54 | Job done, now for the next challenge Westgate cows and calves. Kelly Deeks The Hunt family farm at Orakau, Te Awamutu has been licked into shape over the past ve years under the directorship of Sophia Hunt as she returned home to the family farm, and it now has a new future ahead as Sophia eyes agricultural industry opportunities overseas. Determined to bid farewell to the bobby truck on her arrival back home, Sophia changed her breeding programme and created a diversi ed business that is synchronised to meet market demand. She bred every cow she wanted a replacement from with Friesian genetics, and any she didn’t want a replacement from was put to a beefy, whether Hereford, Charolais, Angus, or Belgian Blue. Samen has provided Sophia with Belgian Blue bulls that produce low birth weight calves making them great over cross breds and ideal for rst time calvers. With the Belgian Blue’s short-gestation, Sophia was able to get those cows cycling back into the herd earlier, tightening the calving spread for the following season. Early mating with a Friesian bull gets replacement calves on the ground early, and there is a market for selling Friesian bull calves up until the end of July, while bull beef can be sold until September or October. “Beef de nitely have their place in the dairy industry. They have provided me an opportunity to focus on breeding only from the cows I want replacements from, and I don’t have to worry about bobby calves.” RURAL PEOPLE » Westgate Farm: Sophia Hunt This season Sophia has trialled a very low birth weight Angus across her R2s, and while many would shy away from the big beef breed over a rst time calver, Westgate Farm cows have a big average live weight of 650kgs. Sophia attributes the size of her cows half to genetics, and half to feeding. The heifers born last year are already looking nice and grown and will be able to calve down at 20 months, rather than 24 months. Westgate Farm’s Sophia Hunt is eyeing agricultural work overseas. “A lot of people in the dairy industry have gone through that natural progression, farm assistant to manager, contract milker to sharemilker to farm owner. I literally shortcircuited the whole thing with the family farm, and I’m ready for my next challenge.” Stephen Weck Livestock is proud to be involved with Westgate Farm. M 027 455 1106 E stephenweck@gmail.com For all your livestock requirements “I can bring it forward a couple of months, get them in the vat sooner, and start improving on their genetic material sooner.” Having made Westgate Farm a bit tter since her return, Sophia is now keen to spread her wings and see what the agricultural industry has to offer in other parts of the world. “A lot of people in the dairy industry have gone through that natural progression, farm assistant to manager, contract milker to sharemilker to farm owner. I literally short-circuited the whole thing with the family farm, and I’m ready for my next challenge.” She loves the agriculture industry and loves to travel, can think and talk on her feet, and is considering what position could combine her loves and her strengths. “I’d like to think I’ll still be in the agriculture industry in 10 or 20 years’ time.”
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NDc2Mzg=