The Beattie family farming ethic is all about bringing the enjoyment back into sheep farming.
Bohepe - Leave them alone
In 1997, Dr David Scobie (AgResearch) started a sheep breeding programme that would reduce husbandry costs and improve animal welfare.
AgResearch combined 9 different breeds of wild sheep, East Freisians, Finnish Landrace, Wiltshires and Merinos to create a short-tailed, bare breech, low-cost, easy-care sheep.
By 2004, the project was succeeding, but, ironically, the funding was cut. These sheep were about to be sold to the meat works.
At the time, Roger Beattie had a flock of 2,000 Pitt Island Wild sheep and saw the value in these AgResearch sheep. They had had in excess of $500,000 invested in them and were bred by one of New Zealand’s top sheep scientists. All this time, money, effort and expertise were about to be tossed out.
Roger, seeing the potential, bought these mid-micron, low-cost, easy-care sheep and started farming them organically alongside his Pitt Island wild sheep.
“We have culled vigorously over the years and now have 2,000 Bohepe’s. We named these sheep Bohepe to reflect the link between their wild origin and how they are farmed wagging their tails behind them.
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10 Reasons to buy Bohepe
Low cost, easy care
Highly productive
Short tail
Ethical
Bare breech
Lower fly strike
Higher weaning weights
Less dags
Reduced chemicals
Efficient
BOHEPE FACTSHEETS
FACTSHEET 1
'Lower Costs and Increase Production'
Increase production while lowering costs with Bohepe Genetics
FACTSHEET 2
'Is Efficiency More Important than Individual Production'
The problem; production focused farm research. The Solution; profitability focused farm research
FACTSHEET 3
'Will you be using More or Less chemicals in the Future?'
Genetic weakness masked by chemicals. Reliance on chemicals is the animal sickness business.
CARE GUIDE