Business Rural Autumn 2021

| 27 Stud’s Full French genetics a rarity Sue Russell MEAT & WOOL » Scott, Jo & Geraldine Hassall S cott Hassall has been managing “Iffley’ farm in the Waikari Valley, Amberley, these past 22 years. The farm is home to the ‘French ConneXion’ Charolais stud, a hardy cattle breed originating from Charolles, central France. The registered stud was originally established by Scott’s parents, Geraldine and Bill Hassall, and called ‘The Glen’ Charolais Stud, some 35 years ago. At just under 1000 hectares, the farm carries 1500 ewes and 400 hoggets. A special feature of this sheep flock is the fact that all the ewes carry the naturally occurring Inverdale fertility gene, causing a consistently outstanding lambing fertility profile. “We scan consistently 190 – 205%. I have cal- culated over the years that the ewes have an 82% chance of having multiples. Every year we end up with far more triplet bearing ewes than singles,” says Scott. Although when crossing an Inverdale over an Inverdale causes 50% of the ewe lambs to be infertile, these lambs are relatively easy to detect with a simple teat check. Infertile ewe lambs don’t develop teats and are culled accordingly. All ewe lambs are mated and to ensure no infertile lambs are missed, only pregnant hoggets are kept as replacements. The ewe lambs are given preferential treatment to ensure they make the target weight of 50kgs at mating. “They only get one shot at becoming a replace- ment so they need to be as big as possible at mating.” Today, the stud is the only one in New Zealand carrying exclusively Full French genetics. Scott says that it is hard to maintain the Full French as there are not a lot of bulls carrying this genetic makeup. “The more pure the breed the greater the hybrid vigour.” Charolais and Angus cows run together on typically tough terrain in the Waikari Valley. Of his total cattle numbers, Scott has about 40 Full French cows. He has also been breeding Angus cows for about 15 years. “When I took over the stud, I did a fair amount of culling. My Angus get fat on their own and my overall aim is to produce a cow, no matter the breed, that puts on condition and can perform on very little. I don’t give them any special treat- ment.” Scott has decided to return to the original calving regime of having autumn calving for the first-time calvers. While acknowledging he’s proud of the quality of his stock Scott says that there is a diminishing national beef cow herd size, with some hill country being taken out of farming, and other practises taking preference over cattle farming. Local Business Serving the Local Area. • All agricultural and cultivation work • Direct drilling - Giant discing - Ploughing - Power harrow - Air seeding • All heading and windrowing requirements • Hay - Baleage - Straw Medium square, round, conventional. Double mower conditioners, wrapping. Individual wrapping, squares and rounds. • Daily Freight Run to Ch-Ch & Return. Ph: 0274 517 063 We look after your needs like we look after our own! 0274 321 581 (Bus) 03 314 4565 (H) 1935694 0274578320 or 033144449 | hurunuijet@gmail.com | ij il. • Jet Boats • Engineering • Truck Repairs • Farm Equipment We understand YOUR servicing & engineering needs! Proudly supporting Scott & Geraldine CARRIERS OF LIVESTOCK, GENERAL FREIGHT, BULK & FERTILISER CHEVIOT TRANSPORT 2017 LTD 99 Ward Rd, Cheviot 7310 P: 03 319 8644 A/H: 0276 776 787 “One of the reasons why I want to stay with the Full French genetics, is that they are very hardy.” All of the breeding block is deer fenced and the finishing block across the road is gradually being converted. The farm is also home to about 800 Red hinds. The offspring are all finished over the road on the finishing block. Scott says he enjoys an excellent and supportive relationship with the farm’s owner who very much has the attitude of encouraging him to put new ideas into practice. “We are constantly evolving on the farm and I always remember my ram breeder, Chris Adams, saying ‘if you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always got”. Scott has also taken up another farming-related pursuit as the South Island sales rep for Combi Clamp, a company that produces cattle and sheep handling equipment. “It’s a really high quality NZ made product. I have both the sheep unit and one of the Cattle Crushes. They honestly make a mockery of the hard work normally associated with both classes of stock.” Scott really enjoys the contact with other farmers this role offers, and he looks forward to the upcoming field days. Scott and his wife Jo have three teenage chil- dren, Ben studying at Lincoln, Millie in Year 12 at Christchurch Girls High and Geordie in year 11 at Christchurch Boys High. “One of the reasons why I want to stay with the Full French genetics, is that they are very hardy. Dad always reckoned they had a thicker coat, suit- able for harsh conditions”. The farm is surrounded by a mixed bag of farm- ing, with a large proportion of dairy units north in Culverden, while to the South there are substantial tracks of traditional sheep and beef properties. Along with looking after the stock, Scott and his one full-time farm assistant are upgrading fencing.