Shearing Event Brings Farm Community Together

Module Overview

The fastest shearer could earn $3,000 in under 20 seconds at the upcoming Speed Shears in Martinborough on Tuesday 3 March.

The event, which is being held at the local rugby club as a fundraiser, has been organised by local sheep farmer James Bruce and his team.

The event starts at 3pm and runs til 9pm. Around 350 sheep will be shorn on a two-stand set up on the rugby field.

James says the event has attracted top local and international shearers. “It’s a nice lead up for shearers to this year’s Golden Shears and World Shearing Championship in Masterton.”  There’s also a junior and intermediate category to give less-experienced shearers the chance to participate.

James says the timing’s good for another reason – it’s a chance for farmers and their families to take a break from dealing with the aftermath of recent extreme weather.

“Although it’s a fundraiser, it’s not really about the money. First and foremost, it’s the rugby club bringing an event to our rural town. We’re a rural area and there’ll be heaps of farmers and their families here.”

“We’ve made sure most of the entry money is going back into the prize money. So if someone can win 3 grand in 20 seconds they’re doing good, aren’t they?”

James does a lot of his own shearing on farm and enjoys it. He is full of admiration for professional shearers.

“You’ve got to be in good nick, not just physically but mentally to get through the numbers they do day after day. After a day’s shearing, I’m hurting. They’re doing hundreds a day, every day. Shearing’s a great sport to watch as well.”

James is one of the farmer champions for rural wellbeing programme Farmstrong. He says its important farmers manage their wellbeing as well as their workload after a big storm.

“You’ve got to get the important stuff done first, which is all the stock work. Then rest of the day can easily get filled with fixing stuff.”

“The problem we’ve had is we’ve still got trees down from the last lot of wind, so the work builds up on you. You really do need to work out how to put the recovery work in its own box.”

“It’s a mindset thing. If it’s a tree down over a fence, well it’s over the fence already. You’ll get to it when you get to it. As long as the weather stays ok, it’s not going to get any worse.”

He says the slog of a big clean-up means celebrating small wins along the way is important.

“We’ve got fences down on the river that are probably going to take us a couple of weeks to fix. For me, it’s about looking for that fist pump moment. I do two hours on a fence and get that little bit fixed up. Then I’ll think to myself, “Right, done that, sweet, don’t have to go back to that.”

“If we get slammed with another flood in the next week and it goes back over what you’ve already done, you’ve just got to keep looking ahead and tell yourself, eventually you’ll get a break.”

James says looking after the ‘top two inches’ is an important part of enjoying farming.

“Shearing’s mentally tough in the short-term. Farming’s probably mentally tough in the long-term. That’s why being part of Farmstrong’s so helpful. It reminds you how many other people are in the same situation as you. All of a sudden you realise this programme is for thousands of people. You’re not the only one dealing with these challenges.”

James says part of keeping Farmstrong is getting off farm regularly.

“I’ve found when the pressure comes on in farming it’s important not to put your whole life on hold. You’ve got to do something off-farm that’s different so you get that mental break. For me, it’s having horses to work or rugby training or getting behind an event like Speed Shears. Focusing on something else for a few hours means you forget about the flood fence you’ve got to fix that’s going to take a week. It keeps your mind off it for a bit.”

“One of the lessons of Cyclone Gabrielle was that connecting with community helps people get through tough times. You need them as much as they need you. That’s the real value of events like the Speed Shears.”

Farmstrong is a nationwide, rural wellbeing programme that helps people manage the ups and downs of farming and growing. Last year, 20,000 farmers attributed an increase in their wellbeing to the programme.