One time Riverton ‘Dag Basher’ now making his way as Invercargill-based trainee sheep and beef representative.

Elliot Warrender grew up on his parents’ Craig and Debbie’s Riverton dairy farm.

“They know how to work hard, which is what they’ve done their whole lives. They converted the farm, which has supported them, me and my three siblings for the last 25 years. They did it all off their own bat, milking 350 to 400 cows,” he says.

After Southland Boys High, Elliot went to the University of Otago, though farming was never far away.

“During school and uni holidays a bunch of us, a good group of mates, had a crutching run in Northern Southland. It used to be called ‘The Dag Bashers,’ and it’s been around forever. It was hard work, but good fun. We worked on the basis that you go in, go hard and get it done. We made the most of our time there,” he says.

Since January this year, Elliot has been an Invercargill-based PGG Wrightson trainee sheep and beef livestock representative.

“You have to be able to put yourself out there, have confidence in what you are doing. You can fall into a trap of second guessing yourself, when really, it’s more important to keep it simple. I enjoy shifting trading stock. Positive feedback is a big payoff. When farmers tell you ‘I’m really happy with those lambs’ that’s very satisfying to hear,” he says.

Being straight up is one essential lesson he’s learnt.

“If something goes wrong, being honest is the only way to handle it. If it’s your fault, you have to own up to what’s happened. I was given a useful piece of advice recently: ‘You can’t bullshit a bullshitter.’ That was from another livestock rep. Unless you tell the truth, you’re only going to dig yourself a bigger hole.”

Aside from the few years he spent in Dunedin studying exercise and sport, Southland has always been home. Being away made Elliot appreciate it even more.

“This is a great place. Although Southland covers a large area, it’s a small community. You can’t go far without bumping into someone who knows someone. Everyone knows everyone here. Having a good variety of country, encouraging other farmers to do what they want, whether that’s finishing stock, or whatever you’re doing, the country and the people provide great support.,” says Elliot

As a newbie, he accepts there are some things he doesn’t know.

“Product knowledge, pricing, predictions: those are all difficult in the early stages of your career. When people ask me to run my crystal ball, tell them what this is going to be doing in six months, although you wish you knew, nobody really knows that,” he says.

One thing he does know is that this is an exceptional season.

“I’ve come in at weird time. We haven’t seen any lows this year, so I’ve ridden the highs so far. Prices have just gone up and up in the nine months since I’ve been here. From being around farming all my life, I’m fully aware of what it can be like. Right now, it seems so positive for everyone in agriculture, though staying focused on the future is also really important.”

In the long term, Elliot anticipates greater motivation to use the whole animal.

“You can already see that changing in dairy, where people are holding onto calves, which is benefiting the beef industry. I think there will be more utilisation of all animals, especially when values dip again, and when product is not worth as much as it is at the moment. Maybe wool is an example of that: there has to be room for wool to regain the value that it hasn’t had for so many years,” he says.

Outside work, alongside hunting, fishing and diving, he’s kept going with the passion for rugby that initially took him to Otago, now playing as a centre for Riverton RFC, which recently defended their local title.

“Last year was our jubilee year, which we celebrated by winning the championship. This year, after losing several players, we weren’t expected to be so strong. However, despite being the underdogs in the semi and the final, we came through both and remained as the champion,” says Elliot.
 

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