Page 25 - Hereford Magazine 2021

Seven-year-old home-bred sire Wilencote Thunderbutt 615 (right) with younger paddock mate Kairuru Osborne.

were two reasons for allowing the forestry boundary to jut
into the farm; the first was a highly erodible basin with an
earthquake fault line through it. It allows an environmental
division too, with the bulls on heavier clay country and 240
cows and calves on pumice volcanic country.
“Plus, you know, the hardest thing in any breeding
operation is to keep the two different sexes apart … at the
times when you don’t actually want them to be together,” he
says with a grin.
Peter and Susie’s breeding objectives have been kept as
simple and functional as possible, with a focus on balance and
soundness.
“Our focus is still on getting the functional aspects of our
breeding programme up to the highest level we can achieve –
quiet temperament, structurally sound, easy doing cattle, with
a good spring of rib that express good fertility, and a muscle
pattern that has a nice round shape to it.” Wilencote yearling bulls grazing in the afternoon sun.
One of Peter’s favourites sires is eight-year-old home-bred
bull Wilencote Thunderbutt 615.
“The older he gets, the more he gets used,” Peter says. “It
won’t be a starring role, but he’ll take a reasonable slice of the
cows out there this season. We’re expecting 60 calves from him
in 2021.”
Other current sire bulls include Kairuru Osborne, Glenbrae
Nibbs, Glenbrae Latimer, Wilencote Cruze, and Grassmere
Belter 323 (out of a Monymusk Gallant daughter).
“We also have two Okawa Panda sons. Panda did a good
job for us, very commercial. He wasn’t too small, for a South
Island sire.”
“He was very grunty and very deep with a lot of capacity,”
Susie adds.
They also have sons of Kairuru Legend coming through, as
well as 2020 purchase Kairuru Pete.
“The name’s a coincidence,” Peter says laughing. “He wasn’t
named after me!” Wilencote is typical Gisborne hill country.

Year 2021 HEREFORD MAGAZINE 23