40 | Seeing more demand for their cattle Red Devon are medium framed and fast maturing with excellent meat traits. Russell Fredric Rockview Red Devon owners Colleen and Ross Hunter are experiencing more demand for their cattle that they have available for sale. “We always have more enquiry than we have Devons available and there is often a waiting list of patient buyers,” Colleen says. “To see the Red Devon breed in such demand in Northland again is very encouraging. Good cattle sell themselves.” Ross and Colleen’s 62 hectare block at Arapohue, near Dargaville in Northland, supports a total of about 80 head of Red Devons including 30 spring and 10 autumn calving cows. They established the foundation of their herd from the final generation of female progeny from Colleen’s late mother Lee Fulton’s herd, and since have been using the best bulls they have available as well as artificial breeding to fast track genetic gains. Rockview selects for six main traits in no particular order: fertility, calving ease, milk, growth rate, temperament and correct conformation. Despite Colleen’s love of the breed and of their own cattle, she and Ross take a totally commercial view of them needing to perform. “There are no exceptions. Our herd consistently produces quality, well-grown weaners which are very sought after.” “We are breeding for performance and farming with respect. We respect our farm and our cattle. It’s a win-win situation for all and the results speak for themselves.” Red Devon are medium framed and fast maturing with excellent meat traits. Because of their docile temperament they are easy to handle, while the cows have excellent maternal traits, Colleen says. “All they want to do is raise a calf and we have a very easy calving herd. The mothers have terrific milk which is really important to us.” “We consistently get 300 kilo weaner bulls at seven months of age because the cows are perRURAL PEOPLE » Rockview - Colleen Hunter forming so well. They’ve got very tidy udders and that’s consistently throughout the herd.” Heifers are required to calve as two year olds and generally produce calves of 28 to 32 kilograms birth weight without any issues. A selection of Rockview’s bulls are sold for heifer mating and this season are mostly the progeny of the two year-old heifers. The rest are grown on and sold later as cow mating bulls, usually to other Devon breeders or beef farmers. Potential bulls are horn/poll tested and those that are homozygous polled sell for a premium. “You can put a homozygous polled bull over any female, even if she’s horned and the progeny will be polled.” The cattle are raised on rolling hill country which has scattered bush over the whole farm. There are some trees in most paddocks that provide shelter and shade and which creates an enjoyable farm for all. “Despite pastures comprising predominantly kikuyu grass, the cows are very good grazers and perform well on it, which is something the Devon breed is well known for,” Colleen says. “When we bought the farm, we stocked it with the perfect breed. They just do particularly well here and it doesn’t matter what the season is.” “The Devon cattle seem to leave a lasting impression on farmers and they are always good memories. We believe this contributes to our strong buyer presence and that is why we are very proud of our herd today.” 0210 479 471 reddevonbeef@hotmail.com Dargaville, Northland · Ground Spreading · Bulk Cartage · Limestone Supply John Dreadon Contracting: proudly supporting Rockview - Colleen Hunter Contact John 021 273 2571 jjdreadon@xtra.co.nz
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