Page 121 - NZ Herefords Magazine 2019 Edition

Industry Focus

Tru-Test Grazing Unit

WORDS POSY MOODY PHOTOGRAPHS NZHA
FOR MOST ALL BLACK FANS, the name Strahan will be well When it comes to the new grass and finishing sheep and
known. But it’s the next generation now making a name in farming. cattle, he says, “stock love it, they preferentially graze it. You can
NZHA is thrilled to be associated with that name by having over-graze it, but it grows well in the autumn, spring and winter.”
the North and South Island bulls graze on the Strahan farm for 14 Strahan says people often comment he has grass when
weeks before the 2019 PGG Wrightson National Show and Sale. others don’t, because the tetraploid ryegrass stays greener
Ian Strahan (son of Sam Strahan) is a strong community than many other species. The farm used to be a traditional
man. He and wife Steph’s three children go to Kiwitea School, he breeding property with ewes and cattle, but now there is no
buys most of the stock he finishes at nearby Feilding Saleyards, breeding stock – he says it is all about getting stock in prime
is chair of the local school board, and a member of the group condition for the meat plants. Everything is weighed on and off
that runs the Kiwitea water scheme. the property and monitored while there.
Ian’s grandfather first bought the farm in 1956 and Sam The farm also runs 500 dairy grazers and has 30ha in winter
worked there in the 1960s. Sam and his children – Richard, wheat crop. Turnips were planted last November for sheep
Ian and Anna – own the beef and lamb finishing farm at Kiwitea grazing in the dry summer months.
called Strahan Land Company, farmed by Ian. It consists of NZHA is looking forward to the opportunity of hosting the
400ha for sheep, beef, and cropping. Their policy is to renew first on-farm PGG Wrightson National Hereford Show and Sale
the pasture at least every five years, resulting in 20% of the at the Strahan’s on Tuesday 14 May. Everyone is welcome to
farm being reseeded each year with high performing tetraploid attend the sale and BBQ lunch.
ryegrass and some clover.
Ian only farms beef during the spring and summer so cattle
don’t damage the soil during the wet months. In autumn and
winter lambs replace the beef and stay an average of 60 days.
“We try to get them on the farm and grow them as fast as
we can. They kill out at 20 kilograms or in spring 23kg – that’s a
big lamb, about 53kg live weight.”
They arrive as store sheep and are finished, as is all stock,
on new grass. When finishing animals, he tries to grow them
as fast as possible to slaughter because it cuts the cost of
maintaining the stock.
“As a finisher, you don’t get paid for maintenance but you do
get paid for weight gain.”
ABOVE: Ian Strahan at the Tru-Test Grazing Unit at Kiwitea.

BLUE SKY THINKING TO MARKET
NEW TRU-TEST GRAZING UNIT

There has been a new approach to marketing the new North
Island Hereford grazing unit. NZHA invited one of its own to take
some drone footage of the Strahan farm.
It was a successful choice of media to use at little expense
(if you don’t consider the lack of farming done by the operator
that morning) and provided a good reach. There were more
than 1200 views, with four shares and 180 engagements.
In addition, a further post advertising the grazing unit was
loaded four weeks later, with Cam Heggie discussing the new
format of the PGG Wrightson
National Sale. That reached 419
engagements, with men aged
between 35 and 44 being the
top audience (See the social
media article on page 120 to
find out what that means).

RIGHT: A drone captures an aerial view of the Tru-Test Grazing Unit.
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