Page 15 - Hereford Magazine 2022

Tracy and Andrew Paterson have been targeting Alliance Group’s Pure South Handpicked 21 day aged beef programme since 2019.

There’s unlimited demand for their Handpicked 55 day and
21 day aged programmes, and Hereford-Angus cattle measure
up particularly well.
“The hybrid vigour of the Hereford-cross is obvious and we
find they’re delivering the right pH, meat and fat colour, and a
marble score of two to five.”
Those cattle that meet
the very top end of meat
quality specs can earn
suppliers $1/kg above the
ruling schedule.
“We have some suppliers
picking up $10,000 per unit
load of cattle.”
Alliance has worked
at improving its Silage maize supplements the Paterson’s winter feeding regime.
communication loop and
feeds processing data A Hereford breeding cow herd has been a long-time
back to suppliers who supporting act to Matakanui’s main focus of Polwarth and
Murray Behrent can choose to pass that fine wool production. A decade ago, the progeny from the 410
information back on to Hereford mixed-age cow herd were finished at 24 to 27 months
the breeders they source their bulls from. but that’s reduced to 18 to 20 months through genetics and
“It can help breeders identify the sires that produce the best water-fed changes. Over the past seven years, 400ha of spray
quality progeny, earning both the breeder and finisher more and pivot irrigation has been developed on the easier, lower-
money, so it’s a win-win,” Murray says. lying country running along the base of the Dunstan Range.
“Irrigation has been a game changer for our beef system,”
Amazing results Andrew explains. “We’re growing a lot higher quality feed and
we’ve changed our bull selection parameters accordingly.”
Central Otago farmers Tracy and Andrew Paterson at The focus is on bulls that will produce faster growing
Matakanui Station are a good example of farmers using progeny with the desirable meat quality and carcass traits,
genetics, along with feeding, to drive premium Hereford beef which has led to a focus on EBVs for IMF and 400-day growth.
production and profitability. “We used to concentrate on 600-day weight, but because we
They’ve been using estimated breed values (EBVs) for a can grow more feed sooner in the season, we’re using 400-day
number of years to help in the selection of their bull team, weights because we want to finish as many as we can at 18
which includes the annual purchase of three Herefords. months old.”

Year 2022 HEREFORD MAGAZINE 13