Page 140 - 2020 NZ Hereford Magazine

Our Breeders

Northland herd tour a calendar highlight

for 2019

WORDS / PHOTOGRAPHS LORRAINE CLEMENTS

OLD FRIENDSHIPS WERE RENEWED and new faces welcomed 1
at the Copthorne Hotel in Paihia at the start of the 2019 Northland
herd tour.
Northland Club members greeted 90 breeders and sponsors
from far and wide to the first night welcome drinks before three
days of touring Northland studs.
Day one saw the two 50-seater buses head south to the
studs based around the Whangarei area with the drive showing
breeders the effects of the hot, dry summer in Northland. The
first stop was the Marua Hereford Stud of Ian and Leeanne
McInnes, where breeders had their first experience of using the
footbaths that were a feature of every stop on the tour.
The stud was established in 1995, although the McInnes 2
family have run purebred Herefords since the 1970s. The stud
operates on a 340ha property (100ha effective) and aims to
breed bulls suitable for the dairy industry. The visit highlighted
the functionality of the Hereford breed, running on kikuyu
pasture through challenging summer conditions, all set against
the beautiful native bush areas that are a feature of the property.
A short trip over the hill brought the buses to the first of two
stops at the Matapouri Stud run by the Clements family, where
visitors were presented with a display of 300 registered mixed-
aged cows with calves at foot. Spread out over three paddocks,
everyone enjoyed walking amongst the cattle for a close-up
look at the cow herd. Established in 1972, the stud runs on 3
1000ha (effective) between the Tutukaka Coast and Hikurangi.
Bulls are sold both privately and through the sale ring into the
beef and dairy markets, as well as two-year-old in-calf heifers
supplied to other stud breeders and the commercial market.
Then it was back on the buses for the drive to the Hikurangi
Golf Club for a fabulous BBQ lunch at the clubhouse and some
relaxation time on the deck overlooking the Marua farming area.
Adjoining the golf course is the property of Brian and Penny
Coutts, who run the Wyborn Hereford Stud. The buses were
able to enter the farm directly from the golf course for a tour
through the farm, with Brian providing a commentary on the
mining history of the property and Hikurangi township area.
Established in 1995, Wyborn comprises 130 head, run in THIS PAGE, TOP TO BOTTOM: Wyborn Stud,
conjunction with a 350-head fattening enterprise that replaced 1) Marua Stud; 2) Matapouri Stud; 3) Wyborn Stud.
the 200-cow dairy herd sold in 2015. The Herefords do a great NEXT PAGE, CLOCKWISE, TOP LEFT:
job on 75 hectares of steep country brought into pasture in 1995. 4) Arahou Stud; 5) Kaipara Stud;
The tour then backtracked to the Matapouri Hereford Stud’s 6) Moana Stud; 7) Pampas Lane Stud.
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