Page 145 - 2020 NZ Hereford Magazine

ABOVE, LEFT TO RIGHT: The club’s annual pre-bull sale tour has become a special club tradition.

THE BIRTHPLACE OF Hereford bulls. Our breed’s proactiveness in this market has
HEREFORD PRIME also seen New Zealand Herefords develop a dairy index for sire
selection.
Hereford Prime was started here
in the South in 1992 by the late THE FUTURE
Don Goodall (Braxton Stud), Laurie Along with an animal’s phenotype, buyers have become savvier
Paterson (Waikaka Station), and and want to know the information that Breedplan makes
John Flynn of Bowmont Wholesale available to them; they understand the benefits this knowledge
Meats from Invercargill. Twenty-five years on, this is a nationally gives them. With 16 traits now analysed, our breeders have
recognisable flagship product promoting and benefiting the entire become more driven to improve these numbers, and therefore
breed. Having started out of the simple desire for decent steak the genetic makeup of our breed has undoubtedly improved
of consistent quality, it has gone on to have increased breed and will continue to do so.
awareness and created additional value to the final product. The beef schedule is strong and all forecasts look positive for
In 2017 Laurie was presented with the New Zealand Order of the foreseeable future. Cross breeding is expected to continue
Merit in recognition of his work done in the beef industry and for to increase, with major players in the processing game, Alliance
the Hereford breed over his lifetime, including the development and Silver Fern Farms, both bringing in a premium grade, which
and success of Hereford Prime. will increase the demand for Hereford cattle.
On the club front we continue to go from strength to strength.
THE EVOLVING INDUSTRY We see young blood coming in with the same passion for the breed
The past few decades have seen significant changes to the as the generation before them, and with a desire to make their mark
farming landscape in our region with the boom of the dairy on the industry. The future is bright for Herefords in the south.
industry. This has had a flow-on effect with the change of land
use, meaning fewer beef cattle on the hills with farmers opting to
graze dairy cattle, but it has also seen the emergence of a new
market for our bulls. Statistics show in the 20 years to 2018,
New Zealand milk production has nearly doubled from 10.6 to
20.7 billion litres. South Island dairy herds in 2018 accounted
for 40.9% of cows milked nationally; 17.1% in Otago/Southland,
with an average herd size of 600 cows.
Most of our members now sell to the dairy market. Some
breed a certain percentage of their animals specifically to target
this market, although the continued movement in recent years
by beef breeders to have a focus on calving ease has seen a
closer correlation between the two markets’ requirements. A
major benefit of the dairy bull market is that you have guaranteed
purchasers every year compared with the requirements of a
stud bull buyer.
Acknowledging the importance of dairy beef to the New
Zealand beef industry has seen the NZHA proactively promoting
Hereford dairy sires. Focusing on factors such as low birth
weight, short gestation and the white face advantage – a
valuable tool for the farmer and then an asset when the calves ABOVE: The white face advantage is a valuable tool for the
are sold. Because purchasers can buy with confidence, these farmer and then an asset when calves are sold.
calves fetch a premium, further increasing the demand for our
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