June 2024

It is about time for most farmers to be taking their buck out of the does, and hopefully we are well on track for successful spring kiddings across the country. As you bring the buck out, it’s a good time for a general health check of your flock as well as ensuring your buck gets a bit of TLC after his “busy” season.

It’s been a pleasure to bring on even more new growers over the past couple months, with a number waiting in the wings to bring on goats next season. People are seeing the benefits of adding goats to their system to reduce weed control costs primarily, and also pasture quality improvements. We deeply appreciate the support of our growers, both old and new, we appreciate trying anything "new” or “different” is particularly daunting in today’s landscape, it’s bloody tough out here at the moment – please do not hesitate to pick up the phone at any time.

My time is also taken up with Business Development tasks, jobs that are critical to ensuring our industry foundation is solid, well supported and maintained. I’ve been encouraged by meetings with research institutes such as Lincoln University and AgResearch, who can aid our industry’s development through R&D as well as extension work, and there are a number of grants available to enable this work to be done.

We are also in the early stages of a two-year project with AgFirst, which will prove the benefits of the addition of cashmere goats in commercial sheep and beef operations. This involves two focus farms, one in the North and one in the South, who will share their cashmere journey with New Zealand’s farming community with 150 mated does and their impact on their farming business – from financial returns, herbage tests and results to changes in daily liveweight gain of sheep and beef. Their stories will be shared through our channels and other media outlets, as well as regular Field Days held on farm.

National Fieldays is upon us, though I suspect it will be a quiet event for most exhibitors this year – those who choose to go! New Zealand Cashmere will in the Pavilion, site PD2, where we will be encouraging farmers to add goats in to their farming system to reduce costs, diversify and improve their bottom line. I’m on-site Wednesday through to Friday lunchtime.

Our National Conference is in the planning stages, I expect to be sharing details with growers over the coming fortnight, this event is going to be a hands-on event which I believe is going to be hugely valuable to all our growers. If you can attend, please do.

And finally, to leave things on a cliff hanger, there’s something in the works which our team is thoroughly excited to be able to share which will enable our farming community to understand the real opportunity (I’m talking facts and figures) cashmere goats can bring to their specific farming operation, right from the comfort of their couch! 

Cheers,

Liv