Business Rural North Spring 2021

14 | RURAL PEOPLE » Kiwitahi: Paddy & Brigid Lowry Breeding them tough at high altitude Paddy Lowry alongside wife Brigid on their central North Island farm, Kiwitahi. Hugh de Lacy A t just under 800m above sea level, central North Island farm Kiwitahi is one of the high- est sheep-breeding operations in the country, and the severe climate has helped develop a tough Romney genetic line to match. Kiwitahi sits on the high cold hills north-west of Taupo, and owner Paddy Lowry says he’s breeding “a modern Romney with shiftability, survivability, stayability and a good carcase, conformation and structural soundness. “We’re breeding a sheep that has the ability to survive and thrive on challenging terrain, with ge- netic traits that are highly heritable and really make a difference to the bottom line.” The 1000ha farm was developed in the 1960s by Paddy’s father, Pat Lowry, and after he came back from a stint overseas in 1996, Paddy first managed, then leased, then finally bought the property from the family. Kiwitahi carries 2800 commercial ewes and 1500 hoggets as well as the stud flock of 1200 ewes and 500 ram hoggets, plus 350 Angus cows and 85 replacement heifers. It also runs a separate dairy unit of 650 cows and 300 replacement heifers on 250ha. Paddy sells the stud rams by private treaty from December each year, to a clientele built up by word of mouth and by Paddy’s own personal attention to their requirements. “It’s a personal thing, selling rams,” Paddy says. “I’ve learned most farmers really appreciate talk- ing directly with the studmaster, so we don’t bother with an annual ram sale but let the quality of the stock do our marketing for us.” The stud was started by Pat Lowry in 1980 on a breedline that goes back to Derek Daniel’s Wairere Genetics in the Wairarapa. The Kiwitahi stock are subject to extreme cold in the winter and sometimes dry in the summer on volcanic soils that are naturally infertile, and it’s the rigour of the climate that underlies Paddy Lowry’s stud-breeding philosophy. “Fertility, growth rate and survival are the key el- ements, backed by structural soundness, conforma- tion and GDA – Good Doing Ability - and an overall breeding principle based on the KISS principle – Keeping It Simple and Sensible,” Paddy says. Kiwitahi’s commercial Romneys have an average lambing percentage of 150%, which rises to 165% in the studs, and all ewe hoggets are mated. “The stud stock scans around 180%, and this means wastage between scanning and lambing is kept down to around 15%, where other breeding operations would think of 30% as the norm,” says Paddy, who has a degree in wool science – a rare qualification in these days of abysmal strongwool prices. The wool itself Paddy regards as like the paint on a car: “It doesn’t affect its performance, but a good paint job makes the car a lot easier to look at in the garage.” “More important to the wool than the price it gets is the type of country that wool type and ram suit. “The environment we farm in helps us breed cold tolerance in the sheep, and that breed hardness expresses itself in the thickness of the skin,” Paddy says. The Lowrys sells stud lambs by private treaty from December each year. Contact: PADDY LOWRY 0274 472 339 kiwitahi09@gmail.com Kiwitahi Romneys are farmed under commercial conditions in a TOUGH environment to PERFORM in today’s demanding economic environment. Survival — Objectively selected for low reproductive wastage and superior survival BV’s Worm Resistance — Selection through NIL drenching Wool Type — Medium micron, high bulk, colour & length. Stud ock average 7.5 kg/ssu Fertility — Stud ewes average lifetime lamb drop 190%. Replacement ewes lambed as hoggets Growth Rate — Lamb av. 31kg at 90 day weaning. — Lambs nished from 17-26kg CW Guaranteed — SILrecorded — High selection rates — Rams from top 35% only — Structurally sound — TRY before you BUY scheme available KIWITAHI ROMNEYS — “They’re active, intelligent sheep, that shift well and produce fast growing lambs that “survive and thrive” anywhere. They’re bred to make you money.” “I’ve learned most farmers really appreciate talking directly with the studmaster, so we don’t bother with an annual ram sale.”