Page 19 - NZ Herefords Magazine 2019 Edition

CONSISTENCY BREEDS CONSISTENCY

A key consideration for the Taylors is consistency. They place equal
emphasis on both dams and sires, with strict culling criteria. In
their cows, they look for both growth and milk; the same goes for
sires they are using. “You can’t rely on a bull to fix something in one
generation. Unless the trait is on both sides, it is not reliable. We
still have a lot of improvements we want to work on. The goal is to
breed structurally sound, moderate-framed cattle and incorporate
into that high growth rates with good carcass.”
Last year, Martin worked out that 90% of their cows sat
in the top 10% of cows nationwide for the maternal traits of
growth and milk. “I want to get that number to 100%.”
Daniel says they prefer to have their stock speak for
themselves when it comes to performance.
When Daniel purchased his block and they added it to the
existing Glenbrae operation, the family was able to stop buying calf to mother on, in the case of a cow or heifer losing a calf,
in trading cattle, and instead focused on increasing the herd size. but now we don’t do that. It’s a closed herd definitely. We get
Currently they are just shy of 150 breeding cows, but 150 is the aim. asked a lot if we are a closed herd and also if we test for BVD,
This year, Martin and Mary have formed a company called especially by dairy farmers.”
Glenbrae Farming Ltd. The company leases both properties; All cows, replacement heifers and herd sires are vaccinated
Daniel has a shareholding and Emma is publicity officer. annually for BVD and sale bulls are tested and vaccinated. All
The move to a closed herd two years ago was a fortuitous cattle are also vaccinated for Leptospirosis. The only foreigners
one, in light of Mycoplasma bovis. “We used to buy in the odd introduced at Glenbrae come in the form of sires – bulls and rams.

THE CATTLE POLICY year. We have tended to over-feed them a bit just before calving

Their system with the cattle has always had the heifers half a cycle and they get fat,” he says.
ahead of the cows, but the plan now is to move them a full cycle The Taylors do foetal age scanning on their heifers and cows,
ahead. “They get nine weeks with the bull, same with the cows, and and this, coupled with the mating dates, gives them a good
anything that’s not in calf gets culled. There are no free rides here.” guide as to when each one will calve. Cows and heifers are
Bulls go out with the heifers October 20 and the cows about sorted off the hills in about 10-day calving groups. Once they
November 10; all single sire mating. have calved, cows get a BVD vaccination and a magnesium
Martin closely supervises the mating process. “They’re bolus. Each calf is tagged, and weighed, and their eye pigment
normally on the hills but come onto the easier country for mating. score and marking are recorded within a day of being born. After
I check them every day and try to observe as many heats as I can this process, cow and calf head to their post-calving paddocks.
and record them. That gives us a more accurate gestation length Around the cattle system, the sheep tend to take care of
and means any problems are picked up and resolved quickly.” themselves. “We inoculate pre-lambing and set stock them and
Previously, they have calved the cows on paddocks with
grass saved up especially for calving, but Daniel is keen to try THIS PAGE, TOP TO BOTTOM: Calves are tagged and weighed
at birth, eye pigment score and markings are also recorded;
calving all cows behind a wire. “We tried it with the heifers this Temperament is a key consideration for the Taylors and they don’t
year and it worked really well. We will do it with the cows next tolerate any animal with attitude.

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