There cannot be many things more pleasurable than going to an agricultural show, especially when there are highlights like lambs, calves, tractors and duck herding!
The show is held in Otautahi Christchurch each year and we have been eagerly anticipating going to see the wool on show and to speak to farmers and producers. It was gratifying to be able to do so and to meet with people keen to help us to set-up a new weaving operation on the West Coast.
We arrived at the grounds early and watched some of the pony judging before heading through to the main area. We caught the maternity pen for sheep where we saw very small, just-born lambs, and then went into an adjoining area to see guinea pigs, day-old chicks and kids of the goat variety. After all that excitement it was time to head over to the chickens, cows and finally sheep and wool pens. A huge variety of sheep wool was on display along with sheep of many types: Merino, Perridale, Suffolk, and the like. There was also a felting stand where we watched natural dyeing with leaves and metal rods, a technique that produced some lovely effects as you can see in one of the images at the foot of this article.
It was also my first introduction to competitive sheep shearing. Teams of shearers and their helpers were timed and had to get the fleeces off the animals cleanly and in one piece. It looked like tough work but the shearers were very efficient and it was amazing to see how large the fleeces were when they were tabled.
Following all of this we visited the other side of the show where we bought waterproof boots, looked at the large machinery that farmers use for baling, ploughing, harvesting, etc, but the highlight has to be the final event that we watched: duck herding with a collie putting a group of six ducks through an obstacle course of ramps, ladders, bridges, tunnels and the like. It looked like both dog and ducks enjoyed the experience. None of them tried to get away, the ducks enjoyed a shower every so often, given to them by the handler, and the dog clearly loved working and receiving praise for doing a good job.
During the last part of the afternoon the weather turned abruptly. It was the quickest conversion I have ever known; twenty plus degrees Celsius, followed by an enormous gust of wind that blew tents and people over, and plummeting temperatures. It was time to leave the show, but it was An Excellent Experience and well worth heading across the mountains for. We caught up with producers and farmers, and had a couple of good conversations about our plans for setting-up a new weave venture on the Coast. There is plenty of enthusiasm for new business and it was gratifying to hear that our work is valued and useful.
Here are some photographs from the New Zealand Agricultural Show 2023. I hope you enjoy seeing them.
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