Country Calendar - Cashmere

We need to breed an animal that's going to survive on hill country, and to do that we can't select on fleece alone, We need to select for things like constitution, hardiness and genetic abnormalities ...

– Goat farming entrepreneur Robert Hall

The discovery of the cashmere strain in New Zealand goats has seen world traders beating a path to our door. The industry has taken off quickly and large amounts of city money are being invested in stud farms. Robert Hall's new venture for instance, is a 50-50 partnership with a major insurance company.

– The narration, on the heady pre-crash climate

Instead of being pests they've now become hot property because it's now known that wild New Zealand goats grow one of the world's most valuable natural fibres: cashmere.

– From the narration