Page 136 - NZ Herefords Magazine 2018

Our Breeders
Monymusk

dominance

reflected on

national stage

ABOVE: The Douglas family – L-R, rear – Gemma, Ben, Amanda,
WORDS STEPH DEW PHOTOGRAPHS SUPPLIED
Jayne, front – Chris, Ruby, Ally, Eva, and Henry.
A LONG AND SUCCESSFUL CAREER breeding Herefords was elected, they were lucky to have not been severely affected
for the Douglas family at Monymusk stud resulted in their when interest rates then sky rocketed. Unlike many other
dominance in the industry being reflected on the national stage farmers, their loan rate was only moderately altered.
at the 2017 Beef Expo. Everyone in this family is involved in the farm whether it be
Not many studs can boast of having eight bulls up for financially or in a hands-on capacity. Henry has been on the
auction at the country’s benchmark sale, all sired by bulls farm for 11 years, after studying Farm Management at Lincoln
from their stud. Standout results included the Champion bull, and a two-year stint working at Mt Peel in Geraldine. Henry and
Matatoki Oklahoma, by Monymusk Grenade, and the top priced wife Ally have two daughters, Ruby and Eva.
bull, Grassmere Gallant, selling for $40,000 sired by Monymusk Chris and Jayne’s other son Ben, based in Nelson, is a
Gallant. Monymusk bulls themselves also featured strongly, with successful accountant who owns his own firm with two other
Kelpie selling for $16,000 and Knight reaching $26,000. partners. Ben and his partner Gemma have a son, Marli. Ben
Chris and Jayne Douglas, along with their children Henry has an interest in the block of land purchased last year. Daughter
and Amanda, are proud of the extent to which their sires have Amanda joined her parents and brother on the farm two years
been used and have carried on to produce exceptional progeny ago after six years nursing in Australia.
for their clients. For them it is the ultimate recognition of a Starting in Te Anau with 17 stud cows, the stud’s first big
successful breeding programme. success was at the National Sale in 1994, selling Monymusk
The key is the picturesque location of their farming operation, Discovery for $34,000 to Otapawa and Kowhai, and Monymusk
nestled in the middle of the Te Anau basin, beneath the Takitimu Lochness for $18,000.
Mountains. The farm at 1400ft with its rolling contour is exposed Discovery has gone on to feature on the international stage
to the variable Southland weather, with snow falling mainly in May as the sire of the dam of Otapawa Spark 3060, who has been
and June and a reasonably even rainfall of just over 100cm a year. used worldwide. He is listed as one of the 10 most used bulls in
Running on the property alongside the Monymusk stud, Australia since 2011. In-calf to Braxton Explorer 76H, the dam
which includes just over 220 stud cows and heifers calving this of Discovery was one of about 30 Braxton cows purchased,
spring, are 5500 Romney ewes, 1200 hoggets and 100 steers, and these cows became a significant foundation of the stud.
which are purchased as weaners direct from bull clients. When expensive stud bulls were unaffordable, AI was
Chris and Jayne have grown their first farm into a 959-hectare successfully used to improve the herd. In 2003 they purchased
property, with the most recent addition of 388ha purchased last the New Zealand semen rights to Allendale National, with
year. After managing and then leasing Chris’s parents’ farm at James Murray of the Matariki stud. His greatest influence was
Amberley in Canterbury they took the opportunity to purchase in the female side, with two bulls by Allendale dams having gone
the farm at Te Anau through the Rural Bank Special Settlement on to Expo and performed well, notably Monymusk Jock, who
Farm Scheme, which allowed a loan of 85%. Having signed was champion bull in 2016 and sold for $12,000.
it up only two weeks prior to the 1984 election when Lange In earlier years they were shareholders in the $34,000 purchase

134