Page 25 - Hereford Magazine 2022

Maximising benefits

of purpose-bred Hereford sires

Two-year-old red bulls in the foreground and black bulls in the background, pictured in the Technosystem above Jacks Lake.
Alec separates them into groups by colour for ease of sorting in case the groups get mixed together.

Words: Hugh Stringleman. Photos: Supplied. progeny performance.
G oing back about 30 years, one of the longest- paper and are therefore promoted by advisors. In reality,
“Both the nurse cows and the OBH systems look great on
standing bull clients for Waimaire-Otengi
Herefords is Alec Jack and his father Ned
these systems come with more risks and efforts than are
before him.
evident on paper.”
After rearing calves for many seasons in his old woolshed,
Alec runs a large award-winning beef farm with
cellular grazing systems now integrated with the neighbouring and having the experience of nurse cows and OBH, Alec knew
family-owned dairy farm, at Otiria, behind Moerewa. that the best combination for Northland would be beef and
During the early 2000s on the home farm near Pakaraka, the dairy systems under one ownership.
innovative Jacks also operated a once-bred heifer (OBH) farm In May 2012 the Jacks bought out their dairy farming
system where yearling Hereford bulls from the Shepherds neighbours and Alec restructured to an integrated beef and
were used over exotic Friesian-cross mothers. dairy system. Now 560 to 580 KiwiCross cows are milked once a
In 2006 the Jacks were the supreme winner of the Ballance day and all progeny are kept and reared.
Farm Environment Awards in Northland. Dairy-beef heifers and all the male Hereford cross bull calves
Alec was filmed on the home farm for the 2008 World Hereford are finished on the home farm with a target date of December
Conference in Denmark. He was asked to attend the conference, as two-year-olds. The bulls are left entire and all finishing
along with the late John Aspinall and his wife Sue from Otago, cattle are run on cellular systems.
who were their region’s supreme BFEA winners in 2006. The A herd of the best dairy cows go to AI dairy semen for
Unfortunately Alec wasn’t able to attend. The Aspinalls travelled 21 days and then to Hereford bulls for the remaining six to
to Denmark with assistance from the Farm Environment Award seven weeks of mating. The B herd goes straight to the older
Trust and showed Alec’s video alongside their own. Hereford bulls for the entire nine- to 10-week mating period.
During that time Alec ran a Hereford-Friesian nurse cow herd The bulls go out at a ratio of 1:30 and are regularly rotated, and
alongside the once-bred heifer herd, also put to Hereford bulls. where possible they are kept off the dairy races. Yearling bulls tail
“I hoped that by putting a Hereford back over the Hereford- up the heifers after AI and are then kept two to four years.
Friesian heifer, the resulting three-quarter progeny would Four yearling bulls are run with about 125 15-month dairy
have good calving ease. Also, the females might be sought heifers, at a conservative ratio to help ensure in-calf success.
after by beef farmers with commercial Hereford beef herds Alec currently has 25 older Hereford bulls and four yearlings
because they are still hardy, but with the extra frame size and purchased from the Shepherds’ online sale in September.
milk production from the quarter Friesian.” “I wasn’t concerned about not being able to inspect the
Alec says he chose Shepherds’ Hereford bulls because of bulls myself because I trust the Shepherds’ judgment in the
their quiet temperament and calving ease, and for Philip and temperament of the bulls they put forward for sale, and I have
Paul’s commitment to the EBV system. confidence in the EBV system used by Hereford Breedplan.”
“To this day, I place a lot of emphasis on and confidence Shepherd bulls are Alec’s first choice because they are bred
in my sire selection based on beef EBVs and dairy breeding locally and proven performers in Northland’s climate and
worth and production worth. It is the best predictor of environment, and they are committed to the detailed

Year 2022 HEREFORD MAGAZINE 23