| 35 Registered bulls make money & economic sense Potawa weaner bulls. RURAL PEOPLE » Potawa Andrew and Tracey Neal own and operate Potawa Simmentals, Piopio, a registered stud established in 2002. The stud with approximately 100 breeding Simmental females is part of their almost 1000-hectare Potawa and Ruatawa farming business, of which Andrew is 3rd generation and their son Hamish, newly wed to Kate, is the fourth. One of Tracey’s other sons Daniel and his wife Amanda round out the farm team. They have an annual on farm bull sale, breed and finish sheep and commercial beef cattle alongside the stud and purchase weaner and yearling cattle to finish and as a trading option along with occasional store lamb purchases in recent years. “We’ve always held to not having all our eggs in one basket. There are a few reasons for this (the first being land class),” Andrew explains. “With a mixture of easy rolling to steeper, limestone country, some of which has not been fully cleared from the original bush, our mixed King Country topography means a sheep/beef mix is most desirable for grazing. Softer Mairoa ash soils mean running too many heavy animals over winter create damage to better paddocks and a generally higher rainfall can add more problems to some of our steeper clay country, not to mention the constant danger from tomos and under-runs.” Another reason is flexibility and cashflow. “While having more stock classes means the workload at times is heavier, it gives more flexibility around selling or buying if the market warrants it, or the weather requires it. For instance, we normally sell Simmental crossbred steers (homebred or bought as weaners) into the ‘grass market’ 15 month sales in November/December/January. This year (August/September 2024) the store market was so ‘hot’ we sent 13-14 month old Simmental crossbreds to sale on September 20th at 377.5 kg and sold for 508.61 cpk. That was a nett price of $1,920.00 per steer. Obviously we continued to trickle out steers over the next few weeks rather than hold them over to the more ‘traditional’ dates.” The least visible outcome is one of the most important; according to Andrew, and that is job satisfaction: “We farm what we like to look at and work with. This means we put more effort into doing the job right and that includes the stud genetic and performance recording.” The Potawa team spend a lot of time and effort into performance recording their purebred calves from birth throughout their lives on farm. This work and the resulting data make them confident in their statement: there are lots of very good reasons to buy a registered, recorded bull for breeding. Better Genetics Using a registered bull helps you make better decisions about improving your herd because most registered bulls have performance records, which track things like growth rate, calving ease, and fertility, giving you clear insights into how they’ll improve your herd. Using EBV’s which estimate an animals genetic merit based on those performance records helps you see which traits are working well, so you can refine your breeding plan. With an unregistered bull, it makes it harder to make the best breeding choices when you don’t know much about its background, so you can’t be sure about its genetics or what traits it will pass on to its offspring. Higher Value for Calves Registered bulls produce calves that are often more valuable when sold because buyers trust their genetics. People are willing to pay more for calves with known backgrounds. Unregistered bulls may not produce calves that fetch as high a price because buyers can’t be sure about the genetics, particularly cross bred cattle. Health and History A registered bull usually has a health record, showing its vaccinations and any other history. The breeder will have certification of BVD and Lepto vaccinations and fertility testing for instance. This helps ensure the bull is healthy and reduces the risk of problems in your herd. Unregistered bulls don’t usually have this kind of information, which might mean more vet visits or nasty surprises down the line. Support and Guarantees When you buy a registered bull, you usually get support from the breeder, often in the form of a guarantee which will provide help with any problems or issues with your bull. If your breeder doesn’t offer any sort of follow up service – find another breeder! Unregistered bulls generally don’t come with that kind of support, so you miss out on any backup service or guarantees. Andrew & Tracey Neal Ph: 07 877 8009 • Mob: 027 366 5514 potawa488@gmail.com OPEN DAY MONDAY 12th MAY – 10am to 2pm AUCTION MONDAY 26th MAY – 11am 488 Mangaotaki Road, Piopio 2 0 2 5 B U L L S A L E S I M M E N T A L S We provide professional quality advice and friendly service to dairy, drystock, forestry, horticulture and rural businesses throughout New Zealand. Bailey Ingham are proud to support Potawa 18 Maniapoto Street Otorohanga 07 873 7325 41 Bank Street Te Awamutu 07 870 1888 | 29 Hakiaha Street Taumarunui 07 895 7315 info@baileyingham.co.nz | www.baileyingham.co.nz Purchasing a registered, recorded bull in New Zealand helps ensure that you are improving your herd’s genetics, increasing the market value of your cattle, and benefiting from genetic data that supports better breeding decisions. Performance recording also helps track and improve the traits that matter most for your herd. While unregistered bulls may be cheaper upfront, the long-term benefits of registered bulls usually outweigh the initial cost, especially if you are aiming for quality herd improvement and a more profitable farming operation. This makes a registered bull a smarter, more reliable choice, even if it costs a little more at the start.
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