50 | Highly distinctive breed in paddocks The White Galloway was first registered with the New Zealand Galloway Society in 1994. The Curry’s breeding philosophy was to breed for good temperament. Anne Boswell Galloway cattle breed, reminiscent of the rugged Scottish landscape from which the breed originated, is highly distinctive in paddocks around New Zealand – particularly Belted and White Galloways. And although Upper Hutt farmers Bob and Karen Curry have dispersed the purebred White Galloway herd they established in 2003, they are far from finished with the breed that exemplifies hardiness, manageability and longevity. The couple – official patrons of the Galloway Cattle Society of NZ (Inc) – established Suncrest White Galloway stud 20 years ago with four cows from Ngutunui, near Otorohanga (John and Beryl Cleland). The Galloways replaced Hereford cross cattle as cross-grazers on the Currys’ farm, complementing their then ‘herd’ of 30 American Miniature horses. “With cyclic low returns from the beef market, we started looking at moving into breeding pure-bred cattle to on-sell to other breeders and life-stylers,” Bob says. Through a combination of out-sourced sire services, further purchases and home-bred bulls (Suncrest Arctic Bayley and Suncrest Arctic Ivan) the fully pedigree, registered herd became established in numbers to 20-30 head. The White Galloway was first registered with the New Zealand Galloway Society in 1994. It is mostly white with black around its muzzle, ears and eyes. Bob says the breed has much going for it. “They are sturdy, mid-size animals with bulls around 900kg, and second only to Wagyu for marbling,” he says. “Calves are smaller than other breeds (around 25kg) so dairy farmers love to use the bulls over their heifers for ease of calving. “And their white-with-black-point colour pattern is dominant, so when bred with other breeds it is very easy to identify the progeny as crossbreds, rather than replacements in the paddock.” The Curry’s breeding philosophy was to breed for good temperament and conformation. “The breed is known for its quiet temperament, but conformation was a little more complicated,” Bob says. “Traditional Scottish Galloway have short legs and a deep body, while the Canadian line, from which New Zealand Galloway are descended, are taller and rangier. “Through careful selection of bloodlines we bred a mid-range type with a very deep body. RURAL PEOPLE » Suncrest White Galloway • Conventional & Large Round Baleage and Hay Making • Hay & Baleage Sales • Fertiliser & Lime Spreading • Paddock rolling • Rotary Slashing & Hedge Trimming • Demolition • Digger & Excavation Services PROUDLY SUPPORTING SUNCREST WHITE GALLOWAY We seemed to do well at shows, and our genetics have been sought after overseas, so I guess we did something right.” Suncrest genetics have been instrumental in establishing the first White Galloway herd in two other countries. “Our genetics were used to form the first White Galloway herd near Durban, South Africa in 2011, and near Santiago, Chile just last year,” Bob says. “Galloway cattle are well-suited to these environments because they are efficient feed converters. When feed gets tough, they can maintain their condition and thrive on very little.” Now their pedigree herd has been dispersed, the couple has come full circle: they are now grazing crossbred calves descended from their own White Galloway genetics, keeping the grass down while being raised, fattened and finished. And having just returned from the World Galloway Congress in Switzerland, Bob and Karen were delighted to invite delegates to the next Congress - here in New Zealand in 2025.
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