16/10/2026
🐑 A few big days in the shearing shed!
Following on from their shearing course, our cadets have had the opportunity to put their new skills to the test, helping the team shear our hoggets over a couple of full days on the stand.
And they certainly weren't handed the easiest sheep! Muddy bellies, some untrained wool rousies, and eight hours on the stand made for some pretty challenging days!
But there were some awesome personal achievements along the way, with one-day tallies of:
👏 Jake Anderson – 200
👏 Noah Monson – 170
👏 James Read – 100
👏 Ollie Walker-Leach – 80
👏 Lilly McQueen – 53
And without taking anything away from the boys efforts - a special mention to Lilly, who showed some serious determination. She found her rhythm, stayed in her lane and just kept chipping away at her own pace. There was absolutely no way she was coming off that stand before the day was done! We were incredibly proud of her effort.
And while he'll probably hate us mentioning it, our Head Shepherd Jake Faulkner — a former Growing Future Farmers cadet who hasn't spent a huge amount of time on the handpiece — also managed to notch up his first 100 sheep, well before the eight-hour day was over! He was considerably less enthusiastic about participating in the photo shoot, though! 😂
Our new Stock Manager, Jessie Crisp, was right amongst the action too, alongside his fiancée Tina and their daughters, who all mucked in to help keep things ticking along.
As a former Otiwhiti School of Agriculture cadet himself, Jessie knows a thing or two about what it's like to be on the learning end of a handpiece! Often on a stand himself, he was a great source of encouragement, practical advice and motivation, helping the cadets dig a little deeper and keep pushing when the going got tough. It was pretty neat to have the whole family involved and a great way to welcome them into the Jeff Farm team!
There's a lot to be gained from days like these. It's a whole-team effort, it saves the farm money by reducing our reliance on contract shearers, and it gives our cadets the chance to put their training into practice.
But perhaps more importantly, it tests them physically and mentally. Eight hours on the stand is tough. You're tired, you're sore, and at some point your mind starts telling you you've had enough. Learning to push through that discomfort, keep showing up and discover what you're capable of is a pretty valuable lesson in itself.
And that's why we reckon every one of these tallies is worth celebrating.
Because it's not about who shore the most sheep. It's about challenging yourself, finding your own rhythm and being proud of what you achieved.
Stay in your lane. Run your own race. 💚
Pretty proud of this crew!
