Determination pays off for local farmer
It’s a busy time for Matt McRae who recently won the Otago-Southland regional final of the FMG Young Farmer Contest. Diane Bishop reports.
Mokoreta farmer Matt McRae isn’t one to rest on his laurels.
The 30-year-old was back at work crutching lambs the day after he won the Otago-Southland regional final of the FMG Young Farmer Contest in Milton.
‘’We had lambs going to the works at 6.30am on Monday so we had to get them done,’’ McRae said.
It was a fiercely-fought regional final with just a few points separating McRae and runner-up Tom Blackmore.
It was the second time McRae has competed at this level after coming third in Winton last year, but this time he was more determined than ever to win.
‘’It’s my last shot at the title. ‘’I’m 31 in August so it’s now or never,’’ McRae said.
McRae, who now has his eye firmly fixed on winning the grand final in Hawke’s Bay in July, has a very busy few months ahead.
Along with studying for the Grand Final he and wife Natalie, along with McRae’s brother Joe, have recently bought more land, which they take over in a month, and will grow their sheep and beef farming operation.
They currently farm 4200 Romney-Texel ewes lambing 150 per cent along with 1200 ewe hogget replacements. However, this will grow this to more than 6500 ewes and 1900 ewe hogget replacements over the next few years.
‘‘We like the Romney-Texel ewes – they’re giving us faster growing and higher yielding lambs,’’ McRae said.
McRae attended Menzies College at Wyndham and graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce (Agriculture) from Lincoln University. He then worked at the National Bank in Invercargill for three years before returning to the home farm six years ago.
‘’I always wanted to go farming – to have animals and be my own boss.
‘’I learned a lot in the banking industry, but the lure of the farm was always there.’’
Sadly, McRae’s own father Neil died suddenly in 2004 when he was just 15 which resulted in a farm manager being employed.
McRae worked under the farm manager for a few years before he took over the running of the property in October 2014.
His younger brother Joe came home to work on the family farm soon after.
‘‘We like the RomneyTexel ewes – they’re giving us faster growing and higher yielding lambs.’’ Mokoreta farmer Matt McRae.