| 41 Five decades plus for Kaiwara Angus Stud Hugh de Lacy Compact, easy-doing cattle that finish well are the aim of the Kaiwara Angus Stud in North Canterbury where the Johns family runs four hill-country properties, including a dairy farm. The Kaiwara Angus Stud was established by Bruce and Audrey Johns in 1971, though it and the other properties are now being run by their sons George and Douglas, albeit with Mum and Dad keeping a close eye on things. George has taken over the supervision of the Angus stud at the home farm of Kaiwara, continuing the breeding of bulls that have a long-established following in North Canterbury especially. In fact it was North Canterbury farmers who snapped up all but one of the bulls at Kaiwara’s June 2022 sale, with the top price of $13,000 being paid for two of them. That achievement was somewhat overshadowed by the interest in Kaiwara’s new bull, bought from Kay Jays Angus in the Wairarapa last year for $23,000. George’s brother Douglas and wife Elise run a dairy farm adjacent to Kaiwara where they milk 1500 cows, and the family has a run-off in Waiau where dairy grazers, once-bred heifers and trade cattle are farmed. Last year a fourth property was added with the purchase of Ridgeway near Cheviot as a farm succession planning for daughter Anna and husband Rupert. “We’ve worked in together on the properties for quite a few years to set ourselves up, with Dad MEAT & WOOL » Ridgeway-Kaiwara being the accelerator and Mum being the rudder, and sometimes the brake, and now it’s about paying a bit back to our good friends at Westpac,” George says. “We finish cattle at Ridgeway, and this has given us some good insight into what finishes well: cattle with that ‘extra rib’ seem to stack on the weight when it counts. “Sometimes we have only a small window to get stock to hum, so their health needs to be on point as well as their genetic potential.” 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 NZ Owned & Operated. Est 1988 Hayden McCarthy - 027 473 0802 Proudly supporting Ridgeway-Kaiwara - we will always work in with the farmers needs. - not show pony’s. Our clients needs come first We have work horses Trevor Devine 0274359493 megandtrev@amuri.net Kaiwara Angus R2 heifers on the hill. George says he likes investing in the female side, with some heifers from Rangatira performing particularly well, and he was able to buy some cows for $4500 sired by Mullah Murrah Loch. “Our new sire bull from Kay Jays Angus is a good easy-fleshing sire that moves freely on the hills after being weaned at 330kg, reflecting a good maternal performance.” A son of the highly popular Kaiwara 480, which has since been sold to Stern Angus, has performed exceptionally well, and has gifted Kaiwara with progeny that are “deep, wide at the pins with a good arse end – which is what we like,” George says. There’s been a succession of sheep breeds on the Johns’ farms over the last couple of decades, starting with Corriedales, then going to Romneys, then to half-breds, back to Romneys, and finally now to Wiltshires. The decision to go for the wool-shedding Wiltshires was made because George doesn’t see much point in committing inputs such as fertiliser to producing wool. “With the associated shearing costs we’re better off going into meat,” he says. BULL WALK THURSDAY 25 MAY BULL SALE THURSDAY 15 JUNE PROVEN HILL COUNTRY GENETICS PH GEORGE JOHNS, 0221983599, CULVERDEN FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK
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