Page 69 - NZ Hereford Magazine 2023

Bulls go out at the end of November, with calving beginning
in September. He makes 200 bales of baleage over the summer
but doesn’t feed out until calving, wintering stock on the hills.
He finds the Angus/Hereford-cross makes for easy calving
and says he hasn’t calved a cow for years – they’re bred to
arrive small and grow fast.
He doesn’t mate heifers: “I let them grow as I think it’s too
hard on them, especially in this climate.”
Dave’s also impressed with his herd’s fertility, which allows
him to be more selective with progeny. “Last year, we had just
three dries from about 220 cows and heifers, so I could afford
to be ruthless.”
Most of the stock is now sold on farm, which saves on the
fees and commission that come with the stockyard sales. For
the past 10 years, all weaner steers have been sold to Hamish Dave with his twin girls, Grace, left, and Hayley.
Brown of Apiti.
“I have to get good bulls because he wants to keep coming
back. He says he’s tried others before but they’re wild, they’re
skittery. He comes to mine and is able to walk amongst them
no problem.”
Calves are weaned and sold in mid-April, the same time as
scanning. “We get them in Monday, Hamish comes Tuesday,
and by Wednesday the cows are scanned and the weaners are
on the truck.”
Last year weaner steers averaged 290kg and fetched $1150
per head, and yearling heifers averaged 438kg and fetched
about $1290.
As for future strategy, Dave’s happy with how things are
currently running, and has no plans for any major changes.
“We’ve got to a place where the cows are going well, we’ve FT Huia farm is 550ha of rolling to steep hill country just north
got good weaning weights, good buyers – if something’s of Taihape.
working, why change it? I think too many are changing things
up just to make an extra dollar. The key is to keep it simple – Dave’s 14-year-old twin girls, Grace and Hayley, help out on
and there’s no match for common sense.” the weekends and at this stage there’s no fixed succession
On the sheep side of the operation, he has 2300 Perendale/ plans in place.
Romney-cross ewes, 1000 ewe hoggets, and 50 rams. Lambing “I’m not going to push them into anything. They’ve got
percentage usually sits around 140-150%, with 80% of lambs their work boots and if they want to work, they can. They can
sold on farm in December to Thomas Strahan of Apiti. Instead shoot, weld, kill sheep, and I’ll get them going on the tractor
of the 20 to 30ha he used to plant in summer crops, which he at some stage. The girls can do whatever with their lives, but
says have become uneconomical with rising diesel and seed already they’re both very capable and I’d love to see them take
prices, he buys more lambs to graze if there’s extra feed. over one day.”

Year 2023 HEREFORD MAGAZINE 67