Page 14 - Hooked On Herefords Magazine June 2018

Pictured left to right: Sam Tipping, Willy Muir, Josh McCormick, Roz Stokes and Nick France.
Rockhampton 2018

In early May, a group of selected NZ Hereford Youth had the Santa Gertrudis genetics – to provide the ideal animal for the
pleasure of attending Beef Week 2018 in the central Queensland challenging climate
town of Rockhampton. Every 3 years the town virtually doubles • Belmont Research Station was visited by a number of the
in size as cattlemen from around Australia and the world group to see new technologies being developed and trialled
descend for a week to celebrate everything about beef cattle. in a real-life situation. The Belmont Red breed was developed
During the week all aspects of the beef cattle industry are catered here in 1954 in response to the need of a breed better suited
for with many events running concurrently throughout the week to the conditions and limiting the amount of Bos indicus
including; commercial cattle, stud cattle showing, stud breeder blood and associated problems. The breed is a composite
display sites, seminars, cooking demonstrations and farm tours. of several breeds including the Africander, Herefords and
With such a large programme running and many different Shorthorns. Technologies in use at Belmont include walk-
options, members of the group could pick and choose activities over-weighing systems connected to auto-drafters and vision
that were valuable to them and this was always followed by a recognition technology to allow the monitoring of animal’s
good debrief with the whole group over dinner. weights on a weekly basis as they can be weighed every
Some of the highlights for the group were time they walk over the scales to access water.
• The commercial cattle competition at Gracemere Saleyards. The NZ Hereford Youth would again like to thank all the NZHA
Groups of 10 steers and heifers were judged and then sold members that contribute to the youth programme and especially
with almost every breed from straight Brahmans, Brahman thank key sponsor Boehringer Ingelheim for their continued
crosses and tropically adapted composites represented support.
• Kaiuroo – one of the property tours of a 90,000 acre modern, Keep an eye out for more detailed reports on the tour in the
efficient and highly productive breeding operation northwest 2019 Hereford Magazine.
of Rockhampton. Up to 10,000 Red and Gray Brahmans
are run on the property including 800 stud cows that are
heavily performance recorded to add extra value to the stud.
The farm finishes a large number of cattle selling a branded
organic Brahman beef product
• An impromptu stud tour of Hereford breeders Jarrah Cattle
Company for some of the group. Discussions with the Becker
family on their stand at the showgrounds led to the hasty
arrangement of a rental car and a few hours’ drive south
to the town of Banana. Jarrah are one of the northernmost
Hereford studs and breed Herefords alongside composites
– the ‘Redford’ and the ‘Jarrah Red’ with Hereford and

14 NZ HEREFORD ASSOCIATION NEWSLETTER