Page 85 - NZ Herefords Magazine 2019 Edition

On Farm

Heifer with the panoramic view

WORDS KATE TAYLOR PHOTOGRAPHS KATE TAYLOR / SUPPLIED

IT HAS BEEN A GREAT SEASON for Panorama Amethyst 1709, I started stud breeding when I was 13 years old and have
a heifer belonging to Manawatu breeder Alan Cook. managed to work to a point where I have my own farm, my own
She was judged second in the Asia/Oceania region of the stud, and can feed my family. We love the challenge of breeding
Hereford Champion of the World contest, which came on the good Herefords. The name Panorama was chosen because of its
back of a Supreme Champion Interbreeds win at the Royal Show. definition: ‘noun: a broad and all-encompassing view’. Breeding
“The entry in the world contest wasn’t something we good cattle requires a breeder to have a full understanding of the
expected, but it’s still fun,” Alan says. whole picture – cattle, genetics, balancing traits and customers.
“We were proud and excited to have the New Zealand Alan says Herefords have the best of what other breeds
Hereford female representative in the contest, especially when offer, plus great temperament and visual appeal. “Viewing a
most of the entrants are show cattle with show portraits; we paddock of Hereford cows and calves in late spring has to be
chose to use a paddock photo instead because these heifers one of the best sights in all of farming.”
are bred for the hills.”
Despite tight M. bovis restrictions, he says entries were BELOW: Sophie Cook, 15, with Panorama Amethyst 1709 in the
“reasonable” at the Royal Show hosted by the Hawke’s Bay Meat and Wool Cup at the 2018 Royal Show in Hawke’s Bay.
A&P Society. Panorama Amethyst 1709 won a big yearling
heifer class and went on to win the Supreme Champion Other
Breeds title then the Interbreeds Yearling Heifer Championship
(beating the best of the other Simmental, Saler and Angus). One
of the judges said she was “virtually perfect”, Alan says.
On the second day of the show, another Panorama entry
took out a strongly contested All Breeds Heifer Performance
Class organised by Beef + Lamb New Zealand Genetics.
Panorama Amethyst 1709, by sire NJW Hometown, is in calf
to Limehills Streaker, and will calve in spring 2019.
“She’s a big heifer but is still very feminine and does have
remarkable carcass attributes,” Alan says.
“Curiously, she also ranks extremely high for marbling, with
an ultrasound scan at 7.7”
She will continue to be taken to shows by Alan and his two
daughters – Sophie, 15, and Alice, 13.
“I breed for commercial cattle so I push the genetic improvement
side really hard and every now and then we put a halter on one or
two and take them to a show. The girls love Future Beef and going
to shows. It all starts at Calf Club really,” he says.
Panorama Polled Herefords has 35 stud Hereford cows run
on their 54ha farm near Feilding.
“It’s not great country but you farm what you can afford.
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