When the trucks rolled out from Keith Grice’s sheep yards, loaded with his capital stock ewes bound for the annual in-lamb ewe fair at Temuka on July 10, they marked the end of a very long era.
After 70 years farming sheep and at the ripe old age of 93 Grice has decided it’s time to put away his shepherd’s crook.
Finishing on the land where he started he said it’s been passion and freedom that have kept him going.
“Farming’s in my blood. You are your own master.
“I have loved every year of it but at my age now it is getting harder.
“My eyes and my ears aren’t as good as they used to be, I’ve got a new knee joint and a new hip joint – getting around the farm and the sheep is a lot harder for me these days.”
But it’s only in the past six years he has had to employ help for the day-to-day work.
“I’ve been lucky. It’s been a great partnership, married to Betty for 64 years and she’s worked too, off-farm as a mental health nurse, so we have just got on and done what we have to to keep on top of it all.
“There’s been no highlights.
“It’s been one long, happy journey.”
Grice grew up on the family farm at Pendarves in Ashburton District.
He and younger brother Bevan took over their father’s 388-hectare farm in 1951, farming in partnership on the land their father bought in 1906.
Fifteen years into the partnership the brothers decided it was time to branch out into their own businesses.
They split the land evenly and Grice progressively bought land to build his own farming business, getting up to 404 hectares at its peak.
“I’ve bought a lot and sold a bit along the way and here now I’m finishing up on about 500 acres(202ha).”
Grice puts his success down to buying only what he could afford, paying as he went.
In his 70 years farming he has never had a mortgage.
“When we split into two the farm was still in a LIP (government) lease from when my father got the land.
“I decided I wanted to freehold immediately and got the right to do that for the cost of two years lease rental. I was one of the first in the country to freehold government lease land.
“It cost me 60 pounds.
“And I have a bit of advice here for the young fellas farming these days – never over-spend and only buy something, whether it’s land or gear, if you have the money to pay for it.
“If you farm every year as a crisis year then you’ll keep your head above water, otherwise you will end up in shit street.
“Some of them listen but most of them don’t.”
Over the years Grice has juggled the breed and genetics of his ewe flock, in the peak years averaging about 2500 ewes.
“But while I’ve had some good sheep over the years I would say these sheep I am finishing up with and selling today (Romney and Romney-Texel crosses) are the best sheep I’ve had in my 70 years.
“I hardly had to lamb a ewe last year and that was fortunate as I can’t catch too many these days.”
His right-hand farming mate, dog Nigel, also feeling the bite of his elderly age in his work with the sheep these days, will agree, Grice said.
“Old Nigel, he’s been a great mate and a great worker, he’s a bit like me, he still tries his best but he’s seen better days when it comes to farm work.”
Wool has been the biggest challenge.
“I went for the meat in the end. We have been fighting for survival in wool since the 1950s.
“We spent thousands of dollars on wool and it’s worth less now than it’s ever been.”
Over the years Grice has farmed his land single-handed, just getting in the contractors for shearing, tailing, more recently ploughing and six years ago employing a shepherd to help with the sheep work.
“In the early days when we were refencing the farm with crowbar and shovel we could put money in the bank.”
They were also the days when Grice was ploughing an acre an hour with a three-furrow plough and a 23hp tractor.
“Twenty-five acres was a very large size paddock back then. Now 50 acres is a small paddock.”
A great believer in lucerne to get stock through the drier times, he’s never been a fan of irrigation.
“I’m too bloody old for that now.”
But that will change as his son Robert takes over the farm.
“He doesn’t want the sheep. He’s putting in irrigation and going for cropping.”
Farming for Keith has not been about having the flashest gear and being the flashest man in the district. It’s been about passion, loving what you do and putting money in the bank.
The only sheep farm surrounded these days by dairying and a spot of cropping, he acknowledges economics and politics have made modern farming tough.
“I do wonder how younger farmers these days enjoy what they do when it’s full of stress and debt.”
Farming needs to be coupled with a good hobby, he said.
“You must have a hobby but the farm must take priority.”
Passionate about standard bred horses and partners in the racing hobby, the Grice brothers have had their share of successes over the years, being proud owners of several notable breeding mares and their progeny.
“If the hobby can prop up the farm then all the better. We haven’t had to sell the horses to do that.”
And the retiring sheep farmer has no plan to let his horses go.
He’s keeping 40 hectares and he’s not moving from the farm, staying put in the house where he’s spent most of his farming life and where he plans to spend his retirement with Betty.
“It will be about our time together now, not about putting money in the bank.
“It’s sad to see the sheep go, it’s a good life – hard work at times but it has its rewards.”
Grice has no desire to wander the streets in town looking like an old ewe with sleepy sickness.
“I still have the horses and I’ll still fatten a few beef cattle and one thing for sure is I’m not moving from here.
“You can come back and visit me right here when I’m 100.”
