50 | No good autumn, but still going well Lambing is usually around 140% with carcass weights averaging in the high 16 kilogram to 17 kilogram range. Jimmy purchased the Simmental stud from Lone Pine Simmental owners Dave and Kath Keown mid-2021. Russell Fredric Producing high muscle, high growth cattle is at the heart of Hill Valley Simmentals stud operation. Located in Teviot, Central Otago, the stud is part of an expansive 1900 hectare farm that was originally bought by Jimmy’s father, James in the 1980’s. The home block covers 250ha of which 100ha is irrigated, while 800ha rises to high altitude tussock hill country for about 15 kilometres to the east. “The engine room is down at the bottom and we cut baleage and feed the lambs, and then the mid-altitude is breeding country, and the run country is generally pretty summer safe. “We’ve got crops scattered out between the three blocks and just manage it as we see fit. We keep the calves and the younger stock down the hill and the older stock at mid altitude.” Depending on the season, the farm produces 400 to 500 bales of baleage. “We rely on a good autumn, but we haven’t had a good autumn recently. It’s about getting as much feed in front of us as we can for the tupping, and we get the lambs weaned and away off the ewes up to the summer country as quickly as possible.” The farm supports 4500 to 5000 Romney breeding ewes with Rawahi genetics and 1200 to 1350 hoggets and 70 Simmental breeding cows alongside its commercial cattle herd comprising 180 Hereford breeding cows. Early lambs are skim drafted before Christmas and weaned the first week in January with the balance progressively weaned weekly through the rest of the month. Lambing is usually around 140% with carcass weights averaging in the high 16 kilogram to 17 kilogram range. While these figures are lower than for lambs grown on a lowland property, Jimmy is happy about the quality of the Rawahi genetics and the performance of the sheep, and it is more efficient to get the lambs off the farm at the right time. He purchased the Simmental stud from Lone Pine Simmental owners Dave and Kath Keown mid-2021. MEAT & WOOL » Hill Valley Simmentals Davidson Honda Alexandra 03 448 6374 SALES & SERVICE Leading accounting and business professionals - providing specialist advice to farming, business and rural communities for over 60 years Proud to partner with Hill Valley Simmentals 69 Tarbert St, Alexandra | (03) 440 0100 | www.iclca.co.nz FOCUSED ON YOUR FUTURE Lindisfarne Farms Ltd For all your baleage and harvesting needs Phone Daniel on 027 229 7258
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