Page 23 - Hereford Magazine 2022

Homebred sires retained for stud use are Otengi Matty 1, nearest the camera, and Waimaire Echuca 31.

Stud cow Otengi Amethyst 1263 and her calf. Ruby Blackler, 8, is a keen calf rearer and trainer on a small block
near Kerikeri with parents, Louise and Chris.

and coaching after representing Northland in the sport. Over the past five years a number of yearling stud bulls have
Paul is focused on providing the best figures and been sold to studs throughout the North Island, Philip says.
explanations to all his bull-buying clients. With the increased demand for yearling and 18-month bulls,
“Our first target is the local dairy farmers, and they make up these have been increased to now be two-thirds of bulls offered.
80% to 90% of all bull sales. “We also want to keep a lid on mature cow weights for farm
“We did bring in genetics purely for growth a while back, efficiency, less soil damage and lower carbon footprints, while
but the market for Hereford bulls on beef cattle farms in being mindful of producing the growth rates our clients
Northland is not large, so we renewed the emphasis on easy need,” Paul says.
calving and low birth weights.” AI is used over 75 of the stud cows on one day in early
Some buyers aim to keep their dairy-beef progeny through November with an in-calf rate of about 60%, and is followed
to finishing and are therefore keen to pay better money for up by stud bulls for the remainder of the mating season.
higher growth rates, along with the calving ease. All the yearling heifers due to calve in the spring are
Paul spends considerable effort on recording traits, some included in the AI group along with 45 of the top cows,
multiple times, to build on the accuracy of EBVs. favouring second-calvers.
“By the time our two-year-old heifers have weaned their first Two mature bulls, Otengi Baton 147 and Otengi Echuca
calf I have made measurements, scans and scores that go into 29, are presently on the property, working twice a year. Two
12 to 13 traits.” promising homebred yearling bulls are also kept as probable
He uses the Datamars livestock software with load bars, weigh stud sires, Otengi Matty 1 and Waimaire Echuca 31, both bulls
scales and EID reader, all connected by Bluetooth to his stud well inside the top 5% of the breed for beef heifer index and
recording software Stockbook on the laptop and in the cloud. dairy beef index.
The mobile phone app Stockhand is used for field recording “We are never short of bull power on the property because
that feeds data back to Stockbook. we have homebred yearling bulls here also,” Philip says.
Bulls born with higher birth weights are kept through two “Often one that you breed has got the figures, structural
years before being marketed, to appeal to commercial beef soundness and very importantly temperament that you want,
cattle farmers and other breeders. versus one from overseas,” Paul adds.

Year 2022 HEREFORD MAGAZINE 21