40 | Cairnlea out in front No regrets for Elliot Murray Grey cows and calves. Cairnlea Poll Dorset Stud. Kim Newth Russell Fredric Central Otago farmers Sam and Deb Stevens are once more looking across the Tasman to fast-track ongoing improvements in their Cairnlea Poll Dorset Stud. “Australian sheep genetics are so strong – that’s why we keep going back,” says Sam, noting that while the genetics pool in this country is much smaller, local Poll Dorset breeders are being proactive and fully performance recording on SIL. “We’re looking to try and improve the breed as best we can and grow much faster.” A few years ago, semen from a ram called Ribeye from Gooramma Poll Dorset Stud in New South Wales delivered just what Sam and Deb wanted for their stud, with his genetics propelling measurable gains in EMA and average liveweights in progeny. His genetics continue to be influential at Cairnlea. When they go back to New South Wales again this year, intramuscular fat (IMF) will be front and centre for them. “That’s purely for eating quality. IMF is a big focus in Australia; there’s no standardized measure for that across all breeds here – it needs to happen. I’m not sure what ram we’re going to get from there yet. We’re waiting to hear but hope to have something in time for this year.” Sam and Deb are steadily building their stud operation on their 240ha property at Poolburn, running some 250-260 stud ewes this year. They also graze 200 dairy calves, and currently have 300 dairy heifers on-farm (through to May). Ideally, their goal is to reach 300 stud ewes and keep up the selection pressure as numbers increase. Since the NZ Poll Dorset breed was founded in Elliot and Janine King’s decision to buy some Murray Grey cattle more than a decade ago was not entirely preplanned, but the Northern Southland sheep and beef farmers have absolutely no regrets. “We saw 13 in-calf heifers for sale that were Barry Macdonald’s from the Torrisdale Murray Grey stud. We went down and had a look at them and we bought them; that’s how we started.” “The Murray Grey is pretty well known for being an easy doer, they gain condition well and they’re nice and quiet and have good calving ease. That’s why we sell the bulls as yearlings to the dairy industry and to some beef farmers to put over their dairy heifers.” The King’s Murray Grey’s have consistently qualified for the Alliance Pure South Handpicked programme which grades the meat for several desirable attributes including intramuscular fat, colour and pH and attracts a handy premium. Elliot and Janine farm a 308 hectare generational sheep and beef farm near Balfour Southland with his wife Janine; the couple have three children, Hayley, Mya and Oliver aged 19, 17 and 14 respectively. The farm sits on rolling to flat land which borders the Waimea Stream on its northern boundary. It carries a total of 4,500 stock units comprising 2800 ewes and 750 hoggets and 50 Murray Grey cows and heifers. In 2010 Elliot and Janine were the supreme winners of the Southland Balance Farm Environment awards. The farm traditionally carried Coopworth sheep, but in recent years Elliot has been putting North MEAT & WOOL » Cairnlea Farm / Elliot King 1959, it has evolved to be the biggest terminal sire in the country and Poll Dorset breeders have been at the forefront of improved genetic performance. Cairnlea Poll Dorset Stud epitomises this breed commitment to performance. “We’re DNA footrot testing the new sire rams and methane testing our rams too. We were one of the first Dorset breeders to do that.” Cairnlea has a reputation for easy care sheep and rams that have longevity with good fertility and survivability. “Generally speaking, we don’t want too many lambs – we just want enough. With our climate here, triplets are not much use to us. Lots of good twins is what we like to see.” Lambs are weighed at weaning, in mid-December and in April. Rams going into the December sale are hitting their weight targets consistently, year on year. In past sales, the stud has also sold Poll Dorset/ Suffolk cross rams and Dorset Down/Poll Dorset rams, but Sam says they are thinking about dropping the Dorset Downs and just going with the Suffolks. This year, they bought a Suffolk ram from a Canterbury breeder, G.D. Beckett. In his role as the Central South Island Chair of Beef and Lamb New Zealand’s Farmer Council, Sam seeks to voice farmer concerns and to promote farm excellence. Deb is a full-time teacher at Poolburn School and the couple regularly host students from Maniototo Area School for work experience. This year Sam is also running block courses as a Primary ITO tutor. “It’s nice to encourage young people into the industry and give them that pathway.” Island Romney rams across the commercial flock to achieve some hybrid vigour and to bolster bone and hardiness. “The lambs we’ve got on the ground this year might be the fourth lot of lambs that are Romney Coopworths. They are good, we’re pleased with them so far, but it’s early days; there is a lot a hybrid vigour in them still so we’re probably seeing the best out of them at the moment.” Depending on the season, carcass weights typically average around 18.5 kilograms The farm also has a small Suftex stud from which a few rams are used as terminal sires as well as some being sold. Two years ago Elliot became involved in the Balfour Catchment Group, one of 23 operating in Southland. The group includes people representing the sheep, beef, dairy, arable and horticulture sectors. The group’s catchment area includes two waterways, the Longridge and Waimea streams which are tributaries of the upper Mataura River. There is some “pretty exciting stuff” happening as the group and its work has evolved, Elliot says. “We are going to have a lot of information available to us in the next few months.” Funding for the group’s work has been received from Thriving Southland. “We’ve had a lot of radiometric work done looking at the underground water, and soil types. “We’ve had drone work done looking for critical source areas on three or four rolling to hill country properties, looking for the most critical areas where we can maybe build structures to be of most use to control sediment loss. All that information is just coming out now.” Once the information is available it is hoped that it will be “all go”, Elliot says. 2745 Waimea Highway, RIVERSDALE | Ph. 03 202 4044 | andrews.transport@hwr.co.nz • Livestock • Bulk and General Cartage • Fert. Cartage & Spreading We are a locally owned and operated company servicing and supporting the rural communities of the Waimea Valley and greater Northern Southland Area. RYAN CONTRACTING Bede Ryan - Phone: (03) 444 9844 Mobile: 021 355 292 MULCHING - AGRICULTURAL WORK - SILAGE RYAN CONTRACTING MULCHING - AGRICULTURAL WORK - SILAGE Bede Ryan - Phone: (03) 444 9844 Mobile: 021 355 292 bederyancontracting@gmail.com I - I I Peter 027 433 3522 | (03) 448 6378 | www.peterlyonshearing.co.nz Servicing wool growing clients in Southland, Otago & South Canterbury PETER LYON SHEARING Derek Eaton 027 437 5706 Proudly supporting Elliot King
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