76 | Hitting the mark with hill country calves Glenbrae Farm comprising 1820 hectares carries 510 in calf cows , of which 170 are low birthweight stud cows, and 4700 ewes. Bernadette Cooney McFadzean Cattle Company in the Wairarapa starts the year off the back of a very good lambing season and 75/76 bulls sold at their annual yearling bull sale which saw strong sale prices. Farm manager Johnie McFadzean was very pleased with last September’s sale which offered three signature breeds. “With a Meat Maker earning top price of $10,500 sold to the Lupton’s from Te Awamutu. The Meat Maker and Super Angus bulls averaged $4800. The Cruizy Calve Angus bulls had a top price of $8000 sold to Logan Evans from Southland with the line up averaging $4100.” Reaping the reward of almost 50 years of Simmental Angus cross cattle breeding McFadzean Cattle Company are hitting the mark when it comes to hill country calves with superior weaning weights. “The Meat Maker and Super Angus bulls have been performing well year on year with clients receiving premiums of up to 30 cents per kilo consistently.” “More recently with the introduction of the Cruizy Calve Angus bulls specialising in the heifer mating, we’ve had phone calls from farmers who have had their first crop of calves on the ground and they’ve been really happy with no calving trouble, high survivability and real growthy calves.” Johnie says “Going forward I think yield % is going to be crucial for breeders and finishers. With Meat Maker & Super Angus cross cattle purchased, finishers have been achieving yields above 60% for 15–18-month cattle.” McFadzean’s large scale cattle and sheep operations are spread across four Wairarapa properties. Glenbrae Farm comprising 1820 hectares carries 510 in calf cows , of which 170 are low birthweight stud cows, and 4700 ewes. Glenburn Farm is one of the oldest sheep and cattle stations in New Zealand and carries 680 Angus cross cows, 7000 ewes and 200 hinds across its 2800 hectares of coastal flat and hill country. Val’dor Farm is 1100ha and carries 240 cows and 4700 ewes. The fourth property is Ngahere comprising 520 ha and carrying 180 cows, 1800 ewes, 120 stags for deer velvet and 140 hinds. “There’s 200 fattening deer as well for the venison, these are the offspring of the hinds, which we’ll phase out and go straight stags over the next wee bit,” Johnie says. Export prices for the deer velvet remained consistent and would remain the focus going forward for Ngahere. RURAL SERVICES » McFadzean Cattle Co This year’s lambing season was “probably the best we’ve had and looks like we’ve docked around29,500 lambs with Glenbrae achieving 154% at docking a record lambing with all farms achieving above 150% despite getting salmonella in the mid-Autumn and a very wet winter and early spring. “This year’s calves are coming along well, there looks to be some good Cruizy Calves sired by Atahua Failsafe, Atahua Rainmaker, Woodbank 20020 and Stokman Solution which has sold semen packages all around Australia over the last two years. The exciting thing about breeding and selling bulls is seeing the improvement year on year in our herd and our clients herds, it is extremely satisfying” says Johnie. “More recently with the introduction of the Cruizy Calve Angus bulls specialising in the heifer mating, we’ve had phone calls from farmers who have had their first crop of calves on the ground and they’ve been really happy with no calving trouble, high survivability and real growthy calves.” MCFADZEAN CRUIZY CALVE MCFADZEAN SUPER ANGUS MCFADZEAN MEAT MAKER Superior weaning weight % Instant impact on calf size, growth & muscling Higher carcass yields High EMA scores Strong milking & maternal traits At least 7/8's Angus Moderate framed hill country cattle Excellent growth rates and superior muscling Positive fats & high IMF % Strong milking & maternal traits 100% Registered Angus Positive for calving ease Short gestation Positive fats & good growth Suited for heifer mating Friday 13th September 2024 at 1pm Open Day 28th August Featuring McFadzean Cruizy Calve, Super Angus & Meat Maker Yearling Bulls HILL COUNTRY CATTLE BRED TO LIFT YOUR CATTLE PERFORMANCE AND YOUR BOTTOM LINE McFadzean Cruizy Calve - Reference Sire - Atahua 17-303 Absolute Proven heifer mating sire within our commercial herd and now a feature sire with 33 offspring in our low birth weight stud. Deep, real strength and muscle, proven longevity. ATAHUA 17-303 216 Wiltons Road, Carterton | www.mcfadzeancattlecompany.co.nz Johnie McFadzean 0274295777 Andrew Jennings PGG Wrightsons 0275946820 45 Years of Proven Performance • Top Quality Yearling Bulls
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NDc2Mzg=