46 | Stud diversifies into polled Herefords A line-up of this year’s Waiau Stud sale bulls; Polled Hereford cow and polled calves. Karen Phelps Mobile: 021 362 766 Rabco Ag Ltd Tel: 03 225 8488 E-mail: admin@rabco.nz Web: www.rabbitt.co.nz Complete Silage, Baling, Cultivation, Effluent, Spraying & Excavator Contracting Service mmca.co.nz Malloch McClean is proud to support Lillburn Station & Waiau Herefords. Simon de Vries - 027 840 9867 Julie Heaps - 03 226 6212 Waiau Herefords is pushing the polled Hereford side of the stud to help its customers to meet tightening health and safety regulations, says Jamie King from Waiau Herefords. Jamie has diversified the stud by purchasing around 60 in-calf polled heifers over recent years giving the basis for the new breeding programme. The first progeny from this are going to be available in the 2022 Hauroko Valley Bull sale this autumn that the stud runs in conjunction with three studs in Western Southland. Although the 2022 Waiau polled Herefords will not have been bred by the stud, but rather the result of the in-calf purchases, Jamie is excited to be able to offer the polled Herefords to the market for the first time before releasing the first Waiau Herefords bred polled Herefords to the market in 2023. Jamie is keen to point out that despite diversifying the stud’s traditional horned Herefords are still a firm focus. “We’ve had horned Herefords since the inception of the stud in 1952. Our entire female commercial herd is horned Herefords and they really suit our farming practices. You get constitution and consistency with horned Herefords and we love them.” The family’s 2200ha farm sits in the picturesque Lillburn Valley near Tuatapere. It runs 7500 Romdale sheep, 1200 Red deer and 1400 Hereford beef cattle of which 300 are stud cattle. The farm is owned by Jamie’s parents Darryl and Nicky King who oversee the operation. Jamie and MEAT & WOOL » Waiau Herefords — 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: 03 215 7011 · Mobile: Brad 021 570 112 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 forgiving climate and topography. He says that at Waiau Herefords they are continually upgrading the stud, always trying to breed the perfect cattle. With regards to the polled Herefords semen has been used from Wairarapa bull Otapawa Rio Grand and Maungahina Storm and Jamie says the progeny are “very powerful”. “These bulls are nice and balanced with a terrific phenotype and good maternal bloodlines.” For the horned Herefords semen has been purchased from 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 accordingly,” says Jamie. Their own commercial herd is living proof of the genetic gains made. All commercial steers leave the farm in 18-20 months at 500 kilograms live weight. Waiau Herefords is yielding upwards of 75% at 2-2.5 years in their commercial steers. “Our entire female commercial herd is horned Herefords and they really suit our farming practices. You get constitution and consistency with horned Herefords and we love them.”
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