Winter lambs reap early rewards for farmer and stop busloads of camera-clicking tourists

June 26, 2018

His winter new-borns have already become a tourist attraction.

Lambs in the middle of winter are a rare sight, but with prices at an eight-year high, one Ashburton farmer is getting an early start to reap the rewards.

Graham Matthews' lambs are seriously out of season but still thriving in three degrees.

"I've got a bit of help from up above. But I get up early and if it's rough I'll get up at four o'clock and get them into shelter," Mr Matthews told 1 NEWS.

The 82-year-old doesn't farm by the book. He's bred winter lambs for 20 years now. 

"I love farming. Hopefully I will die with my boots on."

And his 130 newborns this season are literally stopping traffic along State Highway One, as a tourist attraction.

"The bus drivers knew they were quite cute. And the Japanese and Chinese used to pull up and wanted to get their photo taken with them."

And it's proving to be a good economic move for the farmer too, with supply and demand pushing lamb prices to their highest since 2010.  

While winter lambing isn't unheard of, there are few farmers left in Canterbury that still do it.

"There's been a lot of advances in irrigation which has lended towards a lot to more dairying. And so the sheep have disappeared out of this early country and it's gone to dairying," said Jason Grant of Federated Farmers, South Canterbury.

The lambs will be sold at a premium in October, just as the second batch of the year are  being born.

"I like doing different things. I'm not a follow-the-leader man I'm afraid," Mr Matthews said with a laugh.

And come Christmas the ram will be put out again for another flock of fluffy lambs, in winter.

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