Page 28 - NZ Hereford Magazine 2023

also got good growth and great carcass [figures].”
Waikaka Genetics usually AI mates about 30 cows a year. Last
year they mated 30 heifers and 55 cows. This year they mated 22
heifers to Injemira Robert Redford, used a home-bred yearling
bull by Orari Gorge Quoit as a follow-up bull, and 50 breeding
cows were AI mated to a mixture of bulls.
The other Australian bulls used are Mawarra Showtime
(polled) and Mawarra Hugo (horned), both bulls from Eastern
Victoria selected for strong carcass characteristics.
Ross and Steph are confident their new Australian
genetics will offer something new to the market, and their
clients, and will help consolidate the gains they have made
The farm is mostly flat to rolling hill country. in recent years.
“So we’re really impressed with the calves we have on the
“On this property, cattle were 85 percent horned until seven ground now and are excited to be able to offer them in our
or eight years ago I suppose,” Ross says, “and now there would 50th annual sale next year.”
be 80 percent polled because we’ve got the technology and The key for them is understanding the market they are
the ability to do it quickly and efficiently.” selling into, building personal relationships with a consistent
Stud numbers have remained steady at 200 breeding cows. core of clients who buy bulls from them, and working with
All calves are carried through their first winter then the bull them to achieve what they want.
calves are drafted into two lines. The top 25 to 35 young bulls On-line sales have been a huge step forward for stud
are offered for sale at an on-farm bull sale in autumn and the breeders at the bottom of the South Island in the past three
balance sold to dairy farmers in early summer. years, Steph says, with a lot of national interest in their bulls
The annual bull sale is a highlight on the family’s calendar. and plenty of potential to grow.
This year’s on-farm sale in June will be their 49th since the On the other side of Waikaka Genetics’ diverse operation, the
Hereford stud was started. farm has bred and sold Romneys for more than 100 years and
The top 60 heifers are recruited as replacements into the added stud flocks of Texels and Romdales in the early 2000s.
breeding herd every year so there is always plenty to choose “Sharon’s keen on Texels and wanted to have a crack at
from to replace cows that are not performing. them,” Laurie says.
Ross says that normally leaves them with in-calf heifers to “All the rams we sell or retain for farm use are twins. We
sell in the autumn as well, which is another good revenue don’t keep any singles.”
stream. “I’d much rather sell them in calf to someone else The Romdales were used to develop a new block of land, but
than send them to the works.” Ross has switched back to Romneys and puts a Texel ram as a
A highlight of the family’s Hereford breeding history came terminal sire over the tail end of the flock.
in 2014 when one of their proven paddock bulls, Waikaka “The sheep studs are important because there are 3000
Skytower 1289, sold at the national sale in Feilding for $33,000. commercial ewes on the property too,” Ross says. “They’re
The following year Waikaka Skytower 1329 was reserve there to make the commercial ewes better all the time. Before
champion bull at the same sale and was also sold to stud. we sell any rams, we’ve got to keep our business going.”
When New Zealand hosted the World Hereford Conference in
Queenstown in 2020, the family took a truckload of heifers, a
yearling bull, and cows and calves to show in conjunction with
the annual Upper Clutha A&P Show in Wanaka. Surprisingly,
one of their older cows with calf at foot was selected as the
Overall Show Champion, a real thrill for the exhibitors.
“Longevity is really important for us, so to be able to take a
nine-year-old cow to a show is quite cool,” Steph says. “And she
is still here annoying us,” Ross adds.
The latest development at Waikaka Genetics is the Waikaka Station runs 3000 commercial ewes as well as the stud
introduction of new Australian bloodlines through AI. Straws animals.
from three Australian bulls were used last year and their first-
season calves were so good, the same bulls were used again
this year, plus a New Zealand-bred bull.
Last season the Patersons secured a limited release of AI
straws from Injemira Robert Redford, a New South Wales bull
that sold for about $160,000 in Australia in 2021.
“It’s a big package [250 straws] so we are doing bigger AI
programmes than we normally would to try and bring these
animals into the herd, so we have a good number more
animals to choose from for sale and breeding,” Ross explains.
“They are completely new genetics for us. That bull has real
good numbers. His birth weights make him a perfect heifer
bull. We’ve had no issues with any of his calvings and he has The farm has bred and sold Romneys for more than 100 years.

26 HEREFORD MAGAZINE Year 2023