waits were. Yeah,
the whites were about the same, the ones that hung
up and then yeah, there will be The average weights
of the rest of them were probably about pretty similar.
Actually they might ownly being half a killer or killer behind.
Speaker 1 (05:20):
That's pretty much.
Speaker 2 (05:21):
The hogs get pretty well looked after. So yeah, hell heavy.
Speaker 1 (05:25):
Do you have the hoggits when they go to the ram?
Speaker 2 (05:28):
Ideally I like to have them about forty eight to
fifty kilo, but they were a wee bit lighter this year.
They're about forty four I think they were.
Speaker 1 (05:37):
They're still pretty good for a hoggit, none the least two.
Speaker 2 (05:39):
Yeah, yeah, but you're obvious the opinion. If you're going
to do it, you got to do it really well,
otherwise you must not bother. Yeah, I'll try to make
them as big as they can.
Speaker 1 (05:49):
Now you're saying before that you're yes, your crops they're
a little bit on the thirsty side. Would you say
that January is just being January and we're just looking
at a bit of a movement in the seasons.
Speaker 2 (06:00):
Yeah, possibly, Like, yeah, January is normally pretty Yeah, it's
not normally that when decem is normally your week one,
Well what I notice anyway, and just dry out a
weave in January. But yeah, some of the crops, summer
crops are all right. The ones that were direct drilled
are pretty good, like they hold their moisture pretty well.
Sort are the ones that were work ground crops though, Yeah,
(06:20):
they dry out a bit more so they could definitely
do with a good good share of rain on them.
Speaker 1 (06:25):
What would be your ever rainfall there?
Speaker 2 (06:27):
You reckon when you have sat there? Had a couple
other times and I wasn't true sure, so I went
back and actually locked and it's about about seven fifty.
Speaker 1 (06:36):
Seven fifty three times in child we got an answer,
But fear Jews, there's there's not a lot of rainfall,
to be honest with.
Speaker 2 (06:41):
You're located unless my rain gauge is wrong. It's an
electronic one, but yeah, it probably is a little bit low.
Speaker 1 (06:49):
But I was going to say, you're.
Speaker 2 (06:50):
Not what we've had in the last twelve months when
I look and as.
Speaker 1 (06:53):
Well, are you're talking about getting kettle away? I mean, well,
if it's a bit dryer at the moment too, and
a bit of top around where you've got the prefer
a synergy go.
Speaker 2 (07:01):
Yeah, you know, the kid look pretty good. We've got
we've got them split out with the U Land well,
all the Lambs actually there's about teen or twelve in
each Land mob. So we slowly just chip away them
and yeah, twenty away today and I hopigure another twenty
away another or three weeks.
Speaker 1 (07:18):
Yeah, and what Brad are you working with?
Speaker 2 (07:20):
Predominantly we've been mostly Angus Hereford's crosses and we've got
a few here for Heffer's there. Yeah, a good.
Speaker 1 (07:30):
Old here for there's nothing wrong with that. Hey, before
you finished up to pre season training back into it
last night too. For the Mighty Barbers. It comes around
quicker than not, I suppose, Yeah.
Speaker 2 (07:40):
It does. It seemed quite early this year and I
let the coach know about that too. Yeah, So we
did a bronco and yeah, did a couple of foot,
no strills. We didn't actually see a rugby ball and
he said we weren't going to it for a couple
of weeks yet. Oh shit, I thought, however, what.
Speaker 1 (07:55):
Do you do the Bronco win.
Speaker 2 (07:58):
I snuck an under five minutes, which I was impressed with. Yeah.
There was a couple of young follows here that were
well ahead of me, and there was a few other
followers well behind me, so I thought I was pretty
happy with my time.
Speaker 1 (08:10):
That's pretty good going. I mean, you know, you're still
placing up the boots this she has to do that
around the to five minute time frame. It's it's pretty
it's exceptional to be fair.
Speaker 2 (08:19):
Yeah, yeah, I've got done for a chaplea wee three
kilometer trots around the farm last week and the week before,
but nothing too serious.
Speaker 1 (08:27):
But yeah, all you need to say is that your
farm fit. That's all you need to do, right.
Speaker 2 (08:31):
Yeah yeah, yeah, always fine?
Speaker 1 (08:35):
Hey go only how do you let your carry on?
Always good to catch up?
Speaker 2 (08:38):
Not very good tooth Andy.
Speaker 1 (08:41):
Britain, Helden Farming, just out of ben More. This is
the muster up next and the cargo MP Penny Simmons
lies
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