| 19 A rough old paddock into productive land Richard Loader RURAL PEOPLE » Korako Speckle Park With 76 orbits of the sun under his belt, Bay of Plenty Speckle Park breeder Bill Flowerday has been farming for just over six decades and says he still gets immense pleasure from turning a rough old paddock into productive new grass, let alone the satisfaction of breeding good cattle; dairy or beef. “Every season and every day is different. The variety of skills needed can be demanding, but that’s what continues to drive my passion for farming, sixty years on.” While Bill’s roots are in dairy, his farming history includes a sojourn growing kiwifruit and then growing beef cattle with a handful of Angus. Deciding to specialise in bulls, Bill saw the new Speckle Park breed as a better opportunity with less competition from the recognised breeds. “I did my first embryo transfers in 2015, with genetics from Maungahina Stud, and got eight pure-live calves in 2016. That was a good start. I also had two Speckle Park service bulls that I used over the Angus cows. I continued to buy embryos from Maungahina and also Premier Speckle Park Stud, and have also sourced AI semen from Canada where the breed originated, and a little bit from Semex.” For the last four years Bill has farmed in the lower Kaimai’s, just east of Tauranga. The farm is 100 hectares effective rolling grazing land, 95% of which is accessible by fertiliser truck. “I calve 100 breeding cows every year and about 40% of that herd is now pure-bred Speckle Park, with the balance bred on from the original Angus cows. I now have some that are 7/8th Speckle Park. If you looked at the herd now, you couldn’t tell the difference between pure-bred Speckle Park cattle and the cross-breds. I keep all calves and can finish up with 90 calf weaners, some of which I finish, some I sell store and some I sell as yearling bulls. Then I have the breeding bulls that I buy in.” Temperament, colour-marking and ease of calving are key traits that Bill breeds for “The calves really are tough, hardy little buggers when they’re born, and before you know it they’re on their feet, ready to go. With 15 Speckle Park yearling bulls on offer this September, Bill is trying something a little different with all bulls available for viewing in the paddock, before buyers attend the on-farm auction in a shed that displays each bull and its Lot number on a large video screen. “I saw this method being used very successfully when I was in Canada about five years ago. People can either bid with the auctioneer in the shed, or on-line bids can also be taken. Six of the bulls will be registered pure-breds and may appeal to other breeders or anyone else looking for a pure-bred. There are seven F2 and two F3 bulls that are likely appeal to dairy farmers. Most dairy farmers will use Speckle Park over their replacement yearling heifers. The calves would be ideal for dairy beef. They are exceptional in terms of their carcass yield and I have repeat buyers because of that. The meat is very good tastings and there are blind tasting tests in Australia that support that.” Health & safetymanagement designed for small businesses Introducing Proud to support Korako Speckle Park swede@taurangalivestockltd.co.nz 2024 sale bulls. Details at a later date • Prior viewing welcomed Phone Bill Flowerday 027 272 4361 www.korakospecklepark.co.nz 14 Quality ylg bulls for sale this spring
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