The Rathkeale Friends’ Association has quite an established cattle farming system within the school community, specifically designed to support our fundraising activities.
At any one time we have a mix of 30 to 40 steers, heifers and bulls grazing on properties of parents, past parents or school friends throughout the Wairarapa and even Central Hawkes Bay.
We purchase weaner age cattle in the autumn each year, either directly from the grazer or from the open market and then deliver them out to the farms.
The Cattle Scheme provides the Friends with a constant revenue flow, for which we are forever grateful to those farming families involved.
The generosity of this ongoing grazing puts us in a position to make confident decisions on how to support the school environment.
It is important to the Friends that the cattle scheme continues well into the future and it maintains its cornerstone fundraising status.
Grazing 1 or 2 extras on the farm is quite straightforward. Generally they fit in with the same or similar age groups and are sold at the same time, normally around 2 to 2½ years. At this point, a simple phone call to the coordinator will sort out the procedure.
You don’t have to be a farmer to be involved with the cattle scheme. You can simply provide enough funding to buy a weaner or a part share in one. We will tell you who looks after it and generally keep you informed on its progress.
If you would like to become a part of this brilliant fundraising idea, a simple way to support the Rathkeale Friends, please contact our cattle scheme coordinator:
Tim Hewitt Ph: 06 376 6656 or email him at hewitt-balfour@xtra.co.nz