Business Rural North Spring 2021

| 23 RURAL PEOPLE » Hillbrae Stud: Mark & Haylie Gledhill Hillbrae Stud busy breeding success Karen Phelps A passion for breeding great cattle runs through the whole Gledhill family and its Hillbrae Stud spans three breeds – Simmen- tal, Friesian and Speckle Park. Barry, who runs a 140ha beef unit has the Hill- brae Simmental Stud with 50 pedigree cows and 60 to 70 unregistered cows. Although he’s had the breed for a while, he only made the decision to register the stud a few years ago. “Simmental is the fastest growing beef breed in New Zealand,” Barry says. “There are opportuni- ties for the dairy industry to get some good beef to rear by using the genetics,” he says. It’s a definite departure for Barry who in 1977 started the Hillbrae Friesian Stud, which is now run by son Mark from his 111ha farm at Tokomaru, 15 minutes south of Palmerston North, which he took over with wife Haylie in in 2005. The farm milks 200 pedigree Friesian cows and is producing some top Friesians on the back of the hard work that Barry put in for many years. Hillbrae Friesian Stud produced a couple of pedigree friesian bulls in the late eighties and early nineties that were top of the country and now a top Ambreed bull this year; Hillbrae Gaunt Chuck, has been produced from that same lineage. Mark also runs the Hillbrae Speckle Park Stud, which has 35 cows and 20 bulls. Mark says it’s the fastest growing breed in Australasia and the third most popular beef breed in New Zealand for Artificial Insemination. “Speckle Park is probably the best breed that marbles just on grass. You can grow them quickly and kill at 18-20 months, cutting out the need for a second winter,” Mark says. He’s also got together with some other Speckle Park farmers to create a new brand to sell the meat direct to market. They are supplying a few top res- taurants in Auckland to test the waters for now. The Gledhill’s source semen from around the world and do embryo transfer on their top cows to improve the herd and increase genetic gain. For all your harvesting needs Proud to Suppo Hillbrae Ph o ne Mu r r ay 021 414 2 2 7 Grass, Wholecrop, Maize, Stacking, Bagging, Buying & Selling, Round Bales, Hay & Baleage, Conventional Bales & Ground Work THE NEXT GENERATION IN TRAINING Proudly Servicing Hillbrae’s Rural Transport Needs 06 354 9464 027 288 78 74 ruralventuresltd@xtra.co.nz John Scarlett - Owner Operator The Friesian herd is producing an average of 450 kgs/MS per cow each year under trying conditions with the farm flooding regularly in winter, some- times leaving half the farm underwater. Mark is targeting 500 kgs/MS. The overall aim is to get more semen into the marketplace, to bring other farmers on board so they can get a premium for their beef. “In a bad year a third to half the farm is underwater for half of winter. Because we have a wet farm, friesians are better because we don’t have to milk so many animals to get the production,” says Mark. Mark and Haylie also own an 80ha run off near their farm used for beef stock, breeding bulls, replacements and some wintering and around 60 Speckle Park commercial cows are kept there. The Gledhill’s passion for cows doesn’t end there. Barry’s son Leyton has a farm that backs onto both his and his other son Daniel’s farms at Kimbolton – both beef units. The brothers’ kids all enjoy the rural life with Mark’s brood - Jaela, 18, Brock, 16 and Spencer, 14 – all interested in farming. Brock, Spencer, Jaela, Haylie and Mark Gledhill, who also runs the Hillbrae Speckle Park Stud.