Page 15 - Hereford Magazine 2021

Otapawa has 900 calving cows including two-year-old heifers.

Stuart says Otapawa’s client base has a growing number of
straight Hereford herds producing bulls for the dairy industry.
“That becomes challenging for a breeder; they’re looking
for low birth weight and calving ease but then you’ll have a
client come along and say the dairy farmer who buys his bulls
also wants lower gestation. Then he wants homozygous polled,
no horns, which we snip test for, and colouring. So we have all
these boxes to tick. Our clients are predominantly hill country
breeders, but they’re moving into the service market and their
clients are dairy.”
Stuart says they’ve noticed a swing back to cross breeding
in the past three years from straight black to putting a
Hereford over.
“Laurie Paterson from Waikaka did a great Facebook post
a while back that talked about 17% extra growth and had
calculations on how many extra dollars crossbreeding would
yield. There had to be a premium of 76c to equal the hybrid Mustering a mob of mixed-age ewes for docking.
vigour of crossing with a Hereford. It was a really good message.”
As well as production traits, good temperament is important. were familiar with Otapawa genetics through exported semen
“We don’t stand anything that runs around the back of the and embryos.
mob,” Donald says. “It was lovely to host people like Lena and Anders from
“That’s another factor with the crossbreeding too; black with Denmark,” Maria says, “because we had stayed at their home,
a white head is so much more content in the paddock than a and Don Richardson from the States. Then we had people from
black face.” Switzerland who phoned up afterwards to order semen.”
“We have zero tolerance for grumpy cattle,” Douglas adds. They sold the last of their stored embryos at Wanaka during
“That’s for our protection and for our staff. We’re the most the conference. Stuart says it’s not a big revenue earner but the
important things on the farm. No second chances; they’re gone.” exports are about testing their genetics in new environments.
Stuart says one of the most gratifying aspects of being a “This isn’t being big headed but Otapawa is a brand that is
breeder, of any animal, is to have your genetics making an recognised in Canada, Europe, the UK, Australia, and South
impact for other breeders. America because we’ve exported genetics to those countries
“The pinnacle of that for us was in 2017 when we got a and the cattle have done well. For those conference visitors,
message from a friend in North America that RSK Digby won they know the brand, they know bulls; to come to Otapawa
the Canadian Agribition, the top livestock show in Canada, was a ‘wow’ moment.”
and he was sired by Otapawa Sky Mate 246. A couple of Embryos have also previously gone to John Kemp’s
months later at the Sydney Royal Show, the grand champion Auckvale stud in England and Dendor Herefords in Wales.
bull was Warragundi Minnesota, sired by a son of Studbrook Otapawa was invited to send some embryos to the annual elite
D’artagnion that we imported in 2002. His dam was sired by Designer Genes Sale in 2019, which were bought by Dendor.
Otapawa Spark. Such a buzz, two grand champions in the “They have those babies on the ground now. One day we’ll
world’s top shows had Otapawa bloodlines.” go and see them,” Maria says.
Hosting the pre-conference tour in March was a chance to The Robbies also relish the chance to visit other regions of
host a large group of international breeders, many of whom New Zealand, particularly with Hereford breed tours, seeing

Year 2021 HEREFORD MAGAZINE 13