BAY de Lautour is a man of the land and at 86 as passionate now about farming as he was when a child growing up on his parents’ farm at Wairoa during World War II.
For almost 70 years he has contributed unselfishly to agriculture for the betterment of New Zealand farming.
He has developed and farmed his own land and had significant involvement in off-farm advocacy and industry governance.
His involvement was such he got his pilot’s licence and bought a plane so he had time to farm and pursue his off-farm agricultural activities.
His passion for farming and advocacy for the betterment of agriculture stems back to his childhood.
“During the war my father was overseas and I spent a fair bit of time in the bush on the farm where the Japanese could not get hold of us.
“It was a scrub farm and it was from this that I decided I wanted to go into farm development,” de Lautour said.
After a couple of years shepherding in the Gisborne area de Lautour found a farm in Central Hawke’s Bay he wanted to make his own.
“Everybody said I couldn’t afford it and would never be able to buy it.”
Determined to prove the knockers wrong he forged on with his plan.
“I did have a job getting the money but in the end I proved them I wrong. I got the farm.”
The property filled his desire to develop and improve land for farming, something he planned in his days hiding in the bush as a youngster.
When he took over the hill country farm in 1958 it was in five paddocks running 2800 stock units.
In 1984 when de Lautour moved off the property and elder son Hamish took over the farming it was in 100 paddocks and running 20,000 stock units.
“I crushed shrub and resowed paddocks and got interested in sheep recording.”
Despite the low-fertility soils with unreliable summer rainfall, persistent westerly winds and usually some winter snow it all came together over time.
De Lautour started recording his Te Whangai Romney Stud in 1970, one of the early starters in sheep recording.
The breeding philosophy is very clear.
“We believe that for commercial farmers to run an ever increasingly more efficient and profitable business they must focus on continuously getting more for less – more production from less input.”
To make genetic progress selection must take place in an environment that puts pressure on the traits to be improved.
“Giraffe would never have evolved with long necks if there wasn’t a shortage of low-hanging food,” he says.
In 1970 the immediate focus for Te Whangai was to lift fertility and develop an easy-care animal.
By the early 1990s the average number of lambs born to the recorded ewes was over 190% as only twinning ewes were kept.
Wool has always been a special interest and an important part of breeding and productivity for de Lautour.
“I was brought up to believe that we should be spending time outside farming activities too and furthering the country’s economy.
“My father was a great believer in contributing where he could.”
With his keen interest in wool and involvement in Federated Farmers de Lautour followed his passion.
“I was very supportive of the Wool Board’s corporation scheme, Acquisition, and my involvement in the wool industry rose in the failure of that corporation to get off the ground.”
He was instrumental in the establishment of the Primary Wool Co-operative (PWC) formed 44 years ago by a group of farmers to increase the returns for wool growers.
The co-operative was originally known as East Coast Wool Co-operative and was formed to support the Dannevirke wool spinning plant, which de Lautour was also instrumental in establishing to improve NZ’s supply chain in scouring, spinning and exporting.
PWC worked hard to change the wool model to increase returns for its members.
Over the years PWC continued to track successes and strategically move into other parts of the wool industry doing well for its members returning almost $1 million in rebates and dividends and 340,000 bonus shares on the original $190,000 invested.
In 2010 the Just Shorn brand was strategically launched by what is now known as CP Wool, a 50:50 joint venture between PWC and Ashburton-based Carrfields Group, to stimulate demand for wool carpet in the United States.
Just Shorn was successfully launched in Australia in 2014 through the Carpet One franchise while a more recent launch in NZ through the Harrisons Carpet One franchise has already exceeded expectations.
A board member for 44 years, 20 of which he spent as chairman, de Lautour stepped aside from PWC’s leadership last month.
In a moving account of the evolution of PWC he recalled how the 100% farmer-owned PWC had grown from 400 farmer shareholders each contributing $400 to now being NZ’s only farmer-owned wool co-operative with 1409 shareholders.
With significant investment interests in PWC he will remain on the board for a bit yet.
“I will carry on as long as I can with the co-op – until the loans are paid.”
Extra-curricular farming activities have not been restricted to the sheep sector with de Lautour also actively involved in the deer industry as founding director of East Coast Venison in 1982 and also serving as chairman of the NZ Game Industry Board.
He acknowledges not everything he has supported has succeeded quite like PWC but he’s soldiered on for the betterment of NZ farmers.
De Lautour was made a member of the NZ Order of Merit in 2000 for his services to farming and dedication to NZ’s wool growers and the wider industry.
In 2016 he was recognised with the Laurie Dowling Memorial Award for his outstanding contribution to agriculture in Hawke’s Bay at the region’s primary sector awards.
Still keeping a watchful eye on goings-on in the wider farming sector de Lautour is concerned about losing good productive sheep country to forestry.
“I think we have really big worries with this conversion of good sheep hill country to forestry.
“If we keep going this way it will be the end of sheep in NZ.
And the future of strong wool.
“I’m optimistic wool has every reason to make a resurgence.
“We need to keep striving to find ways to add value to wool and there’s still plenty of opportunity do that.
“Wool is a big part of sheep farming income.
“I’m confident it will double and the co-op is confident and that’s reflected in its partnership with NZ Yarn in the proposed manufacture of a new hemp-wool fibre set for next year.”
Now living on a lifestyle property, filling in his days enjoying family, including his grandchildren and soon to be 14 great grandchildren he likes to keep his hand in farming by spending time helping on younger son William’s property.
He says he couldn’t have done what he has without Shona, his wife of 62 years.
“She’s been such wonderful support all the way.”
He’s never had and doesn’t think he ever will want to have time for golf or bowls.
“I like to be on the farm where I look after the weed control, spraying and chopping down thistles.”
Sadly, due to a health hiccup four years ago his pilot’s licence lapsed so flying is not a pastime in his so far four years of retirement.
“I dream about getting my flying licence again one day but I still drive the bulldozer and do a bit of land development.
“Eventually I’ll exit this land with my boots on,” he said.
