Page 123 - 2020 NZ Hereford Magazine

“HEREFORDS ARE DEFINITELY THE PICK HERE...
THEY’RE LOVELY CATTLE IN THEIR NATURE
AND THEY’RE GETTING THE RESULTS
WE WANT. ALL OUR STOCK USUALLY GOES

TO REPEAT BUYERS, WHETHER THEY’RE AT
THE WEANER FAIR OR IN THE PADDOCK.”

putting any spare money you have into genetics and fertiliser. Lime They suit the country better,” Stuart adds.
in particular has made a massive difference. Within 18 months the “Herefords are definitely the pick here,” he says. “Harry loves
cows were cleaning up stuff they wouldn’t touch before.” them, mainly for their colour and their quietness. They’re lovely
Herefords were part of the Birch Hill landscape when the cattle in their nature and they’re getting the results we want. All
couple arrived, due to Mike having grown up with Herefords in our stock usually goes to repeat buyers, whether they’re at the
Gisborne. “I had actually shepherded for Mike’s father, that’s weaner fair or in the paddock.”
how we came to be here,” he says. “But where we worked On the sheep side of the business, store lambs are sold into
up there had horned Herefords so Mike wanted those here. Manawatu 1000 lambs at a time. They carry 6100 Romney/
We used to buy from Laurie Paterson and Colin King and their Texel ewes, which are put to Tuff Guy Romney/Texel rams from
families from Southland. But then we moved to polled animals Wairere Romneys.
from Maungahina. We wanted more moderately-framed cattle, “We used to be all Romney ewes but I wasn’t making any
a more manageable animal for this country, so we now buy from headway. We were only killing about 300 lambs off their mothers
the Robbies at Otapawa. They grow out really nicely and can with a straight Romney. So after putting the Texel/cross, we
hold that meat on them,” Stuart says. now kill up to 2300 in that first take off mum. By the end of
“The country the Robbies breed on is pretty cold and windy
so they do really well when they come here. THIS PAGE, TOP TO BOTTOM: A wind farm makes a backdrop for
sire bull Otapawa Spark (bought in 2016); Birch Hill carries 6100
“It’s obvious with my heifers coming through that they’re Romney/Texel ewes. Some of the station’s new cocksfoot grass
holding condition right through winter without any extra feed. can be seen in the foreground.

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