| 25 Micron a vital trait NZ record last year Tracey Edwardes Karen Phelps Tim Davis of Longacre Station says no sheep is genetically perfect - success is in the strength of the team. “You’ll never find all the best traits in one ram. The compromise is buying a combination of genetics over the whole team.” Tim has a great relationship with stud breeders Alistair Campbell and his son Duncan of Earnscleugh High Country Genetics in Alexandra, since taking over his Dad’s farm 14 years ago. “We don’t always get the best ram. This year the top ram went for $15,000. But we got to buy five rams from our top eight list. We buy on what’s suitable for our breeding objective. Micron is our number one trait at the moment for our ultrafine merinos, but we take into account staple strength, length and fleece weight” Longacre Station in the Lindis Valley has 1500 ultra-fine merino ewes with an average of 13.5micron and 4000 16.5micron ewes. They use estimated breeding values (EBVs) which take into account whether they were born twins, singles as well as environmental and parentage factors. “I’m a numbers person, and while not fail safe, it enables us to find the best sheep for our criteria based on EBV lists for production traits as well as management traits such as worm resistance, dag score and foot-rot. I have the farm manager Dave Trevathan with me to make sure the sheep are acceptable conformation wise” “We look at different traits for the two flocks. For the super-fines we focus on wool and yearling weight, as well as fat and muscle, while having minimum standards for management traits to make sure we are making some progress in those areas. A lot of our superfines have the inverdale gene in them, which gives us added fertility. Our scanning rates for these are often 170+ including 2-tooths, so we need to make sure we get good survivability in them. When buying for the team though, we make some compromises since we can’t always get everything in one package. It’s the team average which is most important, not just what one individual contributes” Matariki Herefords heads into its 2026 bull sale with strong momentum after setting a New Zealand record last year, a result that firmly placed the North Canterbury stud among the country’s elite beef breeding operations. The stud achieved a top price of $80,000 for a Hereford bull in 2025, the highest ever paid in New Zealand for the breed. Clearing 63 bulls at an average of $14,921 the sale also underscored the depth of demand from commercial farmers, not just the headline-grabbing top end. “We were blown away to be fair,” says Jack Murray. “We had a good line of bulls and the beef industry is strong, but we weren’t expecting that. The average of just under $15,000 was almost more important to us because it showed how well supported we were by commercial farmers.” Matariki Station sits near the mouth of the Clarence River and forms part of the historic Woodbank Station, purchased by the Murray family in 1900. In 1945 the property was split, with brothers Ross and JG Murray each running a station. Today JG’s son James is the owner of Matariki with his son Jack and Jack’s wife Sophie running the farm and stud. The wider operation spans several properties, with 650 stud cows run under the Matariki name across all farms, including 360 stud cows based at Matariki farm itself. The land varies from irrigated river flats to claybased down country and broken hill country with scrub, providing flexibility for finishing stock and maintaining cows through different seasons. Additional leased properties and family-run farms nearby allow the business to manage drought risk and streamline young stock management, with all stud heifer calves wintered together and bull calves returned to Matariki. The sheep are a mix of Quarterbred, Halfbred and Romney. “The kids are all very keen on farming,” says James. “We have them involved in how the business runs. Everybody brings ideas to the table, and we all look at them. It’s great.” Breeding objectives at Matariki are firmly focused on commercial relevance. The stud aims to produce cattle that combine growth with calving ease, fertility and carcass performance, without sacrificing maternal strength. “We don’t want big rangy cows,” says Jack. MEAT & WOOL » Longacre Station / Matariki Herefords Wanaka Show: NZ fine wool supreme fleece competition, winning the Russell Brown and Normon Pittaway Trophies. Matariki Station sits near the mouth of the Clarence River. David Graham 027 474 8325 dave@irritech.co.nz Roger Simpson 027 474 8324 rog@irritech.co.nz • 16B Connelly Way, Cromwell • admin@irritech.co.nz • • Agricultural irrigation design • Stock water design and supply • Supply of irrigators and materials • Project management • Installation of system • Commissioning Irritech Otago are happy to be working alongside Longacre Station Proud to Support Longacre Station Toby Mathieson: 021 595 589 Email: accounts@wanakaag.com Cultivation - Direct Drilling Silage Harvesting - Baleage - Hay Baling James and Becky Murray | Sam and Jack Murray 174 Clarence Valley Road, RD1, Kaikoura 7371 BULLS SERVICE CAPACITY TESTED SCANNED FOR CACASE ANALYSIS BVD TESTED & VACCINATED | BREEDPLAN RECORDED 650 REGISTERED COWS Contact: 027 381 2300 (Jack) e: matariki@xtra.co.nz matarikiherefords For our high hill country it works really well for the ewes, with pivot irrigation to make the most of the lambs. We have gone from over 6000 ewes with 4,500 lambs to 5500 ewes with 6000 lambs, since introducing the fertility gene 14 years ago.” While it is not that impressive for merinos, when we take into account the ultra-fines which lamb around 80% the superfines are now pulling their weight” Longacre also runs 180 red composite cows as well as calving 40 heifers. “We buy one bull every June. The composites maintain 75% hybrid vigour without having to worry about a cross-breeding program. We leave it to Duncan to get the best individual genetics and put them in a package for us. Marbling and growth rates are our main traits we focus on, but occasionally will rotate to more maternal high-milk traits. We put a black Angus over heifers for black progeny, so we can easily identify heifer calves which we sell as yearlings.” Next month Tim is off to Sydney as one of the top 10 vying for the Ermenegildo Zegna’s Vellus Aureum Trophy, recognising the finest merino wool in Australasia. “We entered 10 fleeces, but we don’t know yet which was the successful one!” “We want moderate, fit cows that put carcass into their progeny as well as improving eating quality. It’s about keeping the maternal traits strong and adding value where it matters.” While most clients run Herefords, the stud’s cattle are also used widely in crossbreeding systems, where hybrid vigour is a major drawcard. The broader business reflects a commitment to branded products and traceability, whether in beef, lamb or wool, aligning with growing consumer expectations. The joint Matariki Herefords and Woodbank Angus bull sale (this Angus stud run by Jack’s cousin Ben Murray) will be held on farm on 16 June including around 70 of Matariki’s rising two-year Hereford bulls on offer. Ten sons of the influential sire Navigator, whose progeny averaged $19,500 last year, will feature again, alongside the first crop of sons from Lime Hills sires including Lime Hills Belter and Lime Hills Mighty. There will be a bull walk 29 May for those keen to check out the lineup but if anyone can’t come that day that day Jack says they can call to arrange another time. “It’s a pretty exciting time in the whole sheep and beef industry,” says Jack. “Nobody’s ever seen it this good, and it’s really reflecting in stock prices. We thought prices were good last year but it’s even better this year.”
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