Business Rural Autumn 2021

34 | Hauroko sale a ‘one-stop bull shop’ Photos: Waiau Herefords yearling steers. Mixed age stud cows and calves being moved out onto a rough block. Karen Phelps MEAT & WOOL » Waiau Herefords Velvet and regrowth stags – the beef sheep and deer property runs 1200 red deer, 7500 Romdale sheep and 1400 beef cattle, 300 of which are stud cattle. T he Hauroko Valley Bull sale, which sees four studs in Western Southland come together, is becoming increasingly popular, says Jamie King from Waiau Herefords. The sale features around 60 bulls from Waiau Herefords, Pikoburn Angus, Pourakino Herefords and Wainuka South Devons. “It’s a one stop bull shop for the day,” he says. Waiau Herefords has undergone a metamorpho- sis lately after the sad passing of Jamie’s grandpar- ents Colin and Fay, who had put a lot of hard work into the stud, which they took over in 1976. Their Western Southland property was purchased off Ted Edmonds, who started Waiau Herefords in 1954. The 2200ha farm sits in the picturesque Lillburn Valley near Tuatapere. It runs 7500 romdale sheep, 1200 red deer and 1400 beef cattle of which 300 are stud cattle. The farm is now owned by Jamie’s parents Darryl and Nicky King, who oversee the operation. Jamie and partner Nicole take charge of the day-to-day running of the beef and deer side of the business and Jamie’s sister Kate and her husband Scott take control of the sheep operation. The focus of Waiau Herefords is firmly on meat yield, survivability and the do-ability that is required to survive and thrive in a sometimes less than for- giving climate and topography. Jamie has diversi- fied the stud by purchasing around 60 in-calf polled heifers over the past two years giving the basis for the new breeding programme. He expects the first progeny to be available for sale in 2022. At Waiau Herefords they are continually upgrad- ing the stud, always trying to breed the perfect cattle. This has seen recent investment in genetics include purchasing a horned hereford bull called Pute Overlook from the Fisher family at Silverstream Charolais. “I watched the sire of this bull for about five or six years and his progeny had good frames and the ability to put meat on that frame. I will be excited to see his offspring on the ground,” says Jamie. Semen has also been purchased from New Zea- land polled bull Maungahina Storm and Mawarra Hugo from Australia – a moderate horned hereford with huge carcass attributes, says Jamie. Waiau Herefords continues to use more Australian and New Zealand genetics rather than North American. “We were starting to see our cattle heading in a direction that misses the mark in the New Zealand market. A lot of the North American genetics were bred to go to feed lots whereas New Zealand is more a grass fed system so we have shifted ac- cordingly,” says Jamie. Their own commercial herd is living proof of the genetic gains made over the years. All commercial steers leave the farm in 18-20 months at 500 kilo- grams live weight. Waiau Herefords has a customer in Hororata, Canterbury, who is yielding upwards of 75% at 2-2.5 years in his commercial steers using Waiau Herefords genetics. Jamie and Nicole feel a huge amount of gratitude toward his parents for entrusting the stud operation to them and are looking forward to putting their own stamp on it. It was also his grandparents who were the ones who helped originally instilled the passion for Herefords in him taking him to Canada as a teenager, which saw him work for several years on ranches, and was where he met Canadian born Nicole. — 24/7 service — Repairs and servicing trucks, trailers and heavy machinery for all makes and models 10 Kinloch Street, Invercargill · Em: mcleod.diesel@xtra.co.nz Ph: 03 21 57011 · Mobile: Brad 021570112 Rabco Ag Ltd 03 225 8488 admin@rabco.nz Phone Eddie: 021 362 766 Complete Silage, Balage, Cultivation Spraying & Effluent Contracting Service A typically unpredictable spring in the Lillburn Vally, Western Southland.