6
November 2016
MANAWATU FARMING LIFESTYLES
After serving nine years as a Palmerston North city councillor, recently retired Ross Linklater has swapped the boardroom for the farm.
T
he Linklater family has had a connection with local government roles for close to a century. Ross’s grandfather was a member of parliament for Manawatu from 1922 to 1935, and his father, brother, uncle and a cousin all served on various councils and boards. His great-grandfather was one of the early settlers in the district. “When magnesium inputs are required, Golden Bay Dolomite provides the simplest and most effective option.” call 0800 4 Dolomite
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As a young child, Ross spent his early years on a Pohangina Valley farm before the family moved into Palmerston North. After finishing school, he worked on several farms throughout New Zealand, learning how to shear sheep along the way. A one-year diploma in sheep farming at Massey University followed. Ross then set off on his OE, working on sheep farms in England and Scotland before heading to Oregon in the United States of America. During his five-year stay in Oregon, he established and managed two sheep farms. When Ross returned to New Zealand, he went shearing and also became a registered master builder. He saved his earnings, leased his first farm, and married Marilyn. In 1982, the couple
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farms in the district. Ross and Marilyn’s 270 acre home farm is used to fatten lambs and Wagyu cattle. A 150 acre block near the Palmerston North suburb of Milson is leased and used for sheep, beef and growing crops. Fifty acres of
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moved to their home farm in Roberts Line. Ross is the fourth generation in the Linklater family to farm in the Manawatu district. Under the company name, Linkfarm, Ross and Marilyn, together with son Scott operate four
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