44 | Producing fertile & well-fleshed cattle Rock-End Polled Herefords was started by Pete and Kirsty McCormick in the early 80s. Kelly Deeks “All of our sale bulls are tested with 100k SNP, which tells us which of our animals are homozygous or heterozygous polled. Put a homozygous polled animal over a horned animal, and you will only get polled offspring.” RURAL PEOPLE » Rockend Polled Herefords Multiple trait selection is resulting in steady and consistent gains for Rock-End Polled Herefords at Te Matai Station in the King Country, where the McCormick family are producing fertile and well-fleshed cattle on their hard hill country property in the Paraheka Valley. Herefords were first brought to New Zealand from the UK back in 1868 and the the first polled Hereford, Royal Gem, was imported from the US to Gisborne in 1929. Ever since the 1950s the Hereford has been a popular beef breed for New Zealand cattle farmers, who can appreciate their calm disposition, hardy constitution, and large frame with big bones which can support a lot of muscle. Herefords and Hereford-Angus crosses are now the second most popular beef cattle breed in New Zealand. With hardiness and adaptability, Herefords can survive through the full range of extreme environmental conditions from desert to snow, and at Te Matai Station, they are thriving on this rugged property with challenging terrain. “They do very well with our system, and we are on pretty hard country,” says Josh McCormick. “They get really tested for fertility and they have a strong constitution. That’s a testament to both the Hereford breed, and our herd in particular.” Rock-End Polled Herefords have advantages to offer both beef breeders and dairy farmers alike. The obvious advantage for the dairy industry of using a Rock-End Polled Hereford bull is solid black calves with a white face. “The Hereford won’t mask the brown of a Jersey like other beef breeds will, so throughout the supply chain, from calf rearers to finishers, you know you are going to get strong growth performance and finishing ability. And as a result we see Hereford/dairy cross cattle consistently selling at premiums from 4 day calves to 2yr cattle.” With easy calving for the dairy farmers, the finishers further down the supply chain get great growth rates with Rock-End Polled Herefords progeny, and can finish them at any stage, killing them before a second winter or carrying them through to 2.5-3yrs at big weights, allowing for some flexibility in the finishing programme. For the beef industry, Rock-End Polled Herefords cross well with other beef breeds, contributing their valuable traits like good fertility, calving ease, and hardiness. Many of Rock-End Polled Herefords’ clients breed Hereford Angus crosses and enjoy the added hybrid vigour. “The first cross increases performance by about 8%, and the second cross from a white face Angus Hereford female will give a 20% gain in productivity over a straight bred animal,” Josh says. “These are significant gains for free!” Rock-End Polled Herefords was started by Pete and Kirsty McCormick in the early 80s, and Josh says in the past 10 years alone, huge advances have been made in DNA technology which have enabled more accurate identification of superior genetics and led to more profitable herds, improved meat quality, more efficient production, and more accurate EBVs. ”All of our sale bulls are tested with 100k SNP, which tells us which of our animals are homozygous or heterozygous polled. Put a homozygous polled animal over a horned animal, and you will only get polled offspring.” Te Kuiti Delwyn: 027 537 9469 d.h.shearing@gmail.com We have the staff to suit your specific requirements Proud to offer Shearing Services to Rockend Polled Herefords
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