Sheep farming has played a huge part in New Zealand’s economy and from 1856 to 1987, it was the most important farming industry. But since the recent arrival of dairying, nation-wide sheep numbers have fallen from 70 million in 1982 to about 39 million in 2007.br/br/The Southland Plains include some of New Zealand's most fertile farmland; extending from the Waiau River in the west, to the Mataura River which forms the border with the Otago Region to the east.