| 25 Belbrook sale back after six-year hiatus John and Robbie Wakelin on the farm with Clover-Lane Aftershock Sue-ET. Rosa Watson Award- winning second-generation stud breeders Belbrook Holstein are looking to carry on their successful run in the upcoming Canterbury Collection sale. The sale, being hosted by the Canterbury branch of the NZ Holstein Friesian Association, will finally be back on April 26 at the Rangiora Showgrounds after a six-year hiatus due to M Bovis and Covid. A family-owned operation based in Cust, Belbrook is looking forward to getting back to it, owner Robbie Wakelin said. “We had them for 12 years consecutively before (the hiatus), so we are excited to be back up and running. “It’s a way to showcase our breeders’ stock, a platform to sell our genetics, and a great way to raise money for the branch so we can keep ourselves running.” Belbrook are putting in four in-calf heifers this year - one being the daughter of their most wellknown cow, Clover Lane Aftshk Sue-ET EX2, or Sue, who took out top prize at the NZ Agricultural Show twice and is one of their top producing cows. They are also selling a Red Holstein, daughter of Belbrook US Seisme-RED-ET EXC, who won Intermediate Champion at last season’s South Island Championships. “We imported Seisme from Canada as she is a granddaughter of one of the most well-known Red Holsteins in the world,” Robbie explains. And since the branch had decided to open up the sale to be inclusive of all breeds, Belbrook will also be putting in one of their few Jerseys. “We brought her mother sight unseen from a dispersal sale in Te Aroha six years ago. She’s done exceptionally well for us, winning the Canterbury Show in 2019.” The Belbrook stud started in 1960 with a few heifers brought from a stud in Duvauchelle. They moved to the current farm in Cust in 2011 – a 178ha property that runs all their heifers and dry cows. The home farm is complemented by lease blocks that grow baleage and hay, and runs its calves. DAIRY » Belbrook Farming Ltd NZ Owned & Operated. Est 1988 Richard Leech - Dairy Livestock Rep - 027 691 8442 Proud to have had a long association with Belbrook Holsteins & the Wakelin Family Robbie and siblings John and Emily are all involved in the running of the farm, and John and Robbie are both heavily involved in the Holstein Association. John is the most recent past chairman of the Canterbury Branch and Robbie is the current Chairman, and they are both senior judges. John has convened the regions Semex on-farm competitions for many years and Robbie has had a lot of involvement in the running of the Canterbury Collection Sale since 2010. Belbrook’s many successes include Holstein Friesian ‘Vanessa’, who in 2021 at age 19 was classified excellent for the sixth time. She is now enjoying a well-deserved retirement, while her three daughters have all also classified excellent and have daughters of their own in the herd. “We have been very fortunate to have had our fair share of success in the past few years,” Robbie says. Sue is the most notable of these, along with her stablemate Somerset OT Leader EX3, purchased from Te Aroha, who was Champion Jersey and Reserve to Sue in All Breeds at the 2019 NZ Agricultural Show. There are 43 animals up for sale at the Canterbury Collection, and the branch is hoping to attract breeders from around the country. The catalogue will be out in the first week of April and the sale will be run as a hybrid sale on auction platform BIDR. Smart On-Truck Blending Technology Jason Mclntyre 027 2900 282 Proud to support Belbrook Farming achieve their farming goals Use less Nitrogen! Ontruck Blended Fluidised Fertiliser for Greater Nutrient Absorption. Gibb spraying.
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