Ryelands – The sheep for climate changed conditions

Abstract

The reputation of Ryelands as all-weather sheep, capable of doing well in droughts and footrot resistant, suitable for wetter conditions have been well demonstrated over the last decade at the Eelbend Stud on the banks of the Selwyn River/Waikirikiri. From 2015-2017 the stud operated in a drought that resulted in the river featuring on Al Jazeera TV in a story about New Zealand's bad environmental management and overallocation of water for irrigation.