| 21 Hybrid vigour and fertility are vital This year’s bull sale at Orari is being held on June 3. Russell Fredric “I sometimes say that marbling is the most important trait after you’ve got all the other traits sorted out, but there’s no point having marbling and growth if they’re not getting in calf.” MEAT & WOOL » Orari Gorge Station Hybrid vigour and good cow fertility are powerful breeding and selection tools, Orari Gorge Station owner and Hereford New Zealand president Robert Peacock says. “People traditionally breeding Angus cows are trying Hereford bulls for hybrid vigour across all traits. Hybrid vigour is such a powerful tool; a lot of other countries do a lot more cross breeding than New Zealanders.” While every trait is affected slightly differently by hybrid vigour, a first-cross steer will grow around 10% faster than a purebred steer, while their daughters if they are kept, are far superior to purebred daughters, Robert says. Orari Gorge Herefords keeps most of its males entire to sell for breeding as yearlings, with the best going into its annual rising two year-old bull sale. “With the rising beef confidence it’s helping bull sales. We’ve also got all our male calves and female calves born to the terminal sire so that’s helping either store or finished prices for those; there’s a good demand for them store – people know that they grow well.” This year’s bull sale at Orari is being held on June 3, with 35 fully recorded two-year old’s expected to be offered, featuring genetics in the top bracket for growth, fertility, and carcass quality. The catalogue average is in the top 15% of Herefords across Australia and New Zealand, but most are in the top 10%, and some in the top 1% of the breed. Orari Gorge Herefords has taken full advantage of DNA technology, including using the GeneSeek Genomic (GGP) Profiler bovine 100k test. This provides accurate information, including on relevant production and recessive traits and measures the rate of genetic gain through increased breeding value accuracy, delivering more accurate evaluation of genetic merit and genome-wide selection. Robert also emphasises the importance of good fertility to provide the leeway to cull cows for specific traits. “I’m looking for a balanced bull. I sometimes say that marbling is the most important trait after you’ve got all the other traits sorted out, but there’s no point having marbling and growth if they’re not getting in calf.” The station winters 25,000 stock units which includes 9,000 breeding ewes and 2,000 English Red hinds, while some changes have been made on the cattle side. “We used to have 250 fully recorded, registered Hereford cows and about 400 unrecorded. We then chose to record those commercials which gave us breeding values for them, and then over the last couple of years as we’ve learned which ones are better than others due to the recording, we’ve developed a ‘B’ mob.” This means there are now at least 100 Hereford cows that go to a terminal sire which provides the flexibility for their progeny to be either finished or store. At last year’s sales, demand for Hereford calves matched or exceeded Angus, while Hereford cross calves were even more sought after due to their hybrid vigour making them more profitable, Robert says. “Hereford bulls can either be used in a purebred Hereford system, crossbreeding in a maternal system, or as a terminal sire.” “A Hereford cross cow will wean 25% more calf weight over her lifetime than a pure Angus due to increased fertility, longevity, milk and growth coming from the hybrid vigour.” PROUDLY ASSOCIATED WITH BALLANDEAN LTD OFF-ROAD LIVIN’ PROUDLY SUPPORTING ORARI GORGE ST TION 03 688 7517 www.eastcoastpowersports.co.nz 62 ANNUAL BULL SALE ORARI GORGE HEREFORDS Formerly known as Nithdale Herefords Established 1947 WEDNESDAY JUNE 3 2026 at 1.00PM ORARI GORGE STATION, GERALDINE CALVING YEAR Orari Gorge Breed Average CARCASE IMF (%) 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 1.4 1.2 1 0.8 0.6 0.4 0.2 0.0 E B V Orari Gorge Breed Average HEREFORD PRIME ($) 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 CALVING YEAR 140 130 120 110 100 90 80 I N D E X ($) Looking for a high-performance bull for your maternal Hereford breeding programme or crossbreeding programme? Our breeding focus is simple: highly fertile, functional, structurally sound cattle with strong conformation for today’s market. Running 100+ bulls in one management mob and performance recording our entire herd ensures accurate data. With nearly 700 fully recorded cows wintered on steep, high-country tussock above 3000ft, our cattle are bred for longevity and resilience.With over 30 years of BREEDPLAN records, we deliver proven genetic progress for clients from lowland to high country. BALANCED TRAITS = MAXIMUM PROFITABILITY SOME OF THE BEST MARBLING IN THE COUNTRY Robert and Alex Peacock Tel 03 692 2893 • Email robert@orarigorge.co.nz Graham and Rosa Peacock Tel 03 692 2853 • Email rosa@orarigorge.co.nz ORARI GORGE STATION TRIPP SETTLEMENT ROAD, GERALDINE, SOUTH CANTERBURY 7991, NEW ZEALAND
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