| 7 MEAT & WOOL » Dan Devine - Awakino Station At Awakino Station improvement remains a constant focus. We combine EBVs with visual assessment to breed the best sheep we can. Top percentile Foot Resistance, EBVS available on Sale Rams STRONG MOTHERING ABILITY Merino, Poll Merino, Quarterbred & Halfbred rams sold by private selection. Bill Sutherland: 027 451 0342 | billsutherland.benmore@farmside.co.nz Andrew Sutherland: 027 243 8577 | deidre.andrew@farmside.co.nz www.benmorestation.co.nz BALANCE D TRAITS QUARTERBRED Mating ewes as hoggets. Two-tooth ewes scanned 175% & clipped 6kg of 20.5 micron wool. HALFBREDS The 5,000 commercial Halfbred ewes or joined to terminal rams, wean 165% & clip 6kg of 25 micron wool. POLL MERINO The 12,000 commercial Merino ewes are weaning over 133% & clipping over 6kg of 18 micron wool. GO FOR GOLD WITH RAMS FROM PETERS GENETICS PERFORMANCE, PRODUCTION & PRICE - THE WINNING COMBO With stags we target growth rates. Because we don’t breed any of our own stock, we buy in-calf hinds from Mt Hutt - we just want growth and that’s it. With bulls we still do a lot of our selection on visual looks - we want pigment round the eyes, good milk yield which provides growth for calves. With our Angus bulls we put over heifers we want birth ease.” Diversification through trophy stags has also become an important income stream. “We’ve been doing trophy stags for five years. We have a joint venture with Horn & Antler Safaris,” explains Dan. “That’s another income stream to help us along. We provide elk and fellow stags and Peel Forest Estate provides Red stags.” He says that demand can be politically sensitive. “With Trump people opened their wallets and with Biden they shut them pretty much overnight.” Dan says confidence is cautiously returning. “We’re basically waiting now to see what will happen with next year’s elections in New Zealand,” he says. “But things are looking really positive in the farming world at the moment - the most positive they’ve been for some years.”
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