Thursday, March 28, 2024

Contract tailing in demand

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Demand for contract tailing in the Otago region is increasing because there are fewer casual farm workers around, contractors say. Reon Smith, of Central Otago Sheep Handling, said he and partner Tash Kane are considering adding another tailing gang to their business this season because of increasing demand from sheep farmers in the Maniototo area. ‘The first two tailing contracts I got actually came from enquiries from the farmer’s wives who were sick of tailing being a three-week social session.’
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“There’s just not the availability of experienced shepherds and workers around these days for farmers to employ on a casual basis,” Smith said. 

“Many are finding it easier to contract us and get the job done in half the time. It’s saving them a lot of hassle.”

Smith said his unit price a lamb increased last year to 95 cents plus GST to meet the market rate.

“That rate includes supplying seven workers including a shepherd and the rings.”

Smith’s counterpart in the next valley over is Bevan Dowling, of Beak’s Sheep Handling. Dowling services the Strath Taieri area and echoes similar sentiments. 

“Fewer workers combined with higher lambing percentages. That’s what’s bringing in the work for me,” he said.

Dowling also believes there has been a shift in attitude around the social aspect of tailing season.

“The first two tailing contracts I got actually came from enquiries from the farmer’s wives who were sick of tailing being a three-week social session.

"Their husbands would each go around three or four different farms and help each other out and have a good time doing it.

"The wives decided enough was enough and now they get us in to do it.”

Lambs’ tails ready for the barbecue.

Macraes farmer Mat O’Connell will be tailing about 13,000 lambs this season. Over the years he has been in various tailing gangs – in lieu for other farmers, as part of fundraising groups, and also on his own farm which he farms in conjunction with his father Ray. 

“I prefer to do my own tailing with the three of us who are on the farm full time and pay a few guys to come in and give us a hand. For one it’s a lot cheaper to do it this way. I can get a good look at the stock and I quite enjoy the job too.”

O’Connell said he prefered to pay people rather than do days in lieu.

“There’s always other jobs to get on with at that time of year in the tractor and what not. That, and it can tend to get rather social if you let it.”

O’Connell has done a rough estimate on the cost of tailing using his own staff and casuals compared with the cost of using a contractor and said, for him, the price difference is about half that of a contractor fee.

“But that’s not including the cost of feeding all the guys and the outlay on gear. For sure I see the sense in using a contractor if you can’t get the labour, but I have been lucky enough to be in a situation where I more or less have had the same guys come each year.”

He tended to leave the tails on his early lambs, mainly for the animal’s welfare.

“The older lambs tend to take a real check if they are docked at the same time as the rest of the mobs. So we still earmark and drench them, but it’s best to just leave their tails on,” he said.

• Scientific study to report findings – Alliance Group with support from the Ministry for Primary Industries, Beef + Lamb NZ and United Kingdom retailer Sainsbury’s is conducting a three-year study into the effect of different tail lengths on production, welfare and economy on farm. 

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