Page 125 - NZ Hereford Magazine 2023

Growing interest in

miniatures

Miniature Herefords were the ideal choice for Kellie Menzies
and Dave Young, who wanted some cattle to run behind their
Quarter Horses on their two-hectare block on the outskirts of
Morrinsville.
They set up the Oaks End Miniature Hereford Stud, buying
two weaner heifers from Rocklyn Stud in Taranaki in 2020 and
SELECTING FOR: then four more heifers and a young bull from Raukawa Stud Kellie Menzies of Oaks End Miniature Hereford Stud, Morrinsville.
in Hawke’s Bay.
“We had our first two calves, both heifers, born this year, and
CALVING EASE • STEEP BIRTH-GROWTH CURVE are extremely happy with them,” Kellie says. members, Gillian McKenzie, has frozen straws available and
the Miniature Hereford group has some straws stored.”
The New Zealand Miniature Hereford Breeders group has
EARLY MATURITY • DOING ABILITY eight new members, and a growing number of enquiries from and have regular zoom meetings. Breeders of miniatures
Group members are scattered around New Zealand,
people wanting Miniature Herefords for their farms and/or
lifestyle blocks. pay a normal subscription to belong to NZ Herefords and
• Heifer-mating HerefordsHeifer-mating Herefords • past year,” says group spokesperson Vicky Ashton of Rocklyn an additional $50 to become a member of the Miniature
“Most of the breeders have sold a lot of young stock this
Hereford Breeders Group.
• Using high index bulls • Fertility - highly fertile herd • Stud. “Some of our breeders are trying to breed the minis Miniature cattle are naturally quiet in temperament and
polled and with pigmentation around the eyes. It’s not an are easy to handle and raise. Miniature Herefords have been
easy thing; however it is the way of the future,” she says. deliberately bred smaller and originate from top quality
Limehills Stardom 190158 A good all-round bull: sound, free moving, “DNA is important and we encourage our breeders to do this bloodlines, all proven free of dwarfism. Miniature Herefords
with all bulls and heifers. I am looking into importing frozen
average about 42 inches in height (approximately 1.07m).
attractive, high performance data and indexes
semen to get new bloodlines into the country also. One of our

Don’t lose sight of the common goal

Words: Penny Clark-Hall, Founder of Social Licence Consulting take a leadership role in being a part of the solution rather
than the problem. It is the accountability, respect and inclusion
he tension between the primary industries and the of an industry that earns it trust, not protectionism or denial.
Government is palpable. With a long list of issues It’s a privilege to operate, not a right, and if we can’t be a part
causing the friction (Three Waters, agriculture of the solution, someone or something else will be.
emissions pricing, winter grazing rules, blanket
Tforestry solutions and access to migrant workers)
– none of which is helped by Covid and the impending
recession – we must not lose sight of the common goal.
While it’s important to acknowledge the immense stress
all this is causing, it is important it doesn’t distract from the
higher purpose of what these regulations are trying to solve.
The incoming election is a reminder that governments
come and go, but land owners will remain if we can be trusted
to care for the land and natural resources we own. There
will always be a government, whose execution we may not
agree with, but we can all agree the intended outcome of a
sustainable country is a good one.
Taking a more proactive leadership role helps move you
beyond the helpless overwhelm where we tend to contribute
600 day growth top 1% HP index top 5% BH index top 20% less because we lose hope and our sense of ownership and

empowerment. At the highest level, we all want the same
Annual Yearling Bull Sale - Friday 15 September 2023 thing, and when the inevitable change of guard happens,
th
farmers will still be growing food. The difference in how we
do that is in our mindset. Regardless of who is in charge, the
ENQUIRIES TO: JOHN & MARY ALLEN Using TOP SIRES expectation to grow food sustainably and with the utmost of
care for our animals and people will remain.
FARM: Maurice Road, Glen Murray, RD 5, Tuakau 2695 to breed When it comes to the primary sector’s social licence, we must
M: 027 440 7504 E: jvmeallen@xtra.co.nz Year 2023 HEREFORD MAGAZINE 123
www.mahutastud.co.nz TOP BULLS!