Page 14 - NZ Herefords Magazine 2019 Edition

“We put him to 60 second-calvers and two-thirds had bull Penny believes it’s important for New Zealand’s Hereford
calves, so we could have 30 in the sale.” Nick likes him as a stud breeders to try such outcrosses and broaden the genetic base
sire because he’s got all the muscling and carcass attributes, of the breed while strengthening certain traits.
combined with really good structure and a bit more frame and “Here at Okawa we’re lucky we’ve got a big enough herd we
overall size than the other Gallant bulls. can experiment a bit on the side. If we use 30 straws and the
“It’s easy to make a little bull look meaty but he’s got scope and bull turns out to be no good, then we don’t need to retain any
athleticism and still expresses a hell of a lot of muscle. He matches of the progeny.”
up well with our more moderate maternal lines, adding more grunt. All heifers are mated, and to be retained have to rear a good
“His sons are shaping up similarly, so they should make calf as a two-year-old to make it into the Okawa herd. While putting
excellent sires to put across the typical moderate-framed cows the best genetics across the youngest dams accelerates the rate of
of most commercial beef herds.” genetic gain, they also value longevity at the other end of the age
Okawa’s breeding focus is first and foremost on the maternal range, for cows over 10 years old that continue to rear good calves.
side, he stresses. “A cow that calves every year for 10-plus years in the high
“Calving ease, milking ability, the ability to get back in country can make you a lot of money, and it’s the same for us here.”
calf, with structural soundness, a strong constitution, good They both believe Herefords are due for a resurgence, as
temperament and excellent mobility, are all essential. Our cattle herds that have gone mostly black are looking to regain the 10
need to be athletic as our clients’ environment is often high, to 15% gain that hybrid vigour first-cross cows can deliver.
remote valleys in the Southern Alps, and they need to cover big “There is a lot of commercial power in a first-cross white-
distances. Basics like good leg structure and an emphasis on face cow and their performance is hard to beat,” says Nick.
feet means reliability to our clients.” “We are getting a lot of enquiries as people move back to
Besides using New Zealand-bred bulls such as Grassmere this; while we find our large high country clients continue to
Gallant 9 – Nick rattles off other names including Beechwood demand the hardiness, moderate cows with maternal strength,
Fast Round 580, Limehills Starter 6062, Okawa Major 2008, and great temperament that the Hereford delivers.”
Okawa Shultz 5016 – they are also involved in a group jointly Another, somewhat different strength of the Hereford as a
trialling overseas genetics. breed is the cooperation between breeders to take the industry
“Overseas there are some better carcass attributes, but the forward as a whole, he adds.
New Zealand herd is very commercial and our environment and “Even though we’re in competition with each other to some
grass systems are unique. New Zealand-ising these genetics, extent, everyone is very supportive, constructive and focused
particularly in the females, is our aim so they stand up when the on the greater good. It’s great we all have our own approach to
commercial mob pressure comes on up a river valley against the breeding – it means we all have strengths we can leverage off –
Southern Alps.” but at the end of the day we can all go and have a beer together.”

TEAM APPROACH “The more knowledge they have, the better decisions they
Having benefitted from a variety of training and work make. Sometimes we get challenged on things and we’ve got
environments, Nick and Penny France are now doing their best to justify why we do what we do, so it’s good for us too.”
to foster the future of the industry with a team approach.
There’s no task they ask their staff of two full-timers (plus
students at key times) to do that they don’t get stuck in and BELOW: Okawa’s Joe White (Left) and Luke Ruddenklau.
do themselves, and they believe in full disclosure of financial
accounts and management information, including stud data.
“Nothing’s hidden; we run an open book,” says Penny. “We
enjoy supporting the boys to grow their knowledge, confidence
and management ability so they can go on to be capable farm
managers and farm owners.”
Staff have input into most decisions.
“I make sure all the guys are drilled on stud sires and their
strengths and weaknesses,” says Nick.
“The junior shepherd is in charge of moving the bull calves’
break over winter and I expect them to start forming opinions on
the different sire lines and picking their favourites. It starts them
developing an eye, doing this every day, and they all have their
favourites by sale time. It makes it much more fun and it means
they’re looking at the stock when they’re in the paddock.”
Besides working alongside each other, every week the
whole team has a lunch together, and a more formal appraisal
of progress and training needs is also held at least annually.

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