16 | Bulls bred for high calving ease and Kim Newth RURAL PEOPLE » Mahuta Polled Hereford Stud: John & Mary Allen John and Mary Allen, owners of Mahuta Polled Hereford Stud, are anticipating a good turnout for their September bull sale. Their 40th Annual Yearling Bull Sale will take place on farm on 16th September at Glen Murray, south of the Bombay hills. Some 56 Yearling Hereford Bulls are set to be presented. Interested buyers can attend an on-farm open day on Friday, 2nd September to view the bulls. “People are welcome to come and look at any other time – just give me a ring,” says John, adding that the sale catalogue will be on their website, www.mahutastud.co.nz by mid-August and will also be available online at the NZ Herefords website, www.herefords.co.nz. Catalogues will be posted to regular clientele. “It’s a high calving ease catalogue. We aim to produce bulls that will increase pro t for our clients by having high calf survival, early growth and early nishing. Overall, we think the type of bull we’re aiming for is good for the industry and good for the planet.” John describes last year’s sale as “very consistent” producing a good average price of $3484 for the yearlings. Some buyers in the Auckland area were under movement restrictions due to Covid and that prevented them from attending the sale. While online bidding was available through bidr, John says not everyone was con dent with using it. “We didn’t sell all the bulls last year and the main reason for that was because people couldn’t go to the sale, so I’d hope we’ll do better this year.” Mahuta’s clientele is mixed dairy and beef, uctuating from year to year. John says some will be looking to buy bulls for dairy heifers. “It’s a specialised market. Dairy heifers are very susceptible to calving troubles. People buy from us as they have con dence in what we produce. Our bulls for dairy heifers – bred for ease of calving with low birthweight – are very sought after because farmers are well aware that damage during calving can impair that heifer’s production for the year and may even have a permanent impact.” A current star of the stud is Mahuta Ocean 8073, which has stood out in the BLG and LIC multibreed progeny trial to identify the best bulls for dairy beef production. Following the rst crop of calves, Mahuta Ocean has emerged as a leader for short gestation and early growth. As John observes, short gestation means more days for cows in milk and early growth means earlier weaning, in turn reducing costs. “It has been very rewarding to see him come through so well. We will be offering a number of “It’s a specialised market. Dairy heifers are very susceptible to calving troubles. People buy from us as they have con dence in what we produce. Our bulls for dairy heifers – bred for ease of calving with low birthweight – are very sought after because farmers are well aware that damage during calving can impair that heifer’s production for the year and may even have a permanent impact.” Krone Xtreme yearlings at our sale with the same sire as Mahuta Ocean and some by Ocean himself.” Established in 1978, Mahuta Polled Hereford Stud has been developed using top sires to create a strong genetic base for the 220-cow herd, run on rolling hill country. The herd is bred in two lines, one favouring ease of calving with low birthweight and the other growth and meat, though calving ease is a priority for all their cattle. Mahuta’s overall breeding objective is to breed quiet, sound, functional cattle that will thrive under commercial conditions and maximise pro t for their owners. Mahuta Polled Hereford Stud has been developed using top sires to create a strong genetic base for the 220-cow herd. The stud’s 40th Annual Yearling Bull Sale will take place on farm on 16th September at Glen Murray. TE AKAU TRANSPORT LTD 07 825 4805 / 07 826 3666 office@teakautransport.nz LIVESTOCK - FERTILISER AGLIME - METAL - ANIMAL FEED SUPPLIED & DELIVERED
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