Page 94 - 2020 NZ Hereford Magazine

SOUTH ISLAND POST-TOUR PROFILES

ORARI GORGE HEREFORDS – SOUTH CANTERBURY

Orari Gorge Herefords started life as Nithdale Herefords. They took over Orari Gorge Station from Charlie in the late
The stud, now on Orari Gorge Station in the South Canterbury 1980s and moved the Nithdale stud there in the early 1990s. The
foothills, was started in the 1950s by Charlie Tripp, the grandfather name was changed in 2010.
of the current stud owner, Robert Peacock, on Nithdale Station in “We are firm believers in combining technologies with sound
Southland. Rosa Tripp married Graham Peacock from Yorkshire, stockmanship,” Robert says.
England, in 1969 and they exported eight Nithdale cows and one “We try and use the best bulls available either naturally or
bull (Nithdale Caesar) from Yorkshire to start the Orari stud. by AI, including bulls from Australia and the US. We have DNA
sire verified every calf born this century to ensure our pedigrees
are accurate, and have been muscle scanning every male and
female yearling for more than 20 years.”
All bulls are run in one mob of more than 100 to make sure
they are compared evenly.
“We challenge our cows by running them on steep hill country
rising to over 1000m all winter, even the pregnant rising two-year-
old heifers.”
The stud has been part of industry research projects
including the Beef + Lamb Genetics maternal cow project –
weighing and body condition scoring every cow three times
each year for four years – and is now part of a joint NZHA and
Lincoln University research project using GPS collars to track
cows on the hill through the winter to study efficiency.
OKAWA POLL HEREFORDS – MT SOMERS

Owned and operated by Nick and Penny France, the 950ha
farm near Mt Somers in Canterbury is home to a 300-stud cow
herd and their progeny, with plans to increase the stud cows to
400 by next season.
The Frances farm at 500m above sea level with a number of
heavy snows each winter. The farm carries 12 stock units per
hectare, which is intensive for the area.
“Our philosophy is based on commercial performance, with
pressure put on the cow herd in stocking rates and the mix of
sheep and cattle on the property,” Nick says.
Two-thirds of the income is from sheep and Nick regards it
as a real strength of their stud. “The stud cattle have to work in
with lamb finishing, hogget mating, all the commercial realities
you have on a high production farm.”
Cows are run in big mobs, cleaning up behind other stock,
and are the lowest rung on the stock-class ladder. The cows
need a good constitution to handle the pressure; maternal
excellence is the aim, with a good balance of phenotypical and
genomic traits and improving carcass and eating quality.
“Most of our clients’ herds are based in high river valleys in the
Southern Alps, living on native pasture in big mobs. Our clients
continue to demand hardiness, moderate cows with maternal
strength, and the great temperament the Hereford delivers.”
About 100 yearling and two-year-old bulls are sold to the dairy
industry each spring, but the best yearlings get a second summer
and are put up at the stud’s annual winter beef sale.

WANT TO READ OTHER STUD PROFILES? Go to articles about Charwell Polled Herefords ‘Charwell -
100 years of Herefords’ on page 23, Koanui Polled Herefords ‘Koanui spreads climate risk with expansion’ on page 34, and Kane
Farms ‘Breeding Herefords for the dairy industry’ on page 8.
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