34 | Texel stud providing quite big benefits Tailing time on Hossack Downs. Photos: Richard Langston. Kelly Deeks MEAT & WOOL » Hamish Galletly Hamish Galletly’s texel stud in Waiau, North Canterbury may only be a small part of the business at Hossack Downs Farm, but it’s providing big benefits with proven progeny that are high yielding and fast growing attracting return customers year-on-year. When Hamish’s parents Sue and Angus gave him an opportunity for free grazing on his return home from the North Island in 2009, it was a chance for him to get into stock ownership and start doing a bit of business for himself. That’s when he bought Ross’s texel stud which had been registered in 1991, and used by Angus at Hossack Downs when he started to slowly switch from perendales to a romney-texel ewe base. Hamish concentrated on constitution with a bit of work around foot scoring and a heavy focus on lamb growth and meat yield. Hossack Downs is now breeding sufftex rams as well and these are proving popular with clients who like to have that identifiable black head when they use a terminal sire. “Having mobs of lambs that have texel in them really helps to get them to market,” Hamish says. “We’ve got a structurally sound texel flock and we’ve been selecting rams with good foot scores since we bought the stud from Ross Bevan in 2009. We focus on breeding a good type of sheep that clients want, and we believe structure and constitution comes ahead of figures when selecting rams that we put up for sale. Some of our repeating clients are not worried about figures and are always happy with the rams offered. People who buy our store lambs are always keen to come back, and I put that down to having the texel in that commercial flock. Our lambs have good growth genetics in them and they yield well.” Yield is important at Hossack Downs and Hamish and Angus have their ram hoggets eye-muscle scanned to ensure they’re only using the best out of their genetics. Featuring regularly in the mix of Silver Fern Farms Plate to Pasture Award regional winners and finalists, where judging criteria includes the past 12 months of stock supplied, on-farm assessment in areas of business goals and strategy, a food challenge, financial management, and environmental sustainability practices, the Galletlys took out the national award in 2018, showing this family of three generations of farmers that they’re doing something right. On the beef side of the business, Hossack Downs has traditionally run a mixed herd of black cows with white faces, what they call a black hereford. Now market demand sees Hamish and Angus simplifying this operation by using only angus bulls to further align with Silver Fern Farms’ angus programmes and to give the customer what they want. North Canterbury farmers are now enjoying a relatively rainy summer after last season’s dry, the likes of which Hamish has never farmed through before. He had to feed out palm kernel, graze sheep “For 2025, production is down and expenses are still high. We’re thankful for the rain. We’ve made some supplement and we’re pretty keen to make some more.” P h . 0 2 1 2 5 1 7 7 4 2 Family orientated business, please ring Mike on: 021 251 7742 or 03 319 8778 | Email: morgan.shearing.ltd@gmail.com North Canterbury based, we supply top quality service experienced shearers and shed staff for fine wool and xbreds. For all your Rural Transport requirements! 56 St Leonards Road, Culverden (03) 315 3033 admin@amuritransport.co.nz Livestock - stock@amuritransport.co.nz Fertiliser - fert@amuritransport.co.nz Freight - freight@amuritransport.co.nz Bulk - bulk@amuritransport.co.nz - Livestock - Bulk Cartage - Fertiliser Spreading & Stores - Daily Freight Service - Quarry Amuri Transport Limited off farm, and pad feed ewes in one paddock with 100% supplement. “For 2025, production is down and expenses are still high. We’re thankful for the rain. We’ve made some supplement and we’re pretty keen to make some more.”
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