| 47 Rockend Polled Herefords aiming high Coming up in May is Rock-End Hereford’s annual bull sale. Following a good late spring and early summer, Josh says they currently have plenty of feed. Kim Newth Te Matai Station in the King Country is an efficient sheep and beef breeding operation run by the McCormick family. Home to Rock-End Poll Herefords, this hard hill country property in the Paraheka Valley near Aria is well-known for its fertile, well-fleshed cattle that perform in commercial environments. “The biggest feature of our breeding programme is the pressure we put on our animals,” says Josh McCormick, who grew up around the family Hereford stud and studied commerce and agriculture at Lincoln University before returning home to the King Country in 2012 to manage the farm alongside his father, Peter. “The ones that perform, we keep and that the ones that don’t will go down the road.” Within the breeding programme, temperament and constitution are paramount. The farm operation calves around 200 registered Hereford cows alongside 2400 Romdale ewes and 600 hoggets. With lambing at 140%-150%, Te Matai aims to finish all lambs and male hoggets on a grass only system, requiring high quality feed and with cows playing an integral part in achieving high lamb growth. In fact, for at least 11 months of the year, cows are farmed with sheep underneath them eating the best quality feed. It means the cows must have robust constitution, with any poor performers culled. As Josh observes, not only is this beneficial for their faming system but it also emulates what the progeny of their bulls will be required to do for their clients. Josh has been active in supporting NZ Herefords and, in 2015, joined a group of Hereford Ambassadors on a youth technical tour to the East Coast/Hawke’s Bay. He attended Beef Week Australia in 2018. He and his father are long time members of the South Auckland Hereford Club Committee, which is hosting the upcoming Rabobank 2024 National Hereford Herd Tour, (10-14 March). The packed itinerary includes Hereford studs in the Bay of Plenty, King Country, Waikato and Coromandel. “We’re looking forward to sharing our farm with other breeders on Day 2. I understand there will be up to 60 people coming so we will be aiming to have everything looking as good as we can.” Coming up in May is Rock-End Hereford’s annual bull sale, held in conjunction with Tarangower Angus, which is run by Rob Purdie on a neighbouring farm. RURAL PEOPLE » Rockend Polled Herefords Buyers appreciate having two bull breeds available at the same time. Rock-End anticipates presenting 20-25 quality Hereford Two Year Bulls. Artificial Insemination (AI) has enabled the stud to source high quality bulls from other Agriblend Fertiliser • Soil Testing & Fertiliser Recommendations Dicalcic Phosphate • Organics • Lime • CalciMag 0800 40 10 40 | www.rorisons.co.nz Proudly supporting Rockend Polled Herefords breeders and to sell more of their own bulls while retaining some of their semen. “We are excited to have some yearling bulls coming up in May sired by Limehills Herefords Streaker 150368, a bull that has been very successful in New Zealand and Australia and performed very well in the Beef + Lamb Progeny Genetics Beef Progeny Test [taking out the coveted IMF number one position in 2020].” Following a good late spring and early summer, Josh says they currently have plenty of feed and stock are in good condition.
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