The Wilderness Lodge Farm
REMEMBER: IF YOU STAY AT THE LODGE FOR 2 NIGHTS OR MORE YOU ARE ABLE TO JOIN IN WITH ONE OF OUR FARM DISCOVERY TOURS AND FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THE FARM
Cora Lynn Station was first settled in 1860 by the Goldney brothers and named after a locality in the Dumfries district in their native Scotland. Originally 13,000 hectares (33,000 acres), today it is 2,400 hectares (6,000 acres) and run as Wilderness Lodge Arthur’s Pass. Half of the property is a nature reserve with the Wilderness Lodge and a walking track network; the other half is a working high country farm. Like all New Zealand farms, Cora Lynn operates without any government subsidies. The Cora Lynn farming year revolves around the four seasons.
(SEPTEMBER, OCTOBER, NOVEMBER)
PRE-LAMBING SHEARING. Six weeks before lambing, an itinerant shearing gang arrives and uses traditional blade shearing to shear about 1,000 sheep a day. Shearing ensures that in cold weather the ewes will seek shelter amongst the protecting shrub land (Wild Irishman/Matagouri) and not stand out in the cold with their lambs. Use of blade shears retains up to 25mm (one inch) of wool on the sheep as cold protection.
WOOL. The clip is pressed into 140kg bales. It is then sold by auction in Melbourne, Australia, or sold to buyers with whom we have wool supply contracts, such as Icebreaker (NZ), Loro Piana (Italy) and Smartwool (USA).
LAMBING. From mid-October ewes are given the most sheltered blocks and left largely undisturbed to give birth. Merino ewes usually only have one lamb, while other sheep breeds often have twins.
SILAGE. Surplus grass is conserved in November as silage. Over 24 hours we cut, wilt and bale green surplus spring growth as round bales that are tightly tube wrapped in plastic. Oxygen exclusion prevents any silage decomposition until it is fed to the stock the next winter.
(DECEMBER, JANUARY, FEBRUARY)
STOCK FOOD. In summer we sow a mixture of turnips, kale and ryegrass, to be ready for use in winter when pasture growth almost stops. We will use some nitrogen fertiliser for these nutrient demanding crops.
WEANING. By January the lambs have grown very fast and are weaned from their mothers. They are big enough to fend for themselves on the best grass on the farm, while the ewes graze the hills.
LAMB SELECTION. The female lambs to be wintered here are selected, while the others are sold to meatworks or to other farmers.
(MARCH, APRIL, MAY)
RAM SELECTION. Breeding rams are purchased from ram breeders. We choose Merino rams for wool qualities that match our wool supply contracts or Suffolk or Border-Leicester rams that will produce lambs for our restaurant.
CRUTCHING. In April we remove the wool from the head, tail and belly of the sheep. This keeps them clean and tidy and means their vision is not obscured by wool.
MATING. In mid-May the rams join the ewes for the six-week mating season. There is one ram per 120 ewes. Lambs are born five months later.
(JUNE, JULY, AUGUST)
WINTER DEMANDS. Daily feeding and stock movement duties can take up all the daylight hours. Snow usually lies in the valley for only about a week each year, but there will be many frosts and life can be tough.
LOWER COUNTRY. All sheep will now be off the hills and close to home where we can feed the stock even if snow covers the ground.
WINTER FEED. In June the flock begin feeding on winter-feed crops supplemented with the baled silage and some barley grain. Temporary electric netting fencing ensures an even supply of feed and allows some rotation of grazing pressure.
FERTILISER. In late winter we apply lime, obtained from Castle Hill (40 km south), to reduce soil acidity. We also use super phosphate to promote the biological fixation of atmospheric nitrogen by clover, a key plant component of our ecological pasture management.
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