Page 32 - Hereford Magazine 2022

They were selling yearling bulls in the main sale as early An all grass policy
as that first on-farm sale in 1982, which had 10 two-year-
old, two three-year, and eight yearling polled Hereford The farm is a mixture of gentle rolling country with ash soils
bulls. The following year the number of polled Hereford and steep hills with topsoil on limestone rock. These are
yearlings increased to 10 (along with eight two-year polled ecologically fragile and prone to erosion. About 70% of the
Hereford bulls and five two-year horned bulls). average annual 1200-millimetre rainfall falls through the
By 1986, the Allens’ fifth sale on the property at Ararimu, winter months.
they were offering 12 two-year polled Herefords and 18 “We don’t use many crops; our philosophy is all grass
polled Hereford yearlings. Mary says that sale was so feeding, but we do put in a crop of maize every three years or
successful she overheard a stock agent cheekily phoning so just to feed the bull calves over weaning. We have oversown
another breeder to tell him there were more buyers plantain over our easy country with the idea of improving
than bulls at the Mahuta sale and they should put some diversity and helping to soak up a bit of nitrogen that’s going
yearlings in their sale. down through the soil. We don’t use any chemicals to control
“Look how important the yearling market is to NZ weeds apart from just spot spraying, and we rotationally graze
Herefords now. John was a trailblazer in offering yearling rather strictly, aiming to keep the rotations long, aiming for
bulls that met the demand for low birth weight, fast- root depth and a high degree of utilisation. “We focus on soil
maturing bulls, especially from the dairy market. Other health: a biologically active soil, earthworms, optimal levels of
breeders soon followed suit, particularly the local ones. phosphate, and a pH around seven or just above. Soil health is
“John was raised on the family dairy farm and worked a big priority.”
there until he went to school in Auckland for his final A pine forestry block soon to be milled will be replanted in
upper sixth year. I’ve often wondered if that background natives. They’ve fenced bush and streams on the farm. They
influenced his breeding aims.” use reactive phosphate rock (RPR) on the hill country to try
and minimise phosphate loss, and don’t use any synthetic
fertilisers, apart from phosphate.
John and Mary have two sons – David is an anaesthetist in
Tauranga and Ben is a mental health nurse in Auckland – and
a daughter, Liz Paton, who is a vet in Otago, where she farms
with her husband Mark.

Some of the 2021 yearling sale bulls, which sold for an average price of just under $3500.

30 HEREFORD MAGAZINE Year 2022